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143:, who directed the early Biograph shorts on which Bitzer cut his teeth. Bitzer achieved success in 1896 when his film of William McKinley being notified of the presidential nomination of his party was exhibited on the Biograph Company's first program. Until 1903, Bitzer was employed by Biograph primarily as a documentary photographer, and from 1903 onward primarily as the photographer of narrative films, as these gained popularity.
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In 2003, a survey conducted by the
International Cinematographers Guild named him one of the ten most influential cinematographers in history. Bitzer, it is said, "developed camera techniques that set the standard for all future motion pictures".
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where Bitzer continued to innovate, perfecting existing technologies and inventing new ones. During this time he pioneered the field of matte photography and made use of innovative lighting techniques, closeups, and iris shots.
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701:. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1973, p. 183 (Bitzer's full birth name also printed on slipcover of hardback copies of book, which is included at external link of cited copy).
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in the Los
Angeles village of "Hollywoodland", qualifying Bitzer as, arguably, Hollywood's first Director of Photography. The apex of Bitzer and Griffith's collaboration came with
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In 1908 Bitzer entered into his first collaboration with
Griffith. The two would work together for the rest of Bitzer's career, leaving Biograph in 1913 for the
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193:(1903) features the first known close-up. Advances in lenses and filters developed by Bitzer made soft focus possible. He was the first to use
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Prior to his career as a cameraman, working as a motion picture projectionist, Bitzer developed early cinematic technologies for the
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For all his innovation, Bitzer's career did not survive the industry's transition to sound. In 1944, he suffered a
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Model 2709 production camera became the industry standard, he continued to use a
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Bitzer provided assistance during
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176:(1915), a film funded in part by Bitzer's life savings, and the epic
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135:. He admired and learned the art of motion picture photography from
275:(screenwriter), and Billy Bitzer (camera), inspired by Poe's poem "
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Interior New York Subway, 14th Street to 42nd Street (1905)
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Bitzer (behind Pathé camera) with
Griffith on location for
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Understanding
Digital Cinema: A Professional Handbook
111:(April 21, 1872 – April 29, 1944) was an American
835:Encyclopædia Britannica, Micropædia, Vol. II, p51
705:, San Francisco, CA. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
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189:is the first known use of artificial light.
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848:G. W. Bitzer (as Billy Bitzer).
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467:The Musketeers of Pig Alley
131:, eventually to become the
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774:Crudo, Richard P. (2005).
748:Beginnings of the Biograph
746:Hendricks, Gordon (1964),
563:The Greatest Thing in Life
129:American Mutoscope Company
903:American cinematographers
854:Farrar, Straus and Giroux
798:Farrar, Straus and Giroux
571:A Romance of Happy Valley
427:The Female of the Species
267:(1909), a silent film by
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822:January 9, 2014, at the
195:split-screen photography
157:The Adventures of Dollie
109:Gottfried Wilhelm Bitzer
850:Billy Bitzer: His Story
794:Billy Bitzer: His Story
723:The Emergence of Cinema
698:Billy Bitzer: His Story
667:The Battle of the Sexes
523:The Avenging Conscience
233:Billy Bitzer: His Story
224:and died in Hollywood.
148:Mutual Film Corporation
419:The Girl and Her Trust
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237:published posthumously
675:Lady of the Pavements
611:The Greatest Question
531:The Birth of a Nation
475:The House of Darkness
403:The Lonedale Operator
311:2 A. M. in the Subway
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173:The Birth of a Nation
379:In the Border States
247:Selected filmography
203:three-point lighting
160:, which was shot by
547:Hearts of the World
491:The Mothering Heart
387:The Modern Prodigal
333:The Invisible Fluid
279:"; runtime 00:08:18
515:Judith of Bethulia
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862:978-0-374-11294-3
806:978-0-374-11294-3
721:Musser, Charles,
371:A Corner in Wheat
318:Fights of Nations
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211:Bell & Howell
209:. Even after the
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459:The Painted Lady
443:The Root of Evil
341:The Lonely Villa
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23:Billy Bitzer
898:1944 deaths
893:1872 births
874:G.W. Bitzer
539:Intolerance
411:Enoch Arden
179:Intolerance
137:Kinetoscope
40: 1935
887:Categories
683:References
97:Occupation
89:California
57:1872-04-21
780:Routledge
277:The Raven
239:in 1973.
185:His film
139:inventor
123:Biography
856:, 1973.
820:Archived
800:, 1973.
182:(1916).
35:Bitzer,
651:America
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91:, U.S.
71:, U.S.
65:Boston
215:Pathe
878:IMDb
858:ISBN
802:ISBN
731:ISBN
707:ISBN
262:PLAY
227:His
197:and
77:Died
47:Born
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