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154:, 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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712:. 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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204:(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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828:"Top 10 Most Influential Cinematographers Voted on by Camera Guild," October 16, 2003.
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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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187:(1915), a film funded in part by Bitzer's life savings, and the epic
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146:. He admired and learned the art of motion picture photography from
286:(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
122:(April 21, 1872 – April 29, 1944) was an American
846:Encyclopædia Britannica, Micropædia, Vol. II, p51
716:, San Francisco, CA. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
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859:G. W. Bitzer (as Billy Bitzer).
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518:The Battle at Elderbush Gulch
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837:Retrieved January 28, 2011.
590:The Girl Who Stayed at Home
478:The Musketeers of Pig Alley
142:, eventually to become the
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785:Crudo, Richard P. (2005).
759:Beginnings of the Biograph
757:Hendricks, Gordon (1964),
574:The Greatest Thing in Life
140:American Mutoscope Company
914:American cinematographers
865:Farrar, Straus and Giroux
809:Farrar, Straus and Giroux
582:A Romance of Happy Valley
438:The Female of the Species
278:(1909), a silent film by
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833:January 9, 2014, at the
206:split-screen photography
168:The Adventures of Dollie
120:Gottfried Wilhelm Bitzer
861:Billy Bitzer: His Story
805:Billy Bitzer: His Story
734:The Emergence of Cinema
709:Billy Bitzer: His Story
678:The Battle of the Sexes
534:The Avenging Conscience
244:Billy Bitzer: His Story
235:and died in Hollywood.
159:Mutual Film Corporation
430:The Girl and Her Trust
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248:published posthumously
686:Lady of the Pavements
622:The Greatest Question
542:The Birth of a Nation
486:The House of Darkness
414:The Lonedale Operator
322:2 A. M. in the Subway
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184:The Birth of a Nation
390:In the Border States
258:Selected filmography
214:three-point lighting
171:, which was shot by
558:Hearts of the World
502:The Mothering Heart
398:The Modern Prodigal
344:The Invisible Fluid
290:"; runtime 00:08:18
526:Judith of Bethulia
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873:978-0-374-11294-3
817:978-0-374-11294-3
732:Musser, Charles,
382:A Corner in Wheat
329:Fights of Nations
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222:Bell & Howell
220:. Even after the
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18:G. W. Bitzer
909:1944 deaths
904:1872 births
885:G.W. Bitzer
550:Intolerance
422:Enoch Arden
190:Intolerance
148:Kinetoscope
51: 1935
898:Categories
694:References
108:Occupation
100:California
68:1872-04-21
791:Routledge
288:The Raven
250:in 1973.
196:His film
150:inventor
134:Biography
867:, 1973.
831:Archived
811:, 1973.
193:(1916).
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246:, was
102:, U.S.
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76:Boston
226:Pathe
889:IMDb
869:ISBN
813:ISBN
742:ISBN
718:ISBN
273:PLAY
238:His
208:and
88:Died
58:Born
887:at
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