A History of British Film

Pioneers

The British film industry had the same beginnings and innovations as its counterparts in Europe and America. Britain had William Friese-Green, the photographer who devoted his time and finances on inventing a camera that could photograph moving images. He also dabbled with stereo images, colour and a method of applying sound to film. Unfortunately his technology was not successfully incorporated into any practical application. G.A.Smith devised the first colour system, Kinemacolor, in 1908. Britain had foreign influences practically from the start. Leon Gaumont and Charles Pathe had both opened film companies by 1909 and there were many films flooded onto the British market from Europe.