Lumiere brothers (Pioneers)

Auguste and Louis Lumiere were the earliest film makers in history. In 1892 the brothers began to create moving pictures. They patented a number of significant processes leading up to their film camera, most notably film perforations (originally implemented by Emile Reynaud) as a means of advancing the film through the camera and projector.

The cinematography itself was patented on 13 February 1934. The first footage ever to be recorded using it was recorded on March 19, 1895. This first film shows workers leaving the Lumière factory.

The Lumières used a film speed of 16 frames per second, much slower compared with Edison’s 48 fps - this meant that less film was used an also the clatter and grinding associated with Edison’s device was reduced.

In 1903 they turned their attention to colour photography and patented a colour photography process. They launched their product the "Autochrome Lumiere" on the market in 1907. Throughout the 20th, the Lumiere company was one of the major suppliers of photographic equipment in Europe, however the name soon disappeared when the company merged with llford. 

Although the Lumière brothers were not the first inventors to develop techniques to create motion pictures, they are often credited as one of the first inventors of the technology for Cinema as a mass medium, and are among the first who understood how to use it.