Frederick S. Armitage facts for kids

Frederick S. Armitage was an early American filmmaker. He was born on June 19, 1874, in Seneca Falls, New York. He passed away on January 3, 1933, in Ecorse, Michigan. Armitage was a talented cinematographer and director. He worked mostly for the American Mutoscope and Biograph Company. He helped create over 400 short films. Many of these were for a special viewing machine called the Mutoscope.

Armitage was known for his creative camerawork. He used new techniques in his films. These included superimpositions and time-lapse photography. His work helped shape how movies were made.

Frederick Armitage's Film Journey

Early Film Career

Not much is known about Armitage's early life. We know he started making films around 1898. By 1899, he was very busy. He filmed 188 movies for AM&B in that year alone. Some of his early films were "actualities." These were like short news reports or documentaries. They showed real events. For example, he filmed events from the end of the Spanish–American War. He also filmed a big parade for Admiral Dewey in New York City.

On June 9, 1899, Armitage filmed a famous boxing match. It was between Jim Jeffries and Tom Sharkey. This film was a record 135 minutes long. It was a very big deal for movies at that time.

Innovative Film Techniques

Starting in 1900, Armitage began making films with "trick effects." These were special effects that were new and exciting then. In two films, The Prince of Darkness and A Terrible Night, he reversed the film. This made it look like clothes were jumping back onto a man.

In A Nymph of the Waves, he combined two films. He made a dancer look like she was floating on waves from Niagara Falls. He used a similar trick in Davey Jones' Locker (1900). Armitage also used time-lapse photography in Demolishing and Building Up The Star Theater (1901). This film showed a building being torn down and rebuilt over a month.

His most amazing time-lapse film was Down the Hudson (1903). Armitage and A. E. Weed filmed a trip down the Hudson River. They took single frames over time. This created a three-minute film showing the journey.

Other Notable Films

Armitage filmed or directed many other interesting movies. He made some early martial arts films. He also filmed Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show. He captured famous performers like actress Anna Held and singer Eugénie Fougère. He even filmed Sousa's Band.

Armitage also worked on short "story films." These were based on popular plays. Examples include Ten Nights in a Bar-Room (1901) and The Wages of Sin (1901). He filmed American landmarks for the U.S. Department of the Interior. He also filmed Native American life for the U.S. Indian Department.

Later Career

Armitage's last known work for AM&B was in 1905. He worked on The Nihilists and Wanted: A Dog. Soon after, he moved to the Edison Manufacturing Company. He stayed at Edison until at least 1910. There, he worked with directors Edwin S. Porter and J. Searle Dawley. After 1910, his work is less clear. He made two more films around 1916–1917. Then, he disappeared from records until his death in 1933.

Frederick Armitage's Lasting Impact

People didn't fully understand Frederick S. Armitage's importance until the 1980s. This was thanks to the work of Charles Musser. Since then, interest in his films has grown. In 2002, his film Demolishing and Building Up The Star Theater was added to the Library of Congress' National Film Registry. This means it's considered very important to American film history. Many of his films were also included in a collection called Unseen Cinema. This collection features early American experimental films.

Selective online filmography

• 71st Regiment, Camp Wyckoff (1899)[1]
• Fougere (1899)[2]
• Governor Roosevelt and Staff (1899) [3]
• “Grand Republic” passing “Columbia” (1899) [4]
• Ladies Saddle Horses (1899) [5]
• Park Davis’s Employees (1899) [6]
• The Dandy Fifth (1899) [7]
• The Dewey Arch (1899) [8]
• The Serenaders (1899) [9]
• 15th Infantry (1900) [10]
• A Nymph of the Waves (1900) [11]
• Skating on Lake, Central Park (1900) [12]
• Chimmie Hicks at the Races (1900) [13]
• The Ghost Train (1901) [14]
• Demolishing and Building Up The Star Theater (1901)[15]
• Brook Trout Fishing (1902) [16]
• Buffalo Bill's Wild West Parade (1902) [17]
• Skating on Lake, Central Park (1902) [18]
• Star Theatre (1902) [19]
• Birth of the Pearl (1903) [20]
• Cake Walk (1903) [21]
• Comedy Cake Walk (1903) [22]
• Parade of "Exempt" Firemen (1903) [23]
• Ameta (1903) [24]
• As In A Looking Glass (1903) [25]
• Drill by Providence Police (1903) [26]
• How Tommy got a pull on his Grandpa (1903) [27]
• Noon Hour, Hope Webbing Co. (1903) [28]
• Parade of “exempt” firemen (1903) [29]
• Pawtucket Fire Department (1903) [30]
• Bargain Day, 14th Street, New York (1905) [31]