James Williamson (film pioneer) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids James Williamson
James Williamson around 1900
Born	(1855-11-08)8 November 1855 Pathhead, Scotland
Died	18 August 1933(1933-08-18) (aged 77) Richmond, England
Occupation	Film maker

James A. Williamson (born November 8, 1855 – died August 18, 1933) was a Scottish photographer. He was also a very important early filmmaker. He was part of a group called the Brighton School. This group made many new and exciting films. Williamson is famous for films like The Big Swallow (1901). This film used a very close-up shot in a new way. He also made Fire! and Stop Thief! (both 1901). These were dramas that told a story using many different shots. This was a big step for movies!

James Williamson's Life and Film Career

Early Life and Photography

James Williamson was born in Pathhead, Scotland. This was a small town near Kirkcaldy. He grew up in Edinburgh and learned to be a skilled chemist. In 1868, he moved to London. There, he worked as an apprentice for a pharmacist. Later, in 1877, he bought his own pharmacy in Eastry, Kent. He also got married around this time.

Williamson loved photography as a hobby. He sold cameras and photo chemicals in his shop. He even became a seller for Kodak products.

Moving to Hove and Making Films

In 1886, Williamson moved his business to Hove. He lived there with his family. In Hove, he became friends with other early film pioneers. These included Esmé Collings, William Friese-Greene, and George Albert Smith. He helped them by supplying chemicals and processing their films. His old shop at 144 Church Road (now 156 Church Road) has a special plaque. It celebrates his amazing achievements in film.

Williamson first bought equipment to show films made by his friend George Albert Smith. With help from an engineer named Alfred Darling, he built his own camera. He started making his own movies. One of his first films was Devil's Dyke Fun Fair in 1896. He also brought x-ray photography to the area.

New Films and Ideas

In 1898, Williamson moved his business to 55 Western Road in Hove. He released his first film catalog. It included films like the trick film The Clown Barber. This film showed a barber who takes off a customer's head to shave it! He also made the comedy Washing the Sweep. These films were later sold by the Warwick Trading Company.

Williamson showed his films to the public. He had popular Saturday night showings called Williamson's Popular Entertainments. These ran in 1900 at the Hove Town Hall. One important film shown was Attack on a China Mission. This film was very new for its time. It used four shots to tell a story. It even had a reverse-angle cut, showing the audience a different view.

Around 1901, Williamson focused only on making films. He made the famous trick film The Big Swallow. It used a very close-up shot in a new and exciting way. He also made dramas like Fire! and Stop Thief!. These films used many shots to show continuous action. This helped set the basic rules for how movies tell stories. These films later influenced American filmmakers like Edwin Porter. Porter made Life of an American Fireman and The Great Train Robbery (both 1903).

The Williamson Kinematographic Company

In 1902, Williamson moved his business again. He named it the Williamson Kinematographic Company. They built a special glass film studio in Hove. Here, they made important films like The Little Match Seller. They also made films that showed social issues. These included The Soldier's Return and A Reservist, Before the War, and After the War. These films were early examples of Social Realism in movies. That summer, he also filmed events for the coronation of King Edward VII.

By 1907, Williamson's company grew. They opened new offices in London and New York. Williamson himself started to focus less on making films. He became more interested in processing and distributing films. He also worked with his son Colin on new film equipment. In 1908, he invented a device. It helped movie theaters add text (called intertitles) to their films. Williamson also attended a big meeting in Paris in 1909. Filmmakers met to discuss challenges from new companies. Soon after, he stopped making new films.

Later Years and Legacy

In 1910, Williamson made his last film. It was called The History of a Butterfly: A Romance of Insect Life. This film was meant to be the first in a series of science films. After this, Williamson and his family moved to London. His old studio was sold. He also patented a new projector that year.

Williamson briefly returned to making newsreels in 1913. But this stopped when World War I began. During the war, his company helped develop aerial photography. They made special cameras for planes to photograph battles. They also created cameras for scientific use and for horse-racing photo-finishes.

James Williamson passed away on August 18, 1933, from a heart attack. He was in Richmond, Surrey.

Williamson's Lasting Impact

The Williamson Kinematograph Company kept making cameras and film equipment. They continued their important work in aerial photography during World War II.

James Williamson's pioneering film work is still remembered. He, along with Esme Collings and George Albert Smith, were celebrated in a 1966 BBC TV show. It was called It Began in Brighton. Their work was also honored at the 1968 Brighton Festival.

In 1996, a hundred years after cinema began, Williamson's work was again celebrated. Plaques were put up, including one on his old shop in Church Street. There was also an exhibition and a book published about the Brighton pioneers.

Selected Films by James Williamson