Sussexfilm - History - Brighton and Hove

Around 1900 Hove was a major centre of the film Industry. Two major figures in this area were George Albert Smith and James Williamson. Both were pioneers of early films and film equipment. Brighton also had it's pioneers including Alfred Darling, an important designer of early film equipment, and William Friese-Greene who was sometimes claimed to be the father of Cinematography but was certainly one of it's early pioneers. Esmé Collings ran six photographic studios with Friese-Greene and in 1896-7 made around 30 films with a camera made by Alfred Darling.
George Albert Smith was a photographer, a magic lantern show lecturer and held the lease for St Ann's Well Gardens in Hove. In 1897 Smith acquired some film making equipment and converted part of the pump house in the gardens of St Ann's Well into a laboratory of film factory. He made 55 films in his first two years as a film maker.
He experimented with innovative techniques such as close-ups, stop-motion photography, editing shots together, superimposition and continuity of movement. In 1900 Smith joined the management of the Warwick Trading Company who then built him a studio on raised ground in St Ann's Well Gardens. A blue plaque marks Smith's home during his retirement at 18 Chanctonbury rd, Hove.
James Williamson was the owner of a chemist's and photographic shop in Church Rd, Hove and in the Autumn of 1896 he acquired his first film projector and made his first films in 1897. From 1898 he devoted all his time to film production and moved to 55 western Rd and abandoned the chemists in favor of film making.
That year Williamson made 39 films mostly around Hove and built himself the Cambridge Grove Studios. Williamson was also an inventor and manufacturer of film making equipment and in 1904 produced the Williamson Camera which could run backwards as well as forwards allowing for special affects. Williamson sold his film works in 1912 foreseeing the decline of the local film industry and established his new works in London. Charles Urban was an American and one of the great producers of the early film industry. He was made manager of the Edison company in 1898 and renamed it the Warwick Trading Company. He acquired rights for Williamson's and Smith's films and for darlings equipment. In 1900 Smith joined the Warwick Trading Company and his St Ann's Well Gardens works were expanded and the free standing studio built. By 1901 The Warwick Trading Company was the largest production company in Britain. Urban left the company in 1903 to form The Charles Urban Trading Company, Smith joined him to run the works. The decline of the industry in Sussex was a national one too. In 1909 The Motion Picture Parents Company, known as the Trust, was formed in America. It incorporated all major American production companies and was intended to stabalise and monopolise the American film industry. The European Convention of Film Makers was established in the same year to counter the threat but failed when Pathé, Europe's largest production company, and others joined the Trust. Written by Frank Gray and Ewan Cushan A great place to see some of the early films by the Hove film makers and find out more about film history in Hove is the Hove Museum & Art Gallery, 19 New Church Rd, Hove.