The Black Maria was Thomas Edison’s movie production studio. Built in 1893, it is known as the world’s first movie production studio. Films were shot using the kinematograph, which was the most state if the art, stop-and-go, filming device of its time. The Black Maria had a huge window on its ceiling in order to let sunlight into the studio because the films in this time period required an immense amount of light in order to be filmed properly. Due to the times, only silent films were filmed, but this studio was still revolutionary in the making of the modern world's entertainment.
Fernando
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Thomas Edison constructed the first movie studio in West Orange, New Jersey. This studio or Kinetographic Theater, as it was formally called, was made out of wood, tar paper, and a roof that opened up to the sun. It was also built on a turntable to allow movement towards sunlight during the course of the day. This studio was coined the Black Maria because its eccentric appearance resembled a police wagon. The Black Maria was a venue in which many short films or motion pictures were recorded. Blacksmith Scene, Fred Ott’s Sneeze, and Sioux Ghost Dance were a few of these films. Later, in 1903, the Black Maria was torn down after Edison built a glass-enclosed rooftop studio in New York City. A replica constructed in 1954, remains in Thomas Edison’s National Historical Park.
Anette
