AllMovie

Former still photographer George Albert Smith invented his own movie camera in 1896 and was making films the following year. He became well known for such innovative special effects devices as a gadget that allowed double exposures. In 1900, he developed a technique to intercut close-ups. That year, he and Charles Urban built one of the first movie studios in the world. With a career-long interest in color, he patented his two-color process Kinemacolor in 1906. Two years later he founded his own company, Natural Color Kinematograph Company.