Biograph buys the patent rights to the “Latham Loop”.
D.W. Griffith is hired to be a film director by Biograph. Between 1908 and 1913 Griffith will direct over 450 movies for Biograph.
Griffith hires the young actress, Florence Lawrence, to be the leading lady in his films at Biograph. Lawrence is offered $25 a week.
Responding to the exhausting conditions that the Nickelodeon projectionists operate under, the “Motion Picture Machine Operators” union is formed. It is the first union in the motion picture industry.
Under pressure from the film producers, the major film exchanges join forces and form the Film Service Association (FSA). Although the stated purpose of the association is, in part, to eliminate old, worn films that are giving the industry a bad name, the real purpose is to increase the profits of the Edison-licensed film production companies.
Significant Films:
The Biograph film, “The Adventures of Dollie”, is D.W. Griffith’s first film as a director.