''Monkeyshines'' is a series of experimental short

silent film A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, w ...

s made to test the original cylinder format of the

Kinetoscope The Kinetoscope is an early motion picture exhibition device, designed for films to be viewed by one person at a time through a peephole viewer window. The Kinetoscope was not a movie projector, but it introduced the basic approach that woul ...

, and are believed to be the first films shot in the United States. ''Monkeyshines, No. 1'' was shot by

William K. L. Dickson William Kennedy Laurie Dickson (3 August 1860 – 28 September 1935) was a British inventor who devised an early motion picture camera under the employment of Thomas Edison. Early life William Kennedy Dickson was born on 3 August 1860 in ...

and

William Heise William Heise (1847–1910) was a German-born American film cinematographer and director, active in the 1890s and credited for more than 175 short silent films. Heise filmed a "We All Smoke" skit promoting Admiral Cigarettes in 1897. Heise is be ...

for the Edison labs. Scholars have differing opinions on whether the first was shot in June 1889 starring Fred Ott or at some time between November 21–27, 1890 starring Giuseppe Sacco Albanese.Kino Video
"Edison: The Invention of the Movies"
Retrieved August 13, 2006. Both men were fellow lab workers at the company; contradictory evidence exists for each claim. ''Monkeyshines, No. 2'' and ''Monkeyshines, No. 3'' quickly followed to test further conditions. These films were intended to be internal tests of the new camera system, and were not created for commercial use; their rise to prominence resulted much later due to work by film historians. All three films show a blurry figure in white standing in one place making large gestures and are only a few seconds long. ''Monkeyshines No. 3'' has disappeared and may be

lost Lost may refer to getting lost, or to: Geography * Lost, Aberdeenshire, a hamlet in Scotland *Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, or LOST, a hiking and cycling trail in Florida, US History *Abbreviation of lost work, any work which is known to have bee ...

References

External links

* * * * * * * 1889 films 1890 films 1890s American films Films shot in New Jersey Films directed by William Kennedy Dickson Films directed by William Heise Articles containing video clips American silent short films American black-and-white films 1880s short films {{1880s-film-stub