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Robert Paul was an electrician and scientific instrument maker, with offices at Hatton Garden in London. He was approached by two Greek businessmen who had obtained an Edison kinetoscope (a slot machine that ran film in a continuous loop, that the customer viewed through an eyepiece). It should be noted that all the early Thomas A. Edison films were made for these machines--they were not projected. The pair wanted him to build a number of replicas. At first he refused, but when he discovered that Edison had not patented the kinetoscope in Britain, he turned out a number of copies. Some were supplied to Georges Méliès in Paris. Of course, the problem was replenishing the supply of bootleg Edison films. Consequently, with the assistance of Birt Acres , he developed a camera (one of his earliest films depicted the conclusion of the Derby, won by the Prince of Wales' horse). The success of his machines at Earls Court Exhibition Hall resulted in his decision to project them. He went on to invent a projector, which was used at the Alhambra Music Hall, amongst other places. The projection of films in London by Paul, Acres (who had split up with him) and the Lumieres happened around the same time. Paul was not only an inventor but a filmmaker and distributor. He pioneered a number of cinema techniques and constructed the first purpose built studio in Britain. Curiously enough, he moved out of films altogether by 1910, though he is credited with virtually inventing the British film industry--he was known to everyone as "Daddy Paul".
Was an electrical engineer by trade.Was the first Englishman to give a motion picture exhibition before a fee-paying audience.In 1896, he designed a working film projector, which used a Maltese Cross, or Geneva, type of intermittent movement. Months laster he produced a new type of film camera using the same principle. It was a success.Was originally a scientific instrument maker in London.Creator of the camera dolly.Co-founder (w/ Birt Acres ) of British production company Robert W. Paul Productions, formed in 1895.