CIN201Y1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 12: Audion, Lee De Forest, Kinetoscope
Lecture 12/2.1: The Introduction of Sound as a Technological Innovation
Lecture Structure:
1) Introduction: Sound and the Introduction of New Technologies
2) A Technological History of Sound’s Development
3) An Economic Account of Sound’s Adoption
4) Social Query: What Spurred Sound’s Widespread Acceptance?
Introduction: Sound and the Introduction of New Technologies
The topic of sound’s introduction forces reconsideration of how we integrate the technological into a history of
cinema—why is the moment of ‘invention’ always privileged?
The moment of technological introduction may be prized by historians because it constitutes a time of evident
change.
The privileged date becomes October 6, 1927, the premiere of The Jazz Singer, and the so-called “dawn of
sound.”
One should not confuse the existence of a technology with its commercial availability. (Note that invention does
not guarantee use.)
Sound deserves special consideration as a technological innovation because it changed (in fairly extensive ways)
how film was thought about and made.
Four broad areas of study over the next two weeks:
*1) Introduction of Sound Within the American Film Industry
2) Adoption of Sound Within the American Film Industry
3) Introduction and Adoption of Sound Internationally
4) Sound and its Historiographical Implications
A Technological History of Sound’s Development
Asking when sound took hold when it did can invite three explanations:
i) technological improvement
ii) industrial acceptance
iii) public demand
If we know that films were never really silent, we might well ask why it took so long for (technologically-
rendered) sound to take hold.
Precursors:
Kinetophone (Edison) – initial version in 1889; failure by 1913
Chronophone (Gaumont) – first exhibited in 1900
Early systems were plagued by problems of insufficient amplification, inexact synchronisation, and/or poor
fidelity.
Important inventions:
i) audion amplifier tube (Lee DeForest), 1907 — amplification of sound electronically through conversion
of sound waves into electrical impulses
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Document Summary
Lecture 12/2. 1: the introduction of sound as a technological innovation. Introduction: sound and the introduction of new technologies. The moment of technological introduction may be prized by historians because it constitutes a time of evident change. The privileged date becomes october 6, 1927, the premiere of the jazz singer, and the so-called dawn of sound. One should not confuse the existence of a technology with its commercial availability. (note that invention does not guarantee use. ) Sound deserves special consideration as a technological innovation because it changed (in fairly extensive ways) how film was thought about and made. Four broad areas of study over the next two weeks: *1) introduction of sound within the american film industry: adoption of sound within the american film industry, introduction and adoption of sound internationally, sound and its historiographical implications. Asking when sound took hold when it did can invite three explanations: technological improvement: industrial acceptance, public demand.
