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Billy Bitzer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Georg William "Billy" Bitzer (April 21, 1872–April 29, 1944) was a cinematographer notable for his close association with D. W. Griffith, working with him on some of his most important films and contributing significantly to cinematic innovations attributed to Griffith.
Prior to his career as a cameraman, Bitzer developed early cinematic technologies for the American Mutoscope Company, eventually to become the Biograph Company. By 1896 Bitzer's career had shifted focus, and from then until 1903 he was employed by Biograph primarily as a documentary photographer, and from 1903 onward primarily as the photographer of narrative films.
In 1908 Bitzer entered into his first collaboration with Griffith, A Calamitous Elopement. The two would work together for the rest of Bitzer's career, leaving Biograph in 1913 for the Mutual Film Corporation where Bitzer continued to innovate, perfecting existing technologies and inventing new ones. During this time he pioneered the field of matte photography and made use of innovative lighting techniques, closeups, and iris shots.
The apex of Bitzer and Griffith's collaboration came with The Birth of a Nation (1915), a film funded in part by Bitzer's life savings, and the epic Intolerance (1916).
For all his innovation, Bitzer did not survive the industry's transition to sound, and in 1944 he suffered a heart attack and died in relative obscurity.
His autobiography, Billy Bitzer: His Story was published posthumously in 1973.