Iwan Serrurier
Encyclopedia
Iwan Serrurier was a Dutch-born electrical engineer notable for inventing the Moviola
.
, where he sold real estate and worked for the Southern Pacific Railroad as a draftsman. Around 1917 Serrurier developed a home movie projector, which he called the "Moviola" since it was a similar concept to a Victrola. The device was hard to sell to home users since it cost $600 in 1920, a very large sum. An editor at Douglas Fairbanks Studios suggested that Serrurier should adapt the device for use by film editors
; he did this and the Moviola as an editing device was born in 1924.
In 1946 Iwan Serrurier's son Mark Serrurier
took over as president of Moviola Co., Iwan’s company. In 1979 Mark was awarded a special Academy Award for Technical Achievement
for himself and Iwan Serrurier for their special contribution to movie editing.
Moviola
A Moviola is a device that allows a film editor to view film while editing. It was the first machine for motion picture editing when it was invented by Iwan Serrurier in 1924.-History:...
.
Career
Iwan Serrurier moved to the U.S. at the beginning of the twentieth century. He settled with his wife Catharina in Pasadena, CaliforniaPasadena, California
Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...
, where he sold real estate and worked for the Southern Pacific Railroad as a draftsman. Around 1917 Serrurier developed a home movie projector, which he called the "Moviola" since it was a similar concept to a Victrola. The device was hard to sell to home users since it cost $600 in 1920, a very large sum. An editor at Douglas Fairbanks Studios suggested that Serrurier should adapt the device for use by film editors
Film editing
Film editing is part of the creative post-production process of filmmaking. It involves the selection and combining of shots into sequences, and ultimately creating a finished motion picture. It is an art of storytelling...
; he did this and the Moviola as an editing device was born in 1924.
In 1946 Iwan Serrurier's son Mark Serrurier
Mark Serrurier
Mark Serrurier is the son of Dutch-born electrical engineer, Iwan Serrurier, who created the Moviola in 1924 which became the technology used for film editing. Mark was a graduate of Caltech and went on to work on designs for the Mt. Palomar 200 inch Hale telescope...
took over as president of Moviola Co., Iwan’s company. In 1979 Mark was awarded a special Academy Award for Technical Achievement
Academy Award for Technical Achievement
The Technical Achievement Award is a kind of Scientific and Technical Award given by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to those whose particular technical accomplishments have contributed to the progress of the motion picture industry and who are given a certificate, which describes...
for himself and Iwan Serrurier for their special contribution to movie editing.