Gaumont exhibits early sound film technology
Gaumont's 120-year anniversary exhibition in Paris features a Chronomegaphone from 1911, an early device for synchronizing sound and image invented by Léon Gaumont.
Gaumont's exhibition "120 years of cinema: Gaumont, for as long as cinema has existed," currently running in Paris, has added a significant artifact: a Chronomegaphone from 1911.
Invented by Léon Gaumont, the Chronomegaphone was an early attempt at synchronizing recorded sound with projected film. This "sound on disc" system used a phonograph cylinder or disc to capture audio, which was then played back and synchronized with the motion picture. The device employed a compressed air system for sound projection.
The newly exhibited Chronomegaphone is a substantial piece of equipment, weighing nearly 450 kilograms and requiring four separate trunks for transport. Its addition highlights Gaumont's long history of innovation in cinematic technology.
This particular Chronomegaphone is one of only about fifty believed to still exist worldwide. It was previously held by the family of its owner since 1914 before being acquired by Gaumont through an auction. The device is now prominently displayed as a centerpiece of the exhibition at Centquatre-Paris. The exhibition concluded on August 5, 2015.