The Vivaphone

...To me the most remarkable thing about this union [of talking machines and cinematography] is the speed and completeness with which it has been accomplished. Until two or three years ago the high contracting parties were completely aloof from one another, and although from time to time there were rumours of an engagement, it was not until quite recently that the mating took place.
Moreover, it would seem that although the marriage appears to have been arranged in America, there is not the remotest likelihood of a divorce...

[Cecil M. Hepworth - British Cinema Pioneer in "The Talkies", by "John Scotland" - a pseudonym]

What is a Vivaphone?

This page contains information about the Vivaphone, invented by Cecil Hepworth c.1905-6 to combine sound with film in the early days of cinema. It was an early synchronized sound system that utilized a mechanical phonograph - one of many competing systems to add sound to the silent film. The name Vivaphone [approximately meaning "living sound"] had no significance, Hepworth said he had to call it something!  [source?] But he clearly gave the name careful thought.

"The idea of combining film and sound had been around since the invention of the cinema itself: Thomas Edison had commissioned the Kinetograph to provide visual images for his phonograph, and William Dickson had actually synchronized the two machines in a device briefly marketed in the 1890s as the Kinetophone. Léon Gaumont’s Chronophone in France and Cecil Hepworth’s Vivaphone system in England employed a similar technology, and each was used to produce hundreds of synchronized shorts between 1902 and 1912. In Germany producer-director Oskar Messter began to release all of his films with recorded musical scores as early as 1908."  [source: Brittanica]

How did the Vivaphone work?

The Cinephone and the Vitaphone are similar types of systems used at the time for sound and film synchronization. There were numerous competing systems since there was considerable incentive to invent a good trustworthy solution - everyone knew the silents would be rendered obsolete by the first system that worked well. There were numerous competing systems on both sides of the Atlantic.

• In Barker's Cinephone, each scene was acted in front of a recording phonograph and then re-enacted in front of the camera to match the recording. When making the film, the actors mimed to a ten-inch commercial record lasting some two minutes. The idea was to synchronise sound and film on replay. Sometimes this worked well, other times not, with hilarious consequences! A projector was adjusted so that it ran at the same fixed speed as the phonograph (at least, that was the plan). Visual dials and indicators helped an operator to adjust the speed. On reflection, this concept is not altogether different to synchronising or miming while filming to a soundtrack today! 
• Hepworth's Vivaphone was simpler than the Cinephone. Hepworth's Vivaphone synchronized sound and visuals, adjusted by an operator using a single indicator light in combination with coloured glass. The indicator, powered by an electro-magnet, showed either green or red lights to the operator to guide  speed adjustments. The method was dependant on the gramophone operator being efficient on starting at the marked point on the disc when the film began to show. All sorts of things would go awry especially when programme sellers or ice-cream vendors were deputed to work the gramophone, rather than 'experts'. The lithograph on the right is believed to be an authentic illustration of the general set-up, although somewhat stylised it does show that the early projectionists needed to be quite adept to keep control of the many different parts of the apparatus to achieve a successful result.
• The Vivaphone was the subject of British Patent No. 10417 of 26th April 1910. The apparatus was leased out or sold and comprised a synchronizer, a gramophone attachment projector handle, coil of wire and a 4-volt battery. They could be self-installed or Hepworths could send an instructor to do it.
• The Vivaphone had a serious limitation. Before electronic amplification became practical, the volume obtainable from gramophones was strictly limited. As normal acoustic gramophones were used it was relatively quiet and only small halls were used for the Vivaphone.  The more powerful compressed air amplification type machines such as the 'Auxetophone" and similar devices suited bigger venues (but were significantly more expensive).
• No contemporary description of the "Vivaphone" mechanical arrangements seem to have survived. The best that can be hoped for is a copy of the Patent application, although these are normally coy about details.
• The Vivaphone kit cost £5/5/0 as seen in this invoice from 1913.

Vivaphone Catalogue - Missing!

Films were produced at the rate of two a week for three or four years after the system was invented.  The Hepworth company published a Catalogue of Vivaphone films in 1909 [not known whether any copies survive]. The National Film and Television Archive has listed the following Vivaphone films in their archive, suggesting that production spanned almost a decade from 1905 to 1914. With an estimated 100 "sound" films made per year at peak rate over three to four years, maybe longer, at least 200 single sided recordings must have been sourced from the commercial catalogues. The records do not show whether recordings were commissioned specially for the Vivaphone, it seems many were re-used catalogue recordings. The rarity of the records these days is therefore somewhat surprising.

• ca 1909 "Are we downhearted?"
• ca 1909 "The Mikado" [?] This particular Vivaphone film would be a fascinating find since Gilbert and Sullivan who jointly created fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896 remain extremely popular. The group and performance of the music would offer great insight into another fascinating area, that of Silent Film Music. 
• ca l9l2 "I do like to be where the girls are"
• ca l9l4 "The rollicking rajah"

All are mute and it is unlikely that the BFI have any extant discs for these particular films. But these old 78's do pop up from time to time!

Perhaps hepworthfilm.org could begin to recreate the Vivaphone catalogue - now there's a thought! If you have any diagrams, photos, records or information about the Vivaphone please Contact Us.

Hepworth "Singing Pictures"

The Vivaphone was ideally suited to making short films of songs.  The durations of 78 RPM recordings is about three to five minutes per side, depending on the disc size: 12": ca. four to five minutes 10": ca. three minutes. Perfect for a song or cameo play. 

This suggests that Vivaphone commercial musical recordings were the subject of miming by actors. Records exist of several Hepwix Singing Pictures. The only film actor mentioned by Hepworth as having made Vivaphone singing pictures was Madge Campbell. Sadly more discs than films survive.

Several 78 rpm recordings have surfaced in the USA, suggesting that Hepworth had a healthy export business in this genre. Some records were labelled "Record for Vivaphone supplied by the Hepworth Manufacturing Company for use with the "HEPWIX" Singing Picture". Clearly wording intended for the US Market. Here are a few examples of records that have been found:

• The Regimental Band of HM Scots Guards, conducted by bandmaster Mr. Frederick William Wood, playing Philippe Farbach's "Argentine Tango", on Columbia-Rena Record 1850, matrix number 27920, issued March 1912. The four digit Hepworth catalogue number begins with a 2...  Argentine Tango started to gain traction in the neighbourhood of Buenos Aries, Argentina around the late 1880s and rapidly became a dancehall favourite.
• Columbia-Rena double sided Record 21116, with a sticker, has matrix 2843 featuring Harry Champion, famous music hall comedian, "I'm William the Conqueror". The digits in the "Hepworth Number" space on the paste over label is 12,839. The speculation is that records were individually numbered. This record was issued in June 1913. Many of Harry Champion's songs remain recognisable in popular culture today.
• Columbia-Rena double sided Record 2175, with sticker, matrix number 28432 and again it is Harry Champion singing "It's Large as Life in the Harem". Hepworth's number is 11,958, and hand-written there is 10-0. This recording was released August 1913 respectively.

If you have any diagrams, photos, records or information about the Vivaphone please Contact Us.

 The Vivaphone and the Birth of the Political Party Broadcast

One film of particular importance was of Andrew Bonar Law, MP (filmed as "Speech by Bonar Low") who made a Gramophone Record, via the Gramophone Company Ltd., especially for Hepworth. The Unionist politician then later re-recited his speech in the film studio to the sound of his own voice-post synchronization. Hepworth thought that Mr Law was not very good at the synchronising. The Gramophone Monarch Record '" Message from Bonar Law" was issued in 1908, number 01007, and is earlier than the Hepworth film. It is not known if this used the same speech or not, but given the expense of recording it is most likely it was the same.

F.E. Smith (later the 1st Lord Birkenhead) allegedly made a much better attempt with his recorded voice, Hepworth described this as excellent (filmed as "Speech by F. E. Smith"). Hepworth states that other Conservative Government Cabinet Ministers were filmed in a studio in St James Square, London, but he does not make it clear if they were recorded or not. [Source - unknown]

Apparently, Hepworth did not hold his Vivaphone fims in any high esteem but he did say that they made a lot of money for his company. [source?]

Vivaphone Documentation - Missing!

A booklet was issued by Hepworth in 1909 "The Vivaphone', and although a copy was cited in the BFI library in 1947, it seems to have disappeared in the meantime.

If anyone knows of a copy it would be especially pleasing to have sight of it, or a scan or photocopy.

If you have any diagrams, photos, records or information about the Vivaphone please Contact Us.

Vivaphone Appeal

PLEASE contact us if you have a copy of this catalogue, or have any Vivaphone records, films or information.

Wouldn't it be wonderful to be able to replay a Vivaphone recording on this website, bringing the sounds of a century ago back to life again. 

If you have any diagrams, photos, records or information about the Vivaphone please Contact Us.

Source Material

This website has had the benefit of (and has transcribed much of) a fascinating article about the Vivaphone by John Booth, Frank Andrews, and Richard Brown, contributed by Terence Brown (thank you!), published in an unrecognised record collector's magazine (headed TMR92, page numbers 2843, 4 and 5). [Source: Vivaphone Article [PDF].

These films went far and wide, not only to the USA. Nezih Erdogan, an author writing about the early years of cinema in Istanbul has been in touch with this website to say "I have had access to the correspondences of an Armenian film importer, Armenag Utidjian who bought films and rented a Vivaphone from the Hepworth Co. in 1913" - and here is a copy of the order, made on 16th December 1913:

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References - Stephen Herbert. Further Information supplied by: Terence Brown, Nezih Erdogan - Thank you!

If you have any diagrams, photos, or information about the Vivaphone please Contact Us