kinetography

Kinetography is the process of recording moving images using a camera to create motion pictures. The term is historical and etymologically combines Greek roots meaning motion and writing. In its early usage, kinetography referred to the photographic capture of motion, particularly with the first motion-picture cameras developed in the 1890s.

The most prominent example is the Kinetograph, a camera built by Thomas Edison with the assistance of W. K. L. Dickson. This technology, used in conjunction with the Kinetoscope for individual viewing, helped establish the practical infrastructure of early cinema. Over time, the term kinetography has largely been subsumed by cinematography or motion-picture photography, which describe a broader set of practices including lighting, framing, camera movement, and post-production.

Historically, kinetography sits alongside chronophotography experiments by pioneers such as Eadweard Muybridge and Etienne-Jules Marey, who studied motion by capturing sequences of images. Those experiments influenced the understanding of how to depict movement on film and laid groundwork for later cinema techniques.

In practical terms, recording motion required careful attention to exposure, shutter timing, and inter-frame timing to produce smooth motion when projected or displayed. With the transition to digital sensors and modern workflows, the term kinetography is rarely used in contemporary technical vocabulary, but it remains a relevant term in historical discussions of the origins of motion-picture technology.