I took this photo in the few hours during which the protest banner "SAVE THE PEAK" morphed back to its more famous incarnation, "HOLLYWOOD". Aside from the flutter of emotion at seeing my hometown (Brighton and Hove) take on such international import, there is a sweet irony here too. Back in the 1896 at a time when Hollywood was not yet even a light refraction in the pioneers' early cameras, a certain George Albert Smith Esq (1864 - 1959) of Hove, England, patented a camera and projector system. Smith's neighbor James Williamson (1855-1933) ran a chemist's shop which supplied photographic services and equipment. The pair created numerous short films between the years 1897 and 1908. Smith is credited with the invention of the "close-up", as well as being the first to successfully devolop a color film process, Kinemacolor, and to use double-exposure to achieve special effects.
The fledgling "Brighton school of film" was badly affected by patent disputes, and eventually died around the time of the first World War. "Hovewood" transitioned to Hollywood, and the rest is history ...
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