Tri Ergon

Three German inventors, Josef Engl, Hans Vogt, and Josef Engl patented the "Tri Ergon" process.  In 1922, Tri-Ergon announced the development of a glow lamp light modulator for variable density recording of sound.  The Tri Ergon Process uses a technology known as variable density, which differed from a later process known as variable area.  The Tri Ergon process had a pattented flywheel mechanism on a sprocket which prevented variations in film speed.  This flywheel helped prevent distortion of the audio.  Tri Ergon relied on the use of a photo-electric cell to transduce mechanical sound vibrations into electrical waveforms and then convert the electrical waveforms into light waves.  These light waves could then be optically recorded onto the edge of the film through a photographic process.  Another photo-electric cell could then be used to tranduce the waveform on the film into an electrical waveform during projection.  This waveform could then be amplified and played to the audience in the Theater. The Fox Film Corporation acquired the rights to the Tri Ergon technology in 1927.  

In 1926, Theodore W. Case and E. I. Sponable demonstrated their sound-on-film developments to representatives of the Fox Film Corporation, and to William Fox himself. The Fox-Case Corp. was organized to exploit the system, which was given the name Movietone. The Fox Film corporation started making Movietone News newsreels.  One of the first newsreels was Charles A. Lindbergh's fabled takeoff for Paris. The years 1928 and 1929 were marked by rapid expansion in facilities and personnel, successful showings and stepped-up schedules of newsreel releases. In March of '29, the making of silent pictures by Fox was discontinued.

Vitaphone

The Vitaphone was a sound-on-disc system using multiple 33 1/3 rpm discs developed by Bell Telephone Laboratories and Western Electric.  The Vitaphone system was first embraced by Warner Brothers.  In August 1926, Warner Brothers debuted the first Vitaphone film Don Juan.   Don Juan was the first mainstream film that replaced the traditional use of a live orchestra or organ for the soundtrack. However, inDon Juan there was no dialogue in the film.

The first movie with dialogue, or "talkie", was The Jazz Singer. Although, originally conceived as a singing picture with no dialogue, Al Jolson ad-libbed some dialogue on the set and the talkies were born.  In 1928, Lights of New York was released by Warner Brothers as the first all-dialogue film.

Later in 1928, Disney's Steamboat Willie premiered.  It was the first film to completely create a soundtrack in post production including sound effects, music, and dialogue.

 Created by Jonathan Kay, Kimber Ghent, Brian Chumney, and Erik Lutkins

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