The History of Kinescopes: Preserving Live Performances for Later Viewing

Kinescope is a term used to describe the process of filming television shows or other live performances using a camera that is positioned in front of the screen. This technique allows the show to be recorded and preserved for later viewing, and it was commonly used in the early days of television before the advent of video tape recorders.
The word "kinescope" comes from the Greek words "kinein," meaning "to move," and "skopein," meaning "to see." It was coined by the inventor of the first kinescope system, Max Factor, who was a makeup artist and film producer. He developed the technology in the 1920s as a way to record live performances for later broadcast, and it quickly became an essential tool for television production.
Kinescopes were typically made using a 16mm camera that was positioned in front of the screen, with the lens focused on the performers or presenters. The camera would capture the image of the show as it was being broadcast, and the resulting film could then be edited and distributed to other stations or theaters.
While kinescopes were widely used in the early days of television, they have largely been replaced by more modern recording technologies such as video tape recorders and digital recording systems. However, the term "kinescope" is still used in some contexts to refer to the process of filming live performances for later broadcast.