Thomas Edison built the first movie studio, the Black Maria.
He built it in New Jersey in 1893.
It was a small place to make short films.
These films went into a machine called a Kinetoscope.
People looked through a tiny peep hole to watch.
Workers called it the Doghouse because it was cramped.
The studio was painted black.
It had a special roof that opened for sunlight.
Sunlight helped the early movie cameras film.
They built it on a turntable to face the sun.
They made short, silent films of everyday actions.
People acted like blacksmiths or magicians.
One famous film showed a man sneezing.
Fred Ott did that sneeze.
The Black Maria helped start the movie business.
Edison's company showed the films in Kinetoscope booths.
Eventually, Edison built a bigger studio in New York.
They took down the Black Maria in 1903.
