Lee and Turner three colour projector, 1901.

In 1899 Edward R Turner (d. 1903), financed by F Marshall Lee, made the first attempt to invent a process of colour cinematography. Turner devised a camera that filmed consecutive frames through red, green and blue filters on 38mm film. The projector had a triple gate and lens that superimposed three frames simultaneously on the screen. As the film passed through the projector, a rotating filter wheel behind the lens ensured each frame was shown with its appropriate colour. The process, however, proved impractical. On Turner's death in 1902, Charles Urban acquired the rights He subsequently worked with George Albert Smith, who, adapting the principle, invented the commercially-successful Kinemacolor process in 1906.