Final answer:
Eadweard Muybridge is considered one of the fathers of the motion picture due to his pioneering work in photographic studies of motion, notably his 1878 experiment photographing a horse's gallop to prove the concept of motion sequences.
Step-by-step explanation:
The person who is regarded as one of the fathers of the motion picture is Eadweard Muybridge. A pioneer in photographic studies of motion and early work in motion-picture projection, Muybridge is known for his experiment in 1878 where he photographed a horse in motion to analyze its gait. This series of photographs, called The Horse in Motion, demonstrated that all four of the horse's hooves are off the ground during a particular phase of the gallop, thereby capturing a moment of motion that was imperceptible to the eye. Muybridge's work paved the way for future developments in the field of motion pictures.
Other figures, such as Thomas Edison and the Lumière brothers, also contributed significantly to the development of motion pictures. Edison developed the Kinetoscope, an early motion picture exhibition device, and the Lumière brothers were among the first to present films to the public. However, the invention of photographic film by George Eastman in 1884 and the subsequent advancements including the work by French inventor Louis Le Prince were also crucial steps toward the advent of cinema.