the Hollywood Studio System to reveal the truth behind the organisation. During the time the film was released in the 1950s and 60s, audiences started to see the demise of Hollywood as cinema going began to decline and the fierce competition of television almost proved too much for the well established system. Throughout this essay I will discuss how Sunset Boulevard represents the Hollywood Studio System, as well as exploring post war literature giving reasons as to why the system began to crumble
Destry Rides Again, Mr Smith Goes to Washington, and the Fall of the Hollywood Studio System Thomas Schatz cites the 1950’s as the inevitable end of the Hollywood film studio system, with the signs appearing as early as the height of the second World War (472). However, the seeds of discontent and disintegration within the system were apparent as soon as the late 1930’s, exemplified in such films as Destry Rides Again (1939, George Marshall) and Mr. Smith Goes To Washington (1939, Frank Capra)
Vertical integration in studio system The term "vertical integration" refers to the structure of a marketplace, which is integrated (rather than segregated) at a variety of crucial levels. In the case of the motion picture industry, the studio system established a market in which the studios owned production facilities, distribution outlets, and theaters. In other words, the studios controlled every level of the marketplace from the top down, from production to exhibition. "Vertical integration"
Motion Picture Patent’s Company known as the Trust. By the time of the Great Depression, this small band of independent entrepreneurs would demonstrate that by applying certain worker management techniques within a capitalist vertical integration system, near absolute control of the film industry could be achieved. Prior to the domination of Hollywood, French film making was amongst those at the fore front, if not the fore front itself of the film industry. However, in the wake of the First World
producers, directors, writers and actors for supposed Communist affiliations who were suspected of inserting Communist political messages into their films. In October of 1947, “the House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC) subpoenaed nineteen studio employees as a part of an inquiry into Communist influence in Hollywood” (Lewis, 2008, p197). Out of the nineteen, ten were called to the stand and hence called the Hollywood Ten. Their testimonies revealed nothing when questioned about their communist
Outline the main changes the paramount decree effected on the structure of the American film industry and discuss the measures the ex-studios took to remain in control of the film market. The period of the 1920’s to 1950’s where known as the studio era in Hollywood. A few major companies monopolized the industry through vertical integration when the film companies controlled all production distribution and exhibition. The majors determined which movies were shown in which theatres, choosing their
’(Victorino) Hollywood has capitalized on the aspect of visual storytelling first introduced in 1985 by the Lumiere brothers with their first movie ever made for projection -- Workers Leaving the Lumiere Factory. They (Hollywood), then designed a Studio System called Classic Hollywood Cinema to Finance, Organize, Produce, Market, Distribute, and Exhibit movies for financial gain while entertaining movie goers. This term was coined by David Bordwell, Janet Staiger and Kristin Thompson to define Hollywood’s
cobbles.com/simpp_archive/paramountcase_3consent1940.htm The Hollywood Studios in Federal Court - The Paramount case. (n.d.). The Hollywood Studios in Federal Court - The Paramount case. Retrieved , from http://www.cobbles.com/simpp_archive/paramountcase_4equity1945.htm The Supreme Court verdict that brought an end to the Hollywood studio system. (n.d.).The Supreme Court verdict that brought an end to the Hollywood studio system. Retrieved , from http://www.cobbles.com/simpp_archive/paramountcase_6supreme1948
Working as a Film Director in the Studio System The efficient organization of the distribution and exhibition operations of the studios was matched by the actual film production. The studio kept everybody under contract including producers, directors, actors etc. They were usually under 7 year contracts. The studio owned distribution and exhibition system, due to its vertical integration, ensured the profitability of the film productions. This gave a great opportunity for the producers and
Question 2-1 The OWI (the United States Office of War Information) was an extension of the United States government, created during World War II. It was created in order to deliver propaganda both at home and abroad. Through radio broadcasts, newspapers, posters, photographs, films and other forms of media, the OWI was the ultimate connection between the battlefront and it’s civilian communities. a. The BMPA – Bureau of Motion Picture Affairs – i. As mentioned above, during the US’s involvement in