The Studio System
Key point about the studio system could be:
Despite being one of the biggest industries in the United States,
indeed the World, the internal workings of the 'dream factory' that is
Hollywood is little understood outside the business.
The Hollywood Studio System: A History is the first book to describe
and analyse the complete development, classic operation, and
reinvention of the global corporate entities which produce and
distribute most of the films we watch.
Starting in 1920, Adolph Zukor, head of Paramount Pictures, over the
decade of the 1920s helped to fashion Hollywood into a vertically
integrated system, a set of economic innovations which was firmly in
place by 1930. For the next three decades, the movie industry in the
United States and the rest of the world operated by according to these
principles.
Cultural, social and economic changes ensured the demise of this
system after the Second World War. A new way to run Hollywood was
required. Beginning in 1962, Lew Wasserman of Universal Studios
emerged as the key innovator in creating a second studio system. He
realized that creating a global media conglomerate was more important
than simply being vertically integrated.
Gomery's history tells the story of a 'tale of two systems 'using
primary materials from a score of archives across the United States as
well as a close reading of both the business and trade press of the
time. Together with a range of photographs never before published the
book also features over 150 box features illuminating aspect of the
business .
During the 1920s, and 1930s the Hollywood film studios undertook a
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... (1936).
In the late 30s, two beloved films, The Wizard of Oz (1939) and Gone
with the Wind (1939), were expensively produced with Technicolor -
what would the Wizard of Oz (with ruby slippers and a yellow brick
road) be without color? And the trend would continue into the next
decade in classic MGM musicals such as Meet Me in St. Louis (1944) and
Easter Parade (1948). Special-effects processes were advanced by the
late 1930s, making it possible for many more films to be shot on sets
rather than on-location (e.g., The Hurricane (1937) and Captains
Courageous (1937).) In 1937, the Disney-produced Snow White and the
Seven Dwarfs (1937) was the first feature-length animated film - a
milestone. The colorful Grimm fairy tale was premiered by Walt Disney
Studios - becoming fast known for pioneering sophisticated animation.
Technicolor was the collaboration of Herbert Kalmus, Daniel Comstock and W. Burton Westcott in 1912 with the intention of creating flicker free color films, Technicolor as we know today has produced much success and revolutionized the way we look at cinema but this was not without there many teething problems. Actors and critics criticized the technology every step of the way.
With the loss of its centralized structure, the film industry produced filmmakers with radical new ideas. The unique nature of these films was a product of the loss of unified identity.
The star system was an important part of the Studio System in classical Hollywood cinema. From the 1910s, stars were born. Studios create new personas, new names and new backgrounds for the stars. A new image, whether or not it had anything to do with how the person really was in real life, would be invented for the new stars. The stars would be distinctively different and moviegoers would be able to recognise them individually. The Hollywood studios, that the stars are under contract with, managed their publicity, roles, lifestyles and even fan clubs. During the classical Hollywood period, the stars themselves did not have much say in the films that they appear in. The companies would choose the role they deem most suited to boost their popularity.
The research question that will be evaluated is, to what extent was the Catholic Church the leading establishment to alter production policies in Hollywood during the great depression? While the Great Depression was a time of grief, it was additionally an era of new opportunities. The institution of Hollywood and the Catholic Church were two separate entities during the Great Depression. The two institutions disagreed on how society should conduct itself, through the means of entertainment. However, arguably, the Catholic Church wasn’t the only organization that altered the ethics of Hollywood. The time period that will be evaluated will be from the late 1920s to the late 1930s, seeing how Hollywood was reformed during that time period. The research question should be sufficiently answered by finding in depth information through articles and studies on the two separate entities, and other possible influences during this particular era. Also, by analyzing the effects of the institution’s individual contributions on society itself, there will be added evidence to the research question.
To date, Warner Bro’s has over 6,500 feature films and around 3,000 television series that contains more than 10,000 episodes (“Company” par 5). Every great movie company has a background story to their success. What were then four brothers traveling with a movie projector turned into a successful movie company that has entertained crowds for generations (“Company” par 7). The vitaphone, the talkie, and the first four-legged movie star were introduced during the 1920’s, and helped define the Warner Brother company (Company par 6). Warner Brothers, a company created by four brothers during the 1920’s, revolutionized the film industry by modernizing the concept of cinematography (Company par 6).
The Wizard of Oz is the 1939 film musical released by the studio Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer that became a cultural icon defining family entertainment for decades after its initial release. Though it did not turn a profit until 1956 when it aired on television, it has been considered a wide success, spawning several re-releases and sequels. The Wizard of Oz set the precedent for visual effects, innovations Hollywood still utilizes today in an age of computer generated images. The film has stood the test of time with its special effects, paving the way for the future of movie magic.
Wladyslaw Szpilman played his piano on September 23, 1939, the day Nazi Germany invaded Poland. The Second World War is a horrible chapter in world history that determined the survival of many Polish citizens. Wladyslaw Szpilman was able to live his life both before and after the German invasion with music.
In Hollywood political conflict was also paving the way for what would later occur in Hollywood as the HUAC would attack the industry. Big business controlled the lucrative industry and the companies that controlled the market were eight major studios in Hollywood. The Metro-Goldw...
A new edition to the course lineup, this week's film classic, Sunset Boulevard. This film will focus on the culture and environment of the Hollywood studio system that produces the kind of motion pictures that the whole world recognizes as "Hollywood movies." There have been many movies from the silent era to the present that either glamorize or vilify the culture of Hollywood, typically focusing on the celebrities (both in front of and behind the camera) who populate the "dream factories" of Hollywood. But we cannot completely understand the culture of Hollywood unless we recognize that motion pictures are big business as well as entertainment, and that Hollywood necessarily includes both creative and commercial
...s have been regaining ownership of theaters due to the reluctance of anyone filing suit against them, “new Hollywood it is just like the old days before divestiture only better” (Lewis, 2008, p. 406). In conclusion, the giant head of the studio system monster was cut off only for a bigger more powerful one of the new Hollywood to have grown back in its place. Ultimately, Hollywood studios remain more interested about making money, than making better films and “The independent producer does what a movie producer has always done: choose the right stories, directors and actors to produce quality films” (Lewis, 2008, p. 502).
Sunset Boulevard directed by Billy Wilder in 1950 is based on how Norma Desmond, a huge Hollywood star, deals with her fall from fame. The film explores the fantasy world in which Norma is living in and the complex relationship between her and small time writer Joe Gillis, which leads to his death. Sunset Boulevard is seen as lifting the ‘face’ of 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.
Midnight is approaching. All of the forty hour week days and nights will soon pay off. But you can’t help to think that maybe, that one chord wasn’t right. You analyzed it, created new notes but you are beginning to feel differently. Even if you made the wrong choice, at least you won’t be the one to take the fall. Well, not publically. All of your hard work is given to the artist, but at the same time, they should receive the recognition instead of you. Seeing as a great deal had been their ideas. The anxiety was eating away at you even though you know their fanbase is a vigorous group. Maybe, just maybe this is your greatest record yet.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was a great and ingenious musician. He was ahead of his time with his complex structure and rhythms that has influenced music to evolve and change rapidly. Mozart’s work has emerged and allowed us to explore and develop new chord structure, rhythms and timing, and even allowed us to create our own melodies without being afraid of being seen as “different” from other artists. Before Mozart, Music had structure. Not that having structure is bad, but it was all repetitive, and you could expect the same general sound from different artists. The same instruments. The same sound. Infact it was during the Baroque Era that everyone expected music to be no more or less than just structure. Sure, chords and melodies seemed different but it was all too blended; and if anything it lacked the true texture that Mozart gave off in his music. He changed music so much, that it sounded too complex for everyone else's ears, and that’s what bothered some people. They all thought it was just too much. Mozart added different instruments to his orchestra to keep ...
Largely influenced by the French New Wave and other international film movements, many American filmmakers in the late 1960s to 1970s sought to revolutionize Hollywood cinema in a similar way. The New Hollywood movement, also referred to as the “American New Wave” and the “Hollywood Renaissance,” defied traditional Hollywood standards and practices in countless ways, creating a more innovative and artistic style of filmmaking. Due to the advent and popularity of television, significant decrease in movie theater attendance, rising production costs, and changing tastes of American audiences, particularly in the younger generation, Hollywood studios were in a state of financial disaster. Many studios thus hired a host of young filmmakers to revitalize the business, and let them experiment and have almost complete creative control over their films. In addition, the abandonment of the restrictive Motion Picture Production Code in 1967 and the subsequent adoption of the MPAA’s rating system in 1968 opened the door to an era of increased artistic freedom and expression.
Thompson, K 2003, ‘The struggle for the expanding american film industry’, in Film history : an introduction, 2nd ed, McGraw-Hill, Boston, pp. 37-54