production

1520 Words4 Pages

Once a pond a time, long long ago, there where several motion picture production studios – RKO, Warner Brothers, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, United Artist, Universal Studios, Paramount Pictures, Walt Disney Pictures and Columbia Pictures that controlled 90% of the film industry in America since the invention of motion pictures. These production houses cranked out films by the masses to quince young America’s thirst for entertainment. Most of the film had very similar plot, themes and actors. Each studio house would put their spin on the story to make it their own. Sometimes rival studio would release the same types of film on the same day to attract customer from viewing another studios film. I think it wasn’t until the invention of the production designer position that studios started to form their identity. In the late 1800’s, theater was how most people saw entertainment. Smaller theaters where littered all across small town America, with major theater in heavily populated cities. The major theater where heavily decorated and going to one was a treat, the performances where spectacles of amazement for the time. The colorful costumes, live music and realistic backdrops where a sight to see. People would sand in line for hours just to get a change to view some of the more popular stage plays at the time. In the late 1800’s photography was born and not too long the first picture where produced. The first film where merely still images, when flipped in a sequence order, the stills looked as if they where moving. Film goers where first leery of this new technology but over time they embraced it and wanted more. As like with any new technology, film started to evolve. Synchronized sound was now being introduced to silent films. The first... ... middle of paper ... ... and miniature building, quicker, easier and more cost effective to make countless storyboards for a film. In today’s film industry the Art Department is mostly computerized. There are countless graphic designer, motion capture designer and visual designer at the ready that can produce a world on a computer screen in half of the time it would take for Menzies to do his sketches. The independent film company has the choice to pick his Production Designer - PD, where in the old studio system, the system told the director whom they would have to work with and to stick to the studio vision of the film. PD’s now have the power to express the visions that they want and not force to produce. With the PD’s freedom to express their vision, the film industry production value has risen to new heights. If a production designer can dream it, their team can bring it to life.

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