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Classical Hollywood style

The invisible style of story telling is where small individual shots of actions are put together in a way that it feels continuous and natural to a spectator

Continuity editing is where multiple shots can be shot in different locations and times, however when put together it suspends the audience’s disbelief, and makes it seem like one seamless story and scene

The golden age of Hollywood

  1. The five big studios

Paramount was famous for  “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” (1931) and “Shanghai Express” (1932), and were able to showcase the ability to adapt and innovate.

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer was famous for inventing the Hollywood stable-of-stars system.

Twentieth Century Fox is famous for producing mainly westerns, musicals, screen biographies, and religious epics.

Warner Bros Throughout the 1920s was known for its musicals and colour films.

RKO was famous for movie classics such as King Kong (1933), The Informer (1935), and Citizen Kane (1941), as well as a series of stylish musicals.

2) Vertical integration is when one company owns and has control over each step of a process in media: the production, exhibition, distribution and circulation.

Block booking was a system of selling multiple films to a theatre as a unit. Block booking was the prevailing practice in the Hollywood studio system from the turn of the 1930s.

3) The studio system collapsed as the supreme court ruled over the case in 1948. This was because the studios had a near monopoly and violated anti-trust laws, affecting 5 big studios and 3 smaller ones.

4) post world war 2 there was fear against communism which affected many actors such as Charley Chaplin

The Birth of Hollywood (1900-1930)

  1. Filmmakers and producers moved to Hollywood for a more consistent climate year around, which made it easier to film more consistent shots with weather and outdoor lighting
  2. From the silent era of Hollywood:
    • Stars (Charlie Chaplin & Lillian Gish)
    • Directors (Ivan Abramson & André Antoine)
    • Pictures (Battleship Potemkin & City lights)
  3. Studios owned every part of the filmmaking process using vertical integration, meaning they didn’t have to pay any third parties and had more control over everything
  4. The first talking picture was The Jazz Singer released October 6th 1927
  5. Transitioning out of the silent era was an issue for actors as their voices would either not match their onscreen image, or were heavily accented. It also meant the actors could not be vocally directed as the microphones would pick it up
  6. The wall street crash happened in 1929 which caused the great depression. This was great for the cinema industry as it was an escape for people from the horrific life they lived.

‘Invitation’ pre-production notes

Locations:

  • Westmount
  • St Brelades
  • Noirmont
  • Ouaisne Tower
  • King street
  • Minden place
  • Burrard street
  • Hautlieu hall
  • England (tbc)

Filming dates:

  • Tuesday 12th, afternoon (king street and Burrard street)
  • Thursday 14th, morning (Westmount, St Brelades bay, Noirmont and Ouaisne tower)
  • Friday 15th or Tuesday 19th, after school (Hautlieu hall)
  • Wednesday 27th – Wednesday 3rd (England)

equipment:

  • phone gimble
  • phone
  • hall lights