(1900-1930)

Film makers and producers moved to Hollywood to avoid Thomas Edison’s lawyers in New Jersey, and because of it’s usually sunny weather and diverse landscapes

Some of the big stars, directors and pictures from the Silent Era of Hollywood were Charlie Chaplin, Greta Garbo, Buster Keaton, John Gilbert, Nosferatu, and The Cabinet Of Dr Caligari

The early Hollywood studio system was like a factory or production line, as they integrated an assembly line method of creating a movie, by having specific jobs done in order to efficiently produce their films

The first “talking picture” was The Jazz Singer, which released on the 6th of October, 1927

The end of the silent era caused problems for some performers working in the film industry as many actors didn’t have the voice for talkies

The Great Depression, World War I, the Wall Street Crash, and the Dust Bowl were happening in America (and around the world) at this time in cinema history

The Hollywood Studio System

(1930-1947)

•1) What were the Big 5 studios & what type of movies was each studio famous for? Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Paramount, 20th Century Fox, RKO, Warner Brothers

•2) Explain what vertical integration and block-booking was? Vertical Integration was when a production company owned all parts of movie production and distribution, and block-booking

•3) Why and when did the original studio system collapse? It was challenged under the antitrust laws in a 1948 Supreme Court ruling which sought to separate production from the distribution and exhibition and ended such practices

•4) What was happening in America(and around the world) at this time? The Great Depression had just started and WWII was right in the middle of the era, so people were worried at about war and financial struggles during the Studio System period

•5) What genres were popular and why did people go to the movies in this period?

gangster films, musicals, historical biopics, social-realism films, lighthearted screwball comedies, and westerns were all popular at the time, and people went to the cinema as a form of escapism from the grim reality of the post-depression society they lived in

Classic Hollywood Style

What is meant by the invisible style of storytelling? Subtle cuts and non-distracting set and costume design contribute towards an immersive storyline and character development

What is continuity editing? When shots are presented chronologically to provide a cohesive storyline for a movie