(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

1. Why did film makers and producers
move to Hollywood?

Filmmakers moved to Hollywood in the early 1900s to avoid the costs of Edison’s patents

2. Name some of the big stars, directors
and pictures from the Silent Era of
Hollywood? (at least TWO of each)

Charlie Chaplin

Clara bow

3. In what ways were the early Hollywood
studio system like a factory or
production line or even the Premier League (football)?

stars, directors, writers, and crew all worked under long-term contracts. This setup allowed studios to produce films efficiently and consistently, creating a stronghold on the American entertainment landscape.

4. When and what was the first “talking
picture”?

The Jazz Singer1927

5. Why did the end of the silent era cause
problems for some performers working
in the film industry?

Many actors left their film careers due to voice issues

6.What was happening in America
(and around the world) at this time?

The great depression

The Golden Age Of Hollywood

• 1) What were the Big 5 studios & what type of movies
  was each studio famous for?

Hollywood studio system-

1. warner bros where known for more cheep low budget movies that where comedies and gangster movie like.

2. RKO was known for things like musicals

3. paramount pictures was known for European films

4. MGM where known for their high budget comedy’s, melodramas

5. Fox was known for bigger more artistic and award winning films.

• 2) Explain what vertical integration and block-booking
  was?

• Vertical integration is a business strategy that a company uses by owning many parts of their company to cu back payment to other companies.

• 3) Why and when did the original studio system
  collapse?

• The golden age of Hollywood ended for a myriad of reasons; chief among them were the growing popularity of television, the blacklisting  of prominent screenwriters, the rising costs of film production, and the “Big 5” anti-trust legislation.

• 4) What was happening in America(and around the
  world) at this time?

• great depression

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

• escapism, fictional story’s where popular due to their ability to draw one away from real life.

Classical Hollywood Style

1. what is meant by the invisible style of storytelling?

Within film the idea of invisible style is keeping the visuals beautiful and enticing but not distracting away from the narrative of the story. This allows the viewers to be more immersed into the narrative rather than the background.

2. what is continuity editing?

The use of editing to correctly string along the narrative of the story keeping it all cohesive.

Why did filmmakers and producers move to Hollywood?

They moves to Hollywood due to the easy access to a variety of different terrain that can be films, it’s reliable sunny clear weather that can be used year round for shooting.

Name some of the big stars, directors and pictures from the silent era

Stars: Clara Bow (New York, USA), Mary Pickford (Toronto, Canada)

Directors: Charlie Chaplin(London, England), D.W Griffith (Kentucky, USA)

Pictures: The Gold Rush, The general

In what ways were the early Hollywood studio system like a factory, production line or the premier league?

Actos may be working for one company but if they are not performing their contract could be cut no matter their star status, actors had little control over their career as they could be loaned similarly to football players now.

When and what was the first “talking picture”

The jazz singer, it came out on October 6th 1927

Why did the end of the silent era cause problems for some performers working in the film industry?

Some voices may have been unsuitable and their acting abilities decreasing as they had been performing silently and do not have the talent when using their voice, as well as not understanding the technology of recording sound.

What was happening in America and the world during this time?

WW1 had just ended (in 1918) so many countries were recovering, The American economy crashed after the wall-street crash leading to the great depression in 1929.

The Hollywood studio system, the golden age of Hollywood

1930-1947

What were the big 5 studios and what were they known for?

MGM: Made high budget musicals, comedies and melodramas as well as book to screen adaptations, using big stars. For example, “the Wizard of Oz”

Warner Bros: Branded themselves as the “studio of the working class” and made low budget melodramas, movies set during the Great Depression and gangster movies such as The Public Enemy

Paramount: Known as the most European studio as many filmmakers came from Germany or the UK. They gave more freedom to filmmakers and made “The sign of the cross”

Fox: Had a director named John Ford who won back to back oscars for best director and film, for “How green is my valley” and “The grapes of wrath”

RKO: Created many musicals and films spanning many genres including comedy or action. RKO was also responsible for one of the most influential films of all time “Citizen Kane”

Censorship: HAYs Code

The HAYs code was implemented and written up in 1930, this was seen as a set of rules for what could and couldn’t be included in the films such as forbidding the use of racial slurs, profanity, obscenity and the showing of sexual assault. In addition, the code also limited the use of nudity, criminality and graphic violence. For example, a kiss on screen could not last longer than 7 metres of film, and one actor had to have a foot on the floor in order to prevent showings of a sexual nature.

Classical Hollywood style

What is meant by the invisible style of storytelling?

Refers to conceal artistic choices to give films a natural story to give audiences, this can be done through lighting and camera work to make films more immersive.

What does continuity mean?

When the sequence of shots are edited together to be fluid and unified most commonly, in chronological order.

1900-1930

1 – why did film makers and producters move to hollywood?

to avoid Thomas Edison’s film laws

2 – two actors and directors/producers from the silent era:

actors: Charlie Chaplin – known for The Kid, Modern Times and his character of The Tramp

King Baggot – known for Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Ivanhoe and he was also a director for movies such as Tumbleweeds and The Home Maker.

directors:

Buster Keaton – known for The General, Seven Chances and was also an actor.

Sergei Eisenstein – known for Battleship Potemkin, Alexander Nevsky and Strike.

pictures: The general and battleship Potemkin

3 – in what ways were the early Hollywood studio system like a factory or production lines? or football teams?

the main roles of the film making process where split up into many different roles so multiple projects could be being made at the same time. if actors where not doing well, they could have their contract cut short

4- When and what was the first ‘talking picture’?

the jazz singer – 1927

5 – why did the end of the silent era cause problems for some performers in the film industry?

their voices (funny or thick accent)

6 – what was happening at the time in America?

world war one 1914, wall street crash 1929, great depression 1929

The golden age of Hollywood 1930-47:

1 – what where the big 5 studios and what movies did they made

MGM – Wizard of Oz

Paramount – Shanghai Express

RKO – Bringing up Baby

20th Century FOX – How Green Was My Valley

Warner Brothers – Footlight Parade

2 – Vertical Integration: where one company would own every aspect of the film’s production (the making, advertising, distribution and exhibition)

Block booking: ensuring that seats will be filled (the act of owning the theaters as well as the movies themselves)

3- why and when did the original studio system collapse?

1948 – united states versus Paramount Pictures.

this case argued that by owning all aspects of production, it was ruining competition.

4- what was happened in america at the time

the great depression/wall street crash

5- what genres where popular at the time? and why would people go to the movies in this time period?

musicals, westerns and gangster movies. people would go as a form of escapism, because of how bad their lives where outside of the movies.

Classical Hollywood Style

Invisible Style of Storytelling- making the editing style of the movie not noticeable by the audience to keep them immersed in the movie. focused on the Plot and Character development, it is told Chronologically.

Continuity Editing- blending multiple camera shots together to create a consistent and cohesive narrative.

Classic Noir is a style of filmmaking of crime/detective thriller films shot in black and white with a clear use of shadowing, these types of films often create a mood of menace, fatality and suspense backed with a powerful soundtrack. These films were most common between the 1940s to the 1950s.

The Maltese falcon (1941) John Huston

Neo Noirs is, like film noir a style of filmmaking but also included a wider variety of subgenres such as westerns, and science fiction elements to create tech-noirs. These were made after the 1970s. They adapt the visual style and themes of classic noirs but for a more contemporary audience.

Drive (2011) Nicholas Winding Refn

• film noir:  a type of crime film featuring cynical malevolent characters in a sleazy setting and an ominous atmosphere that is conveyed by shadowy photography and foreboding background music

classical film noir

Director: Otto Preminger

Nio- Noir:

neo-noir, a genre of films that use the visual style and themes of classic film noir (French: “dark film”) but add a modern sensibility. 

Director: Dan Gilroy

film noir: a style or genre of film defined by its themes of cynicism, crime, and mystique.

film noir (classic)

neo-noir

The Birth of Hollywood (1900 – 1930)

1. Film makers and producers moved to Hollywood because the mountains, plains and low land prices made Hollywood a good place to establish film studios.

2. Some of the big stars, directors and pictures from the Silent Era of Hollywood are: – Charlie Chaplin (actor/director), born in London, United Kingdom – Greta Garbo (actress), born in Stockholm, Sweden – Erich Von Stroheim (director), born in Vienna, Austria – F.W Murnau (director), born in Bielefeld, Germany – The Great Dictator (film) – Metropolis (film)

3. Early Hollywood studios were like production lines as they used to constantly churn out films on a rapid rate, to try and make as much money as possible

4. The first ever ‘talking picture’ was ‘The Jazz Singer'(1927) by Alan Crosland.

5. The end of the silent era caused some actors to leave the industry entirely as their acting standards or the sound of their voices were not up to par with the new era of ‘talkies’, as films with dialogue in were known as.

6. The major historical event that happened during the birth of Hollywood is World War 1, which led to many different ways of film making, such as the impressionistic Germanic style and the Russian propaganda that was extremely intuitive and influential when it came to editing. Another key event during this time period was The Great Depression in 1929, which was a great economic crash for American society, which led to people losing their jobs and livelihoods. This would’ve impacted the films made and also the amount of money films made, as films would’ve been a form of escapism for the people of this time.

The Golden Age of Hollywood (1930 – 1947)

1. The big 5 studios were: – Metro Goldwyn Mayer, who filmed big blockbuster films with large budgets. – RKO, who filmed a wide variety of films, such as the original ‘King Kong’ and the highly innovative ‘Citizen Kane’, which is regarded as one of the greatest films of all time. – 20th Century Fox, who filmed a lot of historical films and novel adaptations, such as ‘The Grapes of Wrath’ and ‘All About Eve’. – Warner Bros., who filmed some big hits during the Golden Age of Hollywood, such as ‘Little Caesar’ and ‘The Public Enemy’. – Paramount, is the longest operating studio in Hollywood, and is responsible for making films such as Bob Hope and Bing Crosby’s ‘Hope’ series and ‘Going My Way’.

2. Vertical Integration is a business strategy to take ownership of two or more key stages of its operations to cut costs. Block-booking is a system of selling multiple films to a theater as a unit. Block booking was the prevailing practice in the Hollywood studio system from the turn of the 1930s until it was outlawed by the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in United States v. Paramount Pictures, Inc. 

3. The original studio system around which the industry had been organized for three decades finally expired in 1954, when Loew’s, the last holdout, severed all operational ties with MGM. The reason that it expired was mainly due to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in United States v. Paramount Pictures, Inc., as it outlawed these film companies owning cinemas and only showing their own company’s films, instead of films from all companies.

Classical Hollywood Style

1. Invisible storytelling is when the elements of film, editing, acting, costume design, are done so seamlessly and perfectly that the audience doesn’t notice them. This done so the film feels more immersive for the audience. Can also be described as illusionistic, as it is creating a story that the audience feels is actually happening before them and the events unfolding did actually happen.

2. Continuity editing is an editing system used to preserve the consistency of the events that are unfolding throughout the film.

The Birth of Hollywood (1900-1930)

1.) Why did film makers and producers move to Hollywood?
The mountains, plains, consistent climate and low land prices made Hollywood the ideal place to open film studios

2.) Name some of the big stars, directors and pictures from the Silent Era of Hollywood.
Big stars – Charlie Chaplin (English) and Harold Lloyd (American)
Directors – D.W. Griffith (American) and King Vidor (American)
Films – The Gold Rush and The General

3.) In what ways were the early Hollywood studio system like a factory or production line, or even the Premier League?
Stars, writers, directors and crew all worked under long-term contracts. Similar to football players, actors were the properties of the studio, with their contacts conditional based on their performance and whether a scandal came up.

4.) When and what was the first ‘talking picture’?
The first feature film that was originally a talking picture or ‘talkie’ was The Jazz Singer, which premiered on the 6th of October 1927.

5.) Why did the end of the silent era cause problems for some performers working in the film industry?
After the era of talkies premiered, silent films became obsolete and some performers were inexperienced in acting with their voice in the new medium.

6.) What was happening in America at this time?
The First World War (1914-1918), Jim Crow laws (extreme racism), Wall Street Crash (1929) and the Great Depression, The Dust Bowl

Censorship:

The Hays Code was a set of industry guidelines that censored content that was applied to most motion pictures. It applied rigid moral guidelines and rules that were meant to make pictures “presentable” and “safe”.

Some of the rules included:

• Keeping Catholic and family values
• No sexually explicit content
• Good guys always win, bad guys always lose
• Nothing that promotes “bad values” or “perversion”
• No swearing and saying offensive things

The Hollywood Studio System (The Golden Age of Hollywood)

1.) What were the Big 5 studios and what type of movies was each studio famous for
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM): Gone With The Wind, Wizard of Oz
Paramount: Morocco, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
RKO: King Kong, Citizen Kane
20th Century Fox: Les Misérables, Rawhide
Warner Bros.: Casablanca, A Midsummer Night’s Dream

2.) Explain what vertical integration and block-booking was.
Vertical integration allows companies to reduce overhead costs and improve efficiencies in manufacturing and distribution by combining one company of two or more stages of production that are normally operated by separate companies.
Block-booking is a system of selling multiple films to a theatre as a unit, typically including unwanted or inferior films. This was outlawed by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1948.

3.) Why and when did the original studio system collapse?
The studio system’s decline began in the late 1940s due to the rise of television which increased production costs, as well as societal shifts changing audience’s tastes.

4.) What was happening in America and around the world at this time?
Second World War (1939-45), end of the Great Depression (1939), beginning of the Cold War between Russia (Soviet Union) and America

5.) What genres were popular and why did people go to the movies in this period?
Westerns, slapstick comedies, musicals, dramas

Classical Hollywood Style:

1.) What is meant by the invisible style of storytelling?
Invisible storytelling is referring to when a film is shot and edited so well that the audience does not notice that it has been edited at all to create a completely immersive experience—the ideal style of classical Hollywood and perfected in Casablanca.

2.) What is continuity editing?
Continuity editing is when the story is told in a continuous way—where it is put together in a comprehensive and discernible way. It is also important to consider continuity of the story and to not forget certain details later on.

The Birth of Hollywood (1900-1930)

1. Why did film makers and producers move to Hollywood?

Los Angeles became the capital of the film industry in the United States, the vast amount of different terrains made it a good place to shoot.

2. Name some of the big stars, directors and pictures from the silent Era of Hollywood?

Big Stars–

Charlie Chaplin, Clara Bow, Fatty Arbuckle

Directors-

D.W Griffith, Buster Keaton, King Vidor

Pictures–

Gold Rush, The General, City Lights]#

3. In what ways were the early Hollywood studio system like a factory or production line or even the Premier League

In Hollywood, the stars were almost owned by the company’s that they worked for the company’s decided when they worked and for what studio, Actresses and actors didn’t have a large say in what they wanted to do.

4. When and what was the first “talking picture”?

The Jazz Singer which premiered on October 6, 1927.

5. Why did the end of the silent era cause problems for some performers working in the film industry

This was due to their unsuitability of their voice or acting abilities with the new medium. A lot of film stars lacked vocal training that was needed.

6. What was happening in America ( and around the world ) at this time?

Wall Street Crash 1929 – This meant that a lot of people lost their jobs and savings

WW1 1914-1918 – This stropped production in Hollywood as many people went off for war and money would be low.

The Hollywood Studio System 1930-1947

1. what were the Big 5 studios & what type of movies was each studio famous for?

The top five studios were

1. Metro – Goldwyn – Mayer / celebrated for its lavish musicals including Wizard of Oz (1939)
2. Warner Bros. / They became famous due to there films which synchronised sound.
3. Paramount / Created European movies
4. Fox /
5. RK0 / well known for their musicals and well known actors

2. Explain what vertical integration and block-booking was?

Block booking– Block booking was a system where they would sell multiple films as a package deal or to sell a unit to a theatres.Studios would package unseen pictures with A- Class features meaning that they would be forced to buy numbers of studios low quality films just to get a A- class one.

Vertical Integration – This allowed film studios to control the production process, enabling them to dictate the creative aspects and reduce reliance on external suppliers.

3. Why and when did the original studio system collapse?

On may 4, 1948 finding that the studios had violated anti – trust laws.

4. What was happening in America at this time?

The great depression, Dust bowl and the start of WW2, as a result of these events film became more popular as a way of the working class to escape from the hardships of day to day life.

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

Comedies where popular due to the public needing laughter and escapism

Classical Hollywood Style

What is meant by the invisible style of storytelling?

Invisible style is when the story seems natural and not artificially created, the style tries to show the narrative of the story more than the style of editing. In invisible editing it is not clear that there is editing as it feels very natural to the story.

What is continuity editing?

A type of editing which makes the narrative clear by following rules, for example if a actor looked at a painting the next scene would be a shot of the painting. This makes it easy for the viewer to watch and understand the movie.