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The History of Hollywood
AIMS:• To be able to describe the development of the American film
industry.
• To be able to explain how film consumption has changed over time.
To get you thinking…
• Guess the names of these films, summarised by a 6-word plot (Twitter: #6wordfilmplots):
1. Big ship can’t sink; it sinks.2. Harry, you’re a wizard: kill Voldemort.3. Genetically engineered dinosaurs come to
life.4. The sun gives him power. 5. Fish gets lost. Fish gets found.
Task 1 – Timeline!
• The timeline you have been given charts cinema from the 1800s to the start of the 20th Century…
• But what are the significant milestones in cinema history since then?
Task 1 Answers
• 1927 –• 1930s –• 1950s/60s –• 1980s –• 1990s –• 2000s –
Task 1 Answers
• 1927 – First film with sound (the Jazz Singer)• 1930s – Colour film is developed• 1950s/60s – first phase of 3D• 1980s – VHS• 1990s – DVDs, IMAX technology• 2000s – Blu-Ray, downloading, second phase
of 3D.
Why was California chosen?
• Geographical – terrain (desert, mountains, forests)
• Financial – films made on the east coast were subject to licensing laws
• Spatial - Large amounts of land to build studios; cheap
• Legal – Hollywood not part of Los Angeles until much later therefore fewer constraints on what was filmed
History of Hollywood
• Read the article from Wikipedia summarising the film industry.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinema_of_the_United_States
Highlight any and all key facts you find.
Film Studios then and now
• Vertically integrated• Restrictive contracts• Production line;
typecasting• Formulaic;
hegemonic
1920s-1940s
– Studio System
The Big Five
Vertical Integration
• All of the Big Five studios were vertically integrated.
• Vertical integration – where a company is organised so that it oversees a product from the planning/development stage, through production, to marketing, and distribution, through to the consumer.
Film Studios then and now
• Increased creativity• Buy-outs and
takeovers• Negotiated
contracts• Globally integrated
1940s-2000s – struggle
for supremac
y
The Contemporary American Film Industry
• The American film industry is now dominated by six major film companies.
• The contemporary Big Six account for nearly 90% of the North American film market.
• All of these companies are subsidiaries of major media conglomerates.
The Big Six
• Who do you think are the Big Six film studios in the contemporary American film industry?
Major Studio Subsidiaries
Warner Bros Pictures20th Century FoxParamount PicturesColumbia PicturesWalt Disney/Touchstone PicturesUniversal Studios
Cinema’s place in people’s lives – 1920s
• Dance halls• Pubs• Theatre• Clubs• Music• Vaudeville / circuses• Sport• Cinema
Leisure time is less diversified and people tend to experience mass entertainment – everyone sees the same films and experiences things in the same way
Cinema’s place in people’s lives – 2010s
• Cinema• Radio• Internet• Television• Games• Pubs/clubs• Music
Leisure time is more diversified and with the advent of home entertainment technology like DVDs, it is hard to maintain a monopoly on people’s time.
Consumption then and now
• What has changed in the way people watch films since 1905?
• What has changed in the availability of films?• What has changed in the way films are made
and distributed?• How has this threatened the film industry?