Film and Video History: The Golden Age of Hollywood

Study Notes

Silent films influenced how we classify movies today.
Some early film genres include Westerns, War movies, horror, romance, comedies, dramas, documentaries, and action/adventure.
The development of "talkies" led to major changes in the film industry, with the introduction of dialogue and sound.

The Hollywood film studio system emerged around the early 1900s with production studios creating an assembly line-style method for making films.
The rise of the Hollywood star system was characterized by the rise of popular actors like Valentino, Gish, Pickford, and Chaplin.
The film industry faced various challenges in the 1930s, including the Hays Code, which implemented strict self-censorship guidelines.
The 1940s saw the peak of motion picture impact, with massive cultural influence and attendance reaching 70 million tickets a week.
The popularity of film allowed people to escape the realities of the Depression era.

The studio system of the 1930s and 40s relied heavily on vertical integration where film studios controlled production, distribution, and exhibition.
The major studios owned production companies, distribution networks, and movie theaters, which led to the creation of both high-quality films and "B" movies, which were less expensive and aimed at a specific audience.
This system, however, attracted scrutiny from the U.S. government.
Despite the rise of the studio system, each studio had unique aspects that differentiated their films.

The 1950s were a pivotal period as television's growing popularity challenged movie studios.
Studios responded by:
- Producing movies with more thrilling and larger-than-life content aimed at a broader audience.
- Experimenting with new technologies, including 3D films, and focusing on more mature themes.
By the 1960s and beyond, the film industry adopted new technologies like film ratings and DVDs.

The modern movie industry has faced its own set of challenges as the digital marketplace has rapidly expanded.
The industry remains agile with these strategies:
- Creating major blockbusters with high marketing budgets.
- Focusing on the lucrative international markets.
- Producing more niche films, particularly through independent production.
Indie production is a growing force in the movie industry, and studio productions focus on large-scale blockbuster productions.

Rear Projection: A technique where a pre-recorded background image is projected onto a screen behind the actors.
Front Projection: Similar to rear projection, a background image is projected onto a screen in front of the actors.
Compositing: Combining multiple images or video elements into a single image.
Matte: A painted or digitally created mask used to isolate sections of an image during compositing or special effects.
Postproduction: All aspects of filmmaking that occur after the initial filming or recording, including editing, sound design, special effects, and color correction.
Nonlinear Editing: A method where the editing process is not chronological, but instead involves the user easily moving and manipulating different parts of the video.

Studio Executives: Oversee the overall operation of the studio, including financial decisions, production schedules, and talent acquisitions.
Producers: Responsible for the overall production of the film, from preproduction to postproduction, and oversee budgeting, casting, and scheduling.
Writers: Create the script for the film based on a story, concept.
Guilds: Represent and protect the interests of various film professionals, such as actors, directors, writers, and crew members.
Talent: A general term for actors, directors, and other creative personnel who work on the film.
Distributors: Companies responsible for distributing films to theaters, streaming services, and other platforms.
Audience Members: The individuals who watch and experience the film.