Film Studies BMS 301 Module 3 PDF

BMS Introduction to Film Studies Module 3 Module 3 Introduction to the History of Hollywood Coming of Sound Development of the Studio System Classical Hollywood Narrative Three- Act Structure Five - Act Structure  Introduction to the History of Hollywood Holl...

BMS Introduction to Film Studies Module 3 Module 3 Introduction to the History of Hollywood Coming of Sound Development of the Studio System Classical Hollywood Narrative Three- Act Structure Five - Act Structure  Introduction to the History of Hollywood Hollywood, as we know it today, started its life in the second decade of the 20th century with the rise of production facilities in South California. They were created there by the numerous filmmakers who moved their business from New York in search of a more consistent climate for round- the-year film shooting and, of course, to escape fees imposed by Tomas Edison, who owned many patents on the movie-making process. As the production capabilities of filmmakers grew, the Californian movie industry focused on the city of Los Angeles.  Introduction to the History of Hollywood According to industry myth, the first movie made in Hollywood was Cecil B. DeMille’s The Squaw Man in 1914 when its director decided last-minute to shoot in Los Angeles, but In Old California, an earlier film by DW Griffith had been filmed entirely in the village of Hollywood in 1910. Notable actors of this period include Charlie Chaplin. By 1919, “Hollywood” had transformed into the face of American cinema and all the glamour it would come to embody.  Introduction to the History of Hollywood The 1920’s were when the movie industry began to truly flourish, along with the birth of the “movie star”. With hundreds of movies being made each year, Hollywood was the rise of an American force. Hollywood alone was considered a cultural icon set apart from the rest of Los Angeles, emphasizing leisure, luxury, and a growing “party scene”. This age also saw the rise of two coveted roles in the movie industry: the director and the star. Introduction to the History of Hollywood  Introduction to the History of Hollywood The 1920s also saw the founding of the first movie studio in the United States. On April 4, 1923, four brothers, Harry, Albert, Sam, and Jack Warner used money loaned by Harry’s banker to officially incorporated their company Warner Brothers Pictures. The 1930’s was considered the Golden Age of Hollywood, with 65% of the US population attending the cinema on a weekly basis. A new era in film history began in this decade with the industry-wide movement towards sound into film, creating new genres such as action, musicals, documentaries, social statement films, comedies, westerns, and horror movies, with stars such as Laurence Olivier, Shirley Temple, and director John Ford rising to rapid fame.  Introduction to the History of Hollywood Big Five movie studios (Paramount, Fox, Warner, RKO, and MGM) were supreme rulers of the US movie industry between the late 20s and 50s, dominating the theaters and creating around 700 movies at the height of the short movie popularity in the 1920s. This “Golden Age of Hollywood Cinema” started with the release of the first long-running feature talkie film, The Jazz Singer, in 1927. The popularity of this movie quickly elevated Warner Bros into one of the big Hollywood Studios. All film studios received substantial growth during the years of the Great Depression in the US, with the ever-rising number of people seeking entertainment on silver screens and the adventures of their favorite film stars (especially child sensation Shirley Temple).  Introduction to the History of Hollywood The entry of the Jewish immigrants to the Hollywood in the early twentieth century marked a historical turn in the entire industry. It was they who modified the system of film-making here into a disciplined business activity. Some successful businessmen like William Fox, Louis B. Mayer and the partnership tycoons like Warner Brothers (Harry, Albert, Samuel, and Jack Warner) also sped the pace of its progress. It was through Warner Brothers, the Hollywood shifted to the mixing of the motion picture with sound. Though, Vitaphone sound – the sound used by them – was the primarily utilized one by the Hollywood until 1928. The Western Electric Company snatched the film sound distribution domination through their subsidiary ERPI – Electrical Research Product Incorporated later. Immediately they all started controlling the new enterprise called the Movie Studio.  Introduction to the History of Hollywood - Classical Age Though an exact demarcation is not practically possible, these ages have been divided by taking some of the common features into consideration. One primary feature among them is the synchronized use of sound in the production of motion pictures. The Jazz Singer, the first Hollywood production with the sound which was released in the year 1927 marks the beginning of the Classical Age. The years preceding this should not be erased from history, but it can be put under the term ‘formation time’, or ‘in the making’. Thousands of films had been streaming out to the different celluloid spaces of the world with unstoppable pace until 1960.  Introduction to the History of Hollywood - Classical Age  Introduction to the History of Hollywood - Classical Age Introducing the western ways and manners of the world was another key feature of this age. A bold attempt to establish this culture as an imitational one was popularized through the productions which came out from the studios of the Hollywood. Dominance of comedy, musical melodramas and animated cartoons were some other common dishes in the menu of the movies produced during this period. Many of these films were produced and distributed by the same crew members under the same banners, sometimes. Some of the very interesting living figures were given a chance to appear before the spectators in their biographical pictures, though the term ‘bio-pic’ was not common during that time. It was during this age, motion picture industry started closely sticking on to the formula of films.  Introduction to the History of Hollywood - Classical Age This period is still considered to be one of the remarkable ones in the history of cinema and film making. The role played by studios, the budget spent, the convincing scripts created, the excellent crew including the actors and the directors, etc. fashioned the sensibility of the film goers and their choice for artistic productions. Legendary directors like Howard Hawks and Alfred Hitchcock were becoming iconized during this era. Some of the classical productions during this period include The Wizard of Oz, Gone with The Wind, Wuthering Heights, and Casablanca.  Introduction to the History of Hollywood - The New Age The New Age spanned from 1960s to 1980s is also known as the age of post-classical cinema. This period is marked with the changing methods of narration and story-telling in the Hollywood. One of the major shifts in the storyline that happened during this period is the unexpected twist the audience shockingly watched. Highly talented and well-trained professionals from different parts of the world, especially from the west started getting a comfortable space in the Hollywood during the 1960s. The movie Bonnie and Clyde (1967) marked the paradigm shift in the American motion picture industry which was equalizing the quality of the movies with that of Box Office successes.  Introduction to the History of Hollywood - The New Age Legendary movie makers like Francis Ford Coppola, Steven Spielberg, Roman Polanski, etc were some of the great contributors during this period. It was during this period, the theme of adult eroticism with the bold exposure of acting beyond the boundaries of nudity by both actors and actresses gradually got foregrounded. This is the reason some historians preferred to label this era as the ‘Golden Age of Porn’. Both commercial success and critical acclaim were juxtaposed in many of the movies released during the 1970s. Spielberg came with Jaws ? while, Coppola’s productions, The Godfather and Apocalypse Now, Polanski’s Chinatown, George Lucas’ Star Wars etc enriched this period which ultimately compelled the Hollywood studios to go for Blockbuster Box Office hits. It is very sad to note that this type of craze for blockbusters also dragged some filmmakers and studios into unimaginable bankruptcy.  Introduction to the History of Hollywood - The Modern Age The entry of technology, change in political equations, and economic new waves inaugurated the modern age in the history of Hollywood films. Epic level spectacle with excellent sound quality was the hallmark of the films produced and distributed during this period. In 1990, Dick Tracy, the first 35mm feature film, marked the beginning of this age. The first film to utilize the possibility of digital Dolby stereo sound system was the 1992 production titled the Batman Returns. The spectacular feast to the spectators’ eyes blended with the surrounding sound system created an unbelievable wonder among the movie lovers.  Introduction to the History of Hollywood - The Modern Age Further, the exploitation of technology with the computer graphics elevated these film lovers into the seventh heaven of astonishment when the realistic films like Jurassic Park , The Phantom Menace (1999), etc hit the screens. The digital transformation enriched the modern age cinema in general and Hollywood in particular. With the help of the online promotions, million (dollar) budgeted movies also were produced which added the ever-shining glitters to this age. The biggest stars like Sylvester Stallone, Tom Cruise, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Mel Gibson, and Julia Roberts who received enormous amounts as remuneration were not only the actors but also the shareholders of some of the big production houses of the Hollywood. The Hollywood continues its chariot race through the decades of the post millennium too with changed formulas and awesome visual treats. The Sci-Fis, the space movies, the unimaginable adventure feats, etc. reign the present Hollywood screens and have been constructing and maintaining new popular cultures through their productions.  The Introduction of Sound in Hollywood Edison’s phonograph - Rough synchronization was possible in 1889 with Edison. In 1900 three different inventors had figured out how to synchronize phonograph records to projected film strips Between 1903 to 1908 Oskar Messter produced short synchronized musical scores to all of his short films. Sound on film system introduced by Eugene Lauste in 1910 which became basis of RCA photo phone (one of 2 major sound on film systems adopted by Hollywood)  The Introduction of Sound in Hollywood Sound on film system called Tri-Ergon came shortly after and helped by adding a flywheel mechanism with sprockets to keep the film strip moving at the correct speed. This was bought by Fox in 1927 Lee de Forest was the last sound on film system inventor and he solved the problem of amplification by adding an audion tube. His system was for sale by 1922.  Technological Problems with Sound Synchronizing sound and image Amplifying the sound for a large audience Trying to figure out how the different formats would work together especially since the longest phonograph cylinder was 4 minutes (the disc was still just 5 minutes) and the feature length film was obviously longer (since sound was recorded onto a disc or cylinder and image was recorded onto a film strip).  Who wants Sound though? Lee de Forest tried and tried to get Hollywood producers to buy his system but they did not want to spend their money to convert their entire system of production and distribution to sound. So, in 1927 the film industry was facing some difficulties. People were aware that sound was possible but money was in the way. It was a studio that wasn’t the biggest or the best that decided to take a chance on talking pictures. All of the other studios refused. In fact this studio was one for the poor and middle class and it was an ideal for them to have the same sounds in the smaller and bigger theaters alike (an orchestra or whatnot no matter how rich the theater). In 1926, one studio bought Vitaphone, a sound-on-disc system (developed by AT&T).  What Changed though? Warner Brothers Don Juan (1926) was the first sound film Lights of New York (1928)  Jazz Singer The Jazz Singer is considered the first talkie (not all-talkie). It has a musical score plus dialogue and singing. It’s not actually the first all-talkie because there are some ‘silent’ parts. It would have taken much longer and more money to make it an all-talkie. The film industry overall hoped that the film would not succeed and that people would forget about sound. They knew that the amount of money it would take could actually end the film industry itself. The Jazz Singer made over 3.5 million the day of its premiere worldwide. This one film though showed the rest of the film industry that sound films were here to stay and would be successful. Jazz Singer  Problems with Conversion New sound stages would have to be built, all theaters would have to be re-wired, and all new sound equipment, etc. would be expensive. Actors and actresses that had the star power to get audiences watching could be ruined since these actors/actresses were not trained to speak, only to mime. Microphones to record well and not record all sounds. Lighting was a problem due to buzzing noise  The Big Five Agreement 1927- 5 studios signed an agreement to convert everything to sound. It was MGM, Famous Players Lasky (later Paramount), First National Universal, and PDC later merged with Pathe, and Warner Bros. It ended up costing over 300 million but everyone was mostly converted by 1929 before the stock market crash. They agreed to use the sound on film system (over the sound on disc system). The sound on disc system was great for a while before sound on film became standard.  The Big Five Agreement 1927- 5 studios signed an agreement to convert everything to sound. It was MGM, Famous Players Lasky (later Paramount), First National Universal, and PDC later merged with Pathe, and Warner Bros. It ended up costing over 300 million but everyone was mostly converted by 1929 before the stock market crash. They agreed to use the sound on film system (over the sound on disc system). The sound on disc system was great for a while before sound on film became standard.  Solutions to the technical issues Ice box – cameras were placed inside so microphones couldn't catch the noise of cameras. They were sound proof. This meant that cameras could not move much. They were hot and stuffy actually. Later they made the Blimp in 1931 so camera mobility improved. The blimp wrapped around camera so you could move the camera and still not hear camera noise. Microphones- they had non-selective omni-directionalmics which picked up all sound within a certain range. Microphone later made directional to pick up certain sounds in smaller range.Boom microphones mounted on booms and suspended near actors to allow actors to be mobile.Standard speed- 24 frames/second became standard so that the sound would not be distorted. Lighting issue - had to switch to tungsten incandescent lighting from arc lighting because they were quieter to avoid being picked up by microphones. THANK YOU www.inspiria.ed u.in