In essence one could describe the Studio system as a particular method of filming, where the studios in hollywood were in complete control of the production and distribution of a particular film (Lewis 2008). During the Golden Age of film the studio system was at its peak. Five major companies dominated the world of movies, they all were conglomerates that owned the production, distribution of their films. In the Golden Age, censorship was also at the forefront of the studio system. Originally, censorship was determined by local boards, so began the self censhipric policies and procedures of the hollywood world. The contract system falls within the realm of the studio system and is vital in understanding what occurred during the Golden Age
Thomas Schatz cites the 1950’s as the inevitable end of the Hollywood film studio system, with the signs appearing as early as the height of the second World War (472). However, the seeds of discontent and disintegration within the system were apparent as soon as the late 1930’s, exemplified in such films as Destry Rides Again (1939, George Marshall) and Mr. Smith Goes To Washington (1939, Frank Capra). The production of these two films and the paths down which they led their star (James Stewart), directors (at least Frank Capra), and studios (Universal and Columbia, respectively) are evidence of the decline of the studio system. The
Basically, the studio system controls everything from production to showing included the actors. Actors who worked with a studio were under contract with that studio and could only act in that studio's production. These contracts were seven years long and forbids the actors from doing any other projects, like radio or television along with regulating the actor’s lives. The studio actors that were under contract were mostly white; minorities did not get much contracted work. The actors were required to act in whatever film they were cast, do publicity for their films, promote product tie-ins and occasionally even be loaned out to other studios for a film or two. The actors were working six days a week and often for about 14 hours a day. It may have been a hectic schedule but they were putting out 10 to 20 films a year. Studios had everyone under contract from the actors to the directors, from the writers to the technical staff. I think there was an up and down side to the studio system. On the good side, all the employees were under contract and everyone was available when they were needed. Films were getting produced at much faster rate than they are today. I would think there would be less conflict between actors and directors because everyone would have to
Sunset Boulevard directed by Billy Wilder in 1950 is based on how Norma Desmond, a huge Hollywood star, deals with her fall from fame. The film explores the fantasy world in which Norma is living in and the complex relationship between her and small time writer Joe Gillis, which leads to his death. Sunset Boulevard is seen as lifting the ‘face’ of the Hollywood Studio System to reveal the truth behind the organisation. During the time the film was released in the 1950s and 60s, audiences started to see the demise of Hollywood as cinema going began to decline and the fierce competition of television almost proved too much for the well established system. Throughout this essay I will discuss how Sunset Boulevard represents the Hollywood
1.) What is the American Studio System? Please give four examples of how the system worked in films we have watched in class. Be specific.
During this time the film studios grew in power, new stars and directors were discovered and the eight major studios produced more than 7500 feature films. “These films were released by the studios to audiences eager to be entertained. More than 80 million people attended at least one film per week. This period enjoyed the greatest collection of talent gathered in one place.” (Motion Pictures, The New Encyclopedia Britannica, Chicago, Encyclopedia Britannica, 2001)
In the Motion Picture Patent Company (Old Hollywood) era there was an emphasis on those that were producing and directing the movies. With the production team as the focal point, this allowed the production company to keep most of their profit by not having to pay actors top dollar prices. This system also instilled control over the actors, by keeping their names from being promoted not many people would know of the actor allowing the production companies to maintain their exclusive access to said actor. These regulations also prevent actors from asking for higher pay. According to Britannica.com, The MPPC also had exclusive regulations on equipment such as the camera itself and raw film through Kodak allowing them to keep production cost down.
The "star system" was a method of developing and advancing the popularity of Hollywood movie stars. The system, which began during the height of the Hollywood studio system era, emphasized the image of the actor instead on the actual acting. The movie studio's profits were driven by the popularity of the stars that appeared in their films. According to Rocco, the stars had long term contracts with the movie studios that paid them a weekly salary, and the stars were identified with specific types of characters that would often be repeated in many movies. Belton stated that "the star provides the studio with a tangible attraction, an image that can be advertized and marketed, offsetting the less tangible qualities of the story, directing,
Such drastic change proved detrimental to the studio system, starting the path to its demise. “As production costs rose and an assured market was lost with the breakup of vertical integration, American studios produced fewer movies,” no longer feeling the need to have a frequent program change to encourage repeat theater visits since studios could not own theaters anymore (Bernstein 199). The system of long-term contracts binding actors to a specific studio also started fading, as “the structure of the studio system of the previous three decades ended… and [converted to] alternative methods of production and distribution, and stars, producers, and directors began to operate independently rather than contractually,” (McElhaney 146). Instead, talent agencies would find actors and a director and present them as a package for a studio to hire on a production (Kuntz, Lecture 10). Wihout block booking, each film had to be sellable on its own and therefore made the business very risky. Because every film was either a hit or miss, studios started looking for filmmakers and directors who would be unafraid of taking those risks, who tended to be
Hollywood has been a formidable force in the film industry since the 1910’s onwards. As with any industry that has lasted that length of time, Hollywood has gone through a few changes to deal with the changes in technology and culture. One of the more significant changes that Hollywood has faced since the advent of sound in films, was the fall of its Golden Era. There were a combination of reasons the industry went through dramatic changes in the late 1950s to mid-1960s. The Paramount decree and other government imposed limitation on power of the studios, change in audience demographic, and a strict code system limiting the types of stories that could be told through the medium of film all contributed to a shift in the industry and the type of product that Hollywood
Smale (2000) places great value on exploring the whole of a task. Reflecting upon multidimensional aspects of the situation and makes the assessment more realistic. Poor assessment, inadequate assessment or delays in assessment might expose Ashley to a significant risk of abuse. The S.W's mission is to identify through assessment the nature and the level of the risk that Ashley could be exposed to.
Just as the studio system did not appear from nowhere in 1930 it did not suddenly end in 1948. However, it’s a convenient date to signal the end of the golden age because of the Paramount decision. In 1948 the US supreme court ordered that the oligopolistic control of the majors was uncompetitive. The major studios were ordered to sell all their cinemas to allow fairer competition for films and to stop the system of block booking to allow other cinemas to negotiate for films. This of course meant that profits were reduced for the majors. However, this may have actually helped them as audiences began to decline in the 1950s for three major reasons: Competition from TV, Increasing affluence and Suburban living. During this period several stars
There are many modes of production such as large-scale, exploitation, independent, DIY and small-scale productions. The classical Hollywood “studio system” uses the mode of mass production.1 A studio is a company in business for making films for example Paramount and Warner Bros are studios.1 These studios have a system called “studio systems” in which they operate the filmmaking process.1 In mass production systems, writers, directors, actors and all workers in between are under contracts.1 These studios have ultimate control on what is being made, how the producers are making it, what cast and crew were to take part and how the film was to be distributed.1 Large-scale production studio systems have a large supply of equipment and vast physical space.1 They work on higher budgets and have large audiences.1 On the other hand, independent films fall into the category of low-budget productions.1 Although they operate in similar ways to the mass-production system, they don 't have major distributers financing them.1 This allows directors to have more control over the production process.1 However, independent filmmaking has its advantages and disadvantages. The major advantages of independent filmmaking are that they could be personal and it allows for upcoming filmmakers to flourish and create. The major disadvantages are working with small budgets and the distribution/exhibition of the film. The films Modern Times (1936) by Charlie Chaplin, Daughters of the Dust (1991) by
In chapter two of The Cultures of American Film, the main focus is the establishment of studios. As demand for films rose in the early 1900’s, production companies needed to expand; this lead to the creation of large scale studios.
Throughout the 1920s 30´s and into the 40´s the Studio system ruled Hollywood. Actors, technicians, writers and any others, who worked in the film industry, were separated into strict divisions of
There are various Bollywood movies, which were pristinely made in Hollywood. Simply taking a Hollywood script and making it in Bollywood for Indian audience will not work until unless you integrate an Indian touch to the script (Rao, 2010). In Hollywood movies, it is often found that a lot of movies have an open end for its sequel or sometimes portraying the evil as unvanquishable or triumpher (Rothman, 1996). Bollywood movies end with evil being vanquished or issues in the movie being solved with a blissful ending, (Nayar, 1997).