The Impact of Universal Studios

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.

Have one of you all ever been to Universal Studios Orlando? Ok,well my family took a trip to Universal last spring. It was my mom,dad,brother,and me.We laughed,screamed,and yelled.Ok then let's get on with it.

This paper was prepared for Introduction to Film History, Module 1 Homework Assignment, taught by Professor Stephanie Sandifer.

To begin with, some background information on movies and Hollywood in the 1920’s. In the 1920’s, movie attendance soared (The Rise of Hollywood par. 4). As stated in the introduction, with the influx of money in the American economic system, the average person also had an influx of time on their hands. The normal solution was to spend that time on entertainment and movies were the perfect way to do that. By the mid-decade, movie attendance rose to fifty million and only increased from then. The five main movie studios were Warner Brothers, Paramount, MGM, RKO Radio Pictures, and 20th Century Fox (Dirks 1). Before these studios were formed, every aspect of making movies was separated into different companies. The aspects may include filming, editing, or distributing. With the spark of interest in movies, these five companies took it upon

Recently, at Universal Studios, the Wizarding World of Harry Potter opened up. This magical land is based off of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series, and includes fun rides, a Hogwarts replica, exciting shops, and even Moaning Myrtle in the bathrooms! This recent success is expected to help some, but hurt others. Disneyland might be seeing a loss of customers, due to this addition to Universal Studios. Disneyland is expected to lose business, but the wonderful land full of fairy tales has started competing for customers. Disneyland has started building a Star Wars themed development, the opening date has not been released yet. Who will win the war for service? Only time will

traveling circus presentations. They were marveled at, yes, but their use as a form of entertainment was limited and not considered, until on April 14, 1894 in New York City, the Holland brothers showed short films to the public in their arcade, using two rows of kinetoscopes. This started a country-wide fad, and the idea of showing movies gained speed. The film industry began to grow, until the 1920's, when it truly became an industry and movie theaters showing double-features had become common to most towns. This is when Hollywood studios began gaining ground as the place to be for actors, directors, writers, and anyone who was anyone in the film world. In the minds of the average American, Hollywood conjured up images of glamour and sophistication, of movie stars and lazily drifting smoke and reels of film flickering in a dark room. Hollywood; another world in of itself.

Universal studios is a film studios and theme park that makes movies that might be your favorite. Universal Studios is a film studio and theme park. Universal Studios has 30 stages. Some movies made by was Dracula and Frankenstein. It was created because Carl Laemmle want to level up the film industry.

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

Motion pictures are a key driver of the market for entertainment products, one of the largest export markets in US. Motion picture industry consists of three stages: studio production, distribution, and exhibition. The studios produce the lifeblood of the industry, the films that are its content. The biggest players at this level are the majors, big studios which integrate production and distribution, as do the slightly smaller mini-majors. The next stage is distribution. Distributors are the intermediaries between the studios and exhibitors. Distribution entails all steps following a film’s artistic completion including marketing, logistics, and administration. Distributors coordinate the manufacture and distribution of

The 1930’s decade has been nostalgically labeled “The Golden Age of Hollywood.” (Dirks, Tim) There were many innovations that established the foundation of modern film. The 30s was the decade of the sound and color revolutions and the advance of the 'talkies’. (Dirks Tim)

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)

Film History: An Introduction. Third ed. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2009.

In the 1920’s, one of the biggest studios in Hollywood was Metro-Goldwyn Mayer. Or as you may know it as, “MGM”, or “the company with the lion at the beginning of movies.” This studio was founded in 1924 and their first film was released in 1925. They have released many popular films that most people have either seen or heard of as well as some not-so popular films that most people didn’t even knew existed. Some you may recognize is Poltergeist, The Hobbit, and even The Wizard of Oz. Today, Metro-Goldwyn Mayer is still one if the biggest and most influential studios in Hollywood. However, the success, figuring everything out, and how the studio became, didn’t happen overnight.

Based on the previous module assessments, NBC Universal’s preliminary focus should be geared toward the film industry. The recent trade deal, between both the U.S. and Chinese Governments, lowered a 20-year-old quota on U.S. films and distribution fees in the Chinese film industry. This signifies productive progression within the film industry, even though small in nature, but nonetheless this could equate to significant profit gains for all the FMO’s within the market.

Universal Studios is one of the most famous places on Earth. Families from all over the world come to visit Universal Studios. Only two places on Earth. One location is located in Orlando, Florida. The second location is location is located in Hollywood, California.