The Studio System Essay - 14396 Words

The Studio System Key point about the studio system could be: Despite being one of the biggest industries in the United States, indeed the World, the internal workings of the dream factory that is Hollywood is little understood outside the business. The Hollywood Studio System: A History is the first book to describe and analyse the complete development, classic operation, and reinvention of the global corporate entities which produce and distribute most of the films we watch. Starting in 1920, Adolph Zukor, head of Paramount Pictures, over the decade of the 1920s helped to fashion Hollywood into a vertically integrated system, a set of economic innovations which was firmly in place†¦show more content†¦The following essay will examine how these changes took place, and what impact it had on the film making industry in America. We shall also examine how the system relates to the current production methods used in film making. The main issues raised within the text will be summarised concisely within the conclusion. Before a film reaches the cinema screen, and its audience it must go through a three stage process. Firstly and most obviously it has to be produced, following this it must then be distributed, and finally exhibited. Before the introduction of the studio system in the 1920s all of these processes were controlled separately. Although this gave the makers of films, such as directors and producers, room to express their creativity it pla ced a heavy constraint upon the amount of movies that could be made, and financial profits. However, despite Hollywood’s uneasy birth, by the 1920s it had become one of the worlds leading film producers (Dirks, 2002). This was largely due to the introduction of the producer, or studio syste Cinema is a collaborative art so it is difficult to determine the influence of one particular person on a film. The only way to truly judge a single persons contribution to film is to look at their entire filmography, in that way you can begin to distinguish patterns that can be identified with individuals. With this in mind, it isShow MoreRelatedHow does Sunset Boulevard represent the Hollywood Studio System?1897 Words   |  8 Pagesthe 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 Studio System, as well as exploring post war literature giving reasons as to why the system began to crumbleRead More Destry Rides Again, Mr Smith Goes to Washi ngton, and the Fall of the Hollywood Studio System3533 Words   |  15 PagesDestry Rides Again, Mr Smith Goes to Washington, and the Fall of the Hollywood Studio System 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)Read MoreStudio Systems : The Studio System1662 Words   |  7 Pagesindependent, DIY and small-scale productions. The classical Hollywood â€Å"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 â€Å"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 areRead MoreThe Distribution Of The Studio System2750 Words   |  11 Pages After the breakdown of the studio system the leading film companies started to buy each other on a conglomorate scale in order to increase their quality and income during the production or distribution of the film. Conglomorate ownership has been in the business for very long time and has shaped the industry. Most companies in hollywood are economically driven rathern than artisticly driven, therefore whilst making films it is in the company’s best interest to make more money. For the better understandingRead MoreThe Supreme Court Case United States Vs. Paramount Pictures, Inc.1615 Words   |  7 Pageschange in the entire system, leading to a completely new Hollywood. The Paramount Decision in 1948 incited a chain reaction of effects, including the fall of the studio system and a change in censorship, which gave directors more leverage in the making of their movies, ultimately developing into the self-conscious â€Å"auteur† directing that is characteristic of New Hol lywood. Before the Paramount Decision, Hollywood’s studio system was vertically integrated, meaning that the studios had control over productionRead MoreThe Structure of American Film Industry Essay2262 Words   |  10 Pages Outline the main changes the paramount decree effected on the structure of the American film industry and discuss the measures the ex-studios took to remain in control of the film market. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The period of the 1920’s to 1950’s where known as the studio era in Hollywood. A few major companies monopolized the industry through vertical integration when the film companies controlled all production distribution and exhibition. The majors determined which movies were shownRead More The Worker Management Techniques Essay2873 Words   |  12 PagesMotion Picture Patent’s Company known as the Trust. By the time of the Great Depression, this small band of independent entrepreneurs would demonstrate that by applying certain worker management techniques within a capitalist vertical integration system, near absolute control of the film industry could be achieved. Prior to the domination of Hollywood, French film making was amongst those at the fore front, if not the fore front itself of the film industry. However, in the wake of the First WorldRead MoreThe United States versus Paramount Pictures, Inc. Essay1251 Words   |  6 Pagescreat e such a successful industry, and if it’s taken away, the industry would sink. The court found the studios guilty of block booking and outlawed theater pooling, the alliance of theater chains for a mutual advantage. The ruling addressed block booking by saying â€Å"the copyright ownership of any film was, in actuality, a limited monopoly protected by the U.S. Constitution† (SIMPP, 2002). The studios had to take out their theater pools, but the Big Five were allowed to keep their chains for themselvesRead MoreThe Main Changes That the Paramount Decree Effected on the Structure of the American Film Industry and the Measures the Ex-Studios Took to Remain in Control of the Film Market2265 Words   |  10 PagesOutline the main changes the paramount decree effected on the structure of the American film industry and discuss the measures the ex-studios took to remain in control of the film market. The period of the 1920s to 1950s where known as the studio era in Hollywood. A few major companies monopolized the industry through vertical integration when the film companies controlled all production distribution and exhibition. The majors determined which movies were shown in which theatres, choosing theirRead More Vertical integration in studio system Essay475 Words   |  2 PagesVertical integration in studio system The term vertical integration refers to the structure of a marketplace, which is integrated (rather than segregated) at a variety of crucial levels. In the case of the motion picture industry, the studio system established a market in which the studios owned production facilities, distribution outlets, and theaters. In other words, the studios controlled every level of the marketplace from the top down, from production to exhibition. Vertical integration