AHSS*1070 Lecture Notes - Lecture 10: Film Stock, Vertical Integration, British New Wave
Week 10: Social Context and Film Style
Introduction
-By 1910, filmmakers began to move west from New York to Hollywood, drawn to area’s climate
and cheap real estate
-By end of decade, film production was lucrative industry and Wall Street investors helped
-Hollywood dominate international film market
-Ever since 1920s, people equate Hollywood with moviemaking
-Hollywood is not world’s only major film industry
-Each of these social contexts associate with economic, political, and cultural approach to art and
business of filmmaking
-Films that have emerged from these locations and traditions reflect these important differences
-Transnational cinemas blur identity of national, geographical filmmaking
Hollywood’s Industrial Context
-Hollywood Studio era began around 1915 ending in 1948 with Supreme Court decision
regulating film industry structure
-Era characterized by the “classical” Hollywood film and industrial “assembly line” organization:
the Studio System
Classical Style
-Classical Hollywood films exhibit four stylistic traits: clarity, unity, goal-oriented characters &
closure
- Hollywood’s “invisible style,” designed to focus attention on story itself, based on “unobtrusive
craftsmanship”
- Aesthetic of realism prevails
Economic practices and Hollywood convention
-Mode of production akin to that of assembly line:
division of labor, with different stages in process controlled by specialists
-Rationalization and compartmentalization gave rise to a standardized product
-Hierarchical structure of industry itself and profit-driven modus operandi played key role in
determining film’s narrative structure
-Some producers and studio heads would test screen movies and then re-edit, or sometimes
reshoot films, according to audience response
American Values and Hollywood Styles
-Motion Pictures Producers and Distributors Association established for industry to regulate its
own content
-MPPDA head Will Hays drafted list of “don’t’s and be carefuls” for filmmakers to consult as they
made films
-By end of 1920s, Production Code Administration sets up rules governing content and style that
was enforced between 1934 and mid-1960s
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
By 1910, filmmakers began to move west from new york to hollywood, drawn to area"s climate and cheap real estate. By end of decade, film production was lucrative industry and wall street investors helped. Ever since 1920s, people equate hollywood with moviemaking. Hollywood is not world"s only major film industry. Each of these social contexts associate with economic, political, and cultural approach to art and business of filmmaking. Films that have emerged from these locations and traditions reflect these important differences. Transnational cinemas blur identity of national, geographical filmmaking. Hollywood studio era began around 1915 ending in 1948 with supreme court decision regulating film industry structure. Era characterized by the classical hollywood film and industrial assembly line organization: the studio system. Classical hollywood films exhibit four stylistic traits: clarity, unity, goal-oriented characters & closure. Hollywood"s invisible style, designed to focus attention on story itself, based on unobtrusive craftsmanship .
