CIN201Y1 Lecture 10: lecture 10
Lecture I-11: American Silent Film in the Age of Hollywood
Lecture Structure:
1) Introduction: Hollywood Becomes “Hollywood” [Extended Play
Version]
2) Industry Trends: Expansion and Consolidation
i) Production -- the central-producer system
ii) Distribution – roadshowing and state’s rights
-- case study: Paramount
iii) Exhibition – the picture palace
3) Stardom and Hollywood as a Social Institution
-- case study: Mary Pickford
-- star scandals and the formation of the MPPDA
Introduction: Hollywood Becomes “Hollywood”
When the American film industry shifted production to the West Coast,
Hollywood eventually became the symbolic centre of that filmmaking activity.
By the 1920s, Hollywood would become “Hollywood,” an iconic space that
existed primarily in the imagination of the American public.
When, why, and how did the industry come to locate its production facilities
beyond the East Coast? When, why and how did this shift represent a change
in the meanings associated with “Hollywood”?
When? Companies first moved west in 1909; within five years, the majority
of films were being shot in California.
Why? Increased demand for film product led to a search for locales that
offered temperate climate, varied topography, and reduced expenses.
How? California promoted itself as an ideal site for new businesses, and new
transportation networks facilitated the trek west.
Three concurrent developments facilitated Hollywood/”Hollywood” becoming
central to the industry’s growth and status during the period of the 1910s
and 1920s: the star system; fan magazines; and large-scale motion picture
studios.
Collectively, these developments fostered within the public a desire to know
more about the workings of moviemaking.
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Hollywood, the place, became instrumental in fuelling the public’s fantasies
about “filmland”.
Some fans transported themselves literally, making the journey to California
in order to realize their dream of becoming part of the moviemaking process.
The promise of fame and fortune that film could confer on any individual was
realized in the figure of the star, whose glamorous lifestyle became
synonymous with “Hollywood.”
When invocation of the name “Hollywood” conjured up a stable set of
meanings, the conversion of place to symbolic site was complete.
In terms of both its practices and its products, Hollywood exemplified the
appeal of the consumer ethos of the age.
Industry Trends: Expansion and Consolidation
Broad shifts define each sector of the film industry during the first decades of
American film history.
The changes that occur in the 1910s and 1920s will define the industry for
years to come.
i) Production
The production practices of figures like Thomas Ince and Mack Sennett
epitomized the adoption of the central-producer system.
Inceville was the model of streamlined studio production.
The shift to feature-film production entailed larger budgets and more
complicated shooting schedules; these demands outstripped the capabilities
of the director system.
Continuity scripts functioned as blueprints for more efficient methods of
shooting.
The producer could coordinate the shooting of numerous films, while the
director functioned akin to a department head.
Only certain high-profile exceptions (such as Griffith and Charlie Chaplin)
could adhere to the less efficient director system.
Adherence to the classical style became the studio norm from 1917 onward.
Document Summary
Lecture i-11: american silent film in the age of hollywood. Lecture structure: introduction: hollywood becomes hollywood [extended play. Version: industry trends: expansion and consolidation i) production -- the central-producer system ii) distribution roadshowing and state"s rights. - case study: paramount iii) exhibition the picture palace: stardom and hollywood as a social institution. - star scandals and the formation of the mppda. When the american film industry shifted production to the west coast, Hollywood eventually became the symbolic centre of that filmmaking activity. By the 1920s, hollywood would become hollywood, an iconic space that existed primarily in the imagination of the american public. Companies first moved west in 1909; within five years, the majority of films were being shot in california. Increased demand for film product led to a search for locales that offered temperate climate, varied topography, and reduced expenses. California promoted itself as an ideal site for new businesses, and new transportation networks facilitated the trek west.
