Classical Hollywood

When was Hollywood's Golden Age?

1930s-1940s

Five Major Studios

MGM, Paramount, Warner Bros., 20th Century Fox, RKO

Little Three

Studios that did not own theaters: Columbia, Universal, and United Artists

Studio System

An early film production system that constituted a sort of assembly-line process for moviemaking; major film studios controlled not only actors but also directors, editors, writers, and other employees, all of whom worked under exclusive contracts

Vertical Integration

* Production
* Distribution
* Exhibition

Cecil B. DeMille

Motion picture producer and director, most commercially successful producer director in film history.

The MPPDA

Motion Picture Producers & Distributers Association- an organization designed to help the industry regulate its own content.

The Code

Moral guidelines and rules to make Hollywood pictures presentable and safe for the public at large, avoiding controversial topics.

Talkies

Motion pictures with synchronized sound for dialogue.

The first "talkie" motion picture was

The Jazz Singer (1927) Alan Crosland

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Thanks to Jazz Singer, which cartoon used sound?

Mickey Mouse Cartoon

Sound-on-disc

An early method of synchronizing sound to motion picture images in which sound was recorded on phonograph discs (records) and played back when the film was screened.

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Sound on film system

Featured music recorded as a "photographed sound wave" directly on to the film.

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Diegetic

Elements emanating from the story world.

Non-Digestic

Elements brought in from outside the story world.

The Great Depression in Hollywood

Nearly all Hollywood studios except MGM suffered financially. Had to reorganize, request government assistance, cut budgets and employees...

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Double Whoopee

Turned into a talkie in the 60s

Star System

An operation designed to find and cultivate actors under long-term contracts, with the intention of developing those actors into famous "stars" who would enhance the profitability of the studio's films.

When were the first Oscar's?

May 16, 1929. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

Narrative System

Literary techniques; the content of the film; consists of story, plot, and characters.

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42nd Street 1933

Changed the film musical forever and saves Warner Bros from bankruptcy.

Frankenstein (1931)

James Whale, pre-code film

It Happened One Night (1934)

Frank Capra, first film to sweep academy awards

King Kong (1933)

First significant feature film to star an animated character

Flying Down to Rio (1933)

RKO specialized in musicals too

Technicolor 3-strip process

A colour film printing process invented in 1916. It was the most widely used colour process in Hollywood from 1922 to 1952 and celebrated for its saturated levels of colour. It was used most commonly for filming musicals such as The Wizard of Oz and Singin' in the Rain and used for Disney's animated classics such as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Fantasia.

The Wizard of Oz (1939)

Produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), used bright colors and captivating storytelling to draw in audiences, and it demonstrated just how magical filmmaking could be.

Snow White and the 7 Dwarfs

First full length animated film

Becky Sharp (1935)

First 3 color movie, produced by RKO movies

John Ford's Stagecoach (1939) was the first western to elevate itself from "B" status to "A" status because it did what?

Emphasized character and mood

Howard Hawks

Directed a variety of genres (Known as a man's director)

Ernest Lubitsch

Director that celebrated simple values and criticized the wealthy and politicians in films like Mr. Deeds Goes to Town and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

William Wyler

United States filmmaker (1902-1981)- Notable works included Ben-Hur (1959), The Best Years of Our Lives (1946), and Mrs. Miniver (1942), all of which won Wyler Academy Awards for Best Director, and also won Best Picture.