feature films
longer story films, usually over 1 1/2 hours
major film studios
like Fox or Disney integrate all aspects of production and distribution
star system
the film studios’ use of stars’ popularity to promote their movies
motion picture code
1930 (Hay Code) was a self-regulation of sex on screen by the motion picture industry
talkies
motion pictures with synchronized sound for dialogue
film noir
comprised the “dark” moody American films of the 1940s; often focused on detectives or similar themes
studio system
in Hollywood emphasized key stars as a way to promote studio films
B movies
cheaply and quickly made genre films
vertical integration
when a company with the same owner handles different aspects of a business (within the same industry), such as film production and distribution
theatrical films
films released for distribution in movie theaters
Gross
the total box office revenue before expenses are deducted
concentration of ownership
integration of many aspect of media into 1 company creates concerns about political control and loss of diversity
first-run distribution
film production made specifically for movie theaters
most films target 15 to 24 year olds
independent (indie) film
refers to films not made by the major studios
rear-projection
effects have images projected behind performers who are in the foreground
front projection
lets actors be photographed in front of an image so that they appear as part of it
compositing
merging several layers of images that were shot separately
mattes
background paintings or photographs that are combined with performers in the foreground
postproduction
includes editing, sound effects, and visual effects that are added after shooting the original footage
nonlinear editing
uses digital equipment to rearrange scenes to make the master copy
digital video
is recorded, edited, and often transmitted in digital form as used by computers
conglomerates
big businesses or corporations that own seemingly unrelated holdings. They are made up of diverse parts from across several media industries and are involved in multiple areas of business activity
windows
separate film release times for different channels or media
MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America)
a trade organization that represents the major film studios
MPAA ratings
part of a movie rating system instituted in 1968
Who invented most of the major components of the camera?
Thomas Edison
Who(s) discovered the principle of projecting light through transparent filmstrips?
The Lumière brothers
In the classic 1933 King Kong, what was developed from mechanical models?
special effects
Film has been improved by increasing the number of frames or images per second, making the image wider, and adding _____
color
Studios rose on the basis of this ____ system, using the starsĂ popularity to promote their movies
star
The _____ system consisted of production companies that employed the complete set of facilities and people required to makes and distribute movies.
studio
Main Hollywood studios were United Artists, Paramount, MGM, Fox Warner Brothers, Universal, Columbia, and ____.
RKO
The major film producers are the old time studios …
Columbia, Fox, MGM, Paramount, Universal and Warner Brothers
_______ film companies work alone or with majors
Independent
_____ independent filmmakers or “indies” usually produce fewer films and for much less money that the majors - often a few million dollars.
Individual
____ films are still primarily distributed by the majors
Indie
Who is D. W. Griffith and what controversial thing did he do?
film director
controversial drama “Birth of a Nation”
outdoor battle scenes, close-ups, and cuts
featured anti-Black Ku Klux Klan members as its heroes
used by the Klan as a recruiting film
The Jazz Singer in 1927?
started the talking pictures
acting became less overstated and stylized
actors’ voice
sound effects and music
What are the basic current genres in film?
comedy
drama
action
horror
science fiction
classic
family
western
animation
foreign
As small theaters closed all over America in the 1950s, the film industry began to realize that it couldn’t ____ television
beat
Independent producers gained more of a role in producing movies, and film studios began to spend much time producing TV _____.
series
Increase in movies with explicit language, sex, and violence in the 1960s. What did the MPAA instituted?
A ratings system to give people an idea of what they might encounter in a film
Some critics argue that as a form of industry self-censhorship, ratings violate freedom of ____ for filmmakers
speech
Others argue that the ratings system draw the interest of _____ views.
younger
The restrictions on teenage viewing of films rated R and NC-17 are often not enforced by theaters, because teens are the ____ moviegoers.
main