The History of Films

1920s: Beginning of Film IndustryBy the mid-20s, movies were a big business. By the end of the decade, there were 20 Hollywood studios, and the demand for films was greater than ever. Most people are unaware that the greatest output of feature films in the US occurred in the 1920s and 1930s (averaging about 800 film releases in a year) - nowadays, it is remarkable when production exceeds 500 films in a year.

Throughout most of the early decades, silent films were the predominant product of the film industry.A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially spoken dialogue.In silent films the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime, and title cards.

The Silent Era

One of the most famous examples from the silent era is The Great Train Robbery, a 1903 American Western film by Edwin S. Porter. Twelve minutes long, it is considered a milestone in filmmaking because of its use of a number of innovative shooting and editing techniques.

The Great Train Robbery

Film Industry BoomAfter The Jazz Singer in 1927, "talkies (or non-silent films) became more and more commonplace and within a decade silent films essentially disappeared.After the early decades and the silent era, films began to be manufactured, assembly-line style, in Hollywood's 'entertainment factories, In these factories production was broken down and organized into its various components (writing, costuming, makeup, directing, etc.).

Film Industry BoomEven the earliest films were organized into genres or types, with instantly recognizable storylines, settings, costumes, and characters. Films varied from melodramas and biblical epics by Cecil B. DeMille, to westerns, horror films, gangster/crime films, war films, the first feature documentary or non-fictional narrative films, romances, mysteries, and comedies (from the comic masters Chaplin, Keaton, and Lloyd).

During the early decades of filmmaking, the studio system was born.Studios employed long-term contracts for stars, lavish production values, and rigid control of directors and stars by the studio's big bosses.After World War I, America was the leading producer of films in the world. Production fell into the hands of five major studios, sometimes referred to as The Big Five.These five studios produced more than 90 percent of the fiction films in America and distributed their films both nationally and internationally. Each studio separated its products from other studios with logos, specific stars and directors.

The Big Five

Warner Bros Bugs Bunny cartoons, The Jazz Singer, Rin Tin Tin, gangster filmsParamount Pictures stars Mae West, Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, director Cecil B. DeMilleRKO (Radio-Keith-Orpheum) Pictures Astaire/Rogers musicals, Citizen Kane, King Kong, once owned by eccentric millionaire Howard HughesMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) famous MGM lion roar, The Wizard of Oz, Gone With the Wind, Tom & Jerry cartoons, stars Clark Gable and Spencer Tracy20th Century Fox stars Shirley Temple and Betty Grable

The Big Five

The Big Five

As anticipated, the arrival of sound created many problems for film studios.Many Hollywood actors/actresses lacked good voices and stage experience.Acting suffered as studios attempted to record live dialogue because stationary or hidden microphones prevented the movement of actors. New investments had to be made for expensive new equipment, technological innovations, and sound-proofed stages. The Introduction of Sound

Another technological advance, in addition to sound, was the use of color. In the earliest years of the industry, hand-tinting/painting had been tried, but it was largely impractical, time-consuming, and unrealistic looking. In 1915, the Technicolor Motion Picture Corporation was founded to develop a more advanced system to colorize motion pictures. The Introduction of Color

The non-profit organization, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) was founded in 1927 with Douglas Fairbanks as president, to recognize and reward excellence within the film industry. In the first year of the Academy Awards' presentations, separate awards (not known as Oscar quite yet) were given for Best Production (now termed Best Picture). Beginning of the Academy Awards

Hollywoods Early Mega StarsClark GableJoan CrawfordFred Astaire and Ginger Rogers

Hollywoods Early Mega StarsCharlie ChaplinKatherine HepburnBette Davis

The movie industry, like every other aspect of life, responded to the national war effort by making movies, producing many war-time favorites, and having stars (and film industry employees) enlist or report for duty. While the film industry was negatively impacted at first by WWII, Hollywood film production rebounded and reached its profitable peak during the years 1943 to 1946.Advances in film technology (sound recording, lighting, special effects, cinematography and use of color) meant that films were more watchable and 'modern'.

Hollywood During the War Years