A research on hollywood's film industry!

1. INDUSTRY RESEARCH
HOLLYWOOD

3.  When the average Friday night cinema-goer sits down to watch a film in this
country they would most probably be waiting to see the
latest Hollywood blockbuster projected onto the screen. This seems to have
been the norm for decades now but it wasn't always the case. Cinema was
born in France with the introduction of motion pictures from the Lumière
brothers; Auguste and Louis. The first presentation of motion pictures and the
Lumière Cinématographe (a combined camera, printer and projector) was to
the Society for the Promotion of Industry (Société d'Encouragement a
l'industrie Nationale) on March 22, 1895.
 LA was a small Mexican town that changed little in 3 decades after 1848
when California became part of the US. After the completion of Santé Fe
Railroad line from Chicago to LA in 1885, immigrants flooded in especially
white protestants from mid-west. LA had a strong economic base in farming,
oil, tourism, real estate & movies. Hollywood made the city world famous &
WW II brought new industry especially high-tech aircraft construction.
HISTORY OF THE TOWN

4.  New ethnic groups especially from Mexico & Asia have transformed the
demographic base since 1960 old industries have declined but Tourism,
Entertainment & High-tech remain strong. It was incorporated as city of
Hollywood in 1903 but merged into LA in 1910. In 1980 LA’s population was
3,005,072 surpassing Chicago as 2nd in the whole nation.
 1886 land-owners Harvey & Daeida Henderson Wilcox name their ranch
Hollywood after Daeida met a woman in Ohio whose country house was called
“Hollywood” for English Holly & Wood. In 1900 Jewish movie makers from
New York found the sunny, temperate weather more suitable for year around
location shooting. It boomed into the cinematic heart of the United States. In
1902 The Electric Theater, the first movie theater built for that purpose, by
Thomas Lincoln Tally in downtown Los Angeles.
 The name Hollywood was coined by H.J.Whitley the (Father Of Hollywood)
who bought 500 acre from Harvey & Daeida (Mother Of Hollywood). In 1907,
The first film crew from the Selig polyscope company, films in LA with
occidental Studios as founder Hobart Bosworth starring. In 1912, Thomas Tally
shows the first color movie at the electric theater in Hollywood founded
universal studio.

5. Hollywood Today
 The Cinema of US, generally referred as Hollywood has had a profound effect on
cinema across the world since early 20th century. French Lumiere brothers are
generally credited with the birth of modern cinema. Hollywood is some time
separated into four main periods. The Silent Film Era, Classical, Hollywood Cinema,
New Hollywood. Since 1920’s the American film industry has grossed more money
every year than that of any other country.
 The next logical step for this new industry was to integrate sound with the images.
In 1927 Warner Brothers released The Jazz Singer, the first ‘talkie' feature film to be
widely distributed. This invention practically caused the death of the Silent Era as
audiences demanded sound with their films and heralded the ‘Golden Age' of
cinema. But once again it was not an industry completely dominated by Hollywood.
The French idea of commercial movie houses became the international model, and
entrepreneurs scurried to build impressive movie houses across North America and
Europe including theatres to seat up to 5,000 people, rather than relying on the
storefront Nickelodeons from the turn of the century. Birmingham born businessman
Oscar Deutsch opened his first Odeon cinema in the UK in Perry Barr, Birmingham
in 1920. By 1930 the Odeon was a household name and to this day there is still an
Odeon in the prime location of British cinema exhibition, Leicester Square.

6.  This ability to adapt to the market is an early demonstration of why Hollywood is
still the market leader in feature films. From these early years it was evident
that the studio system was going to be at the forefront of film production. The
1930's and 1940's were to prove to be the beginning of the Golden Age of
Hollywood cinema with the introduction of colour films and the release of such
popular films as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (Disney 1936), The
Adventures of Robin Hood (Warner Bros 1938), Gone with the Wind (MGM
1939), The Wizard of Oz (MGM 1939), and Citizen Kane (RKO 1941). When
the United States entered the Second World War in 1941 the Hollywood
machine was utilised by the government to produce propaganda films for the
American public. Within one year of the attack on Pearl Harbour, nearly one
third of Hollywood's feature films were war related, as were the vast majority of
its newsreels and documentaries (Nowell-Smith 234). Yet again Hollywood was
flexible enough to meet the demands of the public and due to the nature of the
audiences at home and most notably abroad (the UK), Hollywood's foreign
revenues reached record levels. Like the Depression before it, even the Second
World War could not stop Hollywood.

7.  The next period of Hollywood cinema came in the 1960's and continues today. This
is regularly referred to as Modern Cinema and saw the power of the studios sway
towards the director (often regarded as the auteur). In his book Easy Riders, Raging
Bulls author Peter Biskind highlights Arthur Penn's Bonnie and Clyde (Warner Bros
1967) as the first of the new breed of films, “Bonnie and Clyde was a movement
movie; like The Graduate, young audiences recognized that it was ‘theirs'” (Biskind
49). This ‘new' Hollywood saw new players attract new audiences. The new kids on
the block included George Lucas (THX 1138, American Graffiti, Star Wars), Steven
Spielberg (Jaws, ET, Jurassic Park), Martin Scorsese (Mean Streets, Raging Bull,
The Aviator) and Francis Ford Coppola (The Godfather, Apocalypse Now, Dracula).
The power of the director was affirmed when George Lucas's 1977 film Star Wars
was released and confirmed that a single film could earn its studio huge profits and
turn a poor year into a very successful one. Star Wars had a production budget of
around $13 million (imdb.com) and has (as of the end of June 2005) grossed nearly
$798 million. (thenumbers.com) While the American film industry had always looked
abroad for sources of revenue, the global focus of Hollywood was also amplified in
this period. Overseas theatrical and video markets exploded during the second half
of 1980's; between 1984 and 1986, Hollywood's European exports alone jumped
225 percent to reach $561 million annually. In some major European markets,
Hollywood movies accounted for 45-65 percent of total box-office receipts.

8. British Film Industry and Hollywood
 The British film industry has historically always been the poorer cousin to Hollywood, or as
Robert Murphy suggests, “British cinema has been despised and disparaged for much of its
existence” (Murphy 5). While Hollywood was experimenting with and developing the dramatic
narrative of feature films in the early 1910's, Britain did not realise the potential of the longer
film format; and one of the only company's releasing fictional drama, albeit single reel films,
was Hepworth who produced films such as Rescued by Rover (1905), Faust (1911) and A
Fisherman's Love Story (1912). As late as 1925 Joseph Schenck commented on the inferiority
of British cinema saying that “You have no personalities to put on the screen. The stage actors
and actresses are no good on the screen. Your effects are no good, and you do not spend
nearly so much money.” (Schenck).
 Hollywood has been the dominant force in the global film market since the turn of the
twentieth century. It has learned to accept change and develop it into a product that the
public wants. This change is not a single entity. It covers technology, artistry, society and
money.
 The changes in technology have forged the film industry into what it is today; from the very
first days of the Lumieres' Cinématographe projecting employees leaving a factory in 1895, to
the introduction of sound in The Jazz Singer, to the beginning of colour film in the 1930's, to
the ability to watch films in your own home with video and DVD. Every time there has been
an advancement in technology Hollywood has adapted, researched, developed and exploited
it. There have been some technological breakthroughs that have been left at the wayside;
3-D productions, for example, but it is this willingness to take a risk that has enabled
Hollywood to remain at the forefront of all film producing nations.

9.  Today American film studios collectively generate several hundred movies
every year making US the third most profilic producer of films in the world
after the Indian & Nigerian cinema. Hollywood is considered the best film
industry when it comes to the sound quality, computer graphics, story and
direction skills & has produced CG films like Avatar & Tron: Legacy. Due to
Hollywood achievements since 20th century every year several new directors,
actors aspire to achieve great fame like their predecessors in Hollywood.

10. Production Companies
 Hollywood is the home of some of the greatest production companies of all
time I.E: Warner Bros. Entertainment & Warner Bros. Animation is considered
the biggest production house of US/Canada & has market share of 17.1%. It
has produced films like Batman Trilogy, Gravity & Matrix.
 The Walt Disney, Pixel & Walt Disney Animation studios is Second biggest
Production house with 15.9% share & has produced films like The Jungle Book,
Star Wars & Bambi.

11.  Colombia Pictures & Sony Animation is considered 4th with 11.2% share and
has produced films like It Happened One Night, The Amazing Spider Man &
The Smurfs 2.
 Fox Filmed Entertainment (21st Century Fox) & Blue Sky studios has 10.8%
share and has produced hit films like Avatar, X-Men: Days Of Future Past &
Alien.
 Paramount Pictures & Paramount Animation hold a share of 8.94% share in
Hollywood Industry & had produced block busters like The God Father, The
Transformers & The Adventures Of Tintin.

12. Actors and Directors
 There are many famous actors & Directors in Hollywood which make the Hollywood what it is
today some of them are; John Wayne was born Marion Robert Morrison in Winterset in 26
may 1906 and was famous for Slow talk and distinctive gravelly voice & distinctive cat-like
walk.
 James Dean was born in 1931 & raised on a farm by his aunt & uncle in Fairmount was
famous for his “Rebel without a cause”.
 Marilyn Monroe was born Norma Jeanne Mortenson on June 1, 1926 in Los Angeles, California.
Her mother was a film-cutter at RKO Studios she was famous for her Lisp, breathless voice,
Platinum blonde hair, Voluptuous figure.
 Jack Nicholson, an American actor, producer, screenwriter & director, is a three-time
Academy Award winner and 12 time nominee.
 Meryl Streep Considered by many critics to be the greatest living actress, Meryl Streep has
been nominated for the Academy Award an astonishing 18 times, & has won it three times.
 Martin Charles Scorsese was born on November 17, 1942, in New York, to Italian-American
parents. He directed all time hit movie “Goodfellas” and is on top of imdb’s director’s list.
 James Francis Cameron was born on August 16, 1954 in Kapuskasing, Ontario, Canada. He
moved to the United States in 1971. And has Directed & Produced top hit films like Avatar &
titanic.
 Tim Burton was born in 1958 California. His early film career was fueled by almost
unbelievable good luck, It’s his talent & originality that kept him at the top of the Hollywood
tree.

13. Block Busters
Hollywood has created many block busters since the 20th century some of its
biggest block-buster are: Orson Welles’s Citizen Kane (1941) is frequently cited in
critics polls as the greatest film of all time.
 Victor Fleming’s Gone with the Wind held the record of highest grossing film
for 25 years, & adjusted for inflation has earned more than any other film.
 Titanic (1997) by James Cameron inspired by the true incident is considered
best film for the decade and is on 2nd highest grossed film of all time.
 Avatar which is directed & written by James Cameron is an Animated Fantasy
film released in (2009) is the 1st highest grossed film of all time due to its
sceneries & CG (Computer Graphics).

14. Animated Films
Animated Films holds became famous in Hollywood especially in late 20th century to
until now Animated Movies make a lot of revenue some of the greatest animated films
of all time are:
 Frozen (2013) by Jennifer Lee story of a winter queen and her sister. The Lion
King (1994) by Roger Allers about a Lion cub and future king Simba searches for his
identity.
 Wall-E (2008) by Andrew Stanton In the distant future, a small waste collecting
robot inadvertently embarks on a space journey & will ultimately decide the fate
of mankind.
 Grave Of The Fireflies (1988) by Isao Takahata about a tragic film covering a young
boy and his little sister's struggle to survive in Japan during World War II.
 Toy Story 3 (2010) by Pixar, lee Unkrich. The toys mistakenly delivered to a day-
care center instead of the attic before Andy leaves, & it's up to Woody to convince
the other toys that they weren't abandoned & to return home.
 Spirited Away (2001) by Hayao Miyazaki, A 10-year-old girl wanders into a world
ruled by gods, witches & monsters where humans change into animals.

15. Hollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame comprises more
than 2,500 five-
pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in
the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood
Boulevard and three blocks of Vine
Street in Hollywood,California. The stars are
permanent public monuments to achievement
in the entertainment industry, bearing the
names of a mix of actors, musicians,
directors, producers, musical and theatrical
groups, fictional characters, and others. The
Walk of Fame is administered by the
Hollywood Chamber of Commerce and
maintained by the self-financing Hollywood
Historic Trust. It is a popular tourist
destination, with a reported 10 million
visitors in 2003.

16. Awards
 Organizations and festivals that recognize achievements in cinema, usually
by awarding various prizes. The awards sometimes also have popular
unofficial names (such as the 'Oscar' for Hollywood's Academy Awards).
 Awards have been divided into three major categories: critic's awards, voted
on (usually annually) by a group of critics; festival awards, awards presented
to the best film shown in a particular film festival; and industry awards,
which are selected by professionals working in some branch of the movie
industry.
 US celebrate academy awards every year.
 Golden Globe Awards which are held in the Beverly Hotel every year since
1961.
 The Academy Awards or Oscars it was first televised in 1953. The Oscars is
also the oldest entertainment awards ceremony, its equivalents, the Emmy
Awards for television, the Tony Awards for theatre, and the Grammy Awards
for music and recording, are modeled after the Academy Awards.
 The MTV Movie Awards is a film awards show presented annually on MTV.

18. Reference
• www.wikipedia.com
• www.hollywoodfilmoffice.org
• www.imdb.com
• www.filmsite.org
• www.rottentomatoes.com
• www.express.co.uk