Media: American Movies and Films

Project 2: Institution Analysis

Tiffany Tsai

History: Timeline of Film Industries

Late 1800s
Invention of motion toys
designating the origin of
motion pictures
George Eastman and William
H. Walker invented first film
for motion photography
Auguste and Louis Lumiere
invented cinematographe

Early 1900s
Advancement in motion picture
technology
Nickelodeons (aka 5-cent movie theatres)
offered easy accessibility to films for the
general public
Theatres were also used for propaganda
Emergence of Hollywood after WWI

1920s
Rise of Hollywood
Birth of directors and movie stars
Birth of movie studios e.g. Warner
Brothers Pictures, Metro Goldwyn Mayer
1930s
Golden Age of Hollywood
Introduction of sound in films
New genres emerge e.g. action,
musicals, comedies, horror, etc.

1940s
Advancement in special effects,
sound quality, beginning of
color film
WWII lead to war time pictures
increasing American patriotism
through propaganda

1950s
Introduction of TV sets
Emergence of new societal
trends, music, and pop culture

1950s continued
Change in target market,
aimed at American youth
Rebellion, rocknroll, dark
plots
Popular stars: James Dean,
Ava Gardner, Marilyn Monroe

Productions of film for TV,

introducing the television
industry

1960s
Changes in movie themes
Fun, fashion, rocknroll
Civil rights movements and transitions in
cultural values

Vietnam War and shifts in governmental

power influenced worlds perception of
America
Starting music records, movies for TV,
invention of TV series
End of Golden Age of Hollywood near 1970

1970s
Changes in restrictions initiated
creativity
e.g. language, sex, violence, etc.

High-action and youth-oriented featuring

new special effects
Introduction of VHS, discs, and players

1980s
Films became generic with high concepts
intended for simple entertainments
Movies became marketable, understandable,
and culturally accessible

Film budget increased with special

effects
International business took over financial
control and bought Hollywood properties

1990s
Increase in movie productions
movie stars, agency fees, production costs,
advertisements, crew threats

Further advancements in technologies

CD-ROM, DVD

2000s
Blu-ray, IMAX
Accessibility on personal devices and
online

Major Changes in Film Industry

Shift in themes and target market

Rocknroll
Youth-oriented films
Integration of current cultural standards
Classic to generalized concepts
War-related propaganda

Major Changes in Film Industry contd

From theatre to home
Advancement in technology affecting film and
movies accessibility lead to decrease in revenue
and profit
Lead to production of TV series and TV films

International business owning Hollywood

properties and financial support

Film Industry Participants

302,000 direct jobs and 358,000 related
distribution jobs
Supports 1.9 Million jobs
E.g. Directors, screenwriters, actors,
costume designers, makeup artists,
stuntmen, set builder, special effects
technicians, distributors, producers, film
crew personnel, and etc.

Perceptions on Film Industries

Industry Participants:

Tough profession
Studios just want to make money
Directors think theyre the business
Creative artists
Hollywood films on itself presented the place
as depraved, deceitful, and delicious
Films are insensitive to racism towards actors

Perceptions on Film Industries contd

Public:
Hollywood leads the life of luxury
Hollywood dominates world of American
entertainment
Influence public perceptions on ethics and
racism

Sociological Perspectives
Functionalist
Films are an integral part of American
culture
Industry have different roles performed by
different people in order to produce a film
Films bring a community together

Sociological Perspective contd

Conflict theorists
Only those who are exceptional in talent or
outlooks will be noticed within the industry
White industry
Less attention to non-white races

Studios and directors have the power

Conflict between directors and actors; film
ethics to public

Source: https://brotherpeacemaker.files.wordpress.com/2010/03/hollywooddiscrimination.jpg

Possible Improvements
Spend on films that does not follow a
generalized concept
Make 1 classic film instead of 100 easy-tofollow films
Give more credit to film crews who were
less seen on TV
Public awareness to not be influenced by
what film depicts

Works Cited

http://historycooperative.org/the-history-of-the-hollywood-movie-industry/
http://www.mpaa.org/creating-jobs/
http://www.documentary.org/feature/filmmakers-can-find-themselves-getting-real-conversation-conferenceproducer-allison-berg
http://www.koat.com/news/video-shows-moment-before-native-americans-walk-off-film/32567050
http://www.haujournal.org/index.php/hau/article/viewFile/hau2.2.002/297
http://www.cineman.co.uk/
http://www.cmsimpact.org/making-your-media-matter/documents/best-practices/honest-truthsdocumentary-filmmakers-ethical-chall
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/olivia-cole/hollywood-and-the-shaping_b_4499060.html
http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/movies/hollywood-loves-to-look-at-itself-in-the-mirror-but-rarelylikes-what-it-sees-20141103-11g1nc.html
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/top-five-filmmaker-chris-rock-753223