Deluxe Rent A Car Los Angeles can take you on a tour back in time. Drive an Deluxe Rent A Car Los Angeles in the Hollywood district and discover the many historic sites and buildings.
Ever wonder how the Hollywood biz started? Deluxe Rent A Car Los Angeles has come up with a movie industry overview.
Birth of Hollywood
When filmmaking began in America, most films were produced in states other than California – like New York City, New Jersey, Chicago and Florida. Filmmakers were drawn to southern California for production because of the mild year-round climate, which was suitable for shooting anytime. It was also a popular area because of the range of scenery southern California could offer.
By 1914, the Hollywood district of Los Angeles had several companies establish their studios. After World War I ended in 1918, American movies spread throughout the world. Soon “Hollywood” was associated with the American style of movies.
Deluxe Rent A Car Los Angeles asks if you know who the most influential film director in the early years of Hollywood was?
The answer is D. W. Griffith. He was a pioneer in developing stylistic features and filmmaking techniques that would be established as the Hollywood standard. Griffith also helped attract a wider audience and appreciation to the movies as an art. From 1908 to 1913, he directed hundreds of short films. At that time, filmmakers used one viewpoint to shoot the entire movie. Griffith liberally used camera movement. He established the close-up shot. This type of shot lead towards a style of acting that had more psychological depth and greater realism.
Griffith also changed the way film editing was done. He broke up an entire scene into many shots, filmed from different angles and distances. This style of editing allowed for the tempo of the film to move along quickly. He is best known for his film “The Birth of a Nation,” which was a controversial movie that portrayed the American Civil War and the Reconstruction period through one Northern family and one Southern family.
Early actors
Deluxe Rent A Car Los Angeles asks if you knew who were some of the famous early Hollywood actors?
Some of these early stars include dramatic performers Douglas Fairbanks. Mary Pickford, comedian Charlie Chaplin and cowboy actor William S. Hart.
Before World War I, American filmmakers faces stiff competition from other countries, especially France’s mystery serials and Italy’s historical epics. During the war, European governments concentrated their raw materials for mostly military needs, taking away resources from the film industry. American film companies capitalized on this opportunity to rise to the top. From these successes, the studios evoked a glamorous image by lavishly spending money on expensive sets and fancy costumes.
Film history from the 1930s to 1990s
Several movie companies dominated the industry, including: Columbia, Fox, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Paramount, RKO, United Artists, Universal, and Warner Brothers. They were known as the “big five” during the golden era of Hollywood (from 1930 to 1948). In 1948, the studios were ordered to give up their theatres “divestiture”, which opened the market to smaller producers. The studio’s powers and profits were further weakened with the birth of television in the 1950s.
Movie companies came up with ways to draw audiences back to the theatres with epic films, such as “The Ten Commandments,” “Spartacus,” “El Cid” and “Ben Hur.”
It wouldn’t be until the 1960s and 1970s when the film companies see the emergence of creative talents. In the 1970s, Stephen Spielberg, George Lucas, Francis Ford Coppola were just a few of the rising filmmakers.
The 1980s were the decade of blockbuster films, sequels and videotapes. The film industry tried to ban people from owning VCRs, but this attempt failed. Now, many films draw on videotape (now DVD) sales.
In the 1990s, technological advances allowed filmmakers to experiment with digital editing. Films like “Matrix” would have looked completely different without the advanced digital effects.
Deluxe Rent A Car Los Angeles recommends you visit historic film museums to get a more detailed look at this industry’s development.