Hollywood Studio System

Hollywood Studio System:

From as early as the 1900's motion picture production companies were moving across the land to California because of the reliable weather and longer days. California offered a variety of natural scenery and great open space. This was the ultimate environment for moviemakers. From this point onwards, Hollywood and filmmaking became hand in hand. Over the next few years filmmakers would test and experiment with a variety methods and techniques. These experiments can be credited with eventually giving rise to the 'Hollywood' movie experience. If films were going to be produced Hollywood was the ultimate place to be. During this experimentation process, the business of movie production flourished. It took the world by storm and people in Hollywood were running around trying to catch up with demand. This cry for films led to standardization among the films that were being created. From around 1915 through about 1930 the studios had 'standardized' almost every part of film production. This regime controlled an industry that had every bit of public demand and appeal. The power of this industry was growing and the production companies knew it. The era from 1915 through about 1930 is known as the classic studio era (Balio 35). This era was referred to as factory production. The studios aim was to mass manufacture and distribute movies as fast and efficiently as possible.

The mass audience is responsible in large part for the creation of the studio system. People's interest in cinema encouraged mass distribution of movies. People wanted movies so the companies found ways of distributing movies by the bulk. Before this system was implemented, the industry was a creative gem of new and exciting ideas and talents. You can say that in some respects the studio system benefited Hollywood but on the other hand it took away from a lot of what Hollywood was known for. When the 1920's hit, the industry had just began getting a firm hold on one of the most popular and profitable industries. Many new inventions had allowed the movie industry to flourish and thus captivate the eyes and ears of the world. In 1927, the greatest invention to come to the movie industry was in fact the 'coming of sound'. This provided a huge surge in Hollywood's fortune and gave rise to a sleeping giant. This era was known as the talkie boom and it was so popular with the masses that when Wall Street crashed in 1929, Hollywood was all but oblivious. The studio heads during this time coined movies as a 'Depression proof' industry. In 1930 there were five major Hollywood movie studios in and around the Los Angeles area. These studios included Paramount, RKO, 20th Century Fox, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, and Warner Bros. These studios owned large theaters across the country for the exhibition of their movies and their movies alone (Baxter 15). In 1927 sound 'came into the picture' and completely revolutionized an industry that was already number 1 amongst the masses. During the period of 1927 through 1948 Hollywood was synonymous with the 'Golden Age of Cinema'. The Hollywood Studio system was in full swing.

The studio system operated using a number of different strategies. These strategies included the mass production of low-grade films as well as contracting stars to a specific studio. Actors and actresses were controlled directly by the studio and had to act in as many films per year as stated in the contract they signed. The roles they played were all very similar and they never had a choice as to what films they were being cast for. The one positive aspect of contracting stars was that they attracted a much wider audience. This would lead to larger profit margins for the company as well as gave mass exposure and popularity to the star. However, many problems arose from these contracts that the studios had with their stars. Many critics say that one of the biggest factors leading to the eventual decline of the studio system was the noticeable opposition of contracted stars. These actors and actresses who were under contract were being lessened of their ability and not given the opportunity they wanted. Olivia DeHavilland was the first to sue Warner Bros over her contract. This eventually led to the 'fixed-term' contract replacing the seven year unlimited one (Baxter 63). Not only did this give stars more power to negotiate but also gave everyone more of an opportunity to 'express' themselves. Regardless of the problems the studio system faced, it still was the staple of the American film industry for the simple fact that it was where the money was.

Many people look at the studio environment and see how profitable it was and how it put Hollywood on the map but few realize exactly how the studio system functioned. People simply wanted to be entertained and they sought

movies. The demand was so great that the studios went for 'standardized' customer satisfaction as opposed to creative a-list productions (Mordden 72-73). Why make one movie when you can make ten one director said. I guess he has a point but is everyone in agreement? The major problems artists had by working in a studio environment was that they had no say over what they were being put into and simply no control. Their unlimited contracts guaranteed them work but the work they did was all up to the producers and studio chiefs. Due to the fact that the studios had turned everything into a mini production line everything was so scripted and basic allowing the quickest and most cost-effective production to occur. However, many actors and actresses argued that they were being worked to hard, not being allowed to express themselves creatively because the roles they were playing in each film mimicked each other, and for the 'lesser-known' stars who were continually put into B movies they felt that they were not being given the opportunity to shine as others. This led to many actors and actresses cutting their career short. There are however artists who loved the studio system and flourished because of it. Writers, cameramen, directors, editors, along with many other roles took off during the era of the studio system. Due to the high ratio movies being made, each and every one of these people had to keep creating and try their very best to give the audience members a different experience than from the last time they went to the movie house. The people behind the scenes were the ones benefiting the most because of the volume of work they had and the knowing they were all under contract eased many peoples' anxiety and concerns about being unemployed. The studio system was a great support system for a lot of workers and artists during that era. It provided an outlet for many who wouldn't normally have such an outlet to feed off of.