Tyler Cullen - Knack Digital Moviemaking: Tools & Techniques to Make Movies Like a Pro

In the early 1900s motion picture production companies moved from New York and New Jersey to California to take advantage of the better weather, especially the abundance of sunshine.

The city of Hollywood came to be so strongly associated with the film industry that the word Hollywood became synonymous with the entire American film industry.

The famous Hollywood sign that we know today originally read as Hollywood-land. It was erected in 1923 to advertise a new housing development.

During the 1920s, sound recording devices were invented and ushered in a new era of film with synchronous sound. What followed was the Golden Age of film. During this time, eight studios collectively produced 95 percent of all American films.

The rise of independent movie producers and exhibitors along with the rise of television in the 1950s eventually led to the fall of the studio system. The 50s and 60s saw a large number of musicals, historical movies, and other films take advantage of the larger screens, wider framing, and increased sound quality. By the late 1960s, audience numbers were dwindling at an alarming rate. The studios did not know how to reach the youth market. By the time the baby boomer generation was coming of age in the 1960s and 1970s, Old Hollywood was losing money hand over fist.

Silent Era

The pre-1930s era of film is referred to as the Silent Era of film. Films produced during this time had no synchronized recorded sound or spoken dialogue.

Title cards, muted gestures, and body movement were used to communicate acting and dialogue in silent films.

To compensate, the visual quality of the movies in this era was often extremely high.

A musical instrument almost always accompanied silent film screenings, the most common being a single piano.

To combat the loss in viewer numbers, the studios moved away from a producer-driven system that gave directors little creative control and started hiring young filmmakers, who were allowed to make their films with relatively little studio control. This group of young filmmakers briefly changed the business from the producer-driven Hollywood system of the past to a more director-driven system.

Hollywood Golden Age

The release of The Jazz Singer in 1927 marked the end of the Silent Era and the beginning of the Golden Age of Hollywood. It was the first feature-length motion picture with synchronized dialogue sequences.

Films of the Golden Age were often genre films that stuck to a particular formula.

The Wizard of Oz, Gone with the Wind, Casablanca, Its a Wonderful Life, King Kong, City Lights, and Citizen Kane are just some of the classics that were released during this period.

This setup would once again flip-flop back to the producers control when high-concept, moneymaking blockbusters like Jaws and Star Wars became box-office hits in the mid to late 70s.

New Hollywood

New Hollywood refers to the time from the mid-1960s to the early 1980s.

Bonnie and Clyde, released in 1967, was one of the first and most significant movies in the New Hollywood era. It featured a mix of graphic violence, sex, and humor that broke the mold of the typical Hollywood product.

Other landmark films from this era included The Graduate, Easy Rider, The French Connection, Raging Bull, Taxi Driver, The Godfather, 2001: A Space Odyssey, and Annie Hall.

STUDIO VERSUS INDEPENDENT

Studio and independent films differ in many ways

Money is the key element that separates a studio film from an independent film. Studio films secure a variety of funding sources that make their productions possible. Funding can come from private investors, film production studios, presales, product placements, or a combination of sources. Studio films also tend to use famous actors, directors, and Hollywood production companies that make these projects attractive to investors. Independent films rarely secure funding using the same methods as productions supported by major Hollywood studios. Not having a major star to help sell the film is the main reason why independent films find it difficult to get funded. Many independent film directors or producers fund these projects using their own money because they have limited resources for film production money.

Hollywoods Studio System

Hollywoods major production companies have gradually transformed into management companies that put together artistic teams on a project-by-project basis and distribute the finished products.

On average, only one in every six films produced results in bottom line profit. However, the major block-busters take in much more than their production cost and end up paying for less successful films.

Most Hollywood films dont begin to make a profit until they move to TV, DVD, pay-TV, and foreign distribution.

The Sundance Film Festival

The Sundance Film Festival is the largest independent festival in the United States. It takes place annually in Park City, Utah.

Beginning as a low-profile venue for small budget independent filmmakers, the festival has grown into the premier showcase for independent film.

Many filmmakers got their start from showing films at Sundance, including Kevin Smith, Robert Rodriguez, Quentin Tarantino, and Steven Soderbergh.

Many studio films have an advantage over independent film projects when it comes to the production stage, as well. Production teams working on a studio film have access to remote locations, elaborate set designs, and visual effects that help add visual appeal to their projects.

Equipment expenses alone could potentially bankrupt an independent film before production even starts. Many independent films have simple locations and minimal effects or stunts. Filmmakers who produce these projects usually rely on donated goods, services, and locations, which limit the options for production elements.