Manufacturing Dreams After reading this section, you should be able to:
contrast the qualities of cinema as an art to the qualities of cinema as an industry.
discuss the nature of classical Hollywood film production as an industrial and standardized process.
explain why film is considered an intangible product.
discuss the economic risks inherent in the motion picture business and list some of the strategies studios developed to compensate for those risks.
The Majors and the Minors After reading this section, you should be able to:
identify the period in which the major classical Hollywood studios came into being.
discuss the transition from Edison's Motion Picture Patents Company (MPCC) to a studio system, with attention to the efforts of independent distributors and exhibitors.
define "vertical integration" and discuss the way in which studios were vertically integrated.
describe the following distribution practices and discuss the way in which they exemplify the business practices of classical Hollywood studios: block booking, blind bidding, runs, zones, and clearances.
Studio Production: From Story Idea to Ad Campaign After reading this section, you should be able to:
identify the average duration and several features of a typical contract for a studio actor.
describe the average workload of a studio actor.
list several departments of an average studio, and discuss the ways in which their physical proximity impacts film production.
describe the responsibilities of a film's producer, director, actors, and members of the film's crew.
discuss the chain of command involved in the production of a studio film.
describe the activities of a studio's publicity department.
Studio Style After reading this section, you should be able to:
discuss the ways in which studio contracts contribute to the unique stylistic profile of each specific studio.
identify the stylistic and generic qualities of each of the following classical studios: M-G-M, Paramount, Warner Bros., 20th Century-Fox, RKO, Columbia Pictures, and Universal Pictures.
name several stars, directors, and films associated with each of the above studios.
suggest possible reasons for the identification of specific studios with specific stylistic and generic characteristics.
characterize the studios and cinematic output of "poverty row."
Collapse: The End of the Studio Era After reading this section, you should be able to:
discuss several historical factors that led to the dismantling of the studio system, including The Paramount Case, unionization of laborers, independent producers and distributors, and a changing market of spectators.
discuss the impact of the sale of studios to large conglomerate corporations.
compare the current "studio system" to the classical Hollywood studio system, with attention to both production practices and production costs.
define "synergy" and explain how contemporary studios use synergy in producing and marketing films.
