Blog Assignment 6

• Why were early silent films popular?

Audiences quickly got tired of static films of waves breaking on beaches or vaudeville acts recorded by immobile cameras. To become a mas medium, the early silent films had to offer what books achieved: the suspension of disbelief. They had to create narrative words that engaged an audience's imagination. (page 243)

• What contributions did nickelodeons make to film history?

Nickelodeons flourished during the great European immigration at the turn of the twentieth century. This gave the immigrants an escape from the hard life to the city. Since there were many newly arrived immigrant who were struggling to speak English, these silent films were perfect.

• Why did Hollywood end up as the center of film production?

Hollywood ended up as the center of film production because Southern California offered cheap labor, diverse scenery for outdoor shooting, and a mild climate suitable for year round production. This happened right after movies had become a major industry. The start to this was when Thomas Edison formed the Motion Picture Patents Company, known as Trust, in 1908. 

• What political and cultural forces changed the Hollywood system in the 1950s?

There was a witch hunt for political radicals in the film industry by the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) and they were brought to the famous Hollywood Ten hearings and trials. This committee coerced people from the film industry to declare their patriotism and give up the names of colleagues suspected of having politically unfriendly tendencies. 

• What are the various ways in which major movie studios make money from the film business?

Studios make money on movies from six major sources. First the studios get a portion of the theater box office revenue, which accounts for about 40% of the box office take. Overall box office receipts provide studios with approximately 20% of a movies domestic revenue.Also, about four months after the theatrical release come from the DVD sales and rentals, and digital downloads and streaming. this is about 30% of all domestic film income for major studios. (Page 261

• How do a few large film studios manage to control more than 90 percent of the commercial industry?

Hollywood's commercial film business is ruled by six companies: Warner Brothers, Paramount, Twentieth Century Fox, Universal, Colombia Pictures, and Disney. This is called this Big Six. These six major studios account for for than 90% of the revenue generated by commercial films. To maintain the industries economic stability, management strategies today rely on both heavy advance promotion and synergy. Companies promote new movies, but also in book form, soundtrack, calendars, T-shirts, website, and toy action figures. 

• How is the movie industry adapting to the Internet?

Movies are increasingly available to stream stream or download on mobile phones and tablets. The year 2012 marked a turning point. At this time, movie fans accessed more movies through digital online media than physical copies like DVD and Blue Ray. They wanted to make the film industry for however the customer wanted to view it. So this allows to watch on the internet or the movies and even on DVD. (265)