History of American film

History of American film industry

The progression of films and the film industry since the 1920s in America. which films were popular and which style of film was common at what time period.

-until WW1, France was the leading film producing country.
-by the 1920s, most films came from the US, and America is now the leading country in the exportation of films.

-1893 Edison constructed a motion picture studio in his laboratory
-Porter’s most notable film—and the most famous work of early cinema—was The Great Train Robbery (1903)

-advent of recorded sound in the 1920s changed motion pictures.
-recorded sound was almost universal by 1930.
-two new genres that flourished with the coming of sound were gangster films and musicals.
-film animation gained in popularity.

-colour films were a minority of films until the 1950s. colour movies had become the standard by the 1960s.
-increased emphasis on the importance of the director in the 1960s, which made way for independent films.

-TV had a massive impact on how films were made.- scenes became shorter because people became used to cliff hangers and instant gratification from TV shows.

-Jaws (1975) was the first film to earn more than $100 million for its studio. it was the first blockbuster.

-blockbusters wanted audience to have deep reactions to their films, so they used lots of effects and sound. e.g Jaws which used sinister music which signified the return of the deadly shark.
-blockbuster films were usually fantasies, often based on comic-book/adventure characters.
- Mega-blockbusters continued to dominate Hollywood at the start of the 21st century.

-The digital video disc, or DVD, became one of the major techniques for viewing movies on computers and also began replacing videocassettes as the major format for home viewing.