1. Creating a masterpiece

2.  1895 – Kinetoscope developed by Edison  Free oneself from time and space ◦ Forms of Technology  Telegraph  Photography  Telephone  1905 – Edison develops system to project on a larger space ◦ Development of the movie theatre

3.  Social phenomenon  1903 - Edward Porter introduces American film ◦ Life of an American Fireman ◦ The Great Train Robbery  Early films showed news clips

5.  D.W. Griffith film  Set during and after The Civil War  “The Birth of a Nation is as revered as it is reviled”  Pioneered many film techniques ◦ Deep focus, jump-cut, close-up  White actors painted faces black  Film criticized for being racist  First successful feature length film

8.  Studios take over around 1925  Major studios from 1925-1948 ◦ Fox – classic, rural, social realism, controversy ◦ Warner Bros. – controversy, realism (gangster) ◦ Paramount – sophisticated, big movies ◦ Loew’s MGM – mainstream, avoid controversy ◦ RKO – weird, more shadowy,  Minor Studios ◦ Columbia ◦ Universal ◦ United Artists

9.  Studios in California / HQ in New York ◦ Cheap labor – good location  Vertical Integration ◦ Control of all aspects of the film  Production – 40-60 movies a year  Oligopoly – a few businesses running the industry  Distribution  Exhibition – 70% of box office take goes back to studio  Top five studios owned 1/6 of theatres  Block booking – take what you get  Blind bidding – take what you haven’t seen

10.  Television begins in 1948  Film now has to contend with TV  Technology advances ◦ Cinerama – 3 projectors to fill a screen ◦ Cinemascope – different lens to squeeze picture ◦ 3D – big again today ◦ Technicolor – brilliant colors, vibrant, gawdy  NBC begins color TV in 1958  Join television  Sale of film to television  Drive in films

11.  Fox – Marvin Davis – Newscorp  Paramount – Gulf & Western – Viacom  Warner – Kinney Corp – Time Warner  MGM – Kirk Kerkorkian – MGM/UA  RKO – R.I.P.  Columbia – Coca Cola – Sony  Universal – MCA – Universal MCA – NBC/GE  United Artists - Transamerica

12.  Films needed to be regulated for audiences  Went into effect on July 1, 1934  Directors have to work around code  Joseph Breen – serves as code overseer ◦ Given power – his rulings could only be challenged by studio executives ◦ Allowed producers to work around the code ◦ Commission for Freedom of the Press  Believes that while some restrictions are necessary, the code prevents artistic freedom ◦ 1960 ends the code with Hitchcock’s Psycho

13. Janet Leigh

14.  1968 – new rating system introduced  MPAA – Motion Picture Association of America  Original - G, M, R, X  Now – G, PG, PG-13, R, NC-17 ◦ PG-13 introduced in 1983 in response to Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom  Rating system different from the code in that it puts the pressure on the audience  Rating system has never been clearly defined ◦ Gory films can get an R rating while some of them should be NC-17

15.  How do you believe film affects society today?  How have you seen films change since you were a child?  What kinds of films sell today?  Are there still controversial films today? What recent films have stirred up controversy?