By the early 1920s motion picture producers moved most of their operations from the East Coast to Los Angeles to take advantage of the year-round fair weather, reliable light, and diverse filming locations, from ocean beaches to deserts to snowy mountains.
Hollywood, on the western edge of the City of Los Angeles, and Culver City, farther south and closer to the ocean, became the centers for movie production.
The industry was given a giant boost in technical capacity and prestige with the production of the controversial (because it was highly racist), three-hour epic "The Birth of a Nation "(1915), directed by D. W. Griffith.
The success of "The Birth of a Nation" made it clear that movies could draw middle-class consumers and compete with the established forms of entertainment.
By the end of the 1920s, five major studios—Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, RKO, 20th Century-Fox, Warner Brothers, and Paramount—and two minor studios—Columbia and Universal—had come to dominate the motion picture industry.
In this “golden era” of Hollywood, the studios were typically founded and run by autocratic titans: MGM by Irving Thalberg and Louis B. Mayer, and 20th Century-Fox by Darryl F. Zanuck, for example.
Powerful and often autocratic directors such as Cecil B. DeMille commanded virtual armies of workers and actors in the production of each film.
Each studio employed thousands of actors, screenwriters, directors, musicians, camera operators, editors, and set and costume designers.
Thousands of people flocked to Los Angeles seeking fame and fortune in this exciting, modern industry.
By the 1930s, “Hollywood,” as the entire industry came to be known, was producing 400 films a year, seen by an estimated audience of 100 million moviegoers per week. The film industry became the cornerstone of the entertainment industry, which would later include television as well.
Hollywood, on the western edge of the City of Los Angeles, and Culver City, farther south and closer to the ocean, became the centers for movie production.
The industry was given a giant boost in technical capacity and prestige with the production of the controversial (because it was highly racist), three-hour epic "The Birth of a Nation "(1915), directed by D. W. Griffith.
The success of "The Birth of a Nation" made it clear that movies could draw middle-class consumers and compete with the established forms of entertainment.
By the end of the 1920s, five major studios—Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, RKO, 20th Century-Fox, Warner Brothers, and Paramount—and two minor studios—Columbia and Universal—had come to dominate the motion picture industry.
In this “golden era” of Hollywood, the studios were typically founded and run by autocratic titans: MGM by Irving Thalberg and Louis B. Mayer, and 20th Century-Fox by Darryl F. Zanuck, for example.
Powerful and often autocratic directors such as Cecil B. DeMille commanded virtual armies of workers and actors in the production of each film.
Each studio employed thousands of actors, screenwriters, directors, musicians, camera operators, editors, and set and costume designers.
Thousands of people flocked to Los Angeles seeking fame and fortune in this exciting, modern industry.
By the 1930s, “Hollywood,” as the entire industry came to be known, was producing 400 films a year, seen by an estimated audience of 100 million moviegoers per week. The film industry became the cornerstone of the entertainment industry, which would later include television as well.
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