Hollywood Studio Era (1930-1945)

This is the time when American films and Hollywood became globally known as entertainment film producers. Around this time film making popped up all around the world as well. Its during this era that the international identity came about.

In Hollywood studio movies were made like cars, on an assembly line. It went from idea, to producer, to designer, to director, to editing department and finally distribution. Studios were made so they can have productions in quantity. 65% of the American nation was going to the movies every week at this time. Why? It was the great depression. People didn’t have jobs, and life was tough. To get away from all that, they went to the movies.

The great depression caused a lot of film studios to go out of business, but then Wall Street infused it with boat loads of cash and investments coupled with corporate structure and discipline. This new life blood resulted in the movie industry was booming.

Around this time of Hollywood boom, a group of people came out with the Production Code of Ethics. The Production Code spelled out what was and was not considered morally acceptable in the production of motion pictures for a public audience.

This was the precursor of the MPAA rating system, which came about as a means of self regulation so that others don’t regulate their films. The production code itself fell apart by the 1950s when filmmakers realized that people would see their films regardless of whether or not they followed the code.

It was also during this time that the Griffith style of filming was extended even further. Movies advanced to have sound, thus sound departments developed in the Hollywood studio. Sound such as effects, dialog, diegetic and music.

What was the function of music in films? Transitions, set mood, add suspense, imitate character movements (mickey mousing). One thing to note is the difference between background and diegetic music. Background music is the sound heard by the audience, but not by the characters, while deigetic sound is music from the character’s world.

A movie that demonstrates the type of films, the technology they were using is “His Girl Friday“.