Comprehensive Essay on the American Film Industry: History and Impact

This essay provides a comprehensive overview of the American Film Industry, tracing its history from its early days to the present. It begins by highlighting the industry's origins in Fort Lee, New Jersey, and the subsequent rise of Hollywood in California. The essay discusses key developments, including the establishment of early film studios, the impact of film patents, and the emergence of influential filmmakers and actors. It explores the transition to sound technology, the challenges faced by actors during this period, and the significance of the Golden Age of Hollywood. The essay also examines the decline of the studio system, the emergence of New Hollywood, and the current state of the industry, including the influence of star power and advertising. The essay concludes by emphasizing the American Film Industry's role as a pioneer in filmmaking technology and its global impact.

Running head: AMERICAN FILM INDUSTRY
American Film Industry
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1AMERICAN FILM INDUSTRY
The Film Industry, also known to the readers themselves as the motion picture
industry, refers to the industry which indulges in the technological as well as the commercial
institutions of filmmaking in the country. The American film industry refers to the process of
filmmaking which takes place in the country of the United States of America itself. The
American Film Industry, also known among the readers as Hollywood is considered to be the
largest film industry in the world itself. The American film produce hundreds of films every
year, thus making it a pioneer in motion picture engineering as well as in technology itself.
The purpose of this essay is to describe in detail the American Film industry for
the readers themselves.
It is said by the experts themselves that the history of the cinema of the United States
that the readers see in the present time is the result of long time efforts by the pioneers in the
field of the television and the film industry itself. The history of the cinema and the film
industry of the United States of America could be traced all the way back to the time when
the city of Fort Lee in New Jersey was considered to be the movie capital of the country of
the United States itself (Aitken, 2013). Film historian and experts say that the fil industry in
the country started with Black Maria constructed by Thomas Edison, which is considered to
be the first motion picture film studio in the country itself. The industry soon started to attract
the customers and investors from all part of the country itself. In the year 1909, Champion
Film Studio, which was considered to be the forerunner of the Universal Film Studio built the
first film studio in the country itself. Soon major film studios of that time like the Fox Film
Corporation, World Film Company, Goldwyn Picture Corporation and other studios also had
started to make their pictures and studios from the city of Fort Lee itself. It can be said that
the film patents which were made during the early years of the 20th Century, provided
inspirations for many small and large companies themselves to involve themselves in the
process of the film making in the country of the United States of America itself (Cole, 2015).

2AMERICAN FILM INDUSTRY
The year 1910 saw the gradual rise of the modern American Film industry or
Hollywood in the country itself. The process of the Hollywood film industry started in the
country of America itself with D.W. Griffith, who was sent by the Biograph Company to
California for the purpose of shooting a film in the West Coast itself. Once the news of
Griffith’s success in Hollywood reached to the other film studios and the film producers
themselves, Thomas Edison imposed that the film makers head to the West Coast for the
purpose of shooting the film in the areas of California and in the areas of Los Angeles itself
(Stead, 2016). Gradually, the film studios became more popular in the country of the Unites
States and the film industry grew in the area itself.
During and after the period of World War I, the film industry saw the emergence of
not only films directed by the American filmmakers themselves but also many European
filmmakers also arrived to make films in Hollywood. Some of these well-known filmmakers
included Alfred Hitchcock, Fritz Lang, Jean Renoir as well as the emergence of actors like
Rudolph Valentino, Charles Boyer, Ronald Coleman as well as Marlene Dietrich (Aitken,
2013). The popularity of these actors and the film-makers and the films which were directed
by these film-makers themselves helped to make Hollywood one of the largest film industries
in the 20th Century.
Another innovation which was made to the film industry during this time was the
introduction of sound technology to the films themselves. The Jazz Singer, released in the
year 1927, which made sound with the help of the Vitaphone Technology available, leading
Film studios like the Warner Bros. also started using the Vitaphone for the purpose of the
movies itself (Aitken, 2013). However, the problems which the actors faced during this time
was that the introduction of the talkies ended up making any actors out of work as they did
not find their voices to be suitable or for forgetting their lines (Stead, 2013).

3AMERICAN FILM INDUSTRY
It was the years 1917 – 1960, which was considered to be the Golden Years of
Hollywood by the film historians and film lovers themselves. This was mostly because of the
fact that the major film studios in the country itself started having exclusive rights on the
actors who acted in the films itself (Stead, 2013). This made the audiences of the film identify
the actors and the studios which these actors represent for themselves. Moreover, another
added feature of the Golden Years of Hollywood was the variety of genres which the movies
presented to the audiences themselves. These genres included the Western films, slapstick
comedy, musicals, animated cartoon as well as the biographical films.
Another feature which could be identified with the Golden Years of Hollywood itself
was the studio system which was prevalent in Hollywood during those times itself. It was
during this time that the various film studios competed against each other to be the leading
producer of the films in the market itself (Aitken, 2013). During this period, it was MGM,
which dominated the film screens, followed by Walt Disney and other major companies like
the Fox Films and other major studios. The decline of the studio systems saw the emergence
of the New Hollywood and the post classical films of Hollywood and the video-markets. This
allowed the audiences to watch the films in their homes without having to go into the movie
theatres themselves (Cook, 2014).
The current scenario of the American Film Industry is considered to be comprised of
the modern films. In these times, the films mainly relies on star power and the amount of
advertising and film promotions which is present in the film industry during this time. These
films had not only included the American movies themselves, bur also includes the films by
foreign directors which were made in Hollywood itself (Stead, 2013).
Thus, from the above conclusions, it can be stated that the American Film Industry,
also known as the Hollywood is indeed one of the largest film industries in the world itself.

4AMERICAN FILM INDUSTRY
They have been making the movies for a number of years. This help them in the present times
to make hundreds of films. Thus, it can be correctly concluded with the fact that the
American film industry is the leading pioneer of the filmmaking technologies and
engineering in the world itself.

5AMERICAN FILM INDUSTRY
Reference List
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Edgerton, G. (2014). American Film Exhibition and an Analysis of the Motion Picture
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Finney, A. (2014). The international film business: A market guide beyond Hollywood.
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society. Routledge.