Chapter 7 questions

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1. What was the studio system?
A system where few movie studio executives dictated the decisions that drove the industry. It used stars as a way to promote films.

2. Which were the main studios?
Paramount, Loews/MGM, Warner Brothers, Fox, and RKO

3. What were some of the main silent film genres?
Westerns, war movies, horror, romances/love stories, physical comedies, historical costume dramas, documentaries, action/adventure, melodramas

4. What genres came in with talking films? Which were prominent in the 1930s and 1940s?
crime dramas, animation, character studies, detective movies, suspense/monster, horror, film noir, serials; film noir, westerns, and crime dramas

5. Why did studios want to own their own distributors and movie theater chains? Why did federal regulators force the studios to divest themselves of their movie theater chains in 1948?
It was more profitable because they did not have to pay separate agencies to perform these duties. The government felt the studios were becoming too powerful.

6 How did the movie industry compete with television?
At first, they tried to compete directly for viewers. Then, once the studios realize they couldn't win, they started airing television specials and selling programming for television.

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1. Who developed the basics of film camera and projector technology?
Thomas Edison

2. How does movie sound work?
Sound is recorded on an optical track right on the film. This is transferred through various means (too scientific for me) that go to an amplifier which is then fed to a theater's speakers.

3. How was movie image quality improved?
Everything was transitioned to digital, which provides better quality.

4. How have special effects in film developed?
At first, it was due to camera techniques that created optical illusions. Now computers, as they are being upgraded, are producing better special effects.

5. What will be the impact of high definition and 3-D on film technology and business?
Because of the nature of the technology and how popular it is, theaters charge more for 3-D movies. This will initially increase business, but 3-D may be a fad. If it passes, studios may lose money.

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1. How do independent filmmakers differ from studios?
Independent filmmakers generally struggle for distribution. Many independent films are distributed directly to DVD. Special festivals, such as the Sundance Festival, showcase independent movies.

2. What is currently the typical distribution cycle of a film?
windows for different forms of media

3. What has been the effect of home video on the movie industry?
It has taken away from theater ticket sales.

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1. What movie genres are most dominant now?
comedy, drama, horror, science fiction, classics, family, western, animation, etc.

2. How are films targeted to audience segments now?
select theater distributions to create buzz and targeted to a specific age

3. Why were film ratings developed? What are the pros and cons of ratings?
to give people an idea of what they might encounter in a film and to avoid outside regulation; pros: as stated, it gives people an idea of what the movie contains, cons: has the unintended effect of encouraging younger viewers to want to see the movie

4. How has audience segmentation changed film production?
Studios started aiming toward specific audience traits, such as race, age, and gender.

5. What copyright and piracy problems does the film industry face?
illegal copying and downloading