Part 1: Explore how the inclusion of sound in the movie pictures impacted the Movie Industry. Detail how it happened, who was effected, what was lost.
In the mid 1920s sound for films had been developed, but film makers weren't entirely trusting of it. They were not sure if the audience would like sound in films and it required more money to be invested. It also called for the change of renoun actors who had accents or their voice didn't match their structure. Overall, including sound would mean a loss for studios who had invested so much in actors and it would also mean more effort would be needed to put into film making. At the time however, a studio by the name of Warner Brothers took the chance on a sound in film.
Although executives of Warner Brothers didn't see a future for sound in film, they were struggling to survive and had to try something different from what every studio was currently doing. This meant experimenting with sound eve though most cinemas were not equipped with the appropriate technology. But those that did have sound installed in their cinemas were able to experience the first feature film with sound and dialogue,The Jazz Singer (1927). Major studios also started building sound stages and creating films known as "talkies." Many actors were unable to make the transition in favor of the "talkies" and began losing their jobs.To save themselves, many took voice and diction lessons in hopes to continue their career.The addition of sound can be considered a step backwards in its early days. Although it appealed to an another sense, it created limitations for the film makers that they had to work around. One of them being the immobilization of cameras. Because the cameras made too much noise, they had to be put in soundproof enclosure. This way the microphones were not able to pick up the noise coming form the camera, but it also meant that it became almost impossible to add camera movements. This resulted in bland shots where and boring films.
Part 2: The 20 years between 1930 and 1950 are generally recognized as the studio years. Describe what the pros and cons were of this factory system.
In the 20 years between 1930 and 1950, the studio/factory system was a type of control after the NPPA guild was ended by the government antitrust action. Studios such as RKO, Warner Brothers, MGM, and many others created complex sound stages and completely transformed hundred of acres of land in CA into movie sets. Less time was put into each film and studios demanded more and more films to be made. In this system, a major studio hired a group of stars and a crew to complete films they were assigned. Because of their contract, they were not allowed to work for any other studio. Studios created films in this era just like factory workers made a product. Although those were hard times for the cast and crew, the Studios became known for the type of films they were constantly distributing. For example, MGM was known for musicals, while Warner Bros was known for its gangster films.
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