Presentation Transcript

1. FILM 2700: HISTORY OF THE MOTION PICTUREPROFESSOR SHELDON SCHIFFER

   MAYMESTER VERSIONOffice hours: 4:30 PM – 5:30 PM Daily Office: 25 Park Place South – Room 1023 phone: 404-413-5623 email: schiffer@gsu.edu http://schiffer.gsu.edu/wordpress/history
2. Lecture Slides: Day 2 Universal Struggles – The Commodification of Cinema, The Competition of Nations Cinema at its origins was an expensive enterprise, and it was intended to provide profit to those who took the risk to invent the technology and sponsor the content. Like other commodities, markets formed to sell the product, and nation states rallied to support their entrepreneurs. How might the conditions of industrial capitalism accelerate the infancy of cinema?
3. Historical Question 2.1 What are the basic phases of business in the creation of commercial cinema product (movies for public consumption)?
4. Three Basic Phases of Production Development – acquisition, adaptation or original authoring of literary material, commitment of performers to appear, and directors to direct, budgeting and borrowing Production – filming, editing and duplication Distribution – marketing, advertising, delivery of print, management of theatrical presentation, accounting of box office receipts
5. Historical Question 2.2 What business strategies did film companies use to gain or maintain economic advantage, and what policies did their host nation use to enable or disable this advantage?
6. Capitalist Strategies of the Film Industries Horizontal integration – A company or business entity expands into many markets and/or buys out equivalent entities within the same sector. Vertical integration – A company or business expands into or buys out other entities in dependent or subordinate sectors of an industry. Business entities and the nation states that support them compete for control of markets through industrial integration.
7. Agents of Integration Nation states Laws that govern product, sale and exchange Production methods and technologies Content Venues Revenue stream from distribution back to development Taxes and duties on foreign imports
8. Historical Question 2.3 What nation states were the dominant film producers during the early commercialization of cinema, and how and why were there market strategies different? [For the how/why, consider the language, history, population and economy size, and geography of the nation.]
9. Europe in 1910 Notice border differences. Germany extends to Russia.
10. The World in 1910 Notice colonial possessions color coded. Film industries developed along legacy colonial relations. Language and politics connected and separated national cinemas.
11. Nation States and their Corporations France Pathé Manufactured production and project equipment Produced films Film stock Distribution of rentals Ownership and management of theaters Nurtured Ferdinand Zecca, Max Linder
12. Nation States and their Corporations France Gaumont Produced films Ownership and management of theaters Nurtured Louis Feuillade, Alice Guy Spread risk by diversifying genres Comedies, Histories, Thrillers, Melodramas
13. Nation States and their Corporations France Film d’Art Produced “prestige” and “art” films for high class Employed famous stage actors, playwrights, composers Nurtured Louis Feuillade, Alice Guy Established genre of the “art film”
14. Nation States and their Corporations Italy Late arriver benefits Less need to experiment to find audience & business model Late arriver detriments More difficult to access markets, get investment talent, technologies, and famed talent, already taken by early arrivers
15. Nation States and their Corporations Italy Using established conditions Rich theater, opera and music cultures Distinct companies for each region Use of cinema narratives to create national identity for young nation (founded 1848)
16. Nation States and their Corporations Italy Cines (based in Rome) Itala Fall of Troy (1910) Stole international talent from France (Andre Deed) Ambrosia Last Day of Pompeii (1908) Roman historical creates Roman identity for Italians
17. Nation States and their Corporations Denmark Most powerful nation in Europe during age of Vikings (8th century to 11th century) Nordisk / Great North Lion Hunt (1907), scenic with narrative The Abyss (1910), launches Asta Nielsen femme star Had to internationalize because too few Danes, had to produce in English or German to penetrate larger markets to recoup capital on films Had to diversify genres
18. Nation States and their Corporations United States International v. Domestic market concentration Large mono-linguistic, multi-nations with English Legal System enforced patents and tariffs Numerous growing cities throughout nation Competing venues for screenings Nickelodeon (winner) Vaudeville Theaters Circuses Meeting Halls
19. National Cinemas – National Merchants French Also Danish Italian German British American
20. Architecture, Venue and Presentation Apparatus Competing Models Nickelodeon Vaudeville Theaters Circuses Civic Meeting Halls
21. Historical Question 2.4 Why did the Nickelodeon (aka movie theater for 5 cents each three-reeler) overtake all other forms of distribution?
22. Why Nickelodeons Won Single form entertainment (no live shows, no other kinds of competing forms) Predictable price (.05 or .10 for longer programs, cheaper than live entertainment) Predictable conditions for consumption (chairs, seats, fans, screen, lobby) Predictable schedule of exhibition
23. Why Nickelodeons Won Predictable location, not a traveling show Pedestrian access, locations positioned for casual daily pedestrian access (not just Friday night out) Regular annual availability, not seasonal, open like every other business daily/nightly Attractive improving novelties (e.g. sound! After moving image novelty, sound was expected, used live sound and phonograph)
24. Nickelodeons Pittsburgh, PA 1905 First Nickelodeon, exterior Pittsburgh, PA 1905 First Nickelodeon, interior Detroit’s Princess Theatre
25. Theater Owners Who Benefitted Warner Brothers: Sam and Jack New York owners Carl Laemmle Chicago Louis B. Mayer  (MGM) Boston area
26. Historical Question 2.5 What tactics and obstacles did early film companies face to achieve market integration?
27. Market Integration Integration requires business expansion Penetrated markets have limits of size Tactics for control are exercises in a free market
28. Methods of Controlling Markets Patents Registered with government licensed to all who use the invention Expensive to enforce using courts Expensive to lose infringement suits Owner can choose who to license to control gateway to market, and protect vertical and horizontal assets
29. Rival Patent Tactics Edison v. American Mutoscope (AM & B) Dispute over camera pulley, sprockets vs. roller Ediston sues projector manufacturers over use of “Latham loop”
30. Industrial Promotion in Trades Trade ads support market valuation of companies. MutoscopeBiograph dominated until the 1910s.
31. Market Access Restriction Tactic Edison forms Motion Picture Patent Company Extracts license fee for use of “his” Vitagraph project and Kinetoscope camera Exclusion of Laemlle’s Independent Motion Picture Company Market segregation of Danish and Italian Companies from imports/exports Industry leaves for Los Angeles to avoid Edison’s legal spies and eyes
32. Integration ConflictWith State Agencies State Interest • Interest in opportunity for broadest swath of citizens • Interest in free flow of ideas (against oligopoly and monopoly) • Interest in community definition of moral codeBusiness Interest • Restrict competition, and therefore free flow of ideas • Exploit attraction to “vulgar” and “prurient” subjectsConflict Resolution • Anti-trust courts and censorship boards intervene
33. Important Cases Edison v. American Mutoscope Company, 1902 Edison claimed to own right to all motion picture technology, court disagreed Mutual Film Corporation v. Industrial Commission of Ohio, 1915 Court ruled free speech protection of Ohio Constitution was substantially similar to the First Amendment of the United States Constitution — did not extend to motion pictures, censorship allowed
34. Integration of Film Product Specifications Use of projected 35mm sprocketed film stock One reelers vs. Features (length) Initialized by serial one-reelers whose attraction grew with each reel Concentrates audience on fewer film products, but for longer time, higher ticket price Greater efficiency to concentrate artistic activity around few products Riskier to invest more in one product
35. Integration of Audience (Consumers)Into Star System Fan magazines journalism and advertising to create fan magazine culture Extra-cinematic persona of actors beyond characters and films Leverage interest in actor personality (persona continues after movie ends in audience imagination) Pays for risk of long form films that might
36. Carl Laemlle and the Star System Studio refused to give actor credits though 1910 Biograph Girl was a persona without a name, marketing a brand of films (played by Florence Lawrence and Mary Pickford) Laemlle lured Lawrence to join his Independent Motion Picture Company Plants false rumor that Biograph girl killed in New York by street car. Newspaper nationally reveal name Releases first film with Lawrence with name on marquis
37. Carl Laemlle, Florence Lawrence and the Birth of the Star System Fan magazine with first movie star on cover. Florence Lawrence promoted headshots After release of the Broken Oath. The lie “nailed” misprints the title
38. Historical Question 2.6 What are the principles and techniques of Hollywood Style, and how did they integrate the visual form of cinema? [Hint: The first part is easy. Look ahead to the next slides. The how-did question is answered by considering how directing the audience’s eye to objects and people distract the viewer from an awareness of the cinematographic act.]
39. Integration of Production Method And Narrative Style • Audience problems of comprehending time, space, causality Theatrical model of time, space, causality – expensive, time-consuming and culturally specific to theater of host nation Gesturing, thinking, talking vs. action, movement, physical conflict Search for most efficient cinematic language Yield more story information in less screen and production time Yield more audience attraction Yield more predictable audience response Density and frequency of film activity in Hollywood in a purely capitalist business environment results in most efficient system
40. Classical Hollywood Style Set-up Axis of action is the 180 degree line. The profile angles are rarely used. They make viewer aware of the photographic production methods. Dan North provides this diagram. http://drnorth.wordpress.com/2008/09/17/the-180-degree-rule/
41. Early Classical Hollywood Principles of Style Staging parallel to the lens axis vs. perpendicular (creating depth and 180 degree line/action axis) Use of inter-titles for narration and subject POV Expository wide angles Subjective (dialog or thoughts) in reaction shots Authorial control over character improvisation Camera position for controlling information Framing used to construct false spatial orientation Position actor for eye-line direction
42. Early Production Techniques of Classical Hollywood Style Privileged view of faces, eyes, hands 9-foot line Shot-counter shot for action-reaction Tripod heads and reframing Framing and staging for continuity Color as visual effect for interpretive mood Specialized studios for constructing sets Specialized sets and backdrop design techniques Specialized lights, make-up and costume
43. Early Continuity System Intercutting, same or continuous time, different setting/location Analytical editing, same location, broken down into multiple views and shots, through continuous time Contiguity editing, shots when edited together, connect character movement and causality, as progress across removed time to different locations 180-degree line/system Point of view shot Eye-line match
44. Historical Question 2.7 How did non-U.S. nation states resist the Hollywood methods of integration of artistic form and production method?
45. Resistance to Industrial Integration International style depends on cultural specificity Stories told from national/ethnic heritage Structures/plots used to tell story Mise-en-scene (all in front of camera elements) on-location of nation/culture, not in studio