From Silence to Studio Golden Years

Part 1 - Exploring how the inclusions of sound has impacted the movie industry. The how, who and what.

Sound in the movie industry has always been complex due to the technology available. The first sound film took place in 1900 and it would begin its commercial rise within decades. This was thanks to a "sound on disk" system however the quality of the recordings were never adequate. As you can tell from early films, the voices sound nothing like they would in real life. Despite this, sound continued to develop as a marvel in the film industry. As sound in film began its great boom, recorders were not developed; therefore, actors had to stand or sit in positions where their mouths would be oriented closely to a random object like flowers because the mic would be hidden inside it. The primal versions of sound film were called "talkies" which were exclusive shorts. The first feature length was known as "The Jazz Singer" in 1927 which was a major hit and set a new standard that films would have to have sound in order to compete.

The Jazz Singer by
Alan Crosland

The introduction to sound was marvelous for the industry as it added something fresh to the atmosphere of film. However, behind the scenes is where the problems for jobs began. Because sound could now be recorded, bands only needed to play once and be done with their jobs; severely cutting their paychecks. Most importantly, actors now had to have the right voice for the part instead of just "looking it". Many stars couldn't make the transition and left the business. Those that wanted to save their careers began to take voice and diction lessons. The transition to sound was not without its consequences. Even the movies gained an element of "boringness" because scenes would be dragged out to long. People would walk around endlessly until they walked within proximity of a microphone on set until they began their lines. Most importantly however was that the camera was now trapped in a giant sound proof box that did not allow the camera to move as freely as it once could. The camera was now immobile where shots would be static and unimaginative.

Part 2 - Describing the pros and cons of the studio years (1930-1950) and its factory system.

The studio system had three roles involving production, distribution, and exhibition. Today, 20th Century Fox, Warner Bros, Paramount, and Universal are still reminences of these golden years. The studio system was around in Hollywood in 1920s through the 1960s. This system was meant to allow for crafting and distributing several movies per month where everyone had a job from pre to post production. The term studio refers to the studios that were used to film at. There was no "on location" back then it was simply a set in a building made to look like whatever scene desired. Because studios were cornered in a location and were pressed to make so many movies, actors were under contract to guarantee that they would stick around to make money for the producers. This was a con as there was no flexibility for the actors to scout for better paying acting jobs. However, the studio system was mostly a pro as it marked the beginning of the Golden Age. "The star system peaked" and studios controlled the industry and profits.