Motion Picture Industry in America (Essay Sample)

Student's Name Professor's Name Course Date Motion Picture Industry in America Introduction The film industry of America, commonly known as Hollywood, is an industry of artistic expression that has dominated the region from the twentieth century to the current era; and entails a new visual culture of pictures/images in motion such as in the movies; the essay explains factors that necessitated the development of motion industry, its technology, and narrative structure as well the effects on American Culture. Motion Industry Development To understand how motion industry developed, it is important to look back into the history of motion industry which dates back to the late 1800s when motion toys were created to trick the eye into seeing an illusion of motion as displayed in a quick succession of still frames like the zoetrope (Eliashberg, Anita and Mark 653). Later in 1872, Edward Muybridge designed a real motion picture of a running horse by positioning twelve cameras on a racetrack and triggered them to capture shots of a horse crossing in the front of the lenses in quick sequence. Consequently, and as argued by Burton (147), more interest grew in the field of motion, prompting a series of innovations that saw George Eastman and William Walker invent the first film for motion photography in 1885. Afterward, Eliashberg et al (653) asserts that the creation of cinematographe by Auguste and Louis Lumiere to capture pictures and project still frames in quick succession; and the next advancement resulted in the creation of movies like The Great Train Robbery by Edwin Porter. Finally, the efforts of the Nickelodeons to enhance easy access to movie theaters by the public helped the industry expand its market base towards the 1920s and alongside the widespread use of theaters for World War I propaganda, the sector increasingly developed (Eliashberg et al 638); the end of the war introduced a cultural boom in America, what would today become Hollywood, the home of motion pictures. Technology and Narrative Structure in Motion Industry According to Eliashberg et al (641), the establishment of motion picture industry is a result of constant technological evolution as discussed above, hence the introduction of a more sophisticated craft in storytelling by the filmmakers. Hence, distinct styles, movements, and methods are currently utilized in motion picture industry for storytelling; such is the introduction of Technicolor and Slow-motion in narration. In Technicolor, the filmmaker uses a series of colors in his movie to make the actors appear real, and the background mimic the natural environment, hence giving films a more competitive advantage over those that solely operated on black-and-white. Finally, slow-motion effect in the movies defines a moments in which time appears to be slowed down by playing normally recorded footage at a slower speed; thus, it is now used to recapture a key moment i.e. give replays to the audience. American Culture and Hollywood American culture experienced a period of massive change as a result of the birth of Hollywood which enhanced cinema and radio advertisement; the popularization of the American citizens with Jazz music and its modern and daring dances. Notably, Jazz culture enc...