Studio Systems
Name the Big Five and Little Three
Big Five: Paramount, RKO, MGM, Warner Brothers, and Fox
Little Three: Universal, United Artists, and Columbia
By focusing on topical and sensational themes
What was the first film that introduced synchronized sound?
The Jazz Singer
What major international event in the 1930s encouraged British Political filmmakers to transition from making films about class struggle to the opposition to Fascism?
The Spanish Civil War
After a complex series of decisions, appeals, and legal maneuvers, in 1948 the U.S. Supreme Court declared that eight companies had been guilty of monopolistic practices and the Court ordered the Majors to divest themselves of their:
Theater chains
Warner Bros. initially considered converting to sound production as a way to:
Create a cost-cutting substitute for live entertainment on film programs.
What were three common features of Italian Neorealist films?
On-location shooting, use of non-actors, characters personal problems signify broader social problems.
In his first sound picture, M, director Fritz Lang experimented with carrying over the sound from one scene to the next, a technique known as a:
Sound Bridge
During World War II, the policy of the United States, along with tactical errors by Argentine producers, enabled which country to become the production center of Latin America?
Mexico
To set the biggest productions apart, in the 1950s distributors revived a tactic used occasionally for special films since the silent era and known as:
Roadshowing
Which studio, having lost out to Warner Bros. on signing big-name theatrical talent, exploited sound technology via newsreels?
Fox
Akira Kurosawa's Rashomon is an example of what Japanese genre of film?
Jidai-geki
In the 1930s, what was the major technical development in Technicolor films?
WE went from two trip technicolor to three strip technicolor, which was able to absorb blue spectrum tones in addition to red and green.
What was the cycle of “freeze” and “thaw” that would recur throughout the postwar era in the Soviet Union referring to?
The cycle in which creatives would face strict demands from doctrinaire communist art, then find a sense of liberation from the loosening of these repressive demands, before being perceived as a threat to stability.
By 1929, many film producers decided that the best way to preserve foreign markets and the best solution to the problems caused by the language barrier was to:
reshoot additional versions of each film, with the actors speaking different languages in each.
What was an effect of the Paramount Decision banning block-booking practices?
Less films in general were produced, but each with a generally a higher budget. There was less of a distinction between A films and B films. GEnres in general became more refined.
Character chemistry had to be shown through jokes and bits. Jokes could contain double entendres, but could not directly seem too explicit or raunchy.
Why did film creators adopt the Eastman color's monopack color film in the 1950s?
It was easier to develop in general, as well as was easier to use for widescreen dimensions
In the post-WWII period, the most popular type of Japanese films focused on _____?
everyday life (shomin-geki films)
How did exhibitors attract patrons to the theater during the Great Depression?
Double/Triple features, prize giveaways, concessions
Which were the three film companies that consolidated Japan’s film industry during World War Two?
Toho, Shochiku, Daiei
What were the common characteristics of France's "Cinema of Quality?"
Aimed to be prestige cinema and relied heavily on the adaptations of literary classics. often steeped in romanticism and used resources on lavish sets, special effects, elaborate lighting, and extravagant costumes.
What were technical challenges that film creators had to deal with in the early periods of sound film?
Cameras whirred as they filmed, so they needed to be placed in soundproof boxes. Microphones were insensitive and hard to move. IT was difficult to mix sound tracks and scenes frequently had to be shot through multicamera set ups.
What were the incentives for European producers to collaborate with other countries in coproductions?
Government subsidies, spreading out financial risk, allow producers to gain bigger budgets that could compete with Hollywood, and gave access to international markets.
What is Soft Power?
The ability to persuade other nations and cultures to adopt one’s ideologies and interests through distributing one’s own attractive cultural commodities.