production and distribution companies were consolidated with Metro –
Goldwyn Mayer (MGM), Warner Bross, Columbia, Fox, Paramount and United
Artists.
Comedies and grotesques with Ch. Chaplin and B. Keaton were influenced by german
film makers – renewed intrest in camera movement.
1920 – systems for synchronizing recorded sound with films
1926 – Warner Bross introduced amplifiers comercially
1930 - sound movies also in Western Europe and other countries, film uses greater amount of
dialogues and script scenes. European films are shot from a greater distance from
actors, shots are longer, more talk than action. 1930s- economic depression – reduced cinema income – produced bankruptcy
With coming of sound 3 new genres were developed: musical, genres dealing with
gangsters and newspaper men.
Most of the time unpleasant social issues were avoided. WB sometimes produced films
about prison, labor conditions...
1930 – system of full color cinematography Technicolor. Very expensive, first used with Gone
with the Wind.
1940 – trend to shoot exterier scenes on real locations rather than in studios, trend to shoot
scenes with long takes ( A. Hitchkock : only 5 shots in 80 minutes)
1941 – new construction of screenplay : story told in monochronical flashbacks from the
viewpoint of different characters ( Citizen Kane, Orson Welles)
1948 – americ. government asked for more room for independent film production. Cinema,
Cinemascope and stereoscopic films were introduced. More American filming was
done in full color and on foreign locations. 1951 – the Technicolor process replaced by Eastman Color based on Agfacolor system
1960 - young filmakers get a chance, filming of ordinary scenes with telephoto and room
lenses, jump cuts, mood within the scenes.
1970 - Huge growth of the sale of video cassette recordings of cinema films ( directors
Robert Altman, Woody Allen). Sales for television accounted almost half of the sales. From 1970s a main trend in Hollywood production is : extremely expencive , big-
budget, all action pictures, sci-fi subjects, special effects play a big part, storylines
are simplier. Trend began by George Lucas´ Star Wars (1977).