How Did Hollywood Get Its Name
The term “hollywood” comes from Ancient Greece, where it referred to an area in Athens surrounded by walls that were protected by gates. These protective fortifications allowed for limited space within this walled enclosure, which is how the word “theater” got its meaning.
The word was later applied to any enclosed or restricted area, such as a room with curtains. This definition makes sense when considering that early civilizations built their theaters in ways to protect certain people, ideas, or things they wanted to admire or learn about.
In modern times, the use of the word theater has shifted slightly to refer only to buildings designed for entertainment, but there are other uses for the word hollywood. For example, the word is sometimes used to describe large groups of individuals united under one goal or cause.
Hence why some say the phrase "the movie industry" is more accurate than just saying "movie industry.
The silent film era
Silent films are characterized by absence of sound. This is typically due to there being no microphone available or it not being needed for the story. Therefore, special effects such as explosions and other loud noises were done using music instead.
The term “silent” was used because you couldn't hear what people were saying; only how they looked moved. This changed in the talkie period, when actors learned their trade doing mimics and use of microphones.
In fact, some say that the radio became popular due to its voice-based conversations. Radio dramas soon followed, and then TV shows, which still don't have much talking but at least we can now listen to our favorite songs!
This article will focus on the most significant part of the movie industry: screenwriting.
The talkie period
During the early 1920s, cinema transitioned from projectors to large-screen systems that used microphones and klieres (also called earphones) to transmit sound. This is what we know as talking movies or “talkies” for short!
The first feature-length movie with an integrated soundtrack was Alfred Hitchcock’s 1922 silent thriller Murder. It featured some twenty minutes of spoken dialogue in total.
But this wasn't really speaking cinema yet - sounds such as footsteps, engines starting up and other background noises were still recorded separately and mixed in later. A lot of these effects now require additional technology like surround sound which was not commonly available until much more recently.
It would take another decade before fully fledged audio production was possible inside film studios, but by the mid 1930s almost every major studio had their own recording facility where they could produce and mix finished tracks.
From there it was just a small step to having automatic equipment capable of reproducing speech at a consistent volume, so most films soon got rid of any need for actors to use headphones.
The studio system
Before there were movie studios, Hollywood was just that- a bunch of people living in close proximity to each other who happened to like making films more than anything else they did. Some even made their own movies!
In 1908, entrepreneur Carl Laemmle founded Universal Studios with his brother Harvey. They started by filming short documentaries about wildlife before moving onto longer narrative feature films.
Their next step was merging these two types of film into one. A feature length documentary followed by a shorter narrative film is what we now know as a “feature” or “laboratory” style movie.
This format allowed for greater production value since you have enough money to spend after paying for all the equipment and staff needed to make the movie. It also gave filmmakers more time to plan out the story and theme of the movie.
The term “studio system” was first used to describe this organization in 1920 when Harry Rapf bought out both brothers at Universal and closed down their operations due to a lawsuit with another company.
However, the word soon spread and was adopted by others in the industry such as David O. Selznick (known for Gone With The Wind) and Joseph Kennedy (the man who got John F. Kennedy elected president).
If you are ever having trouble naming the genre or type of movie an example movie belongs to, look up the terms “film noir” or “western”.
The emergence of stars
Before there were movie studios, there was an informal system of people who made movies for each other. These individuals would produce, direct, write, and even act in their own films as needed.
It is hard to imagine any of our favorite film characters if we did not see at least one of their work. People like Robert DeNiro, Angelina Jolie, Jennifer Aniston, Sandra Bullock, Brad Pitt, Tom Hanks, and many more have built long legacies by creating memorable characters and portraying them with intensity.
These actors are called “major” or “star” performers because of how well they embody their roles. They know what qualities their character should have and when to use them.
This article will talk about why these individual contributors are given this status and some ways that can be applied in your life. However, first let us take a look at the origins of the word star.
Movie studios move to the west
The term “hollywood” comes from an abbreviation of the word, huia lohou (Hawaiian for ‘moving picture people.') This was the name given to Europeans traveling through Hawaii in the late 19th century. They would stay at hotels or resorts that were built with movie production as their main income source - thus naming these hotels/resorts after the movie industry!
The first motion pictures were made by Thomas Edison back in 1884! So why not call your hotel the Westin or something similar?
In fact, there is even a bed & breakfast chain in America called H-B-G-O-D! It stands for Hotel Broadway Golden Door Ocean Drive. A great way to start your day.
The growth of cities in the west
In ancient times, there were only two major population centers in North America: Mexico and Canada. There was no such thing as urbanization or big towns.
It is hard to imagine today, but back then most people lived an outdoor life. They either stayed close to their homes or they would travel long distances for resources or entertainment.
There was very little space between one community and another. This has changed dramatically over the past few centuries.
As land becomes more scarce due to increasing populations, it is essential that we re-think our approach to living and consuming. We need to be conscious about how much waste we create and where these wastes go.
Hollywood is a great example of this. You can tell when a movie is set in California because everything looks so lush and beautiful!
The setting fits the landscape perfectly. This is not an accident - professional film makers pay attention to detail. They know what makes for good scenery filming and they use it to enhance the story being told.
The growth of suburbs in the west
Before the early twentieth century, most people lived within walking distance of their workplace or close to where they spent their time. This is not the case today, especially if you want to live somewhere that offers some kind of entertainment.
Most major cities developed outside of downtown areas due to two main reasons: transportation and land availability.
As populations grew, there was an increasing need for modes of transport, be it horse-drawn carriages, buses, or cars. Plus, as people moved out to the newer neighborhoods, there were often limited options for restaurants, shopping, and entertainment nearby.
Hence, the need for transit and parking!
This why many large metropolitan areas have bus routes going through expensive homes with big yards, and apartment buildings with garages under roofs. It also helps contribute to the price tag of a house in such a neighborhood.
These days, urban living has become the popular choice among adults looking to raise a family. But before the 1920s, suburban life was the more common style.
Effects of the car on movie locations
The word “hollywood” comes from an abbreviation for Holywood, the name of a town in Ireland that was popularized by Daniel McBride Gahan, who used it as his pen name.
Gahan lived in England at the time, where he wrote several novels using the British spelling of “Hollywood.” He then moved to America and changed the spelling to match what people were saying already.
So why did he use the Irish version? Because he loved Ireland!
He even made some references to the city while talking about how Americans say “California looks like Florida.” You can read more about this fun fact here.