How Hollywood Got Its Name
The term “Hollywood” has no official definition, but it generally refers to Southern California or the United States that contains at least part of Los Angeles. Some say the word was derived from the Hindi phrase holla waada (hello friend) because early filmmakers used the area as a meeting place for people with similar interests in making films.
Another theory is that the word comes from Hollis Day, an American soldier stationed in India during World War II who returned home and started his own business manufacturing jewelry. He then took out advertisements saying he would make great looking rings if you were willing to spend money on them.
Yet another possibility is that the word was coined by moviegoers back when film attendance depended more heavily on social status than it does now, where anyone can go watch a movie at any time. If someone with influence went to see a new movie, others might too, leading to more people attending. That way, people with the same interest gathered together, creating a need for the name “hollywood.
The motion picture industry grows
Before there was an “hollywood,” there were theaters that showed films! These early cinemas were built to show one movie at a time, with very little chance for audience participation or interaction with the screen.
It wasn’t until the 1920s when large auditoria opened up and the idea of cinema-going as we know it today took hold. At this stage, some groups of people would gather in the same room to watch different movies, making their way through the screens back and forth.
However, what made these gatherings special was not only the shared experience, but also the conversation that followed. Audience members would talk about the movie they had just seen, what they liked or didn’t like about it, and whether or not they could relate to certain characters.
This type of talking soon became its own thing, and before you knew it, film clubs had formed across America, where people gathered every week to discuss new releases. It is from here that the term ‘cinema culture’ comes - this growing community surrounding the medium of film.
Since then, conversations have continued to grow, theories have been discussed, and filmmakers have learned a lot from them. This has allowed content to become more complex, stories have unfolded, and beauty can be found even in the most brutal of flicks.
The first major studios appear
Before there were movie theaters, people gathered in open spaces to watch stories that were narrated or performed by an individual. These storytelling events happened outside of buildings where spectators could gather.
These storytellers would be well known characters who people knew from elsewhere. They would get very involved with the narrative, acting it out completely. This is how we arrive at our word “theater” as a descriptor for these settings.
The term “movie theater” didn't come into use until around 1880 when Thomas Edison introduced his kinetoscope - a device which used moving pictures to tell a story. At this time, film was still a little bit flammable so they referred to them as "fire films."
It wasn't until after World War II that the term "motion picture" became popularized.
Hollywood is incorporated as a city
Originally, Hollywood was just that-hollywood! Before there were celebrities, people lived in rural areas and did not know what to do with their lives. They would spend hours watching trees grow or animals grazing around a pasture. Sometimes they’d see a person walking down the road and thought ‘I could be that person! I wonder if anyone will watch me?”
Some of these people gathered together and shared their experiences, learning how to perform simple tricks or acts. These individuals taught each other new things and made small talk about the same subjects until someone realized there was an opportunity for success.
They left home and traveled somewhere new looking for work, hoping to find something they were good at. If one of them had learned how to play the guitar then maybe others knew as well so they all worked together to learn how to play.
After mastering this skill, they would take it to the next level by practicing twice a day, showing up early to practice, and incorporating music into daily life. This is how musicians become professionals. It is also how many successful actors and actresses get started.
The beginning of movie stars
Before there were movie actors, there were people who entertained others by performing actions for reward or applause. These individuals gathered crowds around them to watch their tricks and stunts. They are now referred to as performers, but not everyone is a performer of entertainment!
Some people perform important jobs well, which is why they have success in their field. Others use performance skills in marketing strategies, such as talking very fast with lots of gestures to promote a product. Some people learn how to play an instrument so that they can convey a message or music theme.
These people do not get paid much, if at all for doing what they love, but it doesn’t mean they aren’t successful professionals.
With technology advancing at lightning speed these days, it seems like anyone could make a career out of putting on a show for other people. But that isn’t always possible, especially in our highly-connected society where talent no longer requires you to go unnoticed before people will listen to you.
Many things already require a high level of acting skill, from running businesses to working in politics. Technology makes it easy to spread word about your products and services, and people pay good money for this exposure.
So while being a professional entertainer may be vanishingly rare today, it is definitely not unheard of.
Movie theaters become popular
The movie theater was an incredible place to watch a film. It took advantage of natural light, it had comfortable seating, there were snacks or drinks you could buy, and it was usually close to home.
The first professional cinemas opened in Paris in 1895, but they weren’t very common until around 1920. By then, many people didn’t enjoy watching movies at home because it was still relatively new technology!
People wanted to go out to see a movie so that they could talk about it while it was playing and get some socialization. In 1922, entrepreneur Carl Reiner bought up all of the equipment for filming one-hour long films and made his own.
He called these short films “talkies,” which is why we now call them feature films. But he needed a way to distribute them, so he built movie theatres. He designed them with large windows so that everyone could watch the screen easily and make sure nobody gets too distracted by what else is going on outside.
These buildings were also fully air conditioned, which helped calm nervous fans. And since people already knew how good movie theatre food can be, Reiner gave his cinema free soft drink and snack service.
That combination proved successful, and more and more people began visiting cinemas to watch a movie. Before long, lots of different companies ran similar services, making it easy for anyone to visit a movie theatre.
Movie stars gain attention
The term “movie star” was first used in the 19th century to describe people who were famous for their acting skills. It originated from the word mensch, which is Yiddish for person or gentleman. Before that, people didn’t have terms like actress and model.
In the early years of cinema, there weren’t very many actors. People who made up fake smiles while talking to other people about things they knew little about looked more like movie characters than real human beings.
But as time went on, some people trained themselves to look happier than they actually were so it became easier to tell when an actor had perfected his or her skill.
A few gifted individuals are able to convey emotions with such precision that it makes you believe what they're saying even though they say something ridiculous.
These people become popular and earn the title of "movie star."
It's not just because they're good at pretending, although that definitely helps. They also understand how to use their appearance, voice, and personality to connect with others.
They know how to promote themselves through media channels and they spend money marketing themselves. All of these things contribute to making them rich.
The invention of the movie camera
Before there were movies, people made films!
A film is a series of pictures that are shown in succession very quickly. These early filmmakers used hand-held cameras to create moving images.
The first person to do this was Albanian Gennadiy Yakovlevich Filimonov (known as Griffith) who filmed a short sequence of scenes for his own personal use in 1888. He called it “Motion Picture Photography”.
Griffith did not make money off of his device, but he influenced another filmmaker to do so. In 1897 George Eastman introduced the panorama cinema where several shots are taken at once and then displayed rapidly to give an illusion of motion.
George's son Charles developed the first commercially successful movie camera in 1903. This machine could take up to thirty minutes to complete one shot, which led to the popularization of the term "movie". Since most feature length films now are twenty or more minutes long, this change has stuck.
These three men are often referred to as the "fathers" of modern filmmaking. Because their contributions have been so important, they all get credit as the inventor of the movie camera.
The growth of the movie industry
When people talk about how popular movies have become, they’re referring to two things: (1) the ever-increasing number of individuals who watch films, and (2) the increasing length of time that most people spend watching them.
The first part of this sentence is easy - we know what a film is! So let’s focus on the second part for now.
Most people agree that the term “movie” applies only to features with stories and dialogue. A documentary, while entertaining, isn’t considered a movie by most people. A TV show like Friends is usually not called a movie because it lacks storytelling.
However, documentaries and sitcoms are becoming more and more like feature length narratives every day. And some consider programs such as South Park or Rick and Morty to be full-length features!
So why do people call these types of media a movie? Because they're long! That's it!
This article will discuss reasons why this definition of "movie" is wrong and potentially harmful.