Quote: "The cinema of the United States, consisting mainly of major film studios...has had a large effect on the global film industry since the early 20th century."
The production of motion pictures, beginning with silent films and later expanding to include sound and color, as well as the impact of cinema on society and culture.
Early Cinema: The beginnings of film, including the first movies and filmmakers, the technology and equipment used, and the rise of cinema as a popular form of entertainment.
Film Technology: The various technologies, techniques, and equipment used in filmmaking since the earliest days of cinema. This includes camera technology, sound recording, lighting, editing, and special effects.
Film Genres: An overview of the different types of films, including their history, characteristics, and major examples. Some of the most common genres include drama, comedy, action, sci-fi, horror, and documentary.
Film Theory: The study of the principles and concepts that underlie film and cinema, including its role in society, the relationship between representation and reality, and the way films construct meaning.
Film Criticism: An examination of the methods used to evaluate and interpret films, including analysis of the elements of storytelling, performance, cinematography, and sound.
Film History: A survey of major developments in the history of film and cinema, including important film movements, trends, styles, and key figures.
International Cinema: A discussion of the diverse film industries and cinematic traditions around the world, including key movements and films from Europe, Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East.
Film Industry: An exploration of the business aspects of the film industry, including production, distribution, exhibition, marketing, and financing.
Film Aesthetics: A study of the principles and techniques that contribute to the visual and artistic qualities of film, including framing, lighting, color, editing, and composition.
Film and Society: A discussion of the cultural, social, and political implications of film, including its impact on audiences, communities, and societies. This includes issues such as censorship, representation, and social justice.
Action films: Action films are all about giving high-energy thrills, delivering intricate stunts, and visual effects. The primary focus of this genre is to provide an adrenaline rush to the audience, typically featuring many fight scenes, car chases, and explosions.
Adventure films: These films emphasize the excitement of travel, exploration, and discovery, with characters often embarking on a journey to conquer a physical or emotional challenge. Adventure films often include exotic locations or settings, and the story usually is focused on a quest narrative.
Comedy films: The purpose of the comedy genre is to entertain the audience by making them laugh through comedic situations, jokes, or witty dialogues. Comedies embrace different storytelling approaches, from light and subtle comedy styles to dark and ironic humor styles, which can be soaked with sarcasm or irreverence.
Crime and Thriller films: This genre typically focuses on the criminal underworld and features suspenseful, thrilling stories that keep audiences on the edge of their seats. Crime and thriller films often revolve around heists, murders, or other unlawful activities, with twists and turns that keep viewers guessing.
Drama films: Drama films center around emotional conflicts, often featuring complex characters and relationships. These films usually aim to convey powerful messages and social messages, featuring the inner turmoil of protagonists' struggles against external circumstances or systemic issues.
Horror films: As the name suggests, horror films are designed to instill fear and terror in the audience. They often feature supernatural creatures, psychopaths, or other obstacles that threaten the characters' physical or mental well-being.
Science fiction films: Science fiction films are set in a futuristic world, alternate universe, or other worlds entirely, highlighting the exploration of technological advancements and showcasing a different set of socially and culturally driven issues. Often featuring spacecraft, aliens, robots or artificial intelligence, science fiction also explores philosophy and the human condition.
Musical films: Musical films tell stories with integrated musical numbers and performances, often showcasing the talents of performers singing, dancing, or acting their way through various plot points. Musical films can range from being light-hearted and comedic to being more serious or dramatic.
Romantic films: These films typically center around relationships and love stories, featuring characters falling in love, facing obstacles, and overcoming them in pursuit of their romantic interest.
War films: These films approach the portrayal of war events and their consequences, featuring themes like patriotism, nationalism, war psychology, and the human cost of conflict. War films often show the impact of war on the individuals and the society that is affected by it.
Western films: Western films are often set in the American Old West, featuring cowboys, gun duels, horse riding, and the exploration of themes like justice, lawlessness, and individualism.
Quote: "The dominant style of American cinema is classical Hollywood cinema, which developed from 1910 to 1962 and is still typical of most films made there to this day."
Quote: "While Frenchmen Auguste and Louis Lumière are generally credited with the birth of modern cinema..."
Quote: "As of 2017, it produced the third-largest number of films of any national cinema, after India and China, with more than 600 English-language films released on average every year."
Quote: "Contemporary Hollywood often outsources production to the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand."
Quote: "Because of this, Hollywood has also been considered a transnational cinema..."
Quote: "It is the birthplace of various genres of cinema—among them comedy, drama, action, the musical, romance, horror, science fiction, and the epic..."
Quote: "During 1878, Eadweard Muybridge demonstrated the power of photography to capture motion."
Quote: "In 1894, the world's first commercial motion-picture exhibition was given in New York City..."
Quote: "The United States produced the world's first sync-sound musical film, The Jazz Singer, in 1927..."
Quote: "Since the early 20th century, the U.S. film industry has primarily been based in and around the thirty-mile zone centered in the Hollywood neighborhood of Los Angeles County, California."
Quote: "Director D. W. Griffith was central to the development of a film grammar."
Quote: "Orson Welles's Citizen Kane (1941) is frequently cited in critics' polls as the greatest film of all time."
Quote: "Many of Hollywood's highest-grossing movies have generated more box-office revenue and ticket sales outside the United States than films made elsewhere."
Quote: "...the Hollywood neighborhood of Los Angeles County, California."
Quote: "...using Thomas Edison's kinetoscope."
Quote: "While the national cinemas of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand also produce films in the same language..."
Quote: "The United States produced the world's first sync-sound musical film, The Jazz Singer, in 1927..."
Quote: "As of 2017, it produced the third-largest number of films of any national cinema, after India and China..."
Quote: "The United States is a leading pioneer in motion picture engineering and technology."