FS 444K - The Hollywood Studio System

Prerequisites, FTV 140, and FS 244, or FS 245. This course provides a survey of American cinema using the Hollywood studio system as its case study during its zenith in the 1930s and 40s, when cinema was the “mass medium” of the Twentieth Century and the majority of film production took place in Los Angeles (better known as “Hollywood”). The goal of this course is to historically contextualize the key studios of what has been called “The Golden Age” of “classical Hollywood” in terms of their aesthetic, cultural, industrial, social, and technological significances. In sum, students will identify and scrutinize the varying “house styles” of the major studios through studying the production choices, management style, and talent at each studio. (Offered as needed.) 3 credits