Short film & Hollywood

Up until the birth of Hollywood feature length films didn’t exist. Many people see the birth of Hollywood as the death of the short film, as Hollywood went from strength to strength and entered its classic era the death of short film was inevitable. The final nail in the coffin came when the Hollywood studio system was formed, by the BIG FIVE. There dominance in the film industry and in the distribution made it harder and harder for short films to make it to the cinema where ten years ago they were thriving. The Hollywood studio system meant that all the best directors and actors were signed up to one of the big five. This meant that for all the actors and directors, who had created a fan base through appearing in short films, could simply take that fan base with them and away from short film. In my opinion I feel that when Hollywood decided to make films longer and make films with bigger budgets, the short film industry didn’t stand a chance. The Big Five had a huge grip not only on the acting and directing talent; they also controlled most of the cinema chains. This meant that there were limited chances for short films to be shown and turn a profit. Although Hollywood may have put death to the short film in the 1950's, I feel it created short film as we know it today. As creative and innovative films which aren’t money orientated but is fuelled by the story or issue.