In being able to appreciate anything, especially art mediums, you have to study and learn from its origins and history. This is especially true in the movie industry, especially if you want to understand how to make and sell a movie of your own. Turns out it’s a lot harder than one would think, you can’t just have an idea and make millions off it like some may think. “The Structure of New Hollywood” by Tom Schatz explained how in the 1920’s and 40’s, the movie industry adopted the “studio system”, mirroring the industrial revolution in having a factory-like approach to making movies. They had 3 systems working for different parts of the movie, production, distribution, and exhibition. There were 8 major Studios, and the “Big 5” were studios that were vertically integrated, meaning they were were responsible for all 3 of these steps and did them their selves. MGM, Fpx, Paramount, RKO, and Warner Bros. were the big 5, and if you wanted a big movie you had to go through them.The movie industry flourished, and was considered by many to be in it’s prime. That is until the government passed the Paramount anti-trust decree, breaking up the power studios had and led to them putting the creative keys in the hands of independent producers and directors, for who which the studios would then produce the film for.

The part that shocked me the most was the documentary we watched, “This Film Is Not Yet Rated.” It blew my mind how ridiculous and confusing the censorship has been from the MPAA, the ratings committee that rates all movies in America. There was no set rules or standards to go by, the ratings were unfair & anonymous, and good luck trying to appeal a rating especially if you got an NC-17. The board finds ridiculous things inappropriate, and provides no justification into unfair comparisons between films. They constantly contradict themselves and block artists creative minds from flourishing. As an artist myself, this is especially angering because I know if someone told me I couldn’t create what was in my head, I would be furious. It just sucks that there’s no way around them and if you really want to make money with your movie, you’re going to have to deal with them and pretty much accept what they want out of your film. It’s frustrating as a consumer as well, knowing you can’t be exposed to a director/producer’s true creative mind because of a bunch of random adults (who turn out to be people linked back directly to the studios) who don’t know what the public wants if it was waving in front of them.