The film industry has always been run by monopolies, even since the edison days in the very early 19 hundred. The studio system starts to take shape around 19 14 when you have these distributors who are also exhibitors. They start to really ramp up production andm become these vertically integrated companies known as majors. And this lets them put a strangle hold, really, on any kind of independent image making at this time. But what follows is basically a process of dindustrialization where, when we refer to the studio system collapsing, its basically this factory line becoming a more dispersed and a less concentrated in hollywood.
Paris Marx is joined by Will Tavlin to discuss the history of the film industry, how the digital revolution was promised to democratize film, and how it actually helped cement the power of Hollywood and Silicon Valley.
Will Tavlin is a writer and fact checker based in New York City. Follow Will on Twitter at @wtavlin.
Tech Won’t Save Us offers a critical perspective on tech, its worldview, and wider society with the goal of inspiring people to demand better tech and a better world. Follow the podcast (@techwontsaveus) and host Paris Marx (@parismarx) on Twitter, and support the show on Patreon.
Find out more about Harbinger Media Network at harbingermedianetwork.com.
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