BETA
Chapter 1
The gold rush of the silver screen
Chapter 2
The army behind the camera
Chapter 3
The geography of the hustle
Chapter 4
The modern gig economy
YOUR GOAL
Master of Inside the Hollywood machine
Ch 1 · The gold rush of the silver screen
futura Dodge Edison's patent agents to discover why early filmmakers rushed to sunny Los Angeles.
futura Hollywood's Golden Industry
In Los Angeles, the cameras roll, Hollywood's industry takes its toll, With billions and jobs, a vibrant scene, Dreams on the silver screen!
futura Early film moguls bought cheap agricultural land to build massive, self-contained studio lots.
futura Southern California's reliable sunlight and varied landscapes made it the perfect natural film studio.
Fun Fact
The Hollywood sign: The iconic Hollywood sign was built in 1923 as a temporary advertisement for a housing development called 'Hollywoodland' and was only meant to last eighteen months.
Glossary
hollywood (noun)
A district in Los Angeles, California, that is the primary center of the American film industry. In 1911, the Nestor Film Company established the area's first permanent motion picture studio on Sunset Boulevard.
A district in Los Angeles, California, that is the primary center of the American film industry. In 1911, the Nestor Film Company established the area's first permanent motion picture studio on Sunset Boulevard.
Quiz
What natural resource made Los Angeles highly attractive to early filmmakers before advanced electric studio lights existed?
Quiz
Why was proximity to the Mexican border an advantage for early independent filmmakers in Southern California?
Quiz
In what year was the iconic Hollywood sign originally erected as a real estate advertisement?
Quiz
Which major studio was among the first to establish a massive, self-contained 'studio city' in the San Fernando Valley in 1915?
Quiz
Around which Los Angeles intersection was the center of the Thirty-Mile Zone historically measured?