Today the film industry is spread all around the world. In the present century the major business centers of filmmaking are concentrated in the United States, India and China. Hollywood is a district in Los Angeles, California, that is situated in west- northwest of Downtown Los Angeles. Due to its fame and the cultural individuality of movie studios and movie stars, the word Hollywood is often used as a metaphor for the cinema of the United States which is popularly known as Hollywood film industry.
The history of Hollywood film industry probably started in the hands of D.W. Griffith when the Biograph Company sent him and his crew. They started filming on a vacant lot in downtown Los Angeles in early 1910. Soon the company explored new territories to find that the region was quite friendly and very ideal for shooting. So, Griffith then filmed the first ever movie shot in Hollywood, titled In Old California. The movie company then stayed there for some months to shoot several of their films and then returned to New York.
Starting in 1913, this wonderful place came into the limelight when moviemakers started heading there. Thus Hollywood film industry took birth. The first feature film made in Hollywood was called The Squaw Man. Nestor Studio, founded in 1911, was the first movie studio in Hollywood. Fifteen other small studios also were established in Hollywood. Gradually Hollywood came to be so powerfully associated with the film industry that this term began to be used as a synonym for the entire industry.
During the First World War Hollywood became the movie capital of the world. By the year 1950, music recording studios and offices began moving to Hollywood, though much of the movie industry had already been moved there.
The world famous Hollywood Walk of Fame was constructed in the year 1958 and the first star was placed in 1960. The Walk of Fame was placed as a tribute to the artists working in the entertainment industry. It is embedded with more than 2,000 five pointed stars featuring the names of not only celebrities, but also fictional characters. Self financing Hollywood Historic Trust maintains this Walk of Fame. The first star to receive this honor was Joanne Woodward. An artist receives a star based on career and lifetime achievements in motion pictures, live theatres, radio, television, and music.
The famous Hollywood sign which originally read Hollywoodland, was constructed in the year 1923 as an advertisement of a new housing development. The sign was left to disuse until in 1949 the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce repaired and removed the last four letters. The sign, now located at Mount Lee, is now a registered trademark and hence cannot be used without the permission of the Chamber of Commerce.
The Hollywood film industry can be called the Mecca of film industries. Though geographically it is located in Hollywood, it resides in the hearts of millions of film lovers and film related persons. The Hollywood remains and will remain a king, without a scepter.
