Teaching Historical Geographies of American Film Production

Abstract

The geographies of Hollywood are multiple, contradictory, ephemeral and tangible. Our preconceived conceptions of space and place play a dynamic role in what elements we tend to focus on when discussing the cultural industry of American cinema. This essay uses Hollywood as a metaphor for the American film production industry and a historical geography of production as a framework to explore major spatial and structural changes within this industry from its inception to the present. It highlights teaching methods and materials from the course A Geography of Film at Southern Connecticut State University. Mode of production relates to the economic process where capital, labor, knowledge and imagination are blended to produce a culturalized product for consumption. The American film industry is a fine example of the commodification of culture.     

好莱坞电影产业集聚体的演进

好莱坞自20世纪初期以来,先后经历了电影产业浮现、好莱坞的黄金时代、好莱坞的转型时期以及“新好莱坞”四个阶段。这四个阶段,实际上由好莱坞电影制作的垂直一体化的形成、衰退以及垂直分离的发展等过程逐一演替。而自20世纪80年代好莱坞卫星生产地如温哥华的崛起,则展示了全球化时代好莱坞电影制作“核心”与“外围”的关系。好莱坞电影产业集聚体的演进,对我国文化产业的发展有如下启示：未来垂直分离是发展趋势、注重小企业的发展、区分合作与控制、注重创意中心的建设。