American Studio System's Shift to Feature Filmmaking (1910-1925)

1. Universal incorporates, building a national film business

   Apr 30, 1912Labels: Universal Film, corporate consolidation

   • Universal
   • Traffic context

2. Famous Players founded to market feature “plays”

   May 8, 1912Labels: Famous Players, Adolph Zukor

   • Famous Players
   • Zukor bio

3. Lasky Feature Play Company forms for feature production

   Jan 1, 1913Labels: Jesse L, Cecil B

   • 1913 in film
   • DeMille bio

4. Traffic in Souls proves U.S. audiences will watch features

   Nov 24, 1913Labels: Traffic in, feature-length drama

   • UCLA Archive
   • TCM

5. The Squaw Man launches Hollywood feature production

   Dec 29, 1913Labels: The Squaw, Hollywood production

   • AFI Catalog
   • DeMille bio

6. Paramount forms to distribute a steady slate of features

   May 15, 1914Labels: Paramount Pictures, national distribution

   • AFI magazine
   • Paramount

7. The Birth of a Nation makes feature films a prestige event

   Feb 8, 1915Labels: The Birth, D W

   • Britannica
   • Film release

8. Federal court rules MPPC trust violated antitrust law

   Oct 1, 1915Labels: Motion Picture, antitrust ruling

   • MPPC case
   • MPPC overview

9. Famous Players and Lasky merge into a larger studio

   Jun 28, 1916Labels: Famous Players, studio merger

   • Famous Players Lasky
   • Famous Players

10. First National forms as exhibitors push back on Paramount

    Jan 1, 1917Labels: First National, theater owners

    • First National

11. Supreme Court limits patent control over film exhibition

    Apr 9, 1917Labels: Motion Picture, Supreme Court

    • Justia
    • Case summary

12. United Artists founded to give stars control of features

    Feb 5, 1919Labels: United Artists, Chaplin Pickford

    • UA HISTORY
    • UA overview

13. MGM forms, signaling a mature feature-studio era

    Apr 17, 1924Labels: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, studio consolidation

    • MGM
    • April 1924