Classical Hollywood Style
• Film’s protagonist is in almost every shot, photographed using the most flattering makeup, clothing and lighting
• Point-of-view shots—in which the star looks at something outside the frame and then the next shot focuses on the object—gave the star an implied power, in that what we see is limited to what the actor sees
• Main character usually isolated in the center of the frame, to be stared it and admired by the viewer
Increased Publicity Power
• Responsible for taking a newly “discovered” actor, sculpting his/her physical appearance and developing the actor’s publishable history
Pub. Depts. Benefited and Restricted Actors
• Genre stereotypes
– Created stars
– Typecast and limited careers
• Privacy Issues
– Publicity made stars more familiar
– Ended any privacy
Studio Publicity departments—1912
• Actors began making personal appearances to promote films
• Provided exhibitors with press kits filled with free passes, poster, postcards, displays and ready-made newspaper articles
• Suggested contests for theater owners: treasure hunts, poster-drawing competitions, etc.
• Distributors were also supplied with excess footage from which they could fashion trailers
Burden of the Stars
• Dichotomy
– Idols must appear simultaneously identifiable and close enough to be attainable
– Yet, they must be idealized and far away enough to seem flawless
• Double-edged sword
– Affords actors great fortune
– Strictly limits the actor’s ability to be a real person, flaws and all
• Viewing public search for the “ideal” man/woman — we crave onscreen icons that harkens back to that ideal self-image
• Film start becomes an object of our desire as the persona of the actor blurs with that of the character
• New cinematic styles and techniques transformed actors into the viewer’s ideal, positioning the actor as an eroticized and fetishized icon
• Close ups made them larger than life but also close enough to touch
