NFB and Canadian Film
The turn of the century brought along many new innovations that would revolutionize the way we live. There were many new technologies that would bring forth an era of industrialization, but potential uses remained uncertain and applications were left to be discovered by the marketplace. Among the most promising inventions was Thomas Edison's Vitascope, an invention with the ability to record time and motion. Moving pictures were soon to become the most popular form of entertainment, and most prominent of cultural attractions. As film industries began to emerge, America seized the opportunity to commercialize film as a form of mass entertainment. Canada found itself immersed in the wake of American productions. It was not until the formation of the National Film Board that Canada was able to establish an indigenous film industry. This allowed the government to create an industrial filmmaking infrastructure reflecting its own cultural image. The NFB has taken steps that have failed to create an industrial filmmaking infrastructure similar in style to Hollywood's. Market competition with Hollywood; focusing on nationality over entertainment, and depending on foreign investment and government subsidies has made it difficult for the NF
This lack of responsiveness to new technology resulted in the loss of most foreign distributors, and the need for a more responsive film industry. The National Film Board of Canada was created with a mandate to improve Canadian government motion picture bureau productions and to increase their distribution in England. This fostered studios to become monopolies that controlled both American and Canadian distribution in the early years of cinema. In 1949, the NFB lobbied for more responsibility in the development of television programs; an increased operating budget, and crown corporation status. The NFB was to become 'a world centre of excellence in production of film and video' and 'a national training and research centre in the art and technique of film and video. Since the discovery of film at the Worlds Fair it had grown to become a popular source of mass entertainment. , 40) Now that audiences could be lured, Hollywood industries could bring steady money, and produce longer movies with higher ticket prices. Encouragement of the private sector helped the film industry step towards building a feature film infrastructure. The NFB mandate is what postponed the inclusion of feature film production. The government funded the NFB, and lacked the ambition to create artistic feature films that would compete with Hollywood blockbusters. Hollywood established the studio system, hiring a stable of stars and production people who were all paid a regular salary, but couldn't work for other studios without permission. Initially, the NFB was to make and distribute films designed to help Canadians in all parts of Canada understand each others lives and problems. As long as theatres changed their programs daily, building up audience recognition of star names was almost the only effective form of audience publicity. Freer to tour Britain and show realistic films of life in the Canadian west. NFB feature films with unfamiliar actors and lower production budgets made it difficult to distribute Canadian movies, when there are fewer guarantees the movie will sell tickets.
Common topics in this essay:
Studios York,
Canada Canadian,
Film Act,
American Canadian,
Americans Canadian,
NFB Canadians,
Video Policy,
Canada NFB,
Development Corporation,
War II,
film industry,
feature films,
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filmmaking infrastructure,
canadian film,
national film,
canada's film industry,
picture bureau,
canada's film,
motion picture,
mass entertainment,
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canadian film industry,
private film industry,
feature film industry,
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Acceptance Essays
