Thomas Schatz "From the Genius of the System"

Thomas Schatz’s "From the Genius of the System" explains the development of the studio system era. I found this article, in particular, quite interesting at it discusses how the perceptions of particular positions in the industry have changed over time. Schatz elaborates on how this system was established based from New Hollywood cinema. New Hollywood stemmed from Old Hollywood, which was evidently a director’s cinema. The studio system during Old Hollywood formed established hierarchies of those that contributed to film production. The director, for instance, was often considered the auteur. Holding this position grew increasingly impressive in the film industry as those involved in production as well as those who viewed the film accredited the director for the totality of the film. This idea is quite relevant to the movie system of which I’m familiar. When I ask a friend if she likes a particular film, she might comment on the director of it. Moreover, the director takes credit for the entire style of the film, rather than mentioning the creative team that worked just as hard to add to the film. Such notions encourage the idea of film position hierarchies in the production business.