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HOLLYWOOD VAULT:
THE BUSINESS OF FILM LIBRARIES, 1915—1960
by
Eric Hoyt
A Dissertation Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE USC GRADUATE SCHOOL
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY
(CINEMA-TELEVISION: CRITICAL STUDIES)
May 2012
Copyright 2012 Eric Hoyt
Object Description
| Title | Hollywood vault: the business of film libraries, 1915-1960 |
| Author | Hoyt, Eric |
| Author email | erichoyt@usc.edu;erhoyt@gmail.com |
| Degree | Doctor of Philosophy |
| Document type | Dissertation |
| Degree program | Cinema-Television (Critical Studies) |
| School | School of Cinematic Arts |
| Date defended/completed | 2012-03-27 |
| Date submitted | 2012-05-01 |
| Date approved | 2012-05-02 |
| Restricted until | 2012-05-02 |
| Date published | 2012-05-02 |
| Advisor (committee chair) | Seiter, Ellen |
| Advisor (committee member) |
Jewell, Richard B. Jaikumar, Priya McPherson, Tara Jenkins, Henry |
| Abstract | This dissertation examines the history of how old movies became valuable and how the marketplace for film libraries emerged and evolved, spanning from the silent feature era to the sale of feature libraries to television. Film libraries—the collections of films that have completed the first distribution cycle but remain under copyright protection—gained value not because of the introduction of new technologies but because of the emergence and growth of specific markets. The marketplace for film libraries first developed in the mid-1910s when the star system, feature film, new distribution infrastructures, and copyright law enhanced the value of film negatives. Triangle’s re-titling of William S. Hart films turned film libraries into an industry problem, prompting the intervention of the Federal Trade Commission. As the vertically integrated studio system emerged in the early-1920s, the top studios subordinated the reissue of films in order to concentrate on maximizing revenue and market share. The transition to sound changed the value of film libraries: the derivative became more important than the copy, a fact that, in the late-1930s, influenced Warner Bros.’ decision-making process about what silent films to save and what to destroy. The post-World War II reissue boom changed the studio’s perception; film libraries became as a vital profit center in the midst of industry decline. In the 1950s, television syndicators Matty Fox and Eliot Hyman developed business models for aggressively harnessing film libraries that gained importance through the remaining 20th century and early 21st century. ❧ This study analyzes the full ecology of the media industries and argues against interpreting the business of film libraries simply as attempts by copyright holders to exploit old assets. Instead, the author calls attention to a dynamic marketplace of producers, intermediaries, labor, business buyers, and audiences. The shifts in this marketplace have carried long-term consequences for the structure of the media industries and the public’s ability to access old works of media and culture. |
| Keyword | film libraries; archives; hollywood; studio system; television; media industries; reissues; remakes; motion pictures; movies |
| Language | English |
| Part of collection | University of Southern California dissertations and theses |
| Publisher (of the original version) | University of Southern California |
| Place of publication (of the original version) | Los Angeles, California |
| Publisher (of the digital version) | University of Southern California. Libraries |
| Provenance | Electronically uploaded by the author |
| Type | texts |
| Legacy record ID | usctheses-m |
| Rights | Hoyt, Eric |
| Access conditions | The author retains rights to his/her dissertation, thesis or other graduate work according to U.S. copyright law. Electronic access is being provided by the USC Libraries in agreement with the author, as the original true and official version of the work, but does not grant the reader permission to use the work if the desired use is covered by copyright. It is the author, as rights holder, who must provide use permission if such use is covered by copyright. The original signature page accompanying the original submission of the work to the USC Libraries is retained by the USC Libraries and a copy of it may be obtained by authorized requesters contacting the repository e-mail address given. |
| Repository name | University of Southern California Digital Library |
| Repository address | USC Digital Library, University of Southern California, University Park Campus MC 7002, 106 University Village, Los Angeles, California 90089-7002, USA |
| Repository email | cisadmin@usc.edu |
| Archival file | uscthesesreloadpub_Volume4/etd-HoytEric-708.pdf |
Description
| Title | Page 1 |
| Full text | HOLLYWOOD VAULT: THE BUSINESS OF FILM LIBRARIES, 1915—1960 by Eric Hoyt A Dissertation Presented to the FACULTY OF THE USC GRADUATE SCHOOL UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (CINEMA-TELEVISION: CRITICAL STUDIES) May 2012 Copyright 2012 Eric Hoyt |
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