Manifest Destiny

Manifest Destiny is a phrase that expresses the idea that the United States was destined to develop from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean. It was used to justify the expansion to the West of the country and the belief that we had the right to take over no matter what or who was in the way. This idea is commonly used in many Western films. These films usually have the country expanding it's civilization to the west, like the idea of Manifest Destiny. A common theme of Westerns is that the pioneer from the East traveling to the West has to learn and take on the Western culture. A few example of these types of Westerns include, A Man Called Horse, Little Big Man, Dances With Wolves, City Slickers, and Western Union. It could have also been someone from the West and traveling East to find that his or her customs are much different than the customs and culture in the East, which is just the opposite. Usually there is a conflict in the West, such as the cowboys and indians coming to blows. Some examples of this type of film are The battle at Elderbush Gulch, Ulzana's Raid, Dances With Wolves, and The Last of the Mohicans. Another conflict Easterners had to face while journeying to the West is the frontier. They have to leave the wilderness and learn how to adapt and survive in the West. Whatever the conflict or storyline of the Western is, Manifest Destiny always seems to be involved in the plot somehow.

Typecasting

Typecasting occurs when an actor or actress is strongly identified with one type of role. Typecasting makes it harder for these actors and actresses to find work playing characters outside of this role. After actors and actresses are successful in one type of role, they are usually placed in the same type of role because that is what they know how to do and they do it well. Sometimes actors just can't act outside of a certain role and they are typecasted. Typecasting is usually seen as a negative thing, but some actors and actresses welcome because it is steady work. The negative aspect is that an actor is so strongly identified with one role that it is impossible for them to find work as different characters. Child actors are very prone to being typecasted. Most of the child actors don't make that step into acting as an adult. It seems to make them less marketable. To escape typecasting, actors usually try to get roles that are the complete opposite from what they are used to playing. Jackie Chan is an example of a typecasted actor. He only plays roles in action movies. Arnold Schwarzenegger is also typecasted in action movies and is seen as a tough guy. Adam Sandler is an example of an actor who is typecasted as only an actor who plays in comedies and is seen as the goofy, kind of angry guy. Even though some actors and actresses embrace typecasting, it is more likely that they try to fight it and break from the mold that they were placed in.

Movie Studios

Different studios usually have different qualities form others and are strong in certain genres of movies. M-G-M studios did mostly musicals and comdey films. It was more of a flashy studio. Some of the actors and directors that worked there were Clark Gable, Gene Kelly, Spencer Tracy, James Stewart, Vincente Minnelli, Joan Crawford, Judy Garland, and Elizabeth Taylor. The moguls for M-G-M were Louis B. Mayer and Irving Thalberg. Movies that came out of this stuio were Babes in Arms, The Good Earth, and Madame Curie. Paramount also did comedies, but usually romantic comedies. The also did epics. Some of the actors and directors that worked for Paramount include Cecil. B. DeMille, Preston Sturges, Bing Crosby, and Marlene Dietrich. Paramount was know for it's wit and sexy elegance. Movies that came out of this studio were Monte Carlo, Trouble in Paradise, Morocco, and Shanghai Express. The tycoon of this studio was Adolph Zukor. Warner Brothers was a working man's studio. Film genres that came out of this studio were film noir, war films, gangster, weepies, and "women's films." Actors and directors from this studio include Humphrey Bogart, James Cagney, Errol Flynn, Bette Davis, and Ida Lupino. Jack L. Warner was the mogul for this studio. Movies that came out of this studio include Little Caesar, Public Enemy, and Confessions of a Nazi Spy. 20th Century Fox was known for action/adventure, soaps, disaster films, and social message films. The mogul for 20th Century Fox was Darryl Zanuck. Actors and directors from this studio include Betty Grable, Henry Fonda, Tyrone Power, and Shirley Temple. Movies that were made at this studio were The Grapes of Wrath, Boomerang, and Pinky. RKO did musicals and mostly film noir. Pandro Berman and Howard Hughes were the tycoons of this studio. It was the only studio to disappear after Howard Hughes went bankrupt. Katharine Hepburn, Irene Dunne, Ginger Rogers, and Fred Astaire were actors that worked for RKO. Movies that came out of this studio were Citizen Kane, Crossfire, and Vendetta.

Lighting

Three-point lighting is the standard arrangement used in Hollywood. There may be more that three lights used, but they are set up to imply that there are three sources from which the light is coming from. The lighting is composed of the key light, fill light, and the back light. The key light is the main source of light. The fill light is weak and fills in the shadows that the key light forms. The back light is used to fill the space between the back of the set and the actors to differentiate them from the background. This should create the illusion of depth. High-key lighting is used to reduce the contrast ratio in the scene. It has a high amount of fill light to get rid of the shadows, making the set brighter. Low-key lighting is used when the ratio of fill to key light is low and is used in movies like musicals and comdedies. This gives a darker feeling because of the shadows casted and is used in movies like thrillers and horror films. Star lighting is used to draw attention to an actor or actress. It can even be used to hide flaws that the stars don't want people to see. Star lighting makes it seem as if the light is coming from within the actor.