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F R I E N D S O F I N D I A |
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H O L L Y W O O D
Hollywood is a district of the city of Los Angeles, California, U.S.A., situated northwest of Downtown. Due to its fame and identity as the historical center of movie studios and stars, the word "Hollywood" is often used colloquially to refer to the American film industry. Today much of the movie industry has dispersed into surrounding areas such as Burbank and the Westside, but significant ancillary industries (such as editing, effects, props, post-production, and lighting companies) remain in Hollywood. Several historic Hollywood theaters are used as venues to premiere major theatrical releases, and host the Academy Awards. It is a popular destination for nightlife and tourism, and home to the Walk of Fame. n the early 1900s, motion picture production companies from New York and New Jersey started moving to California because of the reliable weather and longer days. Although electric lights existed at that time, none were powerful enough to adequately expose film; the best source of illumination for movie production was natural sunlight. Besides the moderate, dry climate, they were also drawn to the state because of its open spaces and wide variety of natural scenery. Another factor in Hollywood's development was its great distance from New Jersey, which made it more difficult for Thomas Edison to enforce his motion picture patents. At the time, Edison owned almost all the patents relevant to motion picture production and, in the East, movie producers acting independently of Edison's Motion Picture Patents Company were often sued or enjoined by Edison and his agents. Thus, movie makers working on the West Coast could work independent of Edison's control. If he sent agents to California, word would usually reach Los Angeles before the agents did and the movie makers could escape to nearby Mexico. Motion picture production still occurs within the Hollywood district, although most major studios are actually located elsewhere in the Los Angeles region. Paramount Studios is the only major studio physically located within Hollywood. Other studios in the district include the aforementioned Jim Henson (formerly Chaplin) Studios, and Raleigh Studios. Several major local broadcasters such as KTLA also maintain studios here, while ABC still has a studio facility on Hollywood's east side although most of the network's programming is now produced out of the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank. Modern day Hollywood is a diverse, vital, active, and liberal community striving to preserve the elegant buildings from its past.
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