Blog Post 5: The Studio System & Vertical Integration

           Vertical Integration was a very important aspect of what made Classical Hollywood's studio system so successful at the time. Vertical integration is when one company owns all levels of production in a company such as, production, distribution, and even exhibition. The studios had huge lots comprised of musicians, editors, and a stable of actors at their disposal.

          The kinds of films the studios produced under vertical integration varied from studio to studio. In vertical integration, each studio had contracts with certain stars, directors, editors, and anything else that you can imagine at their disposal for all of their films. Some big stars at the time would be in over 80 films a year as opposed to the 1 or 2 stars are in today.

           Casablanca is an example of a Warner Brother's film that wholly embraced the idea of vertical integration. This film starring Ingrid Bergman and Humphrey Bogart, two of Warner Brother's stars, was a global success after its release, and it was all made by Warner Brothers every step of the way. Michael Curtiz, a relatively unknown Warner Brother's director, directed the film and the most of the film was even shot on a lot in Warner Brother's studio. By controlling all aspects of the film from start to beginning, Warner Brother's made Casablanca a hit and one of the most successful movies of all time.