JUNE 29, 2020
Greta Garbo on the set of her first talkie Anna Christie (IMDb)
Since the invention of cameras and the creation of motion pictures, the entertainment industry has continued to innovate how art and technology are used to bring stories to the big screen. As Hollywood began to ramp up production in the 1920s, advancements to cameras, film editing, and sound became defining points in the evolution of cinema. One of the most influential developments that changed everything from how films were shot to how Background Actors were used, was the introduction of talkies.
What are talkies?
Talkies get their name from the recorded dialogue that played in sync with the images on screen. Movies from the Silent Film Era (1894-1929), were largely recorded and played without sound. Most of these films relied on intertitle text to explain key plot points and live pianists, organists, and orchestras to provide score and sound in the theater. As technology advanced, recorded dialogue made its way into film and “talking pictures” were born.
Warner Brothers, an emerging studio at the time, was one of the first Hollywood companies to take interest in sound technology and heavily invested in the Vitaphone sound-on-disc system. In 1926, they released Don Juan, the first full-length movie to feature synchronized score and sound effects using this method. Though the film itself did not have recorded dialogue, musical shorts and a recorded speech from Will Hays, president of the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America and founder of Central Casting, accompanied the feature. In his speech, Hays said, “My friends, no story ever written for the screen is as dramatic as the story of the screen itself.”
In 1927, The Jazz Singer, another Warner Brothers film, became the first feature with recorded dialogue, though the spoken lines were only heard in two scenes. A year later, Lights of New York became the first all-talking full length feature and due to its commercial success, set Hollywood on a path that saw an end to the Silent Era and made way for films as we know them today.
How talkies changed film
Beyond revolutionizing how stories were told on screen, talkies changed the way films were produced and distributed. Since most theaters in the 1920s used live orchestras and not projected sound, they didn’t have the equipment needed to play sound films. Due to the box office success of early talkies, theaters began the expensive process of wiring for sound and by 1930 around 10,000 of the estimated 15,000 cinemas in the United States had been retrofitted with the necessary technology.
As talkies became the industry standard, productions also had to change the way they filmed. Much of the equipment used on set was loud and had to be fitted with sound-dampening devices so the noise wouldn’t be picked up during filming. Since early microphones were stationary, actors had to limit the way they moved throughout a scene to ensure they were always close to the mic. For a time, filmmakers used a multi-camera setup so they could compensate for the lack of mobility and still get a variety of shots.
For Background Actors, then called extras, the introduction of sound recording on set changed the way they did their jobs. Background close to the microphone had to be silent and pantomiming became an important skillset in a Background Actor’s arsenal. Before advancements to sound and film editing, crowd scenes had to be carefully orchestrated depending on how much, if any, background noise wanted to be included in the scene. Now most crowd noise is recorded separately and added in post during the sound mixing phase. Central Casting casts these walla groups for all kinds of productions, even for animated shows like The Simpsons.
From the introduction of sound in film to the founding of Central Casting, innovation in the 1920s paved the way for films as we know them today. You can learn more about Hollywood history in our articles From Film Extras to Background Actors and Central Casting and the Golden Age of Hollywood.
FAQs
For Background Actors, then called extras, the introduction of sound recording on set changed the way they did their jobs. Background close to the microphone had to be silent and pantomiming became an important skillset in a Background Actor's arsenal.
In what ways did talkies change the movies? ›
Distinctive American accents and inflections quickly appeared on the screen, like James Cagney's New Yorkese or Gary Cooper's Western drawl. The introduction of sound also encouraged new film genres - like the musical, the gangster film, and comedies that relied on wit rather than slapstick.
What effect did talkies have on the acting profession? ›
Many actors couldn't get used to being so still or using their voices less exaggeratedly, forcing many like Constance Talmadge to eventually retire. Others' voices didn't fit with the characters they played, which affected many actors with thick accents.
What was the talkie that changed the world of cinema? ›
The Jazz Singer (1927) is often heralded as the film that changed cinema forever, not just for its use of synchronised dialogue but also for its integration of music and live performance sounds directly related to the plot.
How did the film industry change? ›
Digital filmmaking and digital technology have made it easier than ever to get started in the movie industry. Today, there still is a lot of networking and dues-paying to get into the movie business, but the Internet has radically changed what that looks like, and the biggest change has been in accessibility.
What are the major changes in the film industry? ›
The Rise of Streaming Services and Their Impact on Film Production
- Demand for Diverse Content.
- Increased Investment in Original content.
- Shift in Release Strategies.
- Marketing Films on Social Platforms.
- Crowdsourcing and Fan Input.
- Viral Challenges and User-Generated Content.
The rise of "talkies" from the late 1920s onwards led to a radical shake-up of the entertainment industry. Live entertainment went into decline and variety theatres became movie palaces, where eager punters could see exactly the same entertainment as their fellows in Los Angeles, Berlin or Bombay.
Which film revolutionized the industry by being the first talkie film? ›
The Jazz Singer, American musical film, released in 1927, that was the first feature-length movie with synchronized dialogue. It marked the ascendancy of “talkies” and the end of the silent-film era.
What are the characteristics of talkies film? ›
Talkies and talking pictures are informal terms for films incorporating synchronized audible dialogue rather than readable text plates. The terms were widely used in the late 1920s and early 1930s to distinguish sound films from silent films.
What was the main reason talkies wiped out the careers of silent film stars? ›
The real reason silent film stars disappeared is they weren't good actors in talking pictures OR they played character types which didn't work when talking. A lot of silent film stars disappeared from the movie industry, because they didn't possess the right kind of voice for talkies.
The shift from silent films to talkies was a huge deal for actors in the late 1920s. Many silent film stars found it difficult to “find their voice” and place in this new Hollywood medium, which completely changed the game of on-screen performance.
When did talkies replace silent films? ›
The gradual transition from silent films to talkies took place between 1926 and 1930 and included many small steps — both technological developments and adjustments to audience expectations — before it was complete.
How did audiences react to early talkies? ›
The spectators are anxious, fearful–some of them even panic and run [2]. This fearful or panicky reaction has been called `the train effect'.
When did talkies become popular? ›
Sound-on-film, however, would soon become the standard for talking pictures. By the early 1930s, the talkies were a global phenomenon. In the United States, they helped secure Hollywood's position as one of the world's most powerful cultural/commercial centers of influence (see Cinema of the United States).
What was the first color movie? ›
FIRST MOVIE EVER MADE IN COLOR
The first commercially produced film in natural color was A Visit to the Seaside (1908). The eight-minute British short film used the Kinemacolor process to capture a series of shots of the Brighton Southern England seafront.
When did talkies become mainstream? ›
With sound-on-film technology both stabilized and improving by 1932, movies with a soundtrack—called “talkies,” in reference to the increasingly robust dialogue between the characters—swept much of the globe. As a major generator of talkies, Hollywood rose to become the cultural-commercial powerhouse we know today.
How did radio the movie industry and media help contribute to the war? ›
Radio broadcasts, like other forms of entertainment at the time, were regulated by the government and were pushed to keep citizens informed about war efforts and to encourage citizens to help the cause. Radio stations, along with other media outlets, were major fuels of propaganda during World War II.
