Hollywood

With the invention of movies, movie companies needed sunshine to shoot short and cheap dramas. Many of them found themselves heading west for California. There in 1920 they found a town called Hollywood where land was cheap, wages were low, background landscapes were incredible and the sun shone constantly. Hollywood grew quickly and less than a decade later the name Hollywood soon began to mean movies.

Movie companies could find locations close to Hollywood to represent wild deserts, huge mountains or rolling hills. In the dry climate they could build indoor sets outdoors and save lighting and other costs.

When Hollywood began, movie making was a risky business. Many businessmen who started studios came from poor families were used to hard work. They could spot talent and knew what would please the public. Hollywood was the centre of world movie making. Many other countries though also had flourishing movie industries.

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