The Independents (Chapter V)
Channel: Transition21
Date: 2017-10-06

An excerpt from the media literacy documentary Beware of Images. Watch the full film at http://vimeo.com/ondemand/bewareofimages

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With the intention of escaping Edison's reach, many independent filmmakers moved as far away from New York as possible. In California, they found sunny skies, diverse landscapes and inexpensive non-unionised labor. There was also a nearby Mexican border to run across, if escaping the law became necessary.

By 1924, The Independents had founded some of the worlds most enduring production studios, and in 1928 an American icon loudly announced the arrival of a new era of film - after years of silence, Leo the lion roared at audiences for the first time. 

From this group of creative outlaws, who refused to comply with intellectual property law, Hollywood was born.