Today, the director is considered the leading artistic force behind a film. The production of a Hollywood movie requires the labor of many people, from screenwriters and editors to cinematographers and boom operators, but the director as author of the film overshadows them all. How did this concept of the director become so deeply ingrained in our understanding of cinema? In Hollywood’s Artists, Virginia Wright Wexman offers a groundbreaking history of how movie directors became cinematic auteurs that reveals and pinpoints the influence of the Directors Guild of America (DGA). Guided by Frank Capra’s mantra “one man, one film,” the Guild has portrayed its director-members as the creators responsible for turning Hollywood entertainment into cinematic art. Wexman details how the DGA differentiated itself from other industry unions, focusing on issues of status and creative control as opposed to bread-and-butter concerns like wages and working conditions. She also traces the Guild’s struggle for creative and legal power, exploring subjects from the language of on-screen credits to the House Un-American Activities Committee’s investigations of the movie industry. Wexman emphasizes the gendered nature of images of the great director, demonstrating how the DGA promoted the idea of the director as a masculine hero. Drawing on a broad array of archival sources, interviews, and theoretical and sociological insight, Hollywood’s Artists sheds new light on the ways in which the Directors Guild of America has shaped the role and image of directors both within the Hollywood system and in the culture at large.

"The production of a Hollywood movie encompasses the work of many people from the screenwriter and editor to the cinematographer and boom operator. Yet it is the director who is considered the artistic force behind a film. The notion of the director as the author of a film was not always a given but the result of a variety of different historical and institutional factors, including the breakup of the classical Hollywood studio system and the rise of the auteur theory in the 1960s. An often overlooked player in this story is the Directors Guild of America (DGA) that, as Virginia Wright Wexman argues, played a crucial role in establishing the director's status and power in Hollywood and in the public's mind. In Hollywood's Artists, Wexman provides the first history of the DGA and its influence. She begins by discussing how it differentiated itself from other industry unions, focusing on issues of status, networking, and creative control as opposed to money and job security. Wexman then considers how the DGA fought for directors to be credited as "authors" of the film and how this put them in conflict with others in the film industry. In addition to tracing the history of how directors created their image in the public's imagination, including their role in the McCarthy hearings, Wexman discusses how the DGA fought to have directors get more legal control over their films"--

"Once a guarded cinematic secret, this definitive history reveals for the first time the art and craft of Hollywood's hand painted-backdrops, and pays homage to the scenic artists who brought them to the big screen." -- Slipcase.

“Magisterial. ... A must read for anyone who wants to work in Hollywood or just know how Hollywood works.” — The Hollywood Reporter A New York Times bestseller, now updated with an afterword and exclusive new material From the #1 bestselling author behind acclaimed oral histories of Saturday Night Live and ESPN comes "the most hotly anticipated book [in decades]" (Variety): James Andrew Miller's irresistible insider chronicle of the modern entertainment industry, told through the epic story of Creative Artists Agency (CAA)—the ultimate power player that has represented the world's biggest stars and shaped the landscape of film, television, comedy, music, and sports. Started in 1975, when five bright and brash upstarts left creaky William Morris to form their own innovative talent agency, CAA would come to revolutionize Hollywood, representing everyone from Tom Cruise, Meryl Streep, Robert De Niro, and Steven Spielberg to Jennifer Lawrence, J.J. Abrams, Will Smith, and Brad Pitt. Over the next decades its tentacles would spread aggressively into sports, advertising, and digital media. Powerhouse is the fascinating, no-holds-barred saga of that ascent. Drawing on unprecedented and exclusive access to the men and women who built and battled with CAA—including co-founders Michael Ovitz and Ron Meyer and rivals like Ari Emanuel of William Morris Endeavor—as well as the stars themselves, Miller spins a unique and unforgettable tale of brilliance, ambition, betrayal, and outrageous success.

Through an authoritative narrative and lavish photography, this is an in-depth history of the stars, films, achievements, and influence of the Hispanic and Latino community in Hollywood history from the silent era to the present day. Overcoming obstacles of prejudice, ignorance, and stereotyping, this group has given the world some of its most beloved stars and told some of its most indelible stories. Viva Hollywood examines the stars in front of the screen as well as the people behind-the-scenes who have created a rich legacy across more than 100 years. The role of Latin women on screen is explored through the professional lives of Dolores Del Rio, Rita Hayworth, Raquel Welch, Salma Hayek, Penélope Cruz, and many more. The book covers the films and careers of actors ranging from silent screen idol Antonio Moreno, to international Oscar-winning star Anthony Quinn, to Andy Garcia and Antonio Banderas. A spotlight is also given to craftspeople who elevated the medium with their artistry—visionaries like cinematographer John Alonzo, Citizen Kane scenic artist Mario Larrinaga, and Oscar-winning makeup artist Beatrice de Alba. The stories of these and many others begins through a lens of stereotyped on-screen personas of Latin Lovers, sexy spitfires, banditos, and gangsters. World War II saw an embrace of Latin culture as the “Good Neighbor Policy” made it both fashionable and patriotic to feature stories set south of the border. Social problem films of the 1950s and '60s brought fresh looks at the community, with performances like Katy Jurado in High Noon, the cast of West Side Story, and racial inequality depicted in George Stevens's Giant. Civil Rights, the Chicano Movement, and the work of activist actors such as Ricardo Montalban and Edward James Olmos influenced further change in Hollywood in subsequent decades and paved the way for modern times and stars the likes of Jennifer Lopez and Lin-Manuel Miranda. Illustrated by more than 200 full-color and black-and-white images, Viva Hollywood is both a sweeping history and a celebration of the legacy of some of the greatest art and artists ever captured on screen.

Here is the story of a chosen child whose dreams and visions made her a woman of great faith. Yet, faced with trials and tribulations one after another, who could find a way out of what seemed to be a dark path? Raised in a loving home in a simple East Texas town to the quickening and bright lights of Hollywood—this was the life of Marie Carter. If you want a career, you have to be willing to dedicate 100 percent of yourself to the task. No half stepping, no getting over, no riding in on the names of others, no excuses. Being black, but young and talented, Marie found life in Hollywood did have its drawbacks. At the time, Hollywood was embarking upon a new era of stars, political issues, technology—and African-Americans; Marie Carter was on the front line of it all.

Do you see yourself as an artist? Colin Egglesfield never thought an artistic career path was realistic. He always made room for creativity, but it was never his life's focus. But then a chance encounter with an acting class, before committing to medical school, made Colin realize that an artistic career was possible. The path wasn't easy. Breaking into Hollywood can be quite a challenge. On top of that, he was diagnosed with cancer, not once, but twice. In "Agile Artist," Colin shares lessons he learned from his struggles to make a career in Hollywood, finding courage and support through personal health battles and tragedies. Along the way, he shares the riveting story of his ground-zero experience on 9/11 as well as his social impact projects in Chicago. This is the story of Colin's journey into creative discovery and his attempts to connect with a more authentic version of himself to become an Agile Artist. Colin emphasizes his belief that we are all artists in some form or another, even if we haven't connected with that part of ourselves. In 'Agile Artist, ' he shares his rich life stores and provides plenty of inventive strategies to help you break through to your creative, true self. Beyond this powerful book Colin invites you to join his artist community, where together, we can all support, motivate and share who we are to create not only better lives but a better world.