As I live on the West Coast of the US, specifically near Los Angeles, I could not fully represent the region if I didn’t speak about Hollywood, the center of the US film and movie industry.
Around the world, the name “Hollywood” has come to characterize the US entertainment, specifically film, industry. It has been the starting point for the careers of hundreds of famous actors and actresses, including Johnny Depp and Sandra Bullock.
Hollywood itself is a neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles in California. Many well-known film studios were founded in Hollywood, such as Disney, Warner Bros., and Paramount Pictures. Before Hollywood, New Jersey on the East Coast was actually the American film capital. One of the main reasons Hollywood replaced New Jersey as the center of the US motion picture industry in the 1900s was due to its better weather, variety of landscapes, and cheap land prices.
Today, the Hollywood sign has become a top tourist attraction. Another well known is the Hollywood Walk of Fame, a street with more than 2,500 stars etched into the sidewalk, each engraved with the name of a prominent person in motion picture, TV, theater, and more. Universal Studios Hollywood is also a frequently visited place by tourists in the region. It is a film studio, as well as a theme park. Universal Studios has produced many famous films, including but not limited to Jurassic Park, Despicable Me, Fast and Furious, Jaws, E.T., and the Mummy.
Overall, Hollywood’s cinematography has become a defining cultural aspect of the US West Coast and its influence continues to grow today, throughout the US and the rest of the world.
- Camille Roussel - USA (West Coast)
Below are a few pictures from when I visited Hollywood!
