Ever since the 1920s, the American film industry has grossed more money every year than that of any other country. If you think about how many times you have been to the movies in the past year, or over your lifetime, this is probably not that surprising to read. Even those people who are not huge movie goers, have probably have been to the theaters to see the most talked about movies. If I asked the average college student if they have seen The Dark Knight, Bridesmaids, The Hangover, or a Harry Potter movie, the chances of someone having not seen any of those is slim. However, the movie industry and Hollywood have changed dramatically since the 20’s to get to how it is today. Much of the changes that have occurred have been due to the increasing progress in the technology that is used to produce films. 
During the late 1920’s sound was just starting to be incorporated into movies. The first film with synchronized voices was the Jazz Singer, released in 1927. Between the late 1920’s and the early 1960’s is what is considered now to be the “golden age” of American film. This era was filled with great classics like Citizen Kane, Gone with the Wind and King Kong. Another significant progression technologically for the industry was the introduction of color in movies. With Eastman Kodak’s development of the monopack color, new life was given to cinema, along with other audio technology improvements, creating an overall improved movie experience for audiences. Since then, there have been drastic advances in movie technology which have made for spell bounding clear visuals, crisp and life like sounds, and crazy special effects that movie makers in the 20’s and 30’s probably never thought would be possible. Technology called CGI (Computer Generated Imagery) is what allows for movie makers to have anything from their imagination come to life. 
Avatar, the highest grossing film of all time, (almost 3 billion dollars worldwide) is a prime example of the extremes that technology and especially CGI have been put to use to change the movie going experience. Most people who have seen this movie, including myself, would agree that it is a unique movie which offers stunning visuals and affects which transport you to another world. Even the director of Avatar James Cameron, has experienced the evolution of technology from the time he made his first Blockbuster, Terminator. Back when he made that movie, they shot on film which they no longer do today, and for special affects they used things called glass paintings and stop-motion animation. This is in contrast to the now, strictly digital affects that were used to make most of Avatar.
While many would agree that these impressive technological capabilities we have today have done great things for the movie industry, its important to look at some possible negative effects they can have as well. There are some movies out there that tend to focus more on effects than on the craft and art of making a good movie. For example, although the Transformers movies offer many cool effects, there is not too much that the movie offers substance wise. This is one of the reasons why so many people who know good cinema will still say that the movies made between the 30’s and 60’s are still the best movies that have been made. They did not have access to the technology that can often distract from the actual storyline and acting that makes quality movies. While they make for fascinating visual experiences, they can be lacking in emotional elements or depth. As long as movie makers can maintain some sort of balance between special effects and the craft of storytelling, I think some of them can be considered classics one day just as the ones from the golden age of film are.
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