The Star and The Studio System: Then and Now

Then

Paramount Pictures
photo from American Cinema

During the period of 1930s to the late 1960s in Hollywood, the studio system controlled everything from the directors, writers, stars, equipment, filming and the likes. All of the people who worked for the studios lived under one roof in acres of lot owned by the studio. All of them were under an exclusive contract with the studio. This means they cannot work for another studios. Studios acres of lot where they also shot films they made. From the pre-production stage, down to the distribution, and even the promotion of films, everything was controlled by the studio. They distributed films they made only to the movie houses they owned. For example, MGM then owned thousand of studios,and they would only distribute their films in movie houses they owned.

Marilyn Monroe
photo from Wikipedia

In the Star System, actors were being taken care of as if they were gems. The Star System honed these actors into superstars. They prepared them for super stardom by giving them thorough training for dancing, singing, acting and the likes. The Star System created almost perfect being from then normal people. These actors were being owned by the studios they were under contract with. Actors were usually under contact with studios for five to seven years. They were expected to be perfect all the time; no negative images and dirty acts, that's why these kinds of things happened without the people knowing.

Now

In the present time, it seems that The Studio System and The Star System then, is the total opposite of what we have today.

Studios are still there, but the studio system is already gone. The studios no longer monopolize all the works in the film industry. The directors no longer work for a studio system alone. Directors now can work with whatever studio they like to work with, or they can work on their own. The studios no longer distribute films in their owned movie houses; films are being distributed anywhere. They no longer film in studio acres alone, they film outside. The stars no longer work under a particular studio alone; actors can now work anywhere they please. And negative images and dirty acts are no longer being covered.   

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Source:
Jenkins, S. (Director). (1995). The Star [documentary episode]. In American Cinema- 100 Years of Filmmaking. Arlington: PBS.