Final answer:
D.W. Griffith pioneered continuity editing with Birth of a Nation in 1915, advancing film narrative structure. Hollywood became central to the film industry for its climate and to avoid patents. Over time, film artistry evolved from silent films to digital Science Fiction movies.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the context of filmmaking, D.W. Griffith is often credited with pioneering the idea of continuity editing, which became a foundational concept for narrative structure in cinema. The first major milestone of the American narrative film that incorporated Western elements was The Great Train Robbery (1903), directed by Edwin S. Porter. However, it's D.W. Griffith's epic Birth of a Nation (1915), despite its controversial elements, that revolutionized film technique and narrative. Griffith's work is renowned for advancing film language with cross-cutting, close-ups, and other innovative techniques that have now become standard in film editing.
Hollywood, which started as a small town in California, became the heart of the American film industry due to its favorable climate and the move of filmmakers seeking to avoid Edison's patents. Silent films were initially the norm, but, with the introduction of synchronized sound in the late 1920s, 'talking pictures' rapidly took over. The development of film artistry has traversed various phases, leading to the diverse and sophisticated movies we enjoy today, as exemplified by contemporary digital transformations in Science Fiction films and the globalization of the film industry.