<P> By 1912 , major motion - picture companies had set up production near or in Los Angeles . In the early 1900s , most motion picture patents were held by Thomas Edison 's Motion Picture Patents Company in New Jersey , and filmmakers were often sued to stop their productions . To escape this , filmmakers began moving out west , where Edison 's patents could not be enforced . Also , the weather was ideal and there was quick access to various settings . Los Angeles became the capital of the film industry . </P>
when did hollywood become the centre of the film industry
1912