Movies Page 1 Movies Lecture Thursday, November 08, 2012 6:28 PM HISTORY AND GENRES Movies are a form of cultural storytelling Major Studios, corporate independents, indie filmmakers Movies: great cultural storytellers 6 Major studios: 20th Century Fox, Paramount, WarnerBrothers, Universal, Disney, Columbia They are multimedia conglomerates - Also own theatres, music labels, etc. Mass distribution of media by 6 major labels helps us consume more of it Corporate independents Independent film production houses often owned by major studios, producing less mainstream, more edgy, and often award-winning movies [ex] Miramax films, Paramount Vantage, Warner Independent Pictures, Fox Searchlight Pictures create more low budget films lends prestige to the studios from winning film festival awards More intellectual and sophisticated, low special effects = heightened realism A-list stars Many have disappeared and been reabsorbed by their main companies Indie Films independent film production houses that work outside the major studios who tend to control the industry must have a distribution deal with the major studios in order to increase their reach - Marketing and promotion of the film requires financial help from a corporate major Less mainstream Canadian film industry: NFB Created in 1939 by the government for wartime propaganda Feature length films about social problems Classic Hollywood (1930-1950) The studio era A-List celebrity: Mae West (circa 1930) Important figure, but very scandalous - constantly in trouble with the censors Typically starred in musical comedies that had a provocative edge Wrote the screenplay and starred in "I'm No Angel" Responsible for many quotable one-liners - "Is that a gun in your pocket or " Motion Picture Production Code Outrage over scandal promoted by Mae West and other classic Hollywood influences demonstrated the need for production company guidelines No sympathetic portrayal of criminals/sinners No swearing, gratuitous violence, religious critique No nudity, lusty kisses, suggestive postures No bathroom humour, drug use, prositution, childbirth scenes No homosexuality No miscegenation (race mixing) - Stars had to be "whitened-up" These guidelines prevented government involvement in the censoring of the film industry
Movies Page 2 If you broke the code you got fined Code was meant to ensure that films were tasteful and didn't promote immoral behaviour 1940s: Film Noir Create stories about the underside of American life Corruption, crime violence, the American dream gone sour Gangsters, detectives, Femme Fatal Emphasis on camera angles Social turbulence Gender roles: films generally star a vulnerable, unsuspecting, unmarried, poor man and a powerful woman It was difficult for film noir directors to communicate the themes of film noir while adhering to the Motion Picture Production Code Gilda: equal shot time between male and female characters, verbal conflicts and sexual tension (abiding to the motion picture production code) Femme Fatal = long and pointy characteristics (costumes, props, hair, etc) Positions of characters indicate power relationships between males and females [ex] The Postman Always Rings Twice Neo-Noir Update film noir by including sex and violence [ex] Black Widow Modern renditions are more pronounced in their "film noir" characteristics Scenes prevalent across multiple genres: Psych-thrillers - science fiction 1950s: Musical Comedy In the 1950s, less people were attending movie theatres They were getting married faster - fewer dates Moving to the suburbs, so commuting to a downtown theatre was difficult Studios were experiencing a dropoff in revenue, so they needed to create a new genre that would attract an audience - Relied on the sexual sell Bankable young stars with great soundtracks Light Funny Thin narratives High sex appeal Guaranteed entertainment Double entendres, slapstick humour, screwball comedies Colourful costumes Music movies still make good box office - Effortlessly entertaining - they're fun - Soundtracks also make money for the production companies - Inspired reality television programs 1970s: Blaxsploitation Inspired by the civil rights/black power movement Reflection of reality for the rising black middle-class community - A reaction to the need for black representation in pop culture Span over multiple genres: comedy to horror films Black cast - white production crews
Movies Page 3 Very political Heroes are black, villains are white (edginess can make people uncomfortable) Featured musical numbers, groovy soundtracks, fantastic costuming, fast cars, interesting plots, and amazing actors Plots about social disenfranchisement, urban life, drug addiction, poverty, police brutality Eroticize/exoticize black women and emasculinate black men - White supremacy ruins lives Focus on action, adventure, entertainment, and sexuality Neo- blaxsploitation films: Jackie Brown, Boyz N the Hood, She's Gotta Have It, Shaft Good music, politics, narratives, amazing stars New Hollywood (early 1970s) Young male filmmakers who all came on the scene at the same time with a unique look to their movies Films tested well with young theatre audiences Realist edge "Making it in America" Fresh perspective and real (compared to the prior musical comedies) Filmmakers gained celebrity status The filmmakers became celebrities themselves - There ideas for new projects were always approved immediately Director as Auteur (Signature style, oeuvre) Auteur Someone who has made an impact/important contribution Have a signature, recognizable style [Ex] Tim Burton, Steven Spielberg, Walt Disney, Quentin Tarantion, Peter Jackson, David Lynch, etc. High Concept Films Can be pitched in 1-3 sentences, if not within the title itself: Designed to have mass audience appeal and be commercially successful The look, the hook, the book - Visually appealing, special effects (the look) - You know what it's going to be about (the hook) - Merchandise after-market potential through the soundtrack, toys, etc. (the book) Easy to understand Director Steven Spielberg specializes in high concept films [Ex] Jaws, Jurassic Park Event Films DO NOT MISS films A big, carefully-choreographed, cultural event Opened at 409 theatres (wide release) All the television networks advertised the film during prime-time commercial breaks Saturation advertising: Jaws purchased prime-time advertising space on all the networks 3 days before the premier - the summer of the shark (1975) - sharks were everywhere Blockbuster Era (from late 1970s to Present) Event Movies Stimulated from Jaws and Star Wars - changed how Hollywood movies were budgeted, how studios thought about the return on investment, and the way that movies were marketed Count on a Blockbuster to undermine films that flopped - Blockbusters are guaranteed to pack theatres Familiar quests and narratives that people understood Recognizable characters
Movies Page 4 Big budget, big special effects, big marketing Comic Book Film Adaptions Super hero films whose characters originate from graphic novels or comic books Guaranteed to do well - blockbusters Will make tons of money from loyal fan base - more money if they are more loyal to original comic story Formulaic - you know how it will turn out - Ordinary people acquire extraordinary superpowers that enable them to go on quests for the good of mankind Digital backlot on a green screen - special effects and scenery are put in post-production Purpose-built for after-market merchandise Animation Films (hand-drawn cell animation to 3D digital animation) Snow White (1937) was the first full-length animated film - Hand-drawn cell animation Beauty and the Beast - won the 1991 Golden Globe for Best Picture (musical/comedy) - 3D computer animation Toy Story - Disney started working with Pixar - first fully computer animated feature film Shrek - first academy award for best animated feature in 2001 Avatar - 3D animation produced 2.8B worldwide box office - Alice in Wonderland (Tim Burton) - James Cameron wanted to make 3D film ubiquitous on all platforms by 2016 - Not all films are suited for 3D film - it makes a difference whether films are retrofit or produced for 3D - Fewer and fewer people are picking 3D when they have the choice (tickets are 40% more expensive) - If 3D is not done well, the heightened sensual experience can have negative physical side effects Enchantment, escapist, entertainment Expensive to produce (computer animation/celebrity voice-overs) DISTRIBUTION AND EXHIBITION Block Booking, Blind Booking Block booking: If you wanted a Blockbuster, theatre owners had to purchase smaller films with it Blind booking: Forced theatre owners to take a bunch of films as a bundle without being able to cherry pick Paramount Decision (vertical integration) Vertical Integration One company controls several steps in the production/distribution/consumption of a product/service in the same industry The Paramount decision (1948) decided that studios were not allowed to own theatres - too controlling/too difficult to compete (independent films) Decision was reversed by the Reagan government in the 1980s Theatres: movie palaces, drive-ins, megaplexes Many theatres closed after the war (ended in the 50s) after the introduction of the television Average Canadians see 4 movies/year in the theatre - Not a lot of revenue comes from ticket sales Drive in: 1930s - 70s
Movies Page 5 Death of the drive-in when production companies stop selling film as film reels and convert completely digital Light pollution on screen, low sound quality, seasonable businesses, subject to weather conditions, can only open at night Drive-ins are going to close soon as production companies stop distributing movies on film - they are going all digital Small theatres will be dead if they don't go digital with the digital production company - the price to convert is $80-100K Megaplexes - 19-20 screens, snacks, surround sound, stadium seating, comfortable atmosphere VIP sections at cineplex: alcoholic beverages, valet parking, reserved seating, in-seat concession, extrawide reclining seats 40% of studio revenue is made during the summer - Summer theatre attendance down 4% in 2012 - Mass shooting made many people reluctant to attend theatres - 1/10 of regular movie-goers didn't go to their regular theatre because they were home watching the Olympics 70% are weekly movie-watchers 5% movie-goers 1946 was the peak year for theatres - the average person saw 18 movies over the course of the year #1 favourite genre - comedy Digital Cinema Packages Release Windows Theatrical, DVD, pay-per-view, pay TV, network TV, syndicated TV, Netflix DVD/blu-ray sales represent 50% of studio revenue - Theatrical releases are considered to be an advertisement for the DVDs - In 2011 DVD sales fell 20% YOY = the potential for the death of the DVD Good news for Netflix - Instantaneity - Extensive choice (in the USA) - Makes us more comfortable with movies in the cloud - comfortable with streaming - More movies will be streamed in 2012 than purchased in digital media format MARKETING MOVIES Opening Weekend Box Office If you don't make money opening weekend, your film will not be successful Bruno was killed by Twitter: Bad tweets = bad opening weekend Box office dropped 40% from Friday to Saturday WOM, Social Buzz, Sentiment Analysis Tracking tweets and sentiment via status updates - promote excitement on social media before it premiers Ted - Followed character before he premiered Platform Rollout -
Movies Page 6 - - - - Brokeback Mountain opened on 5 screens, but within 10 days was playing on 2000 screens Hoping for good reviews/feedback Created insider buzz Test market Paranormal Activity: No script - shot in 7 days, paid the actors 500 each - purchased by Paramount, who switched the ending and set a record for highest cost ratio Made from a $10 000 budget, but ended up producing $193M in worldwide box office Socializing Movie Marketing Via Media Convergence (360 degree IMC Campaigns) The James Bond movies have made generational Bondologists We each have our favourite Bonds, our preferred 007 women, outlaws, slick gizmos, sweet rides, command centers, and double entendres James Bond is considered the first social media movie - Presence on all social media platforms (105K followers on Twitter vs. 1.3M fans on Facebook Product placement in Skyfall Heineken - $28M SONY gadgets Honda The 007 Coke zero advertisement "unlock the 007 in you" was considered "status update worthy - 8M views "This movie costs a lot of money to make and nearly as much again to promote, so we go where we can." - Daniel Craig on product placement 360 Degree Campaigns: online is important, social media is important Online and offline advertising all works together to sell social connections [Ex] the Hunger games Social media is relationship marketing - enabling fans to organize themselves and amplification of their voices Cross-platform engagement: Tapping into all the large social platforms in different ways because each platform is unique - Gamification on Twitter: competing for opening first in your city - Posting pictures of traditional media advertising (like magazine covers) first on Pinterest - Social media for social good on Facebook engaged different donators at different levels through an engagement ladder IMC: social+traditional marketing synchronicity Perfect integration of earned, owned, and paid media Sequence and Franchises Top franchise movies: James Bond (23), Star Trek (11), Pink Panther (11), Batman (8), Harry Potter (8), Star Wars (8) When 80-90% of films fail to make money at the box office, franchise films make up the revenue and finance the production of these flops
Movies Readings Friday, December 07, 2012 3:32 AM Narrative Film Pg. 191 Movies that tell a story, with dramatic action and conflict emerging mainly from individual characters. The introduction of narrative film characterized the shift of the mass medium stage towards movies - Movies allowed an audience to engage their imaginations and suspend their disbelief Georges Méliès opened the first public movie theatre in 1896, and also recorded some of the earliest narrative films - He was one of the first directors to understand that movies didn't have to be a recording of reality; they could be artificially planned and controlled like a staged play Edwin S. Porter was the first camera man to master the technique of editing diverse shots together to tell a coherent story - He would shoot narrative scenes out of order and reassemble or edit them together to make a story. - He made America's first narrative film in 1902, the Life of an American Fireman, which contained the first close-up shot in US narrative film history - Introduced the western genre and the art of film suspense with The Great Train Robbery in 1903 Nickelodeons Pg. 192 The first small makeshift movie theaters, which were often converted cigar stores, pawnshops, or restaurants redecorated to mimic vaudeville theatres A piano player added live music and theater operators used sound effects to simulate gunshots or loud crashes The silent films that were shown made nickelodeons very popular because they transcended language barriers and could also appeal to the mass of European immigrants from the turn of the twentieth century Required a minimal investment to operate; just a secondhand projector and a large white sheet. The Rise of the Hollywood Studio System Pg. 192 Thomas Edison attempted to dominate the movie business early on by establishing the Motion Picture Patents Company, known as the Trust, in 1908. - The company pooled patents, acquired most major film distributorships, and made an exclusive deal with George Eastman, who agreed to supply movie film only to Trust-approved companies. Independent producers relocated to Hollywood to avoid the confines of the Trust's terms, who were situated in New Jersey. - Hollywood was particularly appealing because Southern California offered cheap labor, diverse scenery for outdoor shooting, and a mild climate suitable for year-round production. Hollywood became the film capital of the world Two Hungarian immigrants played a role in the collapse of Edison's Trust - Adolph Zukor (who would eventually run Paramount Pictures) found ways to bypass the Trust - William Fox (the eventual owner of Twentieth Century Fox) filed a lawsuit that resulted in the Trust's breakup for restraint of trade violations in 1917 Entrepreneurs like Zukor developed other tactics for controlling the industry with ambitious strategies that dominated the movie business at all three essential levels; production, distribution, and exhibition. Vertical Integration In media economics, the phenomenon of controlling a mass media industry at its three essential levels: production, distribution, and exhibition - The control of all levels of the movie business gave certain studios great power and eventually spawned a film industry that turned into an oligopoly an organizational structure in which a few firms control most of an industry's production and distribution resources Movies Page 7
PRODUCTION Pg. 193 Early filmmakers didn't grasp the concept of actor popularity - fans tended to make decisions about which films they would see based on whether or not their favourite actors were featured. - Film companies were reluctant to acknowledge specific actor popularity because they didn't want to have to increase salaries. Eventually, the industry came to understand how important actor's identities were to a film's success - Adolph Zukor hired a number of popular actors through exclusive contracts to the Famous Players Company in 1912 - Popularity of specific actors required producers to pay them increasingly larger salaries (Mark Pickford went from receiving a weekly salary of $5 to $15000 in seven years) Thomas Ince and his company, Triangle, constituted a new production system known as a studio system an efficient assembly-line process for moviemaking; major film studios controlled not only actors, but also directors, editors, writers, and other employees, all of whom worked under exclusive contracts Ince also developed the concept of the studio head; he appointed producers to handle hiring, logistics, and finances so that he could more easily supervise many pictures at one time. DISTRIBUTION Pg. 193 In order to make an effort to control the film distribution industry, many movie companies provided vaudevillie theaters with films and projectors on a film exchange system - in exchange for their short films, movie producers received a small percentage of the ticket revenue - Edison's Trust company would withhold equipment from companies not willing to pay the Trust's patent-use fees Independent film companies looked for other distribution strategies - Adolph Zukor developed block booking distribution To gain access to popular films, exhibitors also had to agree to rent new or marginal films with no stars. - Such contracts allowed production companies to test-market new actors without taking financial risk After World War I, the American film industry became the international leader in the movie business, dominating foreign markets. EXHIBITION Pg. 194-195 Trust refused to supply theaters with films unless they purchased a license. Eventually, the Hollywood independents were producing enough films that theater owners could resist the Trust's scheme Zukor and similar producers realized that they could influence movie exhibition by purchasing first-run theaters, which premiered new films in major downtown areas in front of the largest audiences, generating 85 to 95 percent of all film revenue In order to continue drawing middle and upper-class audiences to the theatres, studios built movie palaces fulltime single-screen movie theaters that provided a more hospitable movie-going environment - The three-thousand seat Strand Theatre opened in New York in 1914, attracting spectators with elegant décor, elaborate architecture, and air-cooling systems. Mid-city movie theatres were first built in the 1920s in convenient locations near urban mass transit stations in order to attract the business of urban and suburban middle class spectators. These were the archetypes that modern day multiplexes were modeled after Their dominance of the production, distribution and exhibition stages of the film industry cultivated the big five (paramount, MGM, Warner Brothers, Twentieth Century Fox, and RKO) and the little three (Columbia, Universal, and United Artists), who did not own their own theatres. - These eight companies formed a powerful oligopoly, which made it increasingly difficult for independent companies to make, distribute, and exhibit commercial films. The Development of the Hollywood Style Movies Page 8
Pg. 196-199 A style for storytelling emerged in Hollywood with the rise of the studio system in the 1920s. This system combined elements of distinctive Hollywood narratives, genre, and author (or director) with timing, marketing and luck to produce a dependable equation for successful movies throughout history. HOLLYWOOD NARRATIVES A narrative includes two components: 1) The story (what happens to whom) 2) The discourse (how the story is told)` A recognizable narrative structure is employed across Hollywood, as most movies feature: A number of stories that play out within the larger narrative of the entire film Recognizable character types (protagonist, antagonist, romantic Familiar narrative conventions interest, sidekick) can be made more unique A clear beginning, middle, and end (even with flashback and with contemporary inventions flash-forwards, the sequence of events is usually clear to the like CGI, 3-D, etc. viewer) Plot propelled by the main character experiencing and resolving a conflict by the end of the movie HOLLYWOOD GENRES In general, Hollywood narratives fit a genre in which conventions regarding similar characters, scenes, structures, and themes recur in combination. By making films that fall into popular genres, the movie industry provides familiar models that can be imitated It is easier to promote a film that already fits into a preexisting category with which viewers are already familiar Variations of comedy and drama have been consistently popular throughout film history A Western typically features good cowboys battling evil bad guys, or resolves tension between the natural forces of the wilderness and the civilizing influence of a town Romances present conflicts that are mediated by the ideal of love Mystery/Suspense usually casts "the city" as corrupting place that needs to be overcome by the moral courage of a heroic detective Musicals tend to disrupt the audience's expectation of film because the narrative style tends to contradict reality - Musicals have maintained popularity throughout history, but there are none included among the top fifty grossing films of all time Horror films are extremely popular with teenagers, but does not appeal to most adults - Also have yet to produce a film that ranks among the top fifty - Silence of the Lambs is the only film in this genre to win an Oscar for best picture Film Noir (French for Black Film) was most popular after WWII, but continues to influence movies today using lowlighting techniques, few daytime scenes, and black urban settings. Films in this genre explore unstable characters and the sinister side of human nature. HOLLYWOOD AUTHORS A director serves as the main author of the film, developing a particular cinematic style or an interest in particular topics that differentiates their narratives from those of other directors. [ex] Alfred Hitchcock film's are identifiable by their suspenseful drama that is achieved through recurring editing techniques and heightened tension. After the release of two breakthrough films (Dennis Hopper's Easy Rider and George Lucas's American Graffiti), directors earned the possibility to achieve celebrity status through distinct cinematic styles Recognition for women directors is rare - Kathryn Bigelow is the only woman to win an Academy Award for Best Director with her 2009 film, The Hurt Locker - Many women only achieve the opportunity of directing major films after prior success as actors (Jodie Movies Page 9
Foster, Barbra Streisand) or script writers (Nora Ephron) Minority groups, including African Americans, Asian Americans, and Native Americans, have also struggled for recognition in Hollywood. Outside the Hollywood System Pg. 201-204 GLOBAL CINEMA Hollywood tends to dominate the global movie scene, capturing up to 90% of the market. In contrast, foreign films constitute less than 2% of films seen in the United States today. Other countries are historically successful in producing short-subject and feature films - German expressionism: captures psychological moods - Soviet social realism: presenting a positive view of Soviet life - Italian neorealism: focusing on the everyday lives of Italians - European new-wave cinema: experimenting with the language of film - Post-World War II cinema Foreign language movies did reasonably well throughout the 1920s, particularly in ethnic neighborhood theatres American cinema began translating their films into selected foreign languages in order to appeal to these foreign theatres, but this ceased after the cutbacks of the Depression because many immigrants were trying to assimilate into mainstream American culture, and preferred their movies in English. Art houses emerged in the 1950s and 60s, making a statement against mainstream Hollywood theatres by showing alternative movies for academic audiences (like foreign language films) Multiplex theatre owners rejected most foreign titles because they didn't have the same promotional hype as US films. The growth of superstore video chains (like Blockbuster) and web-based stores (Netflix) expanded viewers' selection of foreign language titles India has the largest film industry, as Bollywood cinema releases approximately 1000 films per year (in comparison to the 500-600 Hollywood movies) THE DOCUMENTARY TRADITION TV news and nonfiction films trace their roots to the movie industry's interest films and newsreels of the late 1890s. Interest films compiled footage of regional wars, political leaders, industrial workers and agricultural scenes, and were screened with fiction shorts Newsreels Pioneered in France and England, newsreels consisted of weekly ten-minute magazine-style compilations of filmed news events from around the world Travelogues Recorded daily life in various communities around the world Robert Flaherty's visual study of the South Pacific islands inspired the term documentary, which Scottish film producer John Grierson used to describe the film. Documentary "the creative treatment of actuality"; a genre that interprets reality by recording real people and settings. Documentaries tend to require financial backing from industry, government, or philanthropy to cover production costs. - The Canadian National Film Board (CNFB) is a special unit that was created to sponsor documentaries. Documentaries tackle controversial or unpopular subject matter, contributing to the film industry in a way that cannot be achieved by popular Hollywood blockbusters. - Michael Moore is a famous documentary filmmaker who does not hesitate to capture controversial, political, or even somewhat offensive topics on film. Cinema verité was established with the introduction of the portable camera, because this documentary style allowed filmmakers to go where cameras could not go before and record fragments of everyday life unobtrusively. Verité film was characterized by its rough, grainy look and shaky, hand-held camera work. Robert Drew lead Drew and Associates, one of the key innovators in cinema verité Movies Page 10
INDEPENDENT FILMS Indies Independent production houses that work outside industry ogliopolies; they often produce less mainstream film. Filmmakers typically operate on extremely low budgets and premier their movies in campus auditoriums or at film festivals. Independent production houses are able to continue business because of their characteristically inexpensive production styles: - portable technology (such as video cameras) and computer editing is relatively inexpensive. - They rely on real life situations, stage-actors or non-actors, crews made up of friends and students, and nonstudio settings. Independent filmmakers rely on student audiences, art house theatres, and online DVD services like Netflix for distribution Independent film festivals have been attracting large international audiences and helping Hollywood rediscover low-cost independent films as an alternative to traditional movies since the 1990s. [ex] the Sundance Film Festival is held every January in Park City, Utah There are numerous examples of independent films that have been able to generate industry buzz and garner major distribution deals through Sundance screenings Large studios consider film festivals as ideal venues for them to discover new talent Some major studios purchase successful independent film companies (Disney's collection of Miramax) while others developed their own in-house indie divisions (Sony's Sony Picture Classics) Current economic conditions have caused the closure of many independent units, and indie producers now rely on alternative distribution models, such as Internet downloads, direct DVD sales, and on-demand screenings via cable and services like Netflix The Paramount Decision Pg. 206 The 1948 US Supreme Court decision that ended vertical integration in the film industry by forcing the studios to divest themselves of their theaters. The Paramount decision didn't succeed in disbanding the ogliopoly of the Hollywood film industry because it failed to challenge the industry's control over distribution, but it did provide opportunity for independent success in the exhibition sector beyond the domination of Hollywood - Encouraged new indoor theatre openings, the establishment of drive-ins, and the integration of art houses into society. Moving to the Suburbs Pg. 207 Many people attribute the post-wwii decline in movie theatre attendance to the introduction of the television, but it was actually more-so caused by a change in the focus of typical spending habits from due to the industry shift from armaments to appliances. Americans started cashing in their wartime savings on big purchases such as household appliances, new cars, and houses in the suburbs (which were a far commute from the downtown movie theatres) The average marrying-age dropped from 24 to 19 after the war, with most postwar couples having their first child before they turned 21. The combination of social and economic changes for these early married couples meant their were significantly fewer couples dating at the movies. Television Changes Hollywood Pg. 207-208 While radio initially offered citizens an inexpensive entertainment alternative to the movies, television displaced both as a medium of national entertainment in the 1950s. The movie industry responded by shifting their content to incorporate topics that television didn't dare to include Movies Page 11
in their programming. - Film noir was popular in the 1940s - Throughout the 1950s, commercial movies explored themes that exposed larger social problems in society, such as alcoholism, mental illness, racism, adult-teen relationships, drug abuse, and sexuality. - Since these topics overtly ignored the Motion Picture Production Code, the Motion Picture Association of America proposed the current ratings system, which rated films for age appropriateness rather than censoring all adult content. Many new film technologies debuted to lure audiences away from their television sets - Technicolour - CinemaScope, Cinerama, and VistaVision all arrived in movie theatres, featuring wide-screen images, multiple synchronized projectors, and stereophonic sound - 3D movies - Panavision became the wide-screen standard throughout the industry, because its unique film and lense combination decreased the fuzziness of images Hollywood Adapts to Home Entertainment Pg. 208 Most people prefer to watch movies from the comfort of their own home - 30% of domestic revenue for Hollywood studios comes from DVD rentals/sales and Internet downloads/streaming, whereas only 20% is accounted for by box office receipts. Hollywood originally tried to delay the arrival of the VCR in the 1970s by filing lawsuits to prohibit customers from copying movies from television, unaware that home video would eventually account for the majority of their revenue. VHS sales flatlined by 1997, but the introduction of the DVD reinvigorated the video market, as many people wanted to re-establish their movie collections in this new format. Video exhibition is currently in transition from DVD to internet video - As DVD sales declined, Hollywood endorsed the high-definition Blu-ray format to revive sales, but the format hasn't grown quickly enough to help the video store business. - Blockbuster, the largest video rental and purchase chain, filed for Bankruptcy in 2010 Home entertainment systems are now able to actively compete with the movie theatre experience because of larger screen sizes and sophisticated sound systems Home entertainment is also getting smaller with the migration of internet streaming and download capabilities to portable devices like smartphones, laptops, and tablets The Economics of the Movie Business Pg. 209 The movie business continues to thrive despite the development of network and cable television, video-on-demand, DVDs, and Internet downloads and streaming. 1 billion movie tickets sold each year Box office sales have climbed to a record $10.6 billion in 2010 Movie rentals/sales and digital streaming/downloads produced another $18.8 billion each year Production, Distribution, and Exhibition Today Pg. 209-212 The movie industry revamped its production, distribution, and exhibition strategies in order to continue to flourish, thereby consolidating its ownership. Since 80-90% of newly released movies fail to make money at the domestic box office, studios need a couple of major hits each year to offset losses on other films Producing a major studio film is extremely expensive (costing approximately $102.3 million), and offsetting these extreme costs with ticket revenue is a formidable task. Studios make money on movies from six major sources: 1) The studios earn 40% of theater box-office revenue - Movies Page 12
2) 3) 4) 5) 6) - Studios can potentially earn more by releasing 3D films, which have higher ticket prices - 25% of major studio releases in 2010 were 3D About four months after their theatrical release, DVD sales/rentals and digital downloads/streaming accounts of about 30% of domestic film income for major studios. - Redbox and Netflix have both entered similar agreements with major studios where they have agreed to wait a substantial amount of time (~28 days) before they can offer them for rent. (Hollywood studios generate larger profits from selling DVDs) Pay-per-view, video-on-demand, premium cable, network/basic cable, the syndicated TV market are the next "windows" of release for a film. Studios can early approximately 25% of their revenue from distributing films in foreign markets. Studios can make money by making deals with independent producers and filmmakers to distribute their work on a wider circulation scale than can be achieved by the indies themselves. - Many independent companies will offer major studios 30-50% of box office and video rental revenue Merchandise licensing and product placement in movies Film exhibition is currently controlled by seven major chains who collectively operate more than 50% of US screens. Most theatres are strategically placed in suburban malls and at highway crossroads, and most have expanded into international markets as well. Convergence: Movies Adjust to the Internet Age Pg. 213-214 The Internet obviously proved to be have detrimental effects on the music industry through illegal file-sharing, so in order to avoid similar hardships, the film industry has taken steps to embrace internet convergence for movie distribution. itunes provides digital downloads and rentals of selected movies Netflix streams movies and television shows to customers' computer screens and televisions Video streaming has been embraced for distribution, with companies like Hulu leading the movement. - Hulu provides clips and episodes of popular movies and TV shows (provided from its partner companies) that are ad-supported, but free for consumers to watch. Several companies have developed systems to stream or download movies onto smartphones. - Research shows that customers who engage in mobile-viewing of movies will continue to use the same company's service on other screens The movie industry has also embraced the Internet as an effective movie marketing medium, especially since it is typically less expensive than traditional advertising methods - Social media platforms are frequently used for movie promotion, particularly if the film is attempting to appeal to a younger demographic. Alternative Voices Pg. 214-215 Digital Video The production format that is replacing celluloid film and revolutionizing filmmaking because the cameras are more portable and production costs are much less expensive Low-cost digital video opens up the creative process to more independent filmmakers - Movies can be made for a fraction of what the cost would be on film - Independent filmmakers have new opportunities for the distribution of their material, as digital production puts movies in the same formats as DVDs and the Internet Digital video introduces new challenges for preserving digital content, which can be lost as storage formats fail and devices become obsolete Popular Movies and Democracy Pg. 215 Movies function as consensus narratives Cultural products that become popular and command wide attention, providing shared cultural experiences Movies Page 13
Movies Page 14 Movies Quiz Tuesday, December 11, 2012 6:31 AM 1) In commercial filmmaking, who is considered the author of a film? A. The lead actor/actress B. The executive producer C. The studio D. The screenwriter E. The director 2) Movie palaces looked beautiful on the outside, but were often very shabby on the inside. False 3) Which of the following is not one of the six major film conglomerates today? A. Warner Brothers B. United Artists C. Universal D. Columbia E. Disney 4) An oligopoly exists when a few companies control an industry. True 5) Nickelodeons were. A. turn-of-the-century theaters dedicated to screening children's films B. the first fancy downtown movie palaces, located mainly in business centers C. the original movie theaters, popular with immigrants D. large, multiple-screen movie complexes typically located near busy highways E. cheaply priced drive-in theaters 6) What is vertical integration? A. Control of the production, distribution, and exhibition of a cultural product by one company B. A system for predicting whether a film will succeed or fail at the box office C. The theory that media elites atop the social hierarchy can persuade the citizenry to act in certain ways D. The process a movie goes through from script to promotion E. A unionizing tactic in which all levels of movie production from actors and directors to camera operators and janitors are brought into a single bargaining force 7) Which of the following is not one of the original five major studios that once dominated the film business? A. MGM B. Warner Brothers C. Disney D. Paramount E. Twentieth Century Fox 8) Which of the following is a reason for the sharp decline in the number of foreign films released in cinemas between 1966 and 1990? A. Moviegoers asked their local cinemas to stop showing foreign films. B. Multiplexes felt foreign films posed too strong a threat to domestic films. C. Multiplexes didn't want to screen foreign titles because of their small profit margins. D. Foreign films are too highbrow for American audiences. E. None of the options is correct.
Movies Page 15 9) What is a typical characteristic of independent films? A. They tend to be made on a shoestring budget. B. They often need help from major studios for successful distribution. C. They often rely on real-life situations and nonstudio settings. D. They are now easier and cheaper to make because of new digital movie cameras. E. All of the options are correct. 10) In an effort to compete with television in the 1950s, the movie studios began making. A. big-budget family films B. documentaries C. X-rated adult movies D. films that dealt with such social problems as alcoholism, drug abuse, and racism E. summer blockbuster films 11) U.S. film viewing decreased during the 1950s because. A. television cornered the family market B. novelties like 3-D didn't work C. Americans chose to spend their money on refrigerators rather than movie tickets D. Americans were getting married earlier in life, which meant fewer movie dates E. All of the options are correct. 12) When a media conglomerate can use the magazines, newspapers, and television and radio stations it owns to promote a movie, this is known as. A. rapport B. megaplexing C. synergy D. multitasking E. vertical integration 13) Why have some companies developed apps to stream or download movies onto smartphones? A. Because a smartphone screen provides the ideal movie-viewing experience. B. Because customers who watch movies on their phones will likely use the same service to watch movies on computers, tablets, and televisions. C. Because this will convince more people to watch movies in theaters instead. D. Because they want to appeal to younger viewers. E. None of the options is correct. 14) Commercial U.S. films function as by providing shared cultural experiences. A. star vehicles B. cinema verité C. consensus narratives D. vertical integration E. patent pools