ArianaHoshino

March13,2016
EuropeanHistory
IsHollywoodDead?
ThebigHollywoodlandsignwasbuiltrightattheendofthe20swhentheindustrywas
healthyandbooming,risingfasterthananyoneexpected.Fordecades,itsymbolizedAmerican
film,whichsomemayconsideroneofAmericasgreatestaccomplishments.TheHollywood
industryisanumbrellatermforwhatarereferredtoastheBigSix:20thCenturyFox,
Disney,WarnerBros,Sony/Columbia,Universal,andMetroGoldwynMayer(Statista).These
arefilmstudiosthathavemonopoliesoveralmosteveryaspectofthefilmmakingprocess,but
mainlyproductionanddistribution.Recently,Hollywoodhasfallenintoabitofaslump.Its
notobviousnowyoucanlookathowmuchmoneyStarWarsmadeinitsopeningweekend
anditsobviousthatAdamDriverandJ.J.Abramsarentcomplainingabouttheirpaychecks.
However,thecreativeoutputoftheindustryhasbecomeunderwhelmingafterseveral
developmentsoverthelastfewdecades.

letslookaheadtowhat'sonthemenuforthisyear:fouradaptations
ofcomicbooks.Oneprequeltoanadaptationofacomicbook.One
sequeltoasequeltoamoviebasedonatoy.Onesequeltoasequeltoa
sequeltoamoviebasedonanamusementparkride.Oneprequeltoa
remake.Twosequelstocartoons.Onesequeltoacomedy.An
adaptationofachildren'sbook.AnadaptationofaSaturdaymorning

cartoon.Onesequelwitha4inthetitle.Twosequelswitha5inthe
title.Onesequelthat,ifitwereinclinedtousenumbers,wouldhaveto
havea71/2inthetitle.
MarkHarris,2011

Independentfilmencompassesacompletelydifferentpartofthefilmmakingindustry.These
aremoviesthatareproducedbysmallerstudioswithnorelationtotheBigSix,andareoften
lowbudget.However,thelowerbudgetshaveallowedindependentfilmtoexploreadifferent
worldoftopicsandappealtoanicheaudiencesincetheydonotrelyonmassiveearningsfrom
theirscreenings.Asofrightnow,itseemslikethecreativedownsidesoftheHollywoodsystem
areeventuallygoingtoleadtotheirdemise,asanartisticallycenteredindustrycannotbe
sustainedthroughpurelyfinancialmeans.However,althoughtheHollywoodsystemshowsthe
potentialforlongterm,selfcauseddegradation,therelianceoftheindependentindustryon
theirresourcesensurestheirsuccess.

Hollywoodisbynomeansdeadinfact,1980wasthemostlucrative
yearinitshistory.Butwithfewerthan70majorfilmsbeingproduced
eachyearoutofanaveragetotaloutputof160(538in1937)thereare
someseriousquestionsaboutthecreativevitalityoftheAmerican
Cinema.
Cook,638

History
TheAmericanfilmindustryhasitsrootsinCaliforniaandhititsfirstgrowthspurtinthe
1920s.Thebirthofstardom,big,fastmoney,andhoitytoityartistswasanappropriate
occurrenceforthedecadeofglam.Inthe30s,thehistoricallyprominentstudioswouldemerge
andobtainamonopolyoverthe24,000theatersintheUSA(Thompson).Therewerefive
majorstudios:MGM,RKO,Fox,WarnerBros,andParamount(Thompson).Thesefivestudios
hadamonopolyover50%oftheindustryoutput,andoftentimesabsorbedordisbanded
smallerstudioswhoprovedtobetheircompetition.Whatwasimportant,however,waswhat
wasgoingoninsideofthesestudios.Thepeoplewhoranthemwereexplorersinanewworld
ofpossibility,andwereconstantlytryingtofigureouthowtomanipulatethesystem.Oneway,
pioneeredbysuperproducersThomasInceandIrvingThalberg,involvedconstant
managementoneveryaspectoftheprocess(Thompson).Thisstrategywascalledthefactory
model,andwasconsideredstreamlinedandcleareyed,asitfocusedonbudgetand
championedorganization(Thompson).ThalbergtookoverMGMafterAdolfZuckermerged
MetroPictures,GoldwynPictures,andLouisB.MayerPicturesin1924,andhebroughthis
experiencefromUniversaltoworkupthecorporateladderandeventuallybecometheVice
Presidentofthenewcompany.Thisiswhereheputhisfilmmakingprocessintousewithmany
ofthepicturesthatwerereleasedatthattime.Eversincethen,thepointsofcontentionwiththe
actualexecutionofthefilmlieinthefinances.Filmsareveryexpensivetoproducewell,and
becauseofthis,manyfilmshavetojumpthroughaseriesofhoopsinordertojustbegreenlit.

Thepicturebusinessisdifferenttoday.Wenowreadscriptsandask,in
additiontowhetheritsgoodornot,Canitsell?Coulditbedoneon
TV?
JenningsLang,Producer(1970s)

Inthe50s,therewasashifttowardsindependentfilmmaking.Someconsiderthis
momenttheendoftheHollywoodera,asthestudioeragavewaytoanemphasison
independentfilmmaking(Thompson).Afterthestudiosrealizedthepotentialthatthese
independentstudioswerehaving,theyquicklyhoppedonthebandwagon,leadingintothe
HollywoodRenaissanceofthe60sand70s.Newideasflowedin,alongwithgenre
revisionismandarekindlingofinterestintheartisticpossibilitiesofthecinema
(Thompson).Newtechnologywasbeingcalledforassciencefictiongrewinpopularity,and
Hollywooddelivered.Spaceexplorationfilmsweremadeasaresponsetoagrowinginterestin
thesubject,andthe50seventuallybecameknownastheGoldenAgeinScienceFiction
Films(Dirks).Thisisnttosaythatthesefilmswereallthatgreattheearlyspaceexploration
filmshadcornydialogue,poorscreenplays,badacting,andamateurishproductionvalues
(Dirks).Butpeoplewhowereinterestedinspaceexplorationdidnotwatchthesefilmsforthe
artisticmaturity,butratherforthepossibilitytoexpandtheirpointofviewandlettheir
imaginationsroam.Peopleabsolutelylovedthesemoviesbecauseoftheworldthatthey
opened,andsomearguethatitwasthesemoviesthatinspiredthespaceexplorationofthelate
60sthatlandedAmericanastronautsonthemoon.Firstcamethemoviessolelyaboutspace
travel:RocketshipXM(1950),DestinationMoon(1950),andFlighttoMars(1951)(Dirks).

DestinationMoonwasrevolutionaryinthatitwasthefirstmovietorealisticallydepictspace
suits,rocketships,andthelunarsurface(Dirks).Itwasntlongbeforeotherkindsofmovies
aboutspacebecamepopularalieninvasionswereworkedintoTVshows,suchastheTwilight
Zone.However,thefundingwasplacedintoHollywoodproductions,suchasTheDaythe
EarthStoodStill(1951),WhenWorldsCollide(1951),ItCamefromOuterSpace(1953),and
ThisIslandEarth(1955)(Dirks).Becauseoftheirhigherbudgets,thesemoviesrendered
realisticandentertainingsituationsthatintriguedviewers.TheIndependentstudiosthat
attemptedthesamekindsofmoviesdidnotmeetasmuchsuccessbecauseoftheirfinancial
restrictions.
SellingaFewDecadesAgo
Themethodstosellthesefilmswereevolvingroadshowscameaboutaroundthistime,
whichwerelucrativewaystosellfilmstoanaudiencebyprovidingacomprehensive
experienceratherthanavisittothemovietheater.Theyinvolvedanintermission,souvenirs,
andexclusivity,asticketswereonlysoldonareservationbasis.Manyfamousfilmsfromthis
timewerebornoutofroadshows,suchasWestSideStory(1961),ElCid(1961),HowtheWest
WasWon(1963),andLawrenceofArabia(1962)(Raynertson,512).TheSoundofMusic
(1965)wasarguablythemostfamousroadshowfilm,travelingto266theatersandrunningas
longas20monthsinsomeareas(Raynertson512).WithThalbergsfactorymodelof
filmmaking,thenecessarystepswereputintoplacetotransformtheindustryintoa
commerciallycenteredentity,butitwasinthe60sthatitbecameareality.
Inthe70s,manyunprecedentedthingshappened.Hollywoodwentthroughasortof
Renaissanceduetothenewfilmeducationprograms.Theeducatedyoungdirectorshadthe

knowledgeofdirectorsbeforethem,andcouldthereforemanipulatetheirtalentstocreatethe
mostentertainingfilmpossible.Thefilmsthatwerebeingproducedfollowedtheformulaic
modelthatwasrisinginpopularity:ArthurHillersLoveStoryandGeorgeSeatonsAirportare
twoexamplesofthisphenomenon(Cook635).The70smarkedwhatsomeconsiderthe
beginningofthebigbudget,massappealfeaturethathascharacterizedbasicallyallof
Hollywoodfilmtoday(Cook635).
Hollywoodworksonsupplyanddemand,whichdictateswhatkindsofmoviesand
whichmoviesaregreenlit.TheAmericanaudienceisverydemanding,andtheindustrymust
shapeitselftofitthosedemands.InhisbookTheNewHollywood,Madsenclaimsthatan
industryclimbingtowards$3BillioninannualworldwideearningsandAmericas
multinationalfilmcompaniestakeinonethirdofthatdoesntliedownbutadaptsitself
(Madsen6).
TheIndependentFilm
FilmfestivalschampionIndependentfilmsfortheirinnovativetechniquesandartistic
maturity.However,itisstillextremelydifficultfortheseIndependentfilmstonotonlyfind
funding,butalsotoputthatfundingtowardsamarketingordistributioncompany.TheBigSix
haveamonopolyoverthedistributionmarket,andunlessafilmisseenbyoneoftheselarger
distributorsatafestival,itisveryunlikelythatthefilmwillgenerateanyrevenueorspreadto
itsintendedaudienceatall.Andforgetinternationalmarketingitcostssomuchmoneyto
placeafilmintheaters,muchlessoverseas,thattheseIndependentfilmsrarelymakeitoutof
theirstates,orevenhometowns.

Thecreativeleewaythatalowbudgetfilmcanpossessisunparalleledbybigbudget
filmmaking.Forthisreason,Independentsoftenhavesuccessincriticalenvironmentsandare
renownedfortheirexploratorynature,butarefinanciallyrestrictedinthecreativeprocess.
Success
Itisimportanttodefinesuccessbeforeusingthetermsparingly,andthecomplications
lieinthefactthatthetwoindustries,HollywoodandIndependent,definesuccessindifferent
ways.Itistruethattheprofitabilityisimportant,butsoistheemphasisontellingan
emotionallyandartisticallyadvancedstory.Findingtheperfectbalanceofthesetwo
componentshasrarelybeendone,butwhenexecutedcorrectly,someofthegreatestfilmsofall
timearemade.However,itisalsoimportanttokeepinmindthatfilmmakingis,initsvery
essence,storytelling.Differentapproachesandtechniquescanbeusedtoexecutethefilm,and
bothindustrieshavetheiradvantagesanddisadvantageswhenitcomestoproduction.
Hollywoodhasaveryuniqueapproachtosuccessinthefilmmakingprocess.Some
filmmakersandcriticshaveagreatdisdainforthecurrentstateoftheindustrybecauseofit
thedevelopmentwhichtookplaceinthe30swithThalbergsfactorymodelhasspiraledoutof
controlinsomerespects,causingthequalityofmoviestodecreasewhiletheprofitsincrease.
Thesystematicstoryformulathathasbeenusedandusedagainhasgrownoldandviewers
havegrownwearyofit,whichiswhyHollywoodmarketershavedoneagreatjobfiguringout
whatelsetheycandotosell,sell,sell.
Mostofthemostfamousfilmsfromthe70sand80sdemonstratethisphenomenon.
StevenSpielberg'sJaws(1975)andCloseEncountersofaThirdKind(1977),alongwith
GeorgeLucassStarWars(1977)followaformulathathasbeenprovensuccessful,allwhile

tyinginsomeunprecedentedaspectwhichcausedtheirsuccess(Cook638).Themanipulation
ofaudienceperception,lackofroomforspeculation,anddeliberatelyplannedexperiencefor
allviewersarecommonaspectsoftheserenownedfilms.BriandePalma,creatorofSisters
(1973),Obsession(1975),andCarrie(1976)admitstotreatingfilmmakingasbuildinga
machine(Cook639).
Anotherwaytomakeaguaranteedfinancialsuccessofafilmistobaseitoffofanother
successfulventure.Themostcommonexampleofthisarethecomicbookmoviesthatare
beingreleasedeveryyear,andarealwayshugehits.Theaudienceforthesemoviesalready
existtheyarethecomicbookreaderswhodesperatelywanttoseethemovieversionofawork
theyalreadylove.Therealsoistheriskofdisappointmentwhenexpectationsarenotmet.
JamesSchamus,CEOofFocusFeatures,hasfamouslyquoted,Fearhasdescended,and
nobodyinHollywoodwantstobethepersonwhogreenlitamoviethatnotonlycrashesbut
aboutwhichyoucantprotectyourselfbysaying,Butatleastitwasbasedoffacomicbook!
(Harris).
Thesecomicbookmovies,althoughusuallyclumpedintotheHollywoodbandwagon,
donotallexhibitthequalitiesthatfinanciallydrivenfilmsoftendo.Marvelfilmsarethemain
exception,becausewhenDisneyboughtthefranchise,theykeptthedirectorsfromthe
independentstudioswhogavethecharacterstheiruniqueandlovablequalities.However,itis
easytolookattheDCmoviesincontrast,andhowtheircharactersdonotpossessthesame
qualitiesthatmaketheMarvelcharacterssofamous.Forexample,therecentlyreleased
BatmanVSupermanwasexpectedtobeahitbecauseofthepopularcontentandpromising
cast.Mostoftheviewers,whoweregreatsupportersoftheDCfranchiseandwereveryexcited

aboutthefilm,enjoyedseeingtheircomicbookfavoriteonthebigscreen.However,thecritics
thoughtotherwise.OnecriticfromtheSouthChinaMorningPostdescribedthemovieas
shockinglyjoylessandoverlong,withthetwoiconiccrimefighterspresentedasangry,cranky,
easilymanipulatedmenintights(RottenTomatoes).However,aswithanygeneralization,
thereareexceptions.SomeconsiderChristopherNolansTheDarkKnightoneofthebest
moviesmade,andisoftenratedhighly.
Itisbecauseoftheseoriginallyindependentdirectorstheonesthatarewillingtotake
theriskandcreatecharacterswithdepth,hopingthattheaudiencerespondswellthatthese
movieshavebecomesosuccessful.Thisisoftenthecasewithindependentfilmitcaneither
beacompleteflop,orawildsuccess.InMarvelscase,thepositivequalitiesofindependent
film(originality,uniqueness)arecombinedwiththepositivequalitiesofHollywoodfilm(large
productionvalue,adequatefunding),andtheresultisoneofthemostsuccessfulmovie
franchisesoftheindustry.

SellingintheModernAge
Theaimingofcertainfilmstoaspecificaudiencegavewaytotheratingsystemin
1968.Whentheindustrystartedfocusingonchildrenasatargetaudience,thepreviouslyused
HayesCodewasreplaced(filmratings.com).TheHayesCodealloweddistributorsto
determinehowappropriateamoviewasbasedonsetmoralstandards,wheretheMPAA
(MotionPictureAssociationofAmerica)ratingswerebasedonhowappropriatethemovies
wereingeneral(filmratings.com).Therewasaheavyemphasisoneducatingtheparentsof

childrenonwhymoviesdeservedcertainratings,andwitheachratingcamealistofreasons
whytheratingwasgiveninthefirstplace.

(filmratings.com)
Becauseofthisnewlyinventedratingsystem,thestudioswereabletomoreclosely
monitortheattendanceandtargetaudiencefortheirfilms.Itsetthestageforanother
developmentinfilmmakingthatwouldtakeplaceafewdecadeslater:specificationofthe
targetaudience.
Fromteamsofanalyststomarketingprofessionals,itseemslikethereisacommon
patterninthemoviesbeingreleased,andthosehighlyanticipatedbythepublic.Themost
lucrativefilmsaretheonessoldtoveryspecificgroupsofpeople,andentailsimilarthemesin
theprocess:menundertheageof25andfastpacedactionmovieswithcarsandexplosions,
childrenandanimatedfeelgoodmovieswithcripplingemotionimpacts(evenforadults,

sometimes),sappyromanticcomediesforwomenbetweentheagesof25and60.Allofthese
filmshavesomethingincommon:theyaremeticulouslycalculatedforeffect.

Thehighlyspecializedtraininghasproducedagenerationofyoung
americanfilmmakerswhosevisualandtechnicalsophisticationis
immensebutwhosefilmsaresometimessopainstakinglycalculatedfor
effectastolackspontaneity.
Cook,638

Study
Question:Pickyourtopthreefavoritesfromthislist.

Results
Theresultsshowthatthetechniqueoftargetingaspecificaudienceforfilmsinorderto
maximizeprofithasworked.Thereareseveralexceptions,whicharewarrantedbythe
encouragementtobeindividualinthecommunitywhichthissurveywasheld.Thestudentsof
WoodlawnSchooldonotrepresenttheamericanpublicbecauseoftheschoolwidementality
thatitisokaytolikewhatyoulikenomatterwhoitistargetedtowards.Thereisalsoa
growingskepticismfromyoungerpopulationsinthequalityofmedia.Thegoalsof
advertisementsandmoviesnolongertrickAmerica'syouthbecauseoftheirconstantexposure
toitfrombirth,andhavesincegrowndesensitized.Ifthissurveywereconductedonalarger
groupofpeoplefromallbackgrounds,theresultswouldbemoreaccurate.However,thedata
arestillsuggestiveofasuccessfulHollywoodstrategy.
Thefollowingisareiterationofthedataabovewithslightlyhigherdetail.Whatwas
notincludedinthegraphswasthegenderoftheparticipant,whichiscrucialtothestudy.
MeanGirls(2004)
17/40femalesbetween13and40(43%)
0/6femalesbetween40and60(0%)
0/20malesbetween13to60(0%)
Titanic(1997)
10/47femalesbetween13and60(22%)
0/20malesbetween13and60(0%)
LegallyBlonde(2001)
11/47femalesbetween13and60(23%)

1/20malesbetween13and60(5%)
Avengers(2012)(Marvel)
7/47girlsbetween13and60(15%)
4/20malesbetween13and60(20%)
DieHard(1995)/FastandFurious(20012015)
3/47girlsbetween13and60(6%)
4/20malebetween13and60(20%)
ForrestGump(1994)
16/47girlsbetween13and60(34%)
3/20boysbetween13and60(15%)
StarWars(19772015)
5/47girlsbetween13and60(11%)
9/20boysbetween13and60(45%)

Thesemovieswerechosentobeevaluatedbecausetheyreceivedthehighestnumberof
votesandperfectlydemonstratethespecializationtechnique.MeanGirls(2004),Titanic
(1997),andLegallyBlonde(2001)areallmoviesgearedtowardsafemaleaudience.Avengers
(2012),DieHard(1995)/FastandFurious(20012015),andStarWars(19772015)wereall
meanttoappealtoamaleaudience.However,movieslikeStarWarsandAvengershave
appealedtobothgenders,despitethecreativeelementsusuallyusedformales.ForrestGump
(1994)wasincludedbecauseitdoesnotappealtoeithergender.Thisindependentfilm
demonstratestheingenuityandcreativitythatwellmadeindependentsareknownfor,andhas

clearlybenefittedthesuccessofthefilm.Despitetheothercategory,ForrestGumpwasthe
mostchosenfilmforthefavoritefilmquestionwiththevoteof20/69(29%)total
participants.

Thestudiossay,Well,nooneelseiscomingtomoviesreliablythese
daysexceptforyoungmales,sowellmakeoutmoviesforthemandyet
ifyoumakemoviessimplyforyoungmales,nobodyelseisgoingtowant
togo.SoHollywoodhasbecomelikeLogansRun:Youturn30,andthey
killyou.
VinceGilligan,Creator,HeadWriter,Producer,Director(BreakingBad)

Stars
AnotherlucrativeandpromisingwaytosellaHollywoodmovieistoselltheactorsthat
areinit.Somemoviesbanktheirentiresuccessnotonacaptivatingtrailer,oramustsee
plotline,butonthemultitudeofcelebritiesthatareinthefilm.Afteryearsofforced
conditioningonthepartsofmarketers,mostyoungaudiencesarenolongertrickedinto
thinkingthatamovieisjustitslineup.But,theconstructionoftheHollywoodstarwasan
interestingandimportantdevelopmentinearlyHollywood,andcontinuestohaveprominence.
TheHollywoodstarisacombinationofarecognizableface,auniqueandcarefully
craftedpersona,andacollectionofwellknownfilmsundertheirbelt.IrvingThalberg
(rememberhim?)wasthefirsttocreatehisstarsunderMGM,whicheventuallyearnedthe
giantstudiothetitleTheHomeoftheStars(Dirks).ThehitmovieGrandHotel(1932)was

oneofthefirsttorevolvearoundtheactorsinit,starringGretaGarbo,JoanCrawford,Wallace
Beery,andLionelBarrymore(Dirks).Theseactorswereallhighlypaidand,afterthereleaseof
thefilm,highlyregardedintheindustry.TheyeventuallybecamethefacesofHollywood,
alongwiththelongfamousJudyGarland,KatharineHepburn,andJamesStewart(Dirks).
Mostoftheseearlystarshadcarefullycraftedimageswhichreflectedasortofpersonal
andoccupationperfection.Theyhadperfectskin,perfecthair,perfecthusbandsorwives,and
overallperfectlives.Inmanyways,theHollywoodsystemwasabletocontrolwhatthepublic
wantedandhowthepubliclivedthroughthemanipulationofthesestarsaftertheycreatedan
environmentwherethestarswerealmostGodlike.However,therewasbacklashagainstthe
producers,marketingdirectors,andagentswhoshapedtheseimagesbytheveryactorsthat
theywerecreating.JudyGarlandopenlycreditedherhiddenpersonalproblemstothe
Hollywoodsystem(Stam,596).PaulRobesongaveupfilmmakingtofocusonhismusical
careerduetothepressuresoftheindustry.JudyGarlandspokepubliclyaboutherexperienceat
MGM.MarilynMonroefoughtforbetterpartsandtreatmentonset(Stam,596).
Eventhoughtheirvoiceswereheard,notmuchchangedfortheseactors.The
starmakingprocesswastoolucrative,tooingrainedintheHollywoodindustryitself,todie.
Thehairstylists,designers,dieticians,photographers,promoters,pressreleaseorganizers,fan
clubleaders,andwriterswhohelpcreatethesestarswouldlosetheirjobsifthestarindustry
collapsed(Stam,596).Aslongasthereisanaudienceforthesemovies,therewillbethe
pressurefortheactorstoappealtotheirwants.
Thesestarsembodyacharacterwithitsownsetofcomplexities.Oncethepublicis
familiarwiththisusuallysmallsetofcomplexities,theyfeelagreaterconnectiontothestaras

theycanrelatetotheirunique,individualquirks,butwhattheyfailtorealizeisthatthese
quirksarereflectionsofthemselves.Thisisthepartofthestarmakingprocessthatallowsfor
variation,inflection,andcontradiction,andiscompletelyoutofthestudiosgrasp(Stam,
595).
Thisbeingsaid,notallofthecelebritymakingprocessisharmfultowardsthe
individuals.Itslucrativeandfulfilling,andmostactorshavepositiveexperiencesintheir
careers.JuneAllyson,astarfromthe30sand40s,likedthejobsecurityofstudios,aswellas
thepayandworkingconditions(Stam,597).Andthepersonatthecenterofthestarwill
almostalwaysshinethroughtheirconstructedimagetherearecertainthingsthatcannotand
willnotbechanged.Theircomplexitiesaspeople,althoughmasked,arenothiddenforever.

Technology
Understandably,technologyhasalwaysbeenanintegralpartofthefilmmakingprocess.
Aneffectivemarketingstrategyforfilmdistributionistheuseofuniquetechnological
approaches,andhasbeensincetheadventofthefilmindustry.Oneofthemostinfluential
inventionsoftheearly20thcenturywassoundinfilm:aseeminglysimpleyetverycomplex
innovation.
ThestudiothatchampionedsoundinfilmwasWarnerBros(Thompson).Thereleaseof
thefirsttalkiecalledTheJazzSingerin1927broughthugefinancialsuccessandpopularity
tothestudio.Thereevenwasawildlypopularpublicityschemewhichaccompaniedtheir
invention:Youaintheardnothinyet!(Thompson).

However,soundaccompanimenttofilmwasnotanovelidea.Musicalaccompaniment,
narration,andmusicalscoreswerealreadyusedinfilms(Thompson).Thepopularitythat
WarnerBrosexperiencedwasaresultofhighlyeffectiveadvertisingandtherighttiming.

(19left)
(20right)

Thenextimportanteventinfilmtechnologywastechnicolor,orcolorinfilm.Theresponseto
technicolorwasdifferenttothatofsounditwasamixofconfusion,wonder,anddoubt.

Technicolorwasforcedtoadvertiseitscolorprocessas
naturalistic(Whatifarainbowhadalwaysbeenblackand
white?)inordertocontroltheaudienceresponsetocolor.
Thompson

Today,thetechnologyusedinfilmhaschangeddramatically.Somestilltrytoholdon
tooldtechnology,suchasfilmrecordingandanalogsoundmixing,inordertopreservea
qualitythatislostwithmoderndigitalmethods.Asanhomagetomoviemakinginthe60s,
TarantinorecentlyreleasedTheHatefulEight(2015)on70mmandinaroadshowfashion,with
anoverture,intermission,andpamphlets.Afterlookingattheanaloganddigitalaudiowaves,
itiscleartoseethattheanalogwaveismorepureandproducesabettersoundquality.

(21)

Therearemanytributestotheseolderformsofrecording,butitisclearthattheindustryis
focusingmoreondigital.Itisnotonlycheaper,butlesstimeconsumingandmorecompatiblewithother
formsofmedia.Forexample,amoviecanbeshotonfilmandreleasedthiswayinatheater,butthis
filmwillhavetobereconvertedtodigitalinordertobeshownthroughYouTubeorNetflix.This
movementtowardsdigitalhasalsoallowedsmallerindiestudiostoimprovethequalityoftheiroutput,
asthedifferencesinHollywoodandIndependentsoftwareandequipmentbecomesmallerandsmaller.
RecentlyreleasedHail,Caeser(2016)andboxofficehitDeadpool(2016)werebotheditedonPremiere
Pro,anincredibleaffordableyetadvancededitingplatform(Nedomansk).Infact,theAdobeproducts,
whichrangeinpricefrom$600to$1,200,aregrowinginpopularityforthisreason(Adobe,8).Plus,the
outletswhichallowthesesmallerfilmstobeseenbythepublic(Netflix,Amazon,Youtube)have
replacedbigdistributorsforthefilmsthatdonthavehugebudgets.

ThisthirdrevolutioninelectronicsthefirsttwowereinradioandTVwill
dramaticallytransformculturalhabitsand,financially,demassifymass
communications,andindoingsoproducenewrules,newwinners,andnew
losers.
Madsen,3(1970)

Theseadvancesintechnologyalmostpromiseaclearandprosperousfutureforindie
filmsifsuccessisdefinedbyjusttheamountofpeoplewhoseeafilmandthequalityofthe

storytold,thencertainmediaoutletshaveprovidedaplatformwhereinstantandspontaneous
successismorepossible.However,theHollywoodindustriesareabletoaffordtousetheolder
methodsoffilmmaking,whichsomeconsiderhigherquality.Thereisadirectcorrelation
betweenthetechnologyavailable,notonlytoproducebuttodistributeafilmaswell,andthe
amountoffilmsthattheaverageJoecouldmakeanddoesmake.

DistributionandCheapOutlets(Netflix)
Filmsarentseenunlesstheyaredistributed.Thefilmsseenreleasedintheatershave
hadalmost40%oftheirbudgetsdedicatedtotrailersandthosetheaterreleases.Eachmovie
mayspend$4050millionondistribution,andinthesummerof2009,over$1billionwereput
intothedistributionindustry(Harris).Thehighcostsofdistributionmakeitverydifficultfor
independentfilmstomakeitontothebigscreens,andthefactthatthepricesarerisingdoesnt
either.ManyofthefamousindependentfilmshaveturnedtotheBigSix,whichhavea
monopolyoverthedistributionindustry,inordertogettheirfilmseen.Thisiswhymany
movieshavethenameoneofthesebigstudiosParamount,Universal,MGMplasteredallover
them,eventhoughtheywereinitiallyproducedbymoreobscurestudiosorindividuals.
However,thiswasntalwaysthecase.
Beforethe1970s,distributionpriceswerenotahinderancetothecreativeprocess.Inthe
1970s,totalproductionpricesinflated178%,andby1977,theaveragecosttomakeafilmwas
$7.5millionfrom$1.5millionin1960(Cook635).Someofthemostexpensivefilmsever
madeuptothe70swereFordCoppolasApocalypseNow(1979)whichcost$40millionand
RobertWisesStarTrek(1979)whichcost$42million(Cook636).Thismayhavebeen

becauseoftherecessioninthe1970s,whichcounterintuitivelyspikedmovietheater
attendance,andthereforecreatedmoreofademandforreleases(Madsen2).Thisdemand
wouldhavebeentakenadvantageof,andchangedthenatureoffilmreleases.Afterthis,the
financialrisksofproductionweresubstantiallymultiplied(Cook636).

Thiscausedatrendtowardtheproductionoffewerandfewerfilmswith
everyyearthatpassed,plusasteadyincreaseintheamountspenton
advertisingandmarketingcampaignsdesignedtoensurethefilmssuccess
(oftenrisingashighastwicetheproductioncost).
Cook,636

Theriseinpopularityofonlinestreamingservicesisntnews.Netflix,Amazon,Hulu,and
manyotherstreamingoutletsareenjoyingsuccessinoriginalTVshowsandmovies.These
streamingoutletsprovidecheaperandmoreaccessiblealternativestoconventionaldistribution.
Althoughitiskeyforahitmovietobereleasedintheaters,theseoutletsallowsmallerfilmsto
getalittlebitofafanbase.Thefactthattheyaregrowinginpopularityisgreatforthese
smallerstudios,becausetheviewershavesomuchaccesstotheirwork.Also,thereisadeeper
psychologicalimpactofhavingthesemoviesaccessibleonNetflixorAmazon,aspeople
becomemoreopentowatchinganindependentfilmthattheymayhaveneverheardofbefore.

ThisisprovenintheresultsofastudyperformedonthestudentsofWoodlawnSchoolin
December,2015.

Conclusion
Thecharacteristicsoftheindustriesthatarecoveredheredonotapplytoallmovies.
NotallHollywoodfilmsarecalculated,shallow,meaninglessprojectsrunbycashhungry
investors.NotallIndependentsarebeautiful,creative,underratedmastermindpiecesofart.
However,bothindustrieshavetheirvices,andtoavoidthemwouldmeanlosingwhatmakes
eachsodistinctive.TheAmericanHollywoodsystemisstrongandinfluential,butthatis
becausetheyaresodominating.Thebeautyintheindependentfilmindustryisinthefactthat
filmscanbeopentospeculationorcontroversy,buttheymighthavelessexposurethanthe
massmarketedfilm.Thequalitiesthatmakeeachindustryuniquemakethembothdesirable
andundesirable,successfulandunsuccessful.Andthereisntonefixallsolution.Butwecan
alltakestepstochangeourperceptionsoffilmsattheboxofficeoratundergroundfilm

festivals,anderasestigmasthatwemayassociatedwitheitherofthese.Itisimportantto
realizethevalueinallfilms,andtheworkthateachpersononsetputintomakesurethatfilm
couldbeseen.Toallthosepeople,Hollywoodisntdeaditsgivingthemajobandallowing
themtodowhattheylove.However,thetrendsshowthatitistimefortheBigSixtotakesteps
towardsamorecreativelyviableroadfortheexecutivestogivethoseriskymoviesachance,
andfindawaytoputthemonthebigscreen.

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