Film 84A
What does a story editor do within the studio or agency? Why is their job important in the development process?
Runs the entire story department, manages day-to-day smooth functioning of department, assigns story analysts to scripts submitted to the studio while checking for quality and accuracy. Prepare studio status and development reports acting as mediator between creative department and executives. Maintaining legal records important to avoid lawsuits.
Describe a few examples of Deadpool's viral marketing and their overall goal.
The goal of this campaign was to market a superhero not as recognizable outside of avid comic enthusiast, but in order to capture 4 quadrants the campaign flooded the market attempting to convince average day viewers to care about this new super hero. Thus images were profound and caused chatter (word of mouth is a big driver of movies. Gosling also pushed the movie heavy through his own social media channels. Questionable content on Instagram/Twitter where regulatory parameters don't adhere to, promoted the R aspect of the film. Self-reflective, satirical, doesn't reveal much plot.
1. What does the Sundance Creators Intensive mean for the perception of YouTube stars?
The perception of these stars are changing as the market grows for their projects, becoming more valued individuals and sources of profitable stars. Leveling the playing field for film content
In the studio hierarchy, what does a VP of Acquisitions do and why is there usually only one, compared to 2-3 VPs of Development?
The principal role of this job is acquiring films for the studio while also pursuing remakes. One and done once you find the content, however the campaign to market/distribution is more gradual segmented by certain movies/movie types
What were the two major challenges faced by the New Line marketing team with promoting Seven (1995)?
the fan base of the two lead stars did not match this dark psychological thriller (Try to reach 4 quadrant appeal) there were no precedents for strategies behind a dark psychological thriller,
Define "positioning" in the context of a film franchise. Why is positioning important? Provide an example of a specific franchise's positioning.
"Positioning" is the act of delineating a film's image/message in order to achieve a distinct and meaningful competitive identity in the mind of the targeted consumer—allowing the film to differentiate itself from the crowd. It is important because it helps tell the film's distinctive story in the language of the targeted audience. James Bond is a film that uses positioning (high-tech, playboy super spy).
1. What are some reasons that make merchandise licensing lucrative for the studios?
-A film's merchandising rights could easily generate more money than the films themselves. Merchandise can outlive a film's relevance meaning profits could be experienced for decades to come. The merchandise serves as a marketing tool to create brand awareness for a film and other cross-promotional products. Uncertainty of a film means possibility of big budget flop, can help cover the risk of high production costs.
Will an indie film made for $1 million and distributed by a studio that earns $10 million reap large profits for the producer? If not, why not?
-A movie of these profits would actually end up in the red, The Studio itself would claim half the box office profits, the marketing costs on top of distribution costs means the movie's $10 million is gone
Name three aspects of Joe Roth's Revolution Studio that made it the "gold standard" of independent production deals.
Domestic and International distribution in place, Greenlight ability, independent financing: no studio interference in creative production
What were the primary reasons that most major film studios folded or reorganized their specialty divisions in the mid-to-late 2000s?
-As indie divisions began to thrive off cross-over appeal their budgets/costs began to increase substantially, studios irritated the indie division was duplicating efforts of the core feature film division with major releases. Costs rose but not all were successful and thus these flops were dangerous and art-house studios were disbanded or forced to return to indie roots.
Name two smaller talent agencies that were victims of mergers in the 1990s.
-Bauer-Benedek, interTalent, leading Artists
1. According to Peter Bart, for most of Hollywood history, what has been the most robust source material for film franchises? Provide specific examples. How has that changed by 2010?
-Books: James Bond, Harry Potter, Jaws...Running out of content has lead to reboots of starting the franchise over and going back in time to primitive days, in hopes to start brand new franchises many studios have begun to avoid the cardinal rule of spending money on star talent rather than special effects to build their projects.
In what ways have contemporary Hollywood films like Raiders of the Lost Ark and Star Wars reconstructed conventional B genres from the old Hollywood era?
-Both serve as revitalized versions of westerns which thrived in early Hollywood, action-adventure and science fiction genre with lavish improvements and how it fits the large scale spectacular appeal of a Blockbuster. Indiana Jones is a pumped of premier of old Saturday matinee action adventures. Star Wars, used a big budget production to provide a spectacular science fiction adventure. Both combine the freedom, action, and escape sentiments with new frontier and updated details. Highlight the racist superiority complex of foreign frontiers that open opportunity to a heroic adventure of the the White man.
In the 1990s, what were the two most competitive seasons for film releases? How, if at all, has this scheduling changed since then?
-Christmas and Summer, now the marketplace is cluttered year round to avoid cannibalism/competition of the industry even slow times such April and Halloween.
Which studio mastered branding content back in the fifties and continues to cross-promote its content (especially its animated films) across multiple distribution outlets? How?
-Disney, began by aligning with ABC to cross promote his own content (previously only available theatrically), began to integrate films, TV series, Theme parks (leverage to receive funding from ABC because they were desperate for content), merchandising products. Learned to use TV to advantage when most studios treated it as competition, set up model for modern conglomerate
According to Geoff King, in what ways did Quentin Tarantino's FROM DUSK TILL DAWN reinvent a fading genre?
-Fading of Genre boundaries, relies on uncertainty of the film (genre give sense of expectations) this takes it all away, breaks rules, uses an hour of screen time only to switch to a new set of conventions,
1. What were two early examples of film-based franchising before the 1950s?
-Felix The Cat and Mickey Mouse
Name the GAFA companies, and the strengths they possess that threaten the traditional media conglomerates.
-Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon extremely large following in online streaming services, threaten the typical release of movies, producing their own successful content, overwhelming size, captivate modern audiences
What are some of the trends Joanna Robinson observes in contemporary superhero movies, and what does she predict for the future of the genre?
-Hero vs. Hero (arms race between the two rival studios), flawed heroes work better than villains, women now starting to assume strong roles in the superhero world, all studios monitor each other closely and now next trend of R rated superhero movies, there invincibility might eventually bring them down (losing interest with how many times reboots and resurrections occur)
Why do some business analysts believe the outlook for media conglomeration is more positive following the 2016 election?
-In Era of deregulatory Reganomics and relaxed anti-trust laws, mergers are expected to thrive in the tax cuts and hands off government approach will also free up more cash for businesses to use at their discretion
1. Why does Doug Creutz think Lionsgate will benefit from the big studios' franchise strategies? Include specific film examples.
-Lionsgate has not attempted to compete in the franchise arena instead deciding to produce lower-budget films that speak counter culturally to these franchises. As franchises cannibalize themselves over the same market, Lionsgate offers something new and fresh among this saturated/undiversified stream of major studio productions.
Which 1970s blockbusters were given a saturation release? Why is this significant?
-Jaws, the Godfather, this was the first time high content movies were released in high number of theatres, usually would spread slowly through a few number of theatres in major areas, flooding market meant ability for big profits up front (especially before reviews were in)
Discuss the marketing strategies employed during the release of Jaws in the 1970s. Compare/contrast it to release of Nashville. Mention at least two details for each.
-Jaws: emphasized High concept marketing strategy that focused on broad/long-lasting brand awareness. Relied heavily on strong reproducible singular images and widespread product tie-ins, played on pre-existing properties, notorious Jaws song, single title, memorable tag-line...Nashville Low Concept Marketing: Patchwork print ad that couldn't be reproduced effectively in Newspapers, the large cast was fairly unknown, taglines were ambiguous and the general campaign was vague without any excitement.
Name 4 independent producers who are former studio heads.
-Joe Roth, Peter Guber, Jon Peter, Scott Rubin
What are the strategies used by today's indie producers to fund risky projects without big names?
-Kickstarters/crowdfunding, fractionalizing international presale rights can cover up to a half a movie's budget if B List actors are used to carry the film, Gap/Bridge funding, bank loans Making the movie on a micro budget is helpful to make the cost manageable, collecting donations from investors
What are some of the major market upheavals that studio heads have faced in the past few decades? Why is the job more complicated than in the eras of Daryl Zanuck and Robert Evans?
-Less people going to theatres, more people cutting the chord on cable television, the need for aggressive marketing to get people in seats, underlying costs that erode the final take from the box office. In the studio era marketing strategy was simple and condensed, premier the movie on a holiday weekend with good stars and you were set to strike gold.
What was the significance of Bonnie & Clyde and Easy Rider on the Hollywood studio system of the late 1960s?
-Low budget films could still take the box office destroying the studio system (vs. big budget flops), changing demographic: viewers now becoming younger studios did not know how to react, scared to make a big budget flops studios began experimenting with lower budget films (that could clearly be extremely successful) -1967: Bonnie & Clyde. Worried about falling victim to Hollywood stereotyping, Warren Beatty produced and starred in this controversial film. Beatty was part of new gen of talent-turned-indie producers w/ clout vis-à-vis the studios. -1969: Easy Rider. The success of this film makes corporate-run studios realize they are out of touch with the liberal, anti-establishment sensibilities of the public
Name four of the specialty studio arthouse/genre divisions and the major film studios that owned them.
-Miramax (Disney), Focus Features (Universal), Fox Searchlight Pictures (Fox), Insurge (Paramount), Sony Picture Classics, New Line (Warner Brothers)
Describe the studio contract system of the 1930s and 1940s? Which guild was the strongest? Why? Name two other important Hollywood guilds.
-Movie moguls like Daryl Zanuck (20th Century) ruled Hollywood as an oligopoly, talent was under 7 year contracts with studios, actors & directors assigned to movies, SAG-screen actors guild (strongest), DGA- Director's guild of America, WGA- Writer's Guild of America -Stronger SAG union members assist below-the-line film workers' unions.
Describe a few types of spectacle that can be found in Hollywood films. Why does spectacle get in the way of narrative progression?
-Narrative is said to suffer at the expense of big-screen visual appeal examples can be seen with Godzilla, Star Wars, Gladiator. Narrative is a cohesive story with carefully developed character arcs. Spectacle is said to be an interruption, narrative development focus is halted for amazement/pleasure/horror (sheer sensory richness of audio-visual experience) as with Jurassic Park, Titanic Sinking, explosive action. Merchandising/product placement, narrative interrupted by intrusive presence of advertisement forced arbitrarily into the screen.
In terms of "media buys" to advertise a film, what specific type of media outlet receives the most money from a major studio's advertising budget?
-Network TV, Basic Cable, Newspaper, Spot TV
Why do indie producers like Schamus engage in the perilous task of "fractionalizing rights" or pre-selling foreign rights themselves?
-One should not base all their faith on the indie movie being a box office success, the consistent profits for an indie film emerge from preselling rights to distribute. Success is basically judged by the number of sales.
How are the "mini-majors" similar to the big six major film studios, and what is the major difference?
-Operate the exact same as Big Six film studios: finance, produce, market, and distribute their films. Still producing commercial-appeal movies that have cross-over potential to reach broad dynamics. Only difference there is no safety net from the parent company: flops will cripple the company.
1. For the indie filmmaker, what are some pros and cons of DIY theatrical distribution for an indie film?
-PRO: Filmmakers have more creative control rather than signing away power with studio deals, able to retain profits made on the film, film is guaranteed to be released, later studio deals for DVD release are still possible CON: Financial burden all on filmmaker, huge expense to exhibit in major cities, often secure only a few theatres meaning low visibility and
From the producer's perspective, what are the pros and cons of studio financing? What are the pros and cons of independent financing?
-PRO: Studio provides all money for the film, CON: Will insist on total right of approval for the film, will snag most gross profits from the box office -PRO: Full creative rights CON: Much easier to acquire money from studio, banks are stingy and dangerous if movie flops
What are some of the characteristics of the millennial demographic that factor into studio decisions about releases?
-Quick to form an opinion about a movie, rely heavily on social outlets for these opinions i.e. IMDB, Rotten Tomatoes, generally difficult to pull away from YouTube and Netflix (don't go to theaters), need to differentiate the the theatre experience (alcohol, less seating/premium seating)
According to Justin Wyatt, what historical and institutional shifts took place during the 1970s release of BILLY JACK and DIRTY HARRY that altered how Hollywood marketed its films? Name at least four.
-Reallocation of money from print ads to TV, Saturation release through well-defined region, customize marketing campaign for demographics of certain regions, and marketing designs that's enhanced viewer audience awareness (overcame failure of initial run), also leased theatres throughout broadcast areas of television spots
What does it mean when a production company has a "first look" deal with a studio? Why is this more beneficial to a producer than an "exclusive" deal?
-Right of Refusal: Studios are guaranteed option to buy movie/show first, if refused can be sold to other studios still. Exclusive deal: if studio says no, can't be sold anywhere else.
Which films did James Schamus produce and what was the name of his company?
-Specialized films designated for upscale art house theatrical releases COMPANY: Good Machine MOVIES: Wedding Banquet, Eat Drink Man Woman
How have digital talent managers evolved and what do they do today?
-Started with MCN's selling ads and brokering sponsored content, evolved in order to build lasting careers for stars who have garnered notoriety. Today help them launch businesses and establish long term strategies facilitate endorsements and make money for them.
Why are medium-budget studio films not as successful at the box office as they have been in the past?
-Studios are producing a lot less films than they used to, betting big on high-budget blockbusters to make enormous profits meant middle budget movies began to get phased out, movies that don't fit big budget mold were taken on by indie producers who don't have resources to make it middle budget (only big and small no middle)
What two entities did Peter Biskind identify as the centers of the 1980s-1990s independent film world in Down and Dirty Pictures? Briefly describe each.
-Sundance has remained an important gatekeeper for Indie filmmakers to make leap into next level of filmmaking and become recognized in the industry. Miramax evolved into an indie powerhouse thanks to its ability to find critically acclaimed indie films that also had crossover potential.
1. How did the invention of home video impact the burgeoning independent market in the late eighties with films like ROOM WITH A VIEW (1985), DIRTY DANCING (1987), and SEX, LIES and VIDEOTAPE (1989)? Name at least one of the independent distributors from the 1980s, and explain why they went bankrupt.
-The eruption of VHS meant independents now needed a plethora of content to fill their pipelines with, however it seemed only movies that thrived in the box office would do well on VHS as well. With rising negative costs, studios over-extended themselves and found it difficult to match their initial success. Vestron's initial success of Dirty Dancing was short-lived as the company's subsequent art-house and teen pics were failures that drained the bank account before their funding from Security Pacific National Bank was cut.
According to Geoff King, how does GODZILLA exemplify the Hollywood blockbuster impulse gone wrong?
-The industrialization of Hollywood, the use of movies to garner as much money as possible, pouring money into the sensation of a mediocre film (ridiculed critically) however it is unpredictable whether said expenses will be worth it, relying on a tentpole to sustain all of a company's financial burdens
1. What was notable about the bidding war and acquisition of Nate Parker's The Birth of a Nation in 2016?
-The outlandish cost of acquiring the movie. Netflix offered a reported $20 million for the film, Fox ended up acquiring it for $17.5 million, yet three years ago prior to the entrance of deep pocket spenders like Amazon and Netflix the highest priced movie sold for only $3.5 million.
What does Brent Lang mean by "windows are collapsing" in the late 2010s, and how are the studios responding to this?
-Theatrical release time of a movie is decreasing (compact down to a week) Piracy is taking over, need to satisfy the impatient millennial demographic (people want things where and when they want it), thus emergence of same day VOD and Theatrical release of movies for a higher price
What is a spec script? Even if a spec script does not get made into a film, why is having a spec script with positive coverage good for a screenwriter?
-This new writer doesn't produce this script to make money, rather a self promotion to get hired on a subsequent deal.
Why are stars using social media? What is one example of how a star has used social media to promote a project?
-Tremendous avenue to expand brand awareness globally outside traditional methods of marketing. Opportunity to build tremendous fan base with new generations becoming heavily involved with social media. Stars have transformed into their own brands to drive rating and increase box office gains. Selena Gomez has been extremely effective at posting pictures that get over 500,000 likes, interacting with fans regularly, and providing behind the scene looks at her projects, all the while trying to get more shares/likes to build her brand.
What was the 1948 Paramount Case? What other factors contributed to the decline of the Hollywood studio system in the 1950s?
-Was an anti-trust case that regulated the "Big 5" -Ended vertical integration & forced studios to sell exhibition branch, no more block booking, dismantled the star system, more freedom overall, rise of reign and independent films in Hollywood -Big movement to the suburbs (theatre attendance went down in cities, rise of the TV, with more leisure time and money people stopped "escaping" to the movies and turned to new activities.
According to Douglas Gomery, how did Lew Wasserman take advantage of the power vacuum that followed the 1948 Paramount Decree?
-Wasserman took the free roaming talent that existed after the decree broke up the star system, took their trust by setting up pseudo studios for them to shelter profits in times of high taxes. Then bought Universal to produce his TV content while still distributing indie films
Why do media companies seek to merge with (or get targeted for acquisition by) other companies? Name a specific merger from lecture, and the long-term consequences.
-Way to vertically integrate oneself, diversify one's income sources, films box office profits are only a fraction of a large conglomerate's overall profits, cross promote content more efficiently. AOL-TimeWarner, quickly fizzled out with dotcom bubble burst, long term consequence is to use caution with these large mergers, respective cultures of both sides were not fit for each other
1. What is the Star Wars Expanded Universe and how did it potentially influence The Force Awakens?
-the designation for all Star Wars content not officially produced by Lucasfilms whether it be comics, novels, or videogames...lifespan of the Star Wars movies has been relatively short however the EU spawns thousands of years providing plenty of information to use in the updated trilogy... Kylo Ren runs parallel to the EU's Jacen Solo (both the son of Han Solo and Leia), Luke runs into many problems attempting to rebuild the Jedi order, the Sun Crusher preceded the Star Killer base, Finns name is heavily recycled in EU and shares similar backstory to Han Solo,
What are the major contributions of a film studio to their parent media conglomerates?
-their content, bought old movie libraries in order to release on television, studios began to focus on movies with global appeal, increasing demand for US feature films outside the country
1. How have YouTube stars successfully distributed their films in the past?
-typically distributed through Itunes and Vimeo, the studio can then strike deals with subscription services like Netflix and Hulu, while Youtube has been purchasing its own content for its paid service.
Approximately how many projects are submitted to a studio each year? How many end up being optioned/purchased by the studio for development?
-upwards of 5000 submitted yearly, 250 recommended by readers, 25-30 purchased/optioned
What are some examples of ways Suicide Squad was promoted to take attention away from the poor reviews?
-used old-styled posters which spread awareness through an avenue where viewers weren't susceptible to seeing reviews, diverse cast appeals to broad demographics, sheer size of the marketing campaign flooded the market with awareness bigger than the weight of the reviews, pushed Harley Quinn hard merchandising her own line of products and providing publicity that spoke strongly to younger female demographics while providing ancillary revenue.
Why is having a script on the Black List good in Hollywood circles?
Highly awaited event in Hollywood, shows that the script is well liked by industry executives and proves as both a badge of honor as well as a selling tool for talent managers/agencies. Serves as bragging rights to which company is best as well as providing negotiating power in order to get movies made with studios and talent.
What are the dangers of deregulation of the agencies for actors?
Agencies will push the limits until they are told they've gone too far, could sell themselves and agents could push for lucrative franchise deals
What are the major differences between agents and managers? How does this distinction have an impact on film and television production?
Agents cannot represent talent and control production, agents are meant to procure employment for talent, managers are not licensed and therefore aren't meant to find gigs/negotiate contracts
From an independent filmmaker's perspective, why is having a social media presence important in the present day?
Having a social media presence is important for indie filmmakers in modern times because it allows storytellers to push content in very narrow fields. This means that through social media and crowd funding, filmmakers can appeal to smaller niches and still be feasible financially.
According to Justin Wyatt, "The formation of the 'major independent': Miramax, New Line & the New Hollywood," how has the meaning of "independent" evolved in today's Hollywood?
Art-house films can be commercial products as well. Wave of conglomeration has polarized the market, now independents aren't completely on their own many have received financial backing through affiliates, their content now often parallels that of major studio films and acquiring films that crossover into wider markets. Unaffiliated independents find the new marketplace extremely competitive as the major-independents contract the marketplace
Why is the Transformers franchise a good example of the changing role of international markets?
As American markets continue to lose interest in the recurring Transformers sequels, they continue to do well in the international markets. This makes it clear that the film market is becoming more and more globalized and it is extremely lucrative financially to make films that appeal to international audiences as well.
Why do AT&T and Time Warner believe a merger will be a good way to adjust to the changes of media distribution in the online era?
As more and more people cut the cord need a means of staying ahead of the curve, thus combines high speed internet and media muscle. Vertical integration allows the company to appeal to millennials and be more flexible to evolving trends
What did the presence of Netflix and Amazon at Sundance do to the nature of the festival film market?
Because deep-pocketed streaming companies like Netflix and Amazon are constantly competing with each other, the prices of films at festivals have soared in recent times. Amazon recently proposed to pay $100,000 to all American dramatic films and premiers and Sundance to gain the streaming rights for 24 months with different cash bonuses depending on the type of film.
1. What are some similarities between the production, distribution, and marketing of The Blair Witch Project (1999) and Paranormal Activity (2007)?
Both were filmed under a month with micro-budgets and unknown lead actors, both were bought and distributed by Studios: Artisan (indie) and Paramount, both were extremely successful at the box office (over $100 million), both used online marketing strategies. PA's trailer drew parallels with Blair Witch with opening titles/documentary style, both used found footage,
Name the 3 largest talent agencies, as of 2017.
CAA, WME, UTA
*What dangers do today's studios face with their franchise film strategies, according to analyst Doug Creutz?
Creutz explains that studios are making way too many franchise films "We think this narrative is looking increasingly flawed," he said. "Moreover, we think there is cause for increasing concern that the major studios are all moving towards increasingly indistinguishable strategies, as they all put more and more eggs in the franchise picture basket.
What does Geoff King mean when he says the 1989 theatrical release of BATMAN served as an expensive advertisement for its auxiliary businesses?
Despite films expensive budget box office profit represented only a fraction of possible merchandise, auxiliary revenue could gross 4 times this and because Batman had so many outlets as notable comic figure. This was a way of generating a core audience because feature films had large spawning impacts
Why did Disney shut down the Expanded Universe in 2014, and what does this mean for the Star Wars franchise going forward?
Disney shut down the Expanded Universe in 2014 because it wanted a clean slate for the directors and writers of the the upcoming Star Wars films. The Expanded Universe is considered to be a series of myths or legends that don't necessarily pertain to the actual story line. This means that Disney is able to make new spin offs as well, like Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.
According to Tino Balio, what are some of the historical factors contributing to the Hollywood studios' push to create "a major presence in all the world's markets" in the 1980s?
Economic growth in Western Europe, Pacific Rim, and Latin America. End of the Cold War (capitalism vs communism), Commercialization of state broadcasting systems.
According to Peter Bart, what is the most important element of a franchise film that sustains sequels and follow-ups? What do studios try to do when the narratives run out?
Franchise films need to have a strong central character that sustain their sequels. When the narrative runs out, studios try and take the storyline back in time ie. Batman with Batman Begins.
1. According to Brandon Katz, what are the advantages and disadvantages of franchise films?
Franchises are the last means of profitability for studios, help create money to explore experimental films like Whiplash and Birdman, provide nostalgic emotions to viewers, the system is working so why change it? -Movies have gotten dry, unimaginative, and monotonous, there is less space for auteurs to experiment when they are expected to use recycled content, not what storytelling is about (meant to be visionary and new)
What are some reasons why film projects get stuck in "development hell"?
Hollywood is complicated, internal financial issues, budgeting problems mergers/acquisitions, executive turnovers, cultural shifts (Changing societal moods), creative issues (rewrites/script problems), legal issues, other projects prioritized, issues attaching talent/directors
What aspects of Bonnie & Clyde made it significantly different from more classical Hollywood films?
Ignored taboos and explored controversial topics, served as social bell to atrocities of 1960s(JFK assassinated/Vietnam) Hollywood continues to stick to its old roots of the studio system and ignores the social values of the 1960, B&C doesn't (main characters' viewers aligned with were murder bank robbers) rise of this counter culture in opposition to US's own political system, conflict=good, returns to means of storytelling and base rules of what a film should be , criticize bourgeoisie
1. What is day-and-date release? Why are studios and exhibitors generally against day-and-date releases?
In this process movies are released online from streaming services the same day the film debuts theatrically. This strategy is believed to deteriorate the theatrical experience and chip away at box office profits leading to the collapse of the exhibition aspect of film. Leads to Dangerous Consumer expectations regarding a films VOD availability.
What are some of the difference between crowdfunding on Kickstarter vs. Indiegogo?
Kickstarter return money if the target goal is not reached, Kickstarter commission=5% indiego=4%, Indiego provides a marketing campaign consultant who will discuss content, strategies, graphics, and even set up magazine interviews
Why do advertising agencies want to get close to Hollywood?
Movies turned into an alternate route for agencies to get their messages out in a unique fashion that gave them a chance to grow
How has Netflix influenced strategies for the release of feature films? What does Ryan Waniata argue are the pros and cons of working with Netflix?
Netflix unprecedentedly released Hidden Dragon both in IMAX theaters and online - at the same time. Netflix has similar ambitions with other smaller productions. Theaters and Netflix working together can be lucrative for both parties, after all it is in each of the companies' best interests to have the films be successful in both markets. On top of that, if theaters continue to boycott Netflix like they have in the past, it would look poor on their part. Another pro of the two working together is that the competition from Netflix has caused theaters to greatly improve their amenities and make the theater experience much more pleasurable as a whole. The obvious con of working with Netflix, is that theaters will automatically lose revenue.
**How do New Line and Miramax exemplify the changes to independent film in the 1980s and 1990s?
New Line and Miramax were the two of the largest independent companies.
What are the four demographic quadrants primarily used in feature film marketing? Which quadrant would be the primary demographic for an edgy, violent horror film?
Old, Young, Male, Female. Younger male audience is typical of horror/thrillers
What two industrial reasons does Geoff King give for the rise of the "spectacular" blockbuster film compared to the previous classical Hollywood narrative?
On one hand international markets are favorably driven by the visual appeal that can apply to all audiences and not be bogged down by narrative complications that can be lost in translation. Also, highly spectacle based film emphasize the idea of branding and merchandizing in order to maximize ancillary profits. Meant to show off commercial products while narrative falls victim.....Make a big splash and create a sensation is effective for auxiliary approach of incorporating theme park rides and video games which emphasize spectacle-impact thrills. Second is the audience aspect, big Blockbusters are targeted at youth, male, and lower class audiences. Youth makes up a majority of the box office, males are attracted to the big spectacles and thus content marketed to what they find, women and upper-class individuals prefer the more thought-provoking character based narratives and thus less
In a screenplay, the first turning point (leading from act one to act two) typically occurs on what page? What should it accomplish?
Page 25-35, after set up meant to change a story direction heading into second Act. New events occur or decisions made that keep the action going. After the shock momentum is gained and focus is reestablished
In a screenplay, the second turning point (leading from act two to act three) typically occurs on what page? What should it accomplish?
Page 75-85, does everything first turning point does about facilitating the action however it accentuates the intensity of the story. The action is sped up making the third act more intense than the previous two, pushing the story to its conclusion.
What audiences does VOD distribution attempt to harness?
Parents who do not have time to go to the theater and audiences in cities usually not included in indie films' limited releases.
What is Ari Emanuel's response to claims that he overpaid in the IMG merger?
Patrick and I had a complete idea of what we thought we could create and how [IMG] fit into the pieces and where the world was going, they had to stay ahead of the curve, they got it done with their resources
What was the name of Soderbergh's production company in the early 2000s? Who was the movie star he partnered with? What was the company's competitive advantage?
Section 8 Productions, partnered with George Clooney. Lowered the financial risks of their movies by reducing overhead costs and keeping budgets as low as possible.
What is the difference between Soderbergh's "sellebrity" auteur status compared to previous definitions of the film auteur?
Sellebrity incorporates promotion, commerce, and celebrity into notions of authorship. Industrialization of society has lead to to commcerce and marketing being at the forefront of the industry, become hard to separate $ and art. Thus must analyze auteur in terms of his celebrity status as he uses his brand identity to get movie done and market himself.
What strategy have Sony Pictures Classics and Fox Searchlight pursued that allow them to have survived as specialty divisions to this day?
Sony Pictures Classics' chiefs, Tom Bernard and Michael Barker, are known for never overspending on a film. Fox Searchlight only acquires movies that it knows how to sell.
According to Justin Wyatt, how did STAR WARS impact marketing practices (specifically, via merchandising and ancillary tie-ins) during the "second wave" of conglomeration in the late 70s?
Star Wars was created with toy byproducts in mind rather than as an after-thought. Merchandising hooks are becoming primary foundation of marketing strategy, with saturation releases comes the need for high brand awareness. Creating more than a movie but a franchise, music was also important to its marketing hooks. Repeat viewers showed its impact on people.
According to Douglas Gomery, which business tycoon capitalized on cable and home video similar to how Wasserman capitalized on network TV?
Steven J Ross, created a new vertically integrated media conglomerate that combined an even deeper channel of distribution with home-video, pay tv, and cable which shifted box offits to only a ¼ of the end total of a movie's profits
From a marketing perspective, what are some tricks for successfully releasing a film on VOD?
Strategically planning the release to play off other content on its marketing hook while minimalizing competition in the industry, Investing in effective artwork that is also specific to smaller specs of VOD, using marketing drivers in an accelerated fashion that drives viewers directly to the purchasing location, Leveraging social media outlets especially because audiences who use VOD are also likely to be avid followers, on-platform product placement is key (need to be visible and accessible to viewers where they want to purchase it).
Why is it more difficult for movie studios to hire and retain top executives in the present day?
Studio executive jobs have becoming overwhelming complex in rise of conglomeration, mergers create shock and instability in the industry, rise of the internet has made distribution channels become diversified, less people at theatres makes big budget movies more important to success of the companies, yet these franchises are loss leaders need to worry about cross-promotional/merchandising to cement a studio's future
Why do studios think YouTube stars can be profitable? And additionally, why are they also hesitant to work with digital talent?
Studios believe that YouTube stars can be profitable because younger viewers would likely be willing to watch their favorite YouTube stars in a full length feature (as opposed to short clips on Vine/Snapchat/YouTube). These films would be cheap to produce and market, and studios would be able to strike deals with streaming platforms in order to distribute the films. Studios are often hesitant to work with digital talent because of the stigma that correlates social media stars with low quality productions.
Why was Heaven's Gate a significant film for Hollywood's transition into the Blockbuster era?
This New Hollywood was fueled by the uncertainty of the time period, power slowly swung back in favor of the studios, Michael Cimino abused the freedom of the renaissance, outran budget/shooting schedule for autuership meant studios needed to reign in control again, movies transformed into over blown pursuit of director's vision, presold on the director's identity Cimino's previous movie was a huge hit, transition away from low concept media, Jaws and Star Wars big budget successes because high concept that appealed to all quadrants
Why is Vin Diesel's presence on Facebook considered a leading example of leveraging social media compared to other actors or performers?
Vin Diesel is unique because his huge online brand is run entirely by himself and thus content is genuine and authentic building a higher level of commitment to his fans. Films can then combine the following of all talent into one big campaign: Fast and Furious ad released during Super Bowl and online simultaneously to build a bigger conversation on social-media platforms by reaching biggest exposure possible among viewers.
What regulatory change allowed for the creation of Revue Studios? Why was this change lucrative for Lew Wasserman?
Wasserman won the SAG waiver which allowed him to monopolize tv production. Could represent talent and produce TV shows under his Revenue Productions
If a script reader has read an undeniably terrible script, should they write completely negative or destructive criticism in a coverage report? Why or why not?
While the writing might be bad, next script could be a hit and don't want to be the analyst who passed on this writer's ability. Never burning bridges is important in Hollywood, flagging certain writers can allow an introduction to a writer and new talent possibly fit for another project.
**What is worldbuilding, and why do internet marketing teams find it successful for promoting films?
Worldbuilding is the process of creating a fictional/imaginary world for the sake of storytelling and... It
Name three specific areas beyond traditional film and television that the major talent agencies have invested in or expanded into as part of the new digital economy.
Youtube, tech economies/digital companies (AWESOMETV), Netflix, HULU, fashion, sports
By the 1990s, what were the two types of movie stars? What did the studio heads think about movie star salaries in this era?
either marketable entities or artists (or alternated between the two), studios didn't have the same leverage power as they used to and thus had to concede to high wages for salaries as price of doing business in modern day in age. (profit sharing became norm)... Today agents want SAG to grant rights to own/be owned by production companies, studios, ad agencies, to make them competitive w/ unregulated managers
