WCC COMM 101 chapter #6-FILM LUTHER

1. Chapter 6
FILM

2. A SHORT HISTORY OF FILM
•In the “Golden Age of Hollywood”,
Movie Studios owned stables of
stars, writers, and producers to
make the movies, and the theaters
to show them in – they churned the
movies out like a factory churns out
“product”. But this factory system
would soon fall apart…
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3. A SHORT HISTORY OF FILM
•Studios lost control as stars, writers, and
producers fought for the right to be independent
and movie theaters became independent after
antitrust suits were brought against the major
studios because they held a monopoly over the
entire film industry.
•Now production companies are often assembled
for a particular film and then dissolved
afterwards. There are no stars or directors under
long-term contracts to be automatically used for
ongoing productions. Today, people are
especially selected for each film.
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4. A SHORT HISTORY OF FILM
•When Television came along, Movies were
forced to compete and adapt:
•Tried to make movies “special” and
different than Television
•Made movies that featured content and
themes you couldn’t see on Television
•Sold old movies to Television
•Realized that Home Video was an
effective way to advertise their
theatrical releases
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5. IN-CLASS MEDIA PRESENTATION
•THE RISE (AND FALL) OF HOLLYWOOD
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6. MOVIES CREATING REALITY
•Unlike other kinds of mass
media, Movies have proven
to be very powerful in terms
or physical reactions in
their audiences…talking
about “creating reality”,
right?!
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7. MOVIES CREATING REALITY
• THE HOBBIT used a new 48-
frames-per-second format
which had quite an effect of
some audiences. Traditionally,
films have been shot and
projected in 24 frames per
second. With The Hobbit films,
Peter Jackson moved to 48
frames per second, which
apparently looks more like the
digital video shot for ESPN and
daytime television than what
we're used to seeing in a feature
film. 6-7

8. MOVIES CREATING REALITY
• The new format caused
some viewers to experience
vertigo and disorientation—
a phenomenon called
“movie hurl”. This tactic
was supposed to make the
3D feel smoother, but some
attendees at the world
premiere in New Zealand
said they just felt sick.
6-8

9. MOVIES CREATING REALITY
• 127 HOURS is the true story
about a man who was
trapped after a fall and
survived by cutting his arm
off with a pair of pliers.
Paramedics were called to
the actual film premieres in
the United Kingdom and the
United States, and there's a
timeline online of all the
faintings and worse at
showings of the flick. 6-9

10. MOVIES CREATING REALITY
• How many films can claim
that a viewer actually, if
allegedly, died as a result of
seeing it? AVATAR can. A
Taiwanese man started to
feel unwell during a
screening and was taken to
a hospital. Doctors claimed
that a man’s brain began
hemorrhaging as a result of
the excitement caused from
watching the film.
6-10

11. MOVIES CREATING REALITY
• The New York Times
reported upon the
opening of William
Friedkin's THE EXORCIST, in
1973 people not only lined
up for several blocks but
also vomited (or fainted,
or just left the theater) en
masse at some of the
goings-on when little
Regan became possessed
by the devil. 6-11

12. MOVIES CREATING REALITY
• In THE PASSION OF THE
CHRIST, the horrific scenes
of torture depicted in Mel
Gibson’s biblical epic
freaked out viewers
enough that at least two
people reportedly died
from heart attacks at
screenings: a Brazilian
pastor and a woman from
Kansas.
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13. MOVIES CREATING REALITY
• One of the most famous early
American films, THE GREAT
TRAIN ROBBERY, used a
variety of novel film
techniques that inspired
filmmakers. The most famous
shot, however, was the final
one, when the outlaw leader
"shoots" directly at the
camera. To many, the outlaw
was shooting directly at
them. Panic ensued, with
bouts of fainting and other
afflictions reported. 6-13

14. MOVIES CREATING REALITY
• The birth scene in the
sparkly vampire flick
reportedly caused at least
nine people to begin
convulsing, according to
CBS, because of the
intense flashes of red and
white light projected on
screen.
6-14

15. MOVIES CREATING REALITY
• PSYCHO caused a huge
rash of ablutophobia, the
fear of bathing, or more
specifically, showering. In
fact, Janet Leigh, star of
that very famous shower
scene, feared exactly that
right up to her death.
6-15

16. Movies hold a very special place in
our culture…
•We talk of Hollywood as the “dream
factory,” the makers of “movie
magic.” We want our lives and
loves to be “just like in the
movies.” The movies are “larger
than life,” and movie stars are
typically perceived as being much
more glamorous than
television/other media stars.
6-16

17. STUDY FOCUS QUESTIONS
•Why do you think movies have
such an important place in
American culture? What makes
them so special and different
from other types of media?
•What’s one of your favorite
movies and why?
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18. TOP 25 WORLDWIDE HITS
(GROSSES)
6-18
• SEQUELS, REMAKES, AND
FRANCHISES
• TELEVISION, COMIC BOOK,
& VIDEO-GAME REMAKES
• RICH MERCHANDISE
OPPORTUNITIES

19. Licensed Merchandise tie-ins
accounted for almost $263 billion
in payments for 2016
$7.3 billion: "Harry Potter" has
also generated an estimated $7.3
billion in licensed merchandise
revenue
Trends and Convergence in
Moviemaking
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20. HARRY POTTER FRANCHISE $
NUMBERS
$7.2 billion: The collection of "Harry Potter" movies has
earned more than $7 billion in combined global box
office sales.
$7.7 billion: The total gross book sales of the "Harry
Potter" series even eclipsed the box office total.
$600 million: Before video stores disappeared, Harry
Potter brought in more than $600 million in rental
revenue.
$2.0 billion: Even though DVDs went out of style way
before the "Harry Potter" movies did, the franchise has
still generated at least $2.0 billion in DVD sales.
$25 billion: All-in, the "Harry Potter" franchise as a
whole is estimated to be valued at roughly $25 billion.
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21. Trends and Convergence in
Moviemaking
As a result of this emphasis on profit
only, modern filmmaking is often
characterized by reduced risk taking and
more formulaic movies
•“CONCEPT” FILMS
•Movies that can be described in one
line and depend little on
characterization, plot development, and
dialogue - (most/all of the Top 25)
•EASILY SOLD ANYWHERE!
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22. Trends and Convergence in
Moviemaking
•The importance of foreign distribution
cannot be overstated; only 2 in 10
U.S. features make a profit on U.S. box
office. Much of their eventual profit
comes from overseas sales.
• Typically, overseas box office
accounts for 70% of a studio movie's
total ticket sales
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23. THREE COMPONENT SYSTEM
• PRODUCTION
• Most major-release films are
now shot on digital (not film) –
which can make making a
movie cheaper OR more
expensive, depending on the
type of film you’re making
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24. THREE COMPONENT SYSTEM
•DISTRIBUTION
•Ever-increasing number of
distribution points to consider
•Cost of advertising and promotion
can greatly increase the total cost
of a film
•Average cost of producing and
marketing a Hollywood feature is
over $110 million
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25. RETURN ON INVESTMENT =
PROFITABLE FILM
• When it comes to box office
dollars, the recipe for a
successful movie is pretty
simple: small budget + massive
ticket sales = huge profit. If
done correctly, this means an
enormous return on investment
(ROI)
6-25

26. THE 5 MOST PROFITABLE FILMS OF
ALL TIME (DOMESTIC)
• 5. Napoleon Dynamite (2004) — Return on investment:
110/1
Domestic gross: $44.5M
• 4. The Gallows (2015) — Return on investment: 227/1
Domestic gross: $22.8M
• 3. Open Water (2004) — Return on investment: 254/1
Domestic gross: $30.6M
• 2. The Blair Witch Project (1999) — Return on investment:
2341/1
Domestic gross: $140.5M
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27. MOST PROFITABLE FILM OF ALL
TIME
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28. 6-28
EXHIBITION
 Netflix operates in 45 countries, bringing its
subscriber total to nearly 58 million with 39
million in the U.S. alone
 Netflix produced 700 original movies/TV shows
in 2018 and its 2019 budget for content is $15
Billion
 Streaming competition will only get fiercer as
Warner Brothers, Disney, and Apple are just a
few of those gearing up to launch their own
services into an already crowded field;
 According to one recent survey, 47% of consumers
think there are too many streaming services already.
THREE COMPONENT SYSTEM

29. MOVIES & TECHNOLOGY
•Back in the day, filmmakers used matte
paintings, miniature models and trick
photography to achieve impossible
looking cinematic effects. Today,
Hollywood has nearly perfected the art
and application of computer-generated
imagery (CGI) in movies and TV shows.
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30. MOVIES & TECHNOLOGY
• Movies are almost always striving to “create
reality” and using Computer Generated
Imagery (CGI) is a powerful tool in that
pursuit.
• We all know that when cities are destroyed,
superheroes fly, dinosaurs returns, and outer
space is your backdrop…it’s not “real” – it’s
usually great CGI.
• But the truth is that CGI is being used all
the time in movies and is often “hidden” in
that it’s not in the obvious places…
• And – more and more – actors themselves
are being “enhanced” by CGI 6-30

31. MOVIES & TECHNOLOGY
PRACTICAL EFFECTS = “In-
Camera”
A practical effect is a special
effect produced physically while
filming, without computer-
generated imagery or other post
production techniques.
•GOOD EXAMPLES
•BAD EXAMPLES
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32. MOVIES & TECHNOLOGY
CGI and Practical Effects
are yet more great
examples of how reality is
“produced, maintained,
repaired and/or
transformed” by mass
media communication
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