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Introduction to Communications MediaCh 9 Motion Pictures

+Blog Page -- Movies

http://dansimonicmblog.wordpress.com/movies/

+Early American Cinema

1878 Edward Muybridge attempts to settle a bet “When a horse gallops do all four feet ever leave the

ground? Set up 24 still cameras around a track to photograph

a running horse When view rapidly, gave appearance of movement

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Thomas Edison and William Dickson developed the first motion picture camera (“Kinetescope”)

Edison thought he would make money by showing small movies to one person at a time for a penny a movie

Edison wanted to make money by selling a lot of small Kinescope machines

Early American Cinema

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European inventors were developing a large screen movie format at the same time

In 1896 Edison unveils a large screen projector (the “Vitascope”)

Early movies were novelties (action of acrobats tumbling, horses running, jugglers juggling)

Early American Cinema

+Motion Studies

+Nickelodeons

Movie makers began using motion pictures to tell stories

1902 a French filmmaker releases “A Trip to the Moon”

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+Development of the Motion Picture1903 Edwin S. Porter makes “The Great

Train Robbery” First time a movie is edited and uses multiple camera angles

+Nickelodeons

The Great Train Robbery and other narrative movies become vary popular

50-90 seat movie houses spring up in cities all over

Admission is 5 cents, leading to the name “Nickelodeons”

+Nickelodeons

Depended on audience turnoverWould change films quickly (even daily)Led to a demand for lots of moviesNY and NJ were early sites for “Film

Factories” which turned out many films

+Movies get Longer

Most American films of this era were short

European filmmakers were making longer films and American filmmakers started following that model

Edward Zucker imported a European feature length film and charged audiences $1 to see it.

+Birth of a Nation

D.W. Griffith makes a 3-hour movie in 1915

Birth of a Nation is set 50 years after the Civil War and presents a very different picture of the South than commonly accepted

The film is very controversial and draws protests and creates unrest (first time a film is recognized as being controversial)

+African American Cinema

Brothers George and Noble Johnson decide to make films showing a more realistic depiction of African American life

They form a film company (Lincoln Motion Pictures) which makes films for an African American audience.

+American Cinema Moves West

Battles between established movie companies and independent film makers get worse in the early part of the 20th century

Independents move west to Hollywood and the movie industry grows and prospers there

+The Star System

Early movie companies didn’t believe in promoting actors and actresses

Independent film companies realized that promoting “stars” could help generate excitement and interest in their movies

Mary Pickford and Charlie Chaplin were the earliest big names

1919 Pickford and Chaplin (as well as many other actors and actresses) joined together to form “United Artists” as their own production company

+The Star System

Audiences began demanding longer movies (1 to 2 hours)

Nickelodeons had hard wooden seats Theaters began renovating to be more comfortable Larger, more elaborate theaters were built (some as

large as a city block)

+Consolidation and Growth

The cost of making and distributing movies was increasing “Stars had to be paid higher salaries” Making movies longer cost more Competition to get in the biggest and best theaters

increased

+Consolidation and Growth One owner combined production and

distribution functions into one corporate structure (eventually became Paramount pictures)

Several companies (Paramount, Fox pictures) also began building their own theaters

Marcus Loew (a theater chain owner) purchased his own movie company (eventually becoming MGM)

+Block Booking

Movie companies would force theater owners to agree to show less popular movies in order to get more popular ones (theater owners didn’t like it, but gave movie companies a predictable stream of revenue).

World War I was devastating Europe during this time, so American movie companies were able to establish dominance over the market for movies worldwide

+The Roaring Twenties

Age of prosperity after WWIMovie profits were so high that pictures

became extravagantCost of making the average movie went

up 1500% between 1914 and 19241925 Ben Hur made for a reported $6

million (average film cost bout $200,000)

+“Sin City”

Exploding salaries and young actors and actresses led to outrageous behavior Huge parties, prostitution charges, untimely

deaths and lots of controversy Both state and federal governments began

introducing bills to create censorship boards Movie industry moved to create its own self

regulatory body (MPPDA) which went on to set standards that would be followed for the next four decades

+“Talkies”

The ability to record sound on film started in 1918, but Hollywood didn’t look in to using it until the late 1920s

Movies were making money and movie companies didn’t want to mess with success

Warner Bros. was not doing well and so, decided to experiment

+“Talkies”

In1927 the studio released “The Jazz Singer” with Al Jolson who sang and spoke

Within 2 years, the market for silent films was gone

+The Depression Era

Talkies helped the movie industry at first, but as things got worse, attendance fell

Hollywood tried several things New technologies such as “Technicolor”

were tried Theaters introduced the “double feature” (2

movies for the price of one)

+The Depression Era

Cartoon shorts became popular and were often added to the beginnings of the showing

These things led to an increase in the number of films made (almost 400 a year during the 1930s) Good for big studios which could make more

films economically Bad for small companies which couldn’t

+The Studio Years (1930-1950)

8 large studios dominate the industry MGM, 20th Century Fox, RKO, Warner

Brothers, Paramount, Universal, Columbia and United Artists

They built large back-lot movie sets, built elaborate sound stages, developed “stables” of talent groomed for stardom

+The Studio Years (1930-1950) Studios developed reputations for certain

kinds of movies Warner Brothers – gangster films 20th Century Fox – historical and adventure MGM – lavish star studded musicals

From 1939 to 1941 height of this period Gone with the Wind (Technicolor) Wizard of Oz Stagecoach Citizen Kane

+End of an Era

In 1938 the U.S. Justice Department filed a suit against Paramount and other major film companies alleging the industry’s practice of “vertical integration” constituted a restraint of trade

Suit was put on hold during WWII, but in 1948 the courts had ruled in favor of the government’s case Studios were forced to give up one of the three

holdings in question (production, distribution, theaters) most gave up their theater chains

Studios were also forced to stop the practice of block booking

+Reaction to Television

In the late 1940s, television began building a sizeable audience

Studios fight back by refusing to advertise films on television or release films for broadcast on TV

Many studios added clauses to their stars contracts forbidding them to appear on TV

None of these measures made any difference on TV’s growing popularity

+New Approach

Movie industry decides to try technical approach3-DCinerama (3 projectors and screen

that curved around the audience) Cheaper versions such as Cinemascope,

Panavision and Vistavision were also tried)

+Capitulation

Hollywood belatedly realizes it’s better off playing a role in the development of television

Studios begin releasing films for airing on TV Studios begin making films designed to

compete with television “Spectacles” such as Cleopatra Adult themed topics which couldn’t be

shown on TV

+Realignment – 1960 to 1990

Rise of the independent film producerStudios become less powerful, many

release stars from contract systemStars often work for reduced salary for

greater say in processMany large studios were bought by big

corporations

+Realignment – 1960 to 1990

Industry guidance on content loosensInstead of limiting what movies can

show, new “rating” system is introduced

Supreme Court decisions also give movie makers more freedom

Revenues and budgets increased during this period as going to the movies became popular again

+Contemporary Trends

Piracy and illegal file sharingHollywood followed the RIAA approach

Recent raid in China found 1.6 million illegal copies of movies

81 million counterfeit DVDs seized in 2006

Estimated losses about $6 billion in 2005

+Contemporary Trends

Theater attendance is declining, but revenues are increasing Increased ticket prices 3D movies charge even more

Movie industry makes more from sales and rentals of DVDs 6 big studios still produce the bulk of the movies seen

here Sony/MGM, NBC Universal, Disney, Fox, Warner

Brothers and Paramount

+The Digital Age

Digital movie making Digital cameras are replacing film cameras “300” only the actors were real

Digital distribution Instead of making “prints” movies can be

distributed via DVD, ftp or internet Improved quality and cheaper costs, but… Converting theaters to use digital

technology is expensive

+The Digital Age

Digital distribution to the home Movies can be rented or purchased Apple TV, Movielink, OnDemand Hotel rentals

Digital projection Expensive (about $150,000 per screen) Theater owners want movie studios and distributers

to pay since they’re the ones who’ll benefit Studios and distributers say they’re already bearing

the costs of making both digital and analog versions

+The Digital AgeMobile movies

Portable DVD players Laptop and tablet computers Cell phones UGC (user generated content)

Defining features of motion pictures Most expensive form of media ($120 million or so) Dominated by big conglomerates Strong aesthetic dimension (tension between artistic

and financial interests) Strong social dimension

+Film Industry OrganizationProduction

Story development Casting Art Makeup Sets

+Film Industry OrganizationDistribution

Supplies prints to theaters Supplies films to TV networks and makers of DVDs Provide transportation and delivery systems to get

films to theaters on time Makes enough copies of the movie for release Handle advertising and promotion Dominated by big film companies

+Film Industry OrganizationExhibition

By 2000 about 37,400 theaters in the United States By 2007 number dropped to about 37,000 Multiplexes of 12 or even 18 theaters show a variety

of movies Theaters are changing food and drink offerings

+Film Industry Ownership Disney

Touchstone (mature audiences) Buena Vista (general films)

Time Warner (Warner Brothers) Paramount (Viacom) Sony/MGM NBC Universal News Corporation (20th Century Fox)

+Producing Motion Pictures

Preproduction (starts with an idea) Treatment – narrative statement of plot and

descriptions of the main characters and locations First draft script – contains dialogue and camera

setups and a description of action sequences Revised script – incorporates changes suggested by

the producer, director, actor and others Script polish – adding or subtracting scenes, revising

dialogue, making other changes At the same time, the producer is auditioning talent

and offering contracts, looking for financial backing, looking for behind the camera personnel

+Production Cast and crew assemble at the shooting

location Each scene is shot and reshot Once completed, everyone moves on to next

location Expensive ($500,000 a day for moderately

expensive film) Shooting lasts about 70 days on average Each day of shooting produces about 2

minutes of useable film

+Postproduction

Begins when filming is completed Film editor works with director to decide how

to mix shots (inserting close ups for instance)

Special effects are added Once these things are in place, sound is

added or sweetened (sound effects, narration, redone dialogue)

Once edited, film, soundtrack and special effects are sent to the lab where a release print is made

+Economics of Motion Pictures

Revenue streams U.S. box office receipts International box office receipts Sales and rentals of DVDs* Miscellaneous video sources such as

downloads, pay-per-view and video-on-demand

Merchandising

+Economics of Motion Pictures

Financing a film Distributor loans (producer then may rent

studio facilities from distributor) “Pickup” (distributor agrees to buy finished

movie for a set price, producer can then get a bank loan)

Limited partnership (outside investors who agree to put up a certain amount)

Joint venture (multiple companies pool resources to finance a film)

+Economics of Motion Pictures

Dealing with an exhibitor Exhibition license (sets terms for how the

film will be shown) How many weeks the film will be shown Holdover rights Date the picture will be available for showing Clearance (amount of time before film can be

shown at a competing theater)

+Economics of Motion Pictures

Financial terms Percentage split (50/50, 60/40, 70/30) Sliding scale (as box office increases, distributor

receives bigger percentage) 90/10 (exhibitor deducts house expenses,

distributor gets 90% of remainder) Other exhibitor revenue

Concessions Advertising before film starts

Means less time for coming attractions, can make studios unhappy

+Economics of Motion Pictures

Financial terms Percentage split (50/50, 60/40, 70/30) Sliding scale (as box office increases, distributor

receives bigger percentage) 90/10 (exhibitor deducts house expenses,

distributor gets 90% of remainder) Other exhibitor revenue

Concessions Advertising before film starts

Means less time for coming attractions, can make studios unhappy

+Economics of Motion Pictures

Promoting a film First three days crucial (weekend) Films often heavily promoted for weeks before

airing Columbia TriStar spent $50 million promoting

Spider-Man 2 Promotion includes stars being available for

interviews to talk about their pictures Can also include publicity “stunts” to arouse

interest

+Feedback for Motion Pictures

Box office Weekly box office figures as reported by trade

publications Total gross and gross per screens are two important

figures Blockbusters can influence a studio’s bottom line

for the entire year Successful movies can results in sequels and

spinoffs

+Feedback for Motion Pictures

Market research As costs of production get higher and higher, more

and more emphasis is placed on audience research Often a rough cut of the movie is made and shown

to test audiences. The movie is then edited or scenes are reshot based on audience feedback

This is generally followed by a “sneak” preview where the audience fills out survey cards. Further changes to the movie are made based on this feedback.

Sometimes alternate endings will be filmed and each tested with audiences

+Feedback for Motion Pictures

Motion picture audiences Average annual attendance currently about 24

million, compared to more than 85 million in the 1930s

Movie audiences tend to be young (about 60% are under 40)

“Frequent” movie goers (12 or more/year) account for 75% of ticket sales

Tend to be young and single, middle class, from urban areas

Largest audiences found in July and August, smallest in May. The first 2 weeks of December are the worst 2 weeks of the year for movie attendance.

+Movies at Home

Home video is Hollywood’s biggest revenue source Market is maturing (revenue growth has flattened) Hollywood hopes new technology will boost

revenues BlueRay DVDs 3D movies and 3D TV sales

Home market is driven by big hits just like theaters Some movies bomb in theaters but find success at

home Time between movie release and DVD release

shrinking Gone from 6 months to 3 months Easier for studios to take advantage of ad campaigns while still

fresh in people’s minds

+Movies at Home

Other revenue sources Pay-per-view movies Licensing movies to premium cable channels Licensing movies to broadcast TV TV generates more revenue for industry than does

box office

+Next Week

Chapter 11 Broadcast Television