What are we doing today?

• Cultural Artifact Sharing

• Discuss the movie Jaws: Listen to soundtracks from the movie Jaws (1975)

• Due: Jaws worksheet

• Due: KWL on Jaws

• Due: – Talent release form

– Signed syllabus

– Equipment agreement form

– Course fee ($20)

– Signed Permission for Jaws

Steven Spielberg

• Applied to USC three times, but was unable to attend due to his “C” average.

• He has one of the original Rosebud sleds from Citizen Kane (1941) in his house.

• Godfather of actresses Drew Barrymore and Gwyneth Paltrow.

“I dream for a living.” -Spielberg

Spielberg Films and the Blockbuster (The American “New Wave”)

• Protagonists in his films often come from families with divorced parents, with fathers portrayed as reluctant, absent, or irresponsible. This reflects Spielberg's own experience with his parents breaking up.

• Family unity is threatened, but never broken in the end.

• Spielberg is credited for starting the summer blockbuster tradition with the first $100 million megahit, Jaws (1975).

“Blockbuster” = “American New Wave”

• A trend in film marketing and production during the 1960’s and 1970’s. This trend has become a trademark of the Hollywood film industry.

• “American New Wave” – where films were being produced by studios and heavily promoted during their summer releases.

• American New Wave ≠ Independent Cinema

Characteristics of the Blockbuster

• Emphasize spectacle, star power, and high production value.

• Enormous budget (100 million dollars or more).

• Even after a successful movie has completed a first run in the theaters, it continues to be a moneymaker through DVD sales.

• True blockbusters often generate a strong reaction from movie critics. (Film buzz)

“Flaws”….I mean “Jaws” (1975)

The budget for the film would ultimately tip the scales at $12 million, 300 percent over what the studios originally allocated and nearly four times as much as the average production cost for a film in 1975.

Jaws (1975)• Started the Summer

Blockbuster trend.

• Dubbed “Flaws” by the crew.

• Shooting problems: unwanted sailboats drifted into frame, cameras were soaked, and boats would sink with the actors onboard.

• On-location shoot escalated from 55 days to 159 days.

• “Bruce” the unreliable mechanical shark forced Spielberg to shoot most of the scenes with the shark only hinted at.

What else can we learn from Jaws (1975)?

• Three act story structure– Act I – characterization, present the normality

of the world of your characters, and reveal first climax (or plot twist).

– Act II – a set of obstacles for your characters and second climax. This is the bulk of your story.

– Act III – action driven, the “climax of all climaxes,” and finally the resolution.

Budget and Production

• Budget: planned expenses for a film.• Production: the making of a film.• Planning is the foundation for any film.• Have a back-up plan when things go wrong.• Making a film is a group effort: Respect

and trust your crew members at all times.• Do not be afraid to dream big – but also be

humble enough to accept reality.

What did I learn today?

• In your own words, what do these words mean?– Blockbuster– Three act structure– Characterization– Climax– Film budget– Production