Hollywood Past and Present
The Studio System • Golden age 1930-1948 • Organised around a production line model • Clear job descriptions and roles • Staff and ‘stars’ contracted to one studio • Continuous production producing sometimes formulaic output
• Five ‘mayors’ • Paramount, Loew’s (MGM), Fox, Warner Bros and RKO • Three smaller companies Columbia, Universal, and United Artists • Majors examples of vertical integration • Paramount owned 1,000 cinemas • Smaller studios relied upon the mayors for distribution
• RKO shortest lived • Studio system ended late 1940’s • Paramount decree challenged monopolies • Studios force to sell off cinema chains • Stars could no longer be held to contract with one studio • Growth of suburbs and TV results in smaller cinema audiences
Studios today • Commission / finance films • Base decisions upon ‘packages’ • Treatment • Details of actors • Details of directors and locations
• Four out of the big five still exist • MGM, Warner Bros, Paramount, and Fox • Universal, Sony Pictures and Dream Works
Blockbusters • Matrix, Matrix reloaded, Matrix revolutions • 2001-2002 • The lord of the Rings one and two • Harry Potter one and two • Goldmember • Scooby-Doo
Blockbusters/ High Concept Films • Declining profits leads to new directors/ experimentation in Hollywood • Altman, Coppola, Hopper, Scorsese, Lucas and Spielberg • Jaws (1976) Star Wars (1977) • Concept of blockbuster, single event picture focus on the years production
High concept film • Post generic • Universally recognisable story • Simple characters easy to understand • Looks good exhibits high production values • Offers ‘synergy’, merchandising, TV/ DVD sales
Film Finance • Film finance can very lucrative and very risky • ‘of every ten films made six will loose money from exhibition, one break even, one make a little money, one make good money and one be such a successful blockbuster that it pays for all the others’ Armyan Bernstein • Genre and the repackaging of successful elements offers some insurance against failure
• Involves very high costs to finance three main stages • Production • Distribution • Exhibition • Therefore financiers can have influence over the creative process
The Producer • Rise finance • Increase confidence and interest in the project • Pillage other media texts for fodder • Adaptations account for 50% of all Hollywood products
The Package • Script treatment • Generic characteristics • Proposed budget • Director / proposed cast • Key creative personnel • Marketing spin offs
The Pitch • Film maker to producer, producer to financier • Present simply • Relate to existing successful products • ‘Robocop its like Terminator meets Dirty Harry’