- •The Movie Industry
- •Media today
- •The Rise of Motion Pictures
- •Using Photographic Images to Simulate Motion
- •Films Become Mass Entertainment Media
- •Vertical integration an organization’s control over a media product from production through distribution to exhibition
- •Self-Regulation and the Film Industry
- •New Challenges for the Film Industry
- •Changes in Technology
- •An Overview of the Modern Motion Picture Industry
- •Production in the Motion Picture Industry
- •Independent producer a production firm that is not owned by a distributor
- •The Role of the Majors
- •Distinguishing Between Production and Distribution
- •The Role of Independent Producers
- •The Process of Making a Movie
- •Understanding film and television credits
- •3. Production
- •Theatrical Distribution in the Motion Picture Industry
- •Finding Movies to Distribute
- •Releasing Movies
- •Marketing Movies
- •Theatrical Exhibition in the Motion Picture Industry
- •The Relationship Between Distributors and Theater Chains
- •Digital Theaters
- •Nontheatrical Distribution and Exhibition in the Motion Picture Industry
- •Traditional and Online Video Stores
- •Exhibition of Movies on Television
- •The Problem of Piracy
- •Media Literacy and the Motion Picture Industry
- •Cultural Diversity and Cultural Colonialism
- •Indian actor Hrithik Roshan and Uruguayian-born actress and model Barbara Mori, stars of the film Kites.
- •Questions for Discussion and Critical Thinking
- •Variety (http://www,variety.Com/)
- •Key Terms
Variety (http://www,variety.Com/)
This legendary show-business magazine provides deep coverage of the movie industry, including film reviews. Many aspects of the site are open to subscribers only, but visitors can get a flavor of the topics they cover.
Key Terms
You can find the definitions to these key terms in the marginal glossary throughout this chapter. Test your knowledge of these terms with interactive flash cards on the Media Today companion website.
A and B movie units 410 A films 410 art films 437 back-end deal or percentage of the gross 420 B films 410 block booking 411 blockbuster 414 box office receipts 422 completion bond company 423 day-and-date release 425 distribution rights 422 Edison Vitascope 407 exclusive releases 426 exhibition license 431 film distribution firm 417 film piracy 435 film production firm 417 film ratings system 413 genre film 422 green light 419 guild 421
independent producer 417 kinetoscope 407 line producer 423 megaplex 414 Motion Picture Patents Company (MPPCJ 409 Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America 411 multiplex 414
negative cost 429 nickelodeon 408 on spec 419
P&A or prints and advertising 428
percentage-above-th e-nut 431
persistence of vision 406
platform release 426
previewing 427
publicity 428
release date 425
rental outlets 435
rough cut 427
saturation release 426
scriptwriters 418
sell-through outlets 434
series pictures 411
star system 410
studio system 410
talent agent 418
talkies 411
theatrical film or feature film 413
the majors 411
title testing 427
tracking studies 428
track record 422
treatment 418
vertical integration 410
wide release 426
windows 433
word of mout h 428
Constructing Media Literacy
How big an impact do you think the movie industry has on American pop culture?
Do you agree that the export of Hollywood movies crowds out or taints foreign cultures? Why or why not?
Support or refute the following statement: Hollywood movie companies should take risks in producing a more stylistically diverse set of films, instead of producing films that simply use the formulas audiences want.
To what extent do you agree or disagree with the argument that Hollywood is a major instrument of American cultural colonialism?
Companion Website Video Clips
Behind the Screens—Limiting Stories
This clip from the Media Education Foundation documentary Behind the Screens looks at how the advertising and movie industries are becoming increasingly intertwined. Credit: Media Education Foundation.
Reel Bad Arabs—Myths of Arabland
This clip from the Media Education Foundation documentary Reel Bad Arabs examines the negative portrayal of Arab characters throughout cinematic history. Credit: Media Education Foundation.
Fred Ott's Sneeze
This 1894 Thomas Edison film is the first film ever to be copyrighted. Credit: Thomas Edison Company/Internet Archive.
Annie Oakley
This 1894 Thomas Edison film depicts Annie Oakley, “Little Sure Shot,” shooting a rifle. Credit: Thomas Edison Company/Internet Archive.
The Kiss
This 1896 Edison film is the first ever moving picture image of a kiss. Credit: Thomas Edison Company/Internet Archive.
Trapeze Disrobing Act
This 1901 Edison film showcases vaudeville trapeze artist Charmion in a suggestive performance considered very risque in its day. Credit: Thomas Edison Company/ Internet Archive.
Let's Go to the Movies
This 1948 RKO film gives a brief history of movies and explains how they were made. Credit: Internet Archive/Prelinger Archives.
Flip the Frog - Fiddlesticks
This 1930 film is the first full-length sound cartoon in color, created by Ub Iwerks for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Credit: Internet Archive/Ub Iwerks.
Case Study
THE EXHIBITION OF INDEPENDENT AND NON-ENGLISH-LAN- GUAGE FILMS
The idea Critics of movie exhibition in the United States argue that most Americans have no chance to be familiar with films that are off the beaten track. They specifically point to movies distributed by firms not affiliated with the major studios—Fox, Disney, Sony, Universal, Paramount, and Warner Brothers. How true is this criticism in the area in which you live or attend school?
The method Chart the movie theaters within twenty miles of your house. If you can find historical data, track the movies that were exhibited in them over the past three months. If you cannot find such data, track the movies that are exhibited in each theater over the next month. For each film, note the name of the production studio, the distributor, country of origin, language, and (if you can find it) the countries in which the film's story takes place. Write a four-page report describing what you have found.