UNIT 7
COMMERCIAL SUCCESS vs ART
READING
AND SPEAKING
Exercise 1. Remember!
Noun: success opposite: failure
Verb: succeed opposite: fail
Adj: successful opposite: unsuccessful
to be a (great) success with …
Exercise 2. a) Before reading the article brainstorm ideas on what makes a movie a commercial hit.
b) Read the article and see what ideas you’ve failed to mention.
COMMERCIAL HITS
Relevance
For a movie to be a commercial hit, its plot has to resonate with the dreams, fears, beliefs and values of its target audience. Besides, the plot needs to be driven by the concepts of reward, revenge or escape and revolve around a conflict or quest that can only be resolved through growing acts of risk and sacrifice on the part of the protagonist.
Extraordinary vs. Ordinary
A successful movie features a “fish out of water” hero who is either an extraordinary character trying to fit into an ordinary setting (e.g., Forrest Gump) or an ordinary character forced to survive in an extraordinary environment or under unusual circumstances for which he is not prepared (e.g., Luke Skywalker).
Star Power
When an actor has a large and enthusiastic fan base, virtually any movie he is in, is going to be guaranteed an audience. Unfortunately, this is true even if he’s totally wrong for the part or the script isn’t particularly well written. It’s also a little-known fact that actors-turned-producers sometimes make movies they know will fail because they need to be able to claim them as a loss on their taxes.
C
inematography
Technology has radically changed the way movies are filmed, especially insofar as computer-generated imagery (CGI) has not only reduced the cost of building sets but also allows actors to magically morph into different beings, integrates historic footage into a contemporary context (e.g., “Forrest Gump”),and can create all manner of natural and manmade disasters without actually destroying anything. This “electronic eye-candy” is a popular draw that translates to commercial success, particularly with teens who are the largest movie going audience worldwide.
The Critics
Many moviegoers base their decisions about what to see on how well or how badly the films are reviewed by critics. Resources such as the Internet Movie Database include a wide range of comparative reviews. Critics – just like actors – have their own fan base and influence on whether a new release will be labeled as a “must-see” or a “don’t bother.”
Sequels and Adaptations
If something works well once, logic would seem to dictate it could not only work well again but could also work in a different medium. Almost 60 percent of a sequel’s revenue – even if the content is a rehash – is derived from audiences who loved the original premise and characters. Remakes of earlier films, TV shows and adaptations of novels, however, usually don’t turn up as well because the charm and success of the original was either predicated on the audience mind-set at the time (i.e., the 1960s) or a reader’s mental casting of the characters, frame of reference and visualizations.
Real Life
A review of recent films that have achieved commercial success and awards reveals that many of them embrace content based on real characters and events, because the storylines are already well known by the audience, the attendance at the theater is driven by a dual desire to enhance personal understanding of the facts and to compare how a producer’s interpretation of those facts is similar or contrary to their own.
Film terms and vocabulary
Exercise 3. Find the Russian equivalents to the following English words.
relevance (be relevant to)
beliefs and values
target audience
reward
revenge (take revenge on)
revolve around
quest
sacrifice
on the part of
setting
survive
particularly
loss (make a loss)
computer-generated imagery (CGI)
historic footage
disaster
popular draw
medium (pl. media)
revenue
rehash
premise
reveal
embrace
be driven by
desire
enhance understanding of
contrary to
Exercise 4. Fill in the gaps with the words from the text, translate the expressions into
Russian and then use them in your own examples.
to resonate with ______________
to be driven by___________
target _____________
to revolve _____________ a conflict
on the part of_____________
to fit into_____________
to survive under_____________
a loss on_____________
to integrate_____________ into a contemporary context
______________ disasters
to be labeled as______________
enthusiastic _________ base
to work in a different_________
to embrace_________
to be driven by_________
to enhance personal_________
to be similar or_________
Exercise 5. Translate the words in brackets into English.
(Ценностьрецензии) is not always in its accuracy but in usefulness.
Though the film is popular with viewers, it didn’t attract much attention (состороны) critics.
The biggest (вознаграждение) in making films is making films.
Sometimes we need (жертвовать) our own self-interest.
He says he doesn’t want (обнародовать) his plans yet.
The plot of “Hamlet” (разворачиваетсявокруг) an inner conflict.
Advertising is their key source of (дохода).
The documentary includes interviews with those who (выжиливкатастрофе).
I dropped the amplifier but it (уцелел).
Filmmaking is a subject that (охватывает) many areas of learning.
In the UK if you (терпитеубытки) you must claim it within 4 years.
In “The Count of Monte Christo” the protagonist (мстит) those who wrongly imprisoned him.
Speaking
Exercise 6. How do you understand the following expressions?
a “fish out of water” hero
unusual circumstances
actors-turned-producers
computer-generated imagery
manmade disasters
“electronic eye-candy”
be labeled as a “must-see” or a “don’t bother”
Exercise 7. a) Develop the following statements.
b) Do you agree with these statements? Why (not)?
c) Give as many arguments as you can to prove the ideas.
For a movie to be a commercial hit, its plot has to …
A successful movie features a hero who …
When an actor has a large enthusiastic fan base, virtually any movie he is in, is going to …
Technology has radically changed the way …
Many moviegoers base their decisions about what to see on …
Review of recent films that have achieved commercial success and awards reveals that …
To make a movie successful it is important to …
Exercise 8. a) Read the information about 10 Highest Grossing Movies of All Time.