Chp 12-- Motion Picture

Question 1

guilds

Answer 1

unions established by writers, directors, actors, and other crew members to protect their mutual interests and maintain standards

Question 2

exhibition license

Answer 2

an agreement between a distributor and an exhibition firm that specifies the date on which the distributor will make the film available to the exhibition firm’s theaters, the number of weeks the theaters agree to run the film, and when and where competing theaters can show the same film; it also sets the financial arrangements between the distributor and the exhibition firm

Question 3

the majors

Answer 3

the six most powerful companies in Hollywood because of their distribution power

Question 4

distribution rights

Answer 4

the rights to circulate a particular movie in different parts of the world

Question 5

genre films

Answer 5

movies that fit classic storytelling formulas (science fiction, horror, action) and are typically relatively inexpensive to make

Question 6

independent producers

Answer 6

production firms that are not owned by a distributor

Question 7

completion bond companies

Answer 7

insurance companies that, for a large fee, pay any costs that exceed an agreed-upon amount for a film

Question 8

green light

Answer 8

a term used to describe production and distribution executives’ approval of the making of a particular film

Question 9

exclusive release

Answer 9

the release of a film to only a handful of carefully selected theaters around the country

Question 10

on spec

Answer 10

writing a script for a film without a contract to do so, with the hope that when the script is passed along to various production firms by the scriptwriter’s agent, it will be bid for and purchased

Question 11

talent agents

Answer 11

individuals who represent various creative personnel (e.g., actors, directors, authors, and screenwriters) and aim to link them with production firms in exchange for a percentage of the creators’ revenues from the finished product

Question 12

title testing

Answer 12

conducting interviews with filmgoers in shopping malls and other public places to determine the most alluring name for an upcoming picture

Question 13

block booking

Answer 13

when movie distributors force exhibitors to book blocks of their films

Question 14

negative cost

Answer 14

the total cost of making and editing the movie

Question 15

megaplex

Answer 15

a modern, air-conditioned building that houses 16 or more screens and has the capacity to exhibit a number of different films at the same time

Question 16

saturation release

Answer 16

the initial release of a film in more than 2,000 theaters simultaneously

Question 17

bookers

Answer 17

people who license movies from distributors for theaters

Question 18

A films

Answer 18

expensively made productions featuring glamorous, highly paid stars

Question 19

platform release

Answer 19

the initial release of the movie in far fewer theaters in a relatively small number of areas with the plan to release the film in more theaters as the film garners positive publicity and discussion

Question 20

line producer

Answer 20

the individual who makes sure the equipment and personnel are there when they are needed

Question 21

film distribution firms

Answer 21

companies responsible for finding theaters in which to show the movies around the world and for promoting the films to the public

Question 22

box office receipts

Answer 22

the sum of money taken in for admission at movie theaters around the country

Question 23

tracking studies

Answer 23

research on the public’s awareness of and interest in a film, beginning two weeks before the film’s release and continuing through the film’s first month of release

Question 24

back-end deal (percentage of the gross)

Answer 24

a deal in which a production firm convinces a famous actor or director to take a lower salary in exchange for getting a percentage of the money that the production firm receives from the distributor

Question 25

sell-through outlets

Answer 25

stores in which consumers buy the videos rather than just renting them

Question 26

publicity

Answer 26

the process of creating and maintaining favorable "buzz" about a movie among its target audiences

Question 27

pitch

Answer 27

the initial presentation of a movie idea to a producer

Question 28

B films

Answer 28

lower-budget films that were made quickly

Question 29

blockbusters

Answer 29

films that bring in more than $200 million at the U.S. box office

Question 30

rental outlets

Answer 30

companies that purchase releases from movie distributors and then rent them to individual customers on a pay-per-day basis

Question 31

day-and-date release

Answer 31

a simultaneous release date for a movie in different countries

Question 32

art films

Answer 32

movies created on small budgets that often do not fit into Hollywood stereotypes and standard genres

Question 33

film piracy

Answer 33

the unauthorized duplication of copyrighted films for profit

Question 34

rough cut

Answer 34

a preliminary version of a movie

Question 35

data locker

Answer 35

a website that rents secure password-protected areas to store files

Question 36

word of mouth

Answer 36

the discussions that people who see the movie have with their friends in person and on social media sites such as Facebook

Question 37

star system

Answer 37

an operation designed to find and cultivate actors under long-term contracts, with the intention of developing those actors into famous "stars" who would enhance the profitability of the studio's films

Question 38

previewing

Answer 38

a type of concept testing that takes place after a film is completed but before it is formally released

Question 39

film production firms

Answer 39

companies involved in coming up with story ideas, finding scriptwriters, hiring the personnel needed to make the movie, and making sure the work is carried out on time and on budget

Question 40

theatrical films

Answer 40

films created to be shown first in traditional movie theaters

Question 41

wide release

Answer 41

the opening of a film in more than 600 theaters simultaneously, usually accompanied by a large publicity campaign to incite people to see the film; the most common release pattern in the United States

Question 42

percentage-above-the-nut approach

Answer 42

an agreement drawn between a distributor and an exhibition firm in which the executives of the exhibition firm and the distribution firm agree on the costs of operating each theater (electricity, salaries, rent, maintenance, and the like) – a break-even point called the nut; then, film by film, the distributor and the exhibition firm negotiate what percentage of revenues "above the nut" the exhibition firm will pay to the distribution firm

Question 43

treatment

Answer 43

detailed outline of an initial pitch to executives of a production or distribution firm

Question 44

multiplex

Answer 44

a modern, air-conditioned building that houses between 8 and 15 screens and has the capacity to exhibit a number of different films at the same time