Hollywood blockbusters & midnight movies Flashcards
major social upheavals of the 50s/60s affected cinema, especially…
countercultural/less commercial cinema
the term cult film can refer to 4 things:
- the film itself
- consumption & reception
- political economy
- cultural status
in terms of the film itself, cult film may include (2):
- stylistic innovations
- moral “badness”
cult films are often critical of [1], but also [2]
- the time/place in which they were made
- complicit in other ways
roger corman is an example of [1] and was known as [2]
- a cult filmmaker
- the b-movie king
underground cinema has a more [1] than cult film, although the two [2]
- artsy connotation
- overlap
underground filmmakers were diverse but linked by…
production & exhibition practices
underground filmmakers often used what type of film?
16mm, was considered amateur
in 1958, Mekas founded…
Film Culture, a major american film magazine
mekas also co-founded (2):
- a filmamaker’s cop-operative distributer
- the anthology film archieves
define superimposition:
placing one thing over another so both are visible
in 1961, mekas started…
setting up midnight movies screenings in NYC that played underground films
the broader concept of midnight movies emerged from:
1950s TV
what is a head movie?
a movie intended for a drug trip
define the Hollywood renaissence
the more realist, auteur driven studio films from the late 60s/early 70s
the hollywood renaissence is sometimes called the
american new wave
While american underground films were playing only in major urban centers, hollywood renaissance films were clearly…
commercial and much more widely released
dede allen was an [1] who was integral to Bonnie & Clyde’s [2]
- editor
- departure from american mainstream movies
dede allen has has an exceptional sense of [1] and is known for [2]
- pacing
- montage
what are the 6 features of the hollywood renaissence?
- sexually/violently graphic
- tragic endings
- critical of authority/middle class conventions
- anti-heros
- experimental filmmaking techniques
- auteur driven
Structure of the film industry that evolved in the 70s is important because:
it’s basically the structure we have today in terms of cinema exhibition
Beginning in 1948, studios…
began to be dissolved for legal reasons
after 1948, studios primarily became…
distributers
one effect of studios becoming dsitributers was a rise in…
runway production
define runway production:
outsroucing of production to the UK, where the language is the same but there were tax incentitives to make films
the ratings system was introduced in [1] and allowed studios to market/sistrbute [2]
- 1968
- more adult-oreiented films, differating film from tv
more severe part of the cinema recession was between:
1969-1971
eblockbusters started building on the pattern of what film?
the Godfather
the blockbuster format has 5 parts:
- massive advertising campaigns
- saturation booking
- pre-sold properties
- ancillary markets
- high concept approach
between 1969 and 1980, the US film industry…
changed more than in any other decade
what were the 4 major changes in teh US film industry between 1969-1980?
- content became much more risque
- profits rose to hundreds of millions
- production dropped
- production costs rose
define saturation booking:
blockbusters were distributed across the country at the same time, saturating the cinemas
define a high concept approach:
an easily marketable image, story, or idea
Jaws makes cinema a [1] rather than a [2]
- sensory event
- psychological exploration
Jaws basically used an [1], but turned this into a [2]
- explotation film distribution approach
- mark of prestige
Star Wars’ real contribution to film industry models was…
lucas foregoing some of his writer’s and director’s fees and keeping rights to merchandise and sequels
