Movie Industry Flashcards
What is the history of movies?
Hollywood as the defacto movie capital? 3 ideas
- Patent fights.
- Production
- Competition e.g. Bollywood, Bollywood
Chinese film industry
- Hong Kong: filmmaking capital for Chinese-speaking world
- No 1
3 China will lead the world in terms of no of screen sin 2025
4 key dates in the history of film
- 1902: Edwin Porter produced 2 films: Life of an American Fireman, The Great Train Robbery
Porter’s achievement: told a story
montage entered the vocab: process or technque of
- 1905: Nickelodeon Movement
Named after nickel admission price to see a movie
1908: 3000 theatres
1910: 10,000 theatres
cinema = nickelodeon
- 1915: D.W. Griffith’s Birth of a Nation
- racist movie, talks about rise of KKK rising to redeem the South
Significance:
1. Most influential silent picture every produced
2. Racist story
3 Achievements :
- night shooting with lights
- alternated panorama shots with close up
- Full length: 9 reels about 1.5 hours
Impact:
1. Movies began to move into big buildings with names like paramount rialto Orpheum etc
2. Held 3000-4000 people
3. Palaces- handscome structures with elaborate designs, contrast to 1970s
1925: 20,000 movie houses
- First sound picture to ever be made:
The Jazz Singer by Warner Bros
3 developments of sound
- Led to new forms of cinema (musicals and documentaries) Prior: most were comedies, western, comedies of manner
- Change in movie stars: from Charlie Chaplin to Katherine Hepburn (sounded and looked impressive)
- Led to a different financial structure
Needed more money for sound movies
Eastern banking interests got involved in Hollywood e.g. Joseph Kennedy
Impact of history of movies?
Part of expansion, represent a time of hope, optimism and even domination
Cinema: most dominant artistic form ever created
Who created Hollywood?
Jews and gay community
What was hollywood based on?
An idea:
high culture + low/popular culture = mid culture/American dream
American dream: love is more important than money
Hard work is what really counts
Getting along with other people
No racial/ethic barriers to success
New challenges for film industry after WW2?
- Television
- Internet
- Are streamers competitors or are they allies?
Netflix case study?
Netflix CEO had a deal with Blockbuster, sold DVDs to people
Modern film industry: divided into 3 parts
- Production
- Distribution
- Exhibition
Aspects of production?
- Creative aspects
- Scripting, camera work, editing
- In 1950, 90% of films shit in studio, 40% of budget appropriated for studio ovehrhead
- 70% movies shot on location in 2024
- Independents account for 80% of movies made (not studio) Game changer: Animal House- budget 2.5 mil, box office 78 mil
Aspects of distribution?
- Supplying films to a market
- 50% of all revenue from American films com from abroad
- Local theatre owner has 2 bids: flat fee, percentage of gross, keeps 100% of concessions
Aspects of exhibition?
In 2024, more screens than drive-ins
- 60% of repeat audience is between 12 and 25
2.70% of movie houses are in multi-complex structures, counting screen may be misleading - Alternatives
Impact of streaming?
Netflix case:
Read Hastings: ahead, not behind the 8 ball
