McGraw-Hill © 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved. THE DYNAMICS OF MASS COMMUNCATION Joseph R. Dominick University of Georgia--Athens

McGraw-Hill © 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved. Chapter 9 Motion Pictures  The Phi Phenomenon The Phi Phenomenon  Persistence of Vision Persistence of Vision  History of the Motion Picture History of the Motion Picture  Motion Pictures in the Digital Age Motion Pictures in the Digital Age  Defining Features of Motion Pictures Defining Features of Motion Pictures  Organization of the Film Industry Organization of the Film Industry  Ownership in the Film Industry Ownership in the Film Industry  Producing Motion Pictures Producing Motion Pictures  Economics Economics  Feedback Feedback  Cable and Video: The Hollywood Connection Cable and Video: The Hollywood Connection  The Film Industry The Film Industry Chapter Outline

McGraw-Hill © 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved.   The phi phenomenon: consecutive light sources appear to be one source that moves The Phi Phenomenon

McGraw-Hill © 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved. Persistence of vision: seeing an image for a split second after it has disappeared. Persistence of Vision

McGraw-Hill © 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved. Early 19 th C Toys –Hand-drawn pictures –Thaumatrope  Praxinoscope Muybridge’s Galloping Horse (1878) –24 cameras; 1 photo each History of the Motion Picture

McGraw-Hill © 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved. Edison and Dickson –Kinetoscope (1889) Camera + viewing device Used perforated film and sprocket mechanism Kinetoscope parlors –Expected to sell devices to individuals –Competition from Europe prompts development of Vitascope for mass projection History of the Motion Picture

McGraw-Hill © 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved. Early Narrative Films –The Cabbage Fairy - Alice Guy Blache (1886) –A Trip to the Moon - Georges Méliès (1902) –The Great Train Robbery - Edwin S. Porter (1903) Camera placement and editing Nickelodeons –50-90 seats and 5 cent admission –Audience turnover demands new films History of the Motion Picture

McGraw-Hill © 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved. Zukor, Griffith, Johnson –Zukor imports 4-reel French film Queen Elizabeth –Birth of a Nation - D. W. Griffith (1915) 3 hours long $110,000 to produce –The Realization of a Negro’s Ambition – George and Noble Johnson (1916) History of the Motion Picture

McGraw-Hill © 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved. Birth of the MPPC –Motion Picture Patents Company (1908) –Includes Edison –Attempts to restrict movie production and distribution –Independents fight back and eventually move to Hollywood –MPPC had lost power by 1917 History of the Motion Picture

McGraw-Hill © 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved. The Star System –) Carl Laemmle and Florence Lawrence Pulls audiences away from MPPC films Promotes star competition –Charlie Chaplin $150/week (1913)  $1 Million / 8 films (1917) –Mary Pickford $20,000/week + 50% of profits by 1918 –United Artists Studio (1919) –Strand (NY) and Egyptian Theater (Hollywood) History of the Motion Picture

McGraw-Hill © 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved. Consolidation and Growth –Economic pressures force consolidation –Zukor combines production and distribution  Paramount Pictures, then adds theaters –Loew (theater chain) purchases studio (which becomes MGM) –Block booking helps production companies History of the Motion Picture

McGraw-Hill © 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved. The Roaring 20s and The Coming of Sound –Post-war prosperity Big profits, big salaries, big films, big budgets –Ben Hur made for $6 Million –Lifestyle excesses tempt government censorship –MPPDA heads off government control –The Jazz Singer (1927) is first film with sound History of the Motion Picture

McGraw-Hill © 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved. The Studio Years (1930 – 1950) –MGM  RKO  Universal  Columbia –Warner Brothers  20th Century Fox –Paramount  United Artists –Back lot sets; sound stages; talent “stables” –1948 Justice Department suits stop vertical control and block booking History of the Motion Picture  Significant Classics Citizen Kane Gone with the Wind … The Wizard of Oz Stagecoach

McGraw-Hill © 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved. Hollywood Reacts to TV –Restrictions No advertising films on TV No showing films on TV No film stars on TV –Technical novelties 3-D Cinerama and Cinemascope “Spectacle” films such as Cleopatra Adult themes such as adultery & homosexuality History of the Motion Picture

McGraw-Hill © 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved. PG Realignments: –Major studio power declines –Hollywood affiliates with TV –MPAA introduces film rating system G - PG - R – X –Movies made for TV (180 shown in 1974) –Revenue and budgets trending up since 1970 –Rise of the blockbusters –Introduction of PG-13 (1985) –Replacement of X by NC-17 (1990) History of the Motion Picture

McGraw-Hill © 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved. Contemporary Film Trends –Concern about “Napsterization” –Admissions slump continues in 2005 –Ticket prices and profits higher –$: Video/DVD sales/rentals > box office –Six firms dominate Sony/MGM  Disney  Warner Brothers Fox  NBC Universal Paramount History of the Motion Picture

McGraw-Hill © 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved. Digital production –Complete films – filmed or generated –Special effects generation –Computer generated characters –Digital dailies Digital distribution –No film copying costs –Electronic distribution is faster and cheaper Motion Pictures in the Digital Age

McGraw-Hill © 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved. Digital projection –Expensive projectors –Digital Cinema Initiatives (DCI) –Landmark’s digital projection initiative Preventing Piracy –Illegal tapings of screenings –Advance copies –Copy protection –Digital Millennium Copyright Act Mobile Movies Motion Pictures in the Digital Age

McGraw-Hill © 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved. Expensive Dominated by big conglomerates Strong aesthetic dimension A “social experience” Defining Features of Motion Pictures

McGraw-Hill © 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved. Production A variety of groups and individuals –Seven major studios: each films/year –Story development, casting, art, makeup, sets Distribution –Supplying prints to theaters, TV networks, and videocassette/videodisc makers –Advantage of worldwide distribution networks –Financing of independent producers Organization of the Film Industry

McGraw-Hill © 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved. Exhibition –37,400 movie screens in 2000 (USA) –36,000 in 2004 –Multiplex theaters screens Single concession stand patrons Organization of the Film Industry

McGraw-Hill © 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved. Top six conglomerates (2004) 1)The Walt Disney Company (Touchstone and Buena Vista) 2)Time Warner (Warner Brothers) 3)Paramount (Viacom) (CBS, Infinity) 4)Sony/MGM 5)NBC Universal (GE, NBC) 6)News Corporation(20th Century Fox) Ownership in the Film Industry

McGraw-Hill © 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved. Preproduction –Idea: plot outline, novel, Broadway play –Write the screen play: treatment, script drafts, final polish –Producer: Talent search –Producer: Financial backing –Producer: Director and camera crew –Producer and Director: studio and location scouting, and scheduling Producing Motion Pictures

McGraw-Hill © 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved. Production –Shooting the film –$400,000 - $500,000 per day –Average schedule: 70 days –2 minutes usable film per shooting day Postproduction –Editing –Special effects –Postproduction sound –Release print Producing Motion Pictures

McGraw-Hill © 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved. Film revenue sources –Domestic box office –DVD/cassette rental and sales –Foreign box office –Average ticket price in $6.25 –Hollywood is in good financial shape Economics

McGraw-Hill © 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved. Financing a Film $Direct loan from distributor $Pickup – buy finished film later for set price $Limited partnership with liability limitations $Joint venture –Producer and distributor agree on dividing gross receipts –Film must earn 2½ - 3 times production cost to show profit Economics

McGraw-Hill © 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved. Dealing with the Exhibitor –Exhibition license specifies: Run of the film; Holdover rights Date available for showing Financial terms –Split percentage (50/50…60/40…….70/30…) –Sliding scale –90-10 deal: nut, air, then 90/10 –Concessions: 90 percent of theater profit Economics

McGraw-Hill © 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved. Promoting a Film –First three days are critical –Common promotion strategies Pre-opening media blitz Trailers in a theater’s “Coming Attractions” Internet exposure using trailers and sound scores Internet ads on portals and ticket sites Economics

McGraw-Hill © 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved. Film companies develop feedback using: –Box-office figures monitored by trade publications including Variety –Market research Concept testing Script analysis Test screenings of a rough cut Focus groups Feedback

McGraw-Hill © 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved. Feedback Figure 9-1 Variety Box-Office Revenue Chart

McGraw-Hill © 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved. Feedback Figure 9-2 Average Weekly Film Attendance in the United States

McGraw-Hill © 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved. Home video – Hollywood’s biggest revenue source DVD/tape sales + rentals: $24 billion (2004) 6M rent films daily; 12M go to theater 60% of US homes have DVD player Pay-Per-View  (30 million homes) Licensing revenue from premium cable channels –HBO  Showtime  Cinemax Cable and Video: The Hollywood Connection

McGraw-Hill © 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved. Getting Experience –Making films independently –Courses of study in film 750 colleges and universities with courses 227 with bachelor’s degrees Full range of cinematography: equipment, film, history, art, aesthetics, projects The Film Industry

McGraw-Hill © 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved. Entry Level –Interview Know somebody Get noticed in internships and training courses Persistent presentation of resume to companies –Take practically any job to start The Film Industry

McGraw-Hill © 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved. Upward Mobility –Editing room workers tend to stay there –Production Assistants  Assistant Directors  Director  Producer –Distribution or sales  management The Film Industry