978-1319102852 Chapter 7 Part 2

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• Because tape is so cheap, filmmakers using digital cameras can shoot more footage,

which gives them more choices in the editing room. Because tapes run up to an hour, they

also enable directors to keep cameras rolling longer than the ten–minute maximum for a film

reel. Directors can also review a shot immediately after it is completed rather than wait an

entire day for the film dailies to be processed and printed.

• Digital prints played on high–definition projectors offer a more pristine image than film:

Film is plagued by flickers, scratches, dirty transfers, degraded third-generation prints, and

torn sprockets. Every run of a digital master has the same color, detail, and brightness.

The movie Bounce, starring Ben Affleck and Gwyneth Paltrow, was the first digital master to be

distributed via satellite. From Tulsa, Oklahoma, the digitally compressed (and encrypted) movie

was “bounced” off an orbiting satellite, then decrypted and loaded onto computer hard drives,

and then decompressed at showtime.

A good portion of the money George Lucas got from the merchandising of Star Wars action

figures went toward developing nonlinear digital video-editing technology. The technology was

then sold to Avid, which is now one of the leading producers of nonlinear editing equipment.

Lucas said in a 2000 Q&A session at the University of California-Berkeley:

It’s hard to believe but the whole [ability to do] nonlinear editing came out of action figures. .

. . The ability to spend the $20 million it took to create that, and make it a real thing and

prove it, and go to the trade shows and everything and show everybody and say this works,

you can do this, and then everybody will go out and copy it and eventually sell it to Avid—

you need the money to do it in the first place. . . . We started with revenue from the toy

companies.

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As a media scholar, Henry Jenkins wrote in 2015 (http://henryjenkins.org/2015/12/what-we–talk–

about-when–we–talk-about-star–wars.html):

Lucas made what turned out to be a key move when he rejected a higher salary of the film in

favor of greater control over and more profit from the unfolding of Star Wars as a media

franchise. From the start, Lucas saw the ancillary materials as a vital aspect of how he would

build up this fictional universe, just as from the start he understood this as something which

could unfold across multiple installments.

• George Lucas allowed (albeit tightly controlled) fan–made Star Wars videos and created an

official “Star Wars Fan Film Awards” celebration (http://www.starwars.com/star–wars–fan–

film-awards). The 2015 winner, “Star Wars The Lesser Evil,” can be viewed at

https://youtu.be/vgaeH6hAICU?list=PL148kCvXk8pAtNy1tBicSqTS7rOLUNjZs.

In an essay on participatory culture (http://web.mit.edu/21fms/People/henry3/starwars.html), the

scholar Henry Jenkins wrote:

We are witnessing the transformation of amateur film culture from a focus on home movies

toward a focus on public movies, from a focus on local audiences toward a focus on a

potential global audience, from a focus on mastering the technology toward a focus on

mastering the mechanisms for publicity and promotion, and from a focus on self-

documentation toward a focus on an aesthetic based on appropriation, parody, and the

dialogic.

VI. Popular Movies and Democracy

• Discuss the various ways to interpret the cultural significance of American films on the world

stage.

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Do the globally popular films create more of a sense of a global village and break down barriers?

Does the same American-based common culture stifle local cultures and the diversity of

moviemaking?

How does the growing popularity of Hong Kong and Bollywood films around the world fit into

this picture?

MEDIA LITERACY DISCUSSIONS AND EXERCISES

THEATER OR DVD?

In class, make a tally of students who prefer to attend movies in the theater and students who

prefer to watch movies at home on DVD or online. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of

both viewing habits. Discuss whether theatergoing will become obsolete in the next decade given

that increasingly more revenue is earned through video release than through box-office receipts.

What could be done to enhance moviegoing in theaters? Make a list. How might your ideas be

reasonably financed? Would there be a payoff for theater owners?

STAR WARS

Use students’ experiences with the Star Wars franchise to discuss the impact of new technologies

on cinema and culture and the impact of blockbusters on American and global cultures, using

Disney as a case study to explore concepts like hegemony and consensus narratives. For

example, The Force Awakens characters Rey and Finn can be used to generate a discussion about

gender and race in Hollywood. The Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media

(http://seejane.org) is an excellent resource for such a discussion.

HOLLYWOOD REPRESENTATIONS OF OTHER COUNTRIES

Pre–Exercise Question: What’s your most memorable image of a foreigner in a Hollywood

movie?

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Films from the United States dominate world markets. For example, American films occupy

about three-fourths of the European market. Make a list of representations of “foreign” people

and places in several of these American films. Also make note of how the American characters

interact with these foreign characters. Then discuss issues of cultural imperialism in the

storytelling of Hollywood movies.

If Hollywood movies are the dominant movie narratives of the world, how does Hollywood

structure global relationships and understanding?

WRITING A MOVIE CRITIQUE

Pick a current popular film that you have seen or that the class has seen together. In this Critical

Process exercise, write a three– to four-page (750- to 1,000-word) movie critique either

defending or attacking the movie as a form of popular culture (see Chapter 1). Include plenty of

examples to support your argument, and focus on three or four significant points.

1. Description. In preparing to write your critique, describe important plot, theme, or character

points that are relevant to your argument. (This step is essentially the note-taking part of your

paper.)

2. Analysis. Analyze the particular patterns (the three or four significant points) that emerge

from your Description step and that you have chosen to examine.

3. Interpretation. Interpret what all this information might mean based on the evidence you

provide.

4. Evaluation. Discuss the limits of your critique, and offer evaluations of the film industry

based on your evidence and your interpretations. Evaluate the movie by judging whether it

works as high art or as popular culture.

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5. Engagement. Does your critique of the movie differ substantially from published reviews in

local or national newspapers and magazines or a web page? (Try Movie Review Query

Engine at http://www.mrqe.com to find reviews.) Use the evidence from your critique to

present your interpretation of the film in a written response to a published review.

FILM SUCCESS: FINDING THE BALANCE BETWEEN FAMILIARITY AND

NOVELTY

Pre–Exercise Question: Why do some films become enormous hits while others become

enormous failures?

This Critical Process discussion/exercise investigates the factors that determine a movie’s

success with audiences.

To begin, select two recent big-budget films (one success and one box-office flop) and two small

independent films (one that became commercially successful and one that never made a huge

impact).

To find listings and reviews of smaller films, check big–city alternative publications like the

Village Voice (http://www.villagevoice.com/movies), Chicago Reader

(http://www.chicagoreader.com/movies), or LA Weekly (http://www.laweekly.com/movies).

Proceed with a critical inquiry:

1. Description. Isolate the major elements of the four films: What genre (or combination of

genres) does each film belong to? What are the major attractions of each film: popular actors,

renowned directors, intriguing “unknown” actors, expensive special effects, a familiar story,

an unfamiliar story? Check newspaper ads: How were the movies marketed? Were the

movies critically acclaimed?

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2. Analysis. Compare the movies’ elements. Do any patterns emerge among the successes and

the flops?

3. Interpretation. What seems to bring success? What seems to cause failure? What role does

genre play in success? How important is it to balance familiarity and novelty? (You may

wish to again consider the “culture as a hierarchy” vs. “culture as a map” models from

Chapter 1 of the text.)

Why do movies succeed or fail? How do we measure that?

4. Evaluation. What do you think of these films? Is box-office success a reliable indicator of

how good a movie really is? Do we as a culture fixate excessively on box-office winners and

losers?

5. Engagement. Write a movie review of a film that you think was fabulous but that did not do

well at the box office. Publish it online (you can offer your critiques on various movie

databases, such as the Internet Movie Database, http://www.imdb.com), in your college

newspaper, or in another venue.

TRACKING RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN THE MOTION PICTURE INDUSTRY: A

SEMESTER–LONG CRITICAL PROCESS EXERCISE AND PAPER

In this exercise students discover the most recent developments in the industry, and they become

familiar with industry trade sources. The paper they produce is due in sections, which

correspond with the steps in the Critical Process.

1. Description. Read industry trade sources to get a sense of the main issues affecting the

motion picture industry. Look at the websites of industry trade associations and professional

societies. (Links to websites of some industry trade sources are given in the Classroom

Media Sources below.) Take notes on topics that have multiple stories or mentions in the

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current year. What issues or developments in the industry have received a lot of recent

attention, discussion, or commentary in industry sources? (Focus only on information from

the current year—and only from trade sources.) Write a one-page synopsis of the information

you found about current topics in the industry. Cite your sources properly.

2. Analysis. Look for one development or pattern that has received significant attention on trade

sites and from trade journalists in the current year. Choose one specific trend, and write one

or two pages with details about the information you found about that trend. Continue to track

news about your topic as the semester progresses. Cite sources properly.

3. Interpretation. What does the trend mean for the state of the industry? Is it evolving? How?

What does it tell you about media in general at the current time? What might it say about our

culture or our society? Can your information help us interpret the role of the industry in our

lives? Write up your interpretation in a five-page paper. (The first page should be a synopsis

of the trend, with proper citations.) You might not have to provide information from your

sources for the next four pages because this section is your interpretation of the trend. (Save

any ideas you have about whether the trend is “good” or “bad” for the Evaluation step of the

Critical Process.) Cite any sources properly.

4. Evaluation. Is the trend “good” or “bad?” For the industry? society? culture? democracy? us?

What do you think might happen in the future?

5. Engagement. Are there any actions you can take (related to your trend and the industry)?

Possibilities include posting your views on social media, creating a petition, contacting

people in the industry to see what they think of your interpretation and evaluation, or going

to an industry event if any are held nearby. (This step need not be required if students are not

motivated to take action.)

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Note: This exercise works well if each step of the Critical Process is due two weeks after the

prior step is due. Limiting students to only trade sources and only information from the current

year helps keep them on track. Your institution’s librarians should be able to provide students

with information on how to access industry trade sources.

CLASSROOM MEDIA RESOURCES

LAUNCHPAD FOR MEDIA & CULTURE: launchpadworks.com

Breaking Barriers with 12 Years a Slave (2013, 1:20 minutes). A brief clip from the film 12

Years a Slave depicts the brutality of slave owners in the 1800s.

More Than a Movie: Social Issues and Film (2010, 3:45 minutes). Chris Gebhardt of Participant

Media discusses how movies like The Cove can turn audiences into activists through the power

of film and social media.

Race in Hollywood: Tyler Perry (2013, 1:40 minutes). A brief clip from A Medea Christmas

shows an example of the work of prolific actor, writer, and director Tyler Perry.

Technology in Gravity (2013, 1:32 minutes). A brief clip from Gravity illustrates how the movie

uses the most advanced technical tools in service of classical storytelling.

Theatrical Experience and The Hobbit (2013, 1:31 minutes). A brief clip from The Hobbit: The

Desolation of Smaug shows the quality of the advanced technology used in filming.

VIDEOS/DVDS/CDS

Andy Serkis Breaks Down His Motion Capture Performance (October 24, 2017, 5:31 minutes).

WIRED video. Serkis (Gollum in The Lord of the Rings trilogy and Caesar in War for the

Planet of the Apes) has set the bar for motion capture performing. Available at

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpRLTfVEhMk.

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Behind the Screens: Hollywood Goes Hypercommercial (2000, 37 minutes). Tracking the

phenomenal rise in product placements, tie-ins with fast-food chains, and mammoth toy-

merchandising deals, this video argues that mainstream, big-budget movies have become largely

a vehicle for advertising and marketing. Distributed by the Media Education Foundation, 800-

897-0089; http://www.mediaed.org.

Female Directors in Hollywood & Impact of Movies Made from One Perspective (July 6, 2017,

14:27 minutes). TEDx Talks. Film reporter, writer, and movie geek Alicia Malone reveals early

stories of female directors in Hollywood, trying to reframe the idea that film directors are always

male. She also explains why movies told from just one perspective affects us all. Available at

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9h-I5yCHrS0.

The Greatest Ted Talk Ever Sold (March 15, 2013, 19:28). Ted-Ed. Filmmaker Morgan Spurlock

dives into the world of brand marketing and product placement in this humorous video about his

quest to make a sponsored film about sponsorship. Available at

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2jyjfcp1as.

Hollywood on Trial (date not available, 90 minutes). The story of the Hollywood Ten and the

accusations by the House Committee on Un-American Activities of their supposed communist

activities. Distributed by Facets Multimedia, 800-331-6197; http://www.facets.org.

How the BBC Films the Night Side of Planet Earth (March 6, 2017, 6:42 minutes). VOX video

about the technology that helps wildlife filmmakers see in the dark. View online at:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7t5l7sjcjHU.

The Jazz Singer (1927, 89 minutes). The first feature-length film with spoken dialogue.

Distributed by Facets Multimedia, 800–331-6197; http://www.facets.org.

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Midnight Ramble: The Story of the Black Film Industry (1994, 55 minutes). This program

examines the role of race movies—films that featured all–black casts—in American culture from

the beginning of the twentieth century through the 1940s. The documentary illustrates how black

cinema was a response to the demeaning stereotypes that emerged from mainstream studios and

why the genre declined. Distributed by Instructional Support Services at Indiana University, 800-

552-8620.

Pioneers of Cinema (1999, 180 minutes). This film chronicles the birth of cinema and the

contributions of such pioneers as the Lumière brothers, Thomas Edison, and George Méliès.

Available on http://www.amazon.com.

The Player (1992, 123 minutes). Tim Robbins plays the vice president of a Hollywood movie

studio in a film that satirizes the Hollywood system. Directed by Robert Altman.

Trumbo (2015, 124 minutes). Biopic about Dalton Trumbo, one of the “Hollywood 10,” who

wrote two Oscar-winning scripts (anonymously) while blacklisted. Cast includes Bryan

Cranston, Diane Lane, Helen Mirren, Louis C.K., and John Goodman.

Women Who Made the Movies (1992, 55 minutes). A chronicle of the careers and films of

pioneer women filmmakers in cinema history.

WEB SITES

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences: http://www.oscars.org

American Film Institute: http://www.afi.com

Box Office: http://pro.boxoffice.com

Box Office Mojo: http://www.boxofficemojo.com

Chicago Reader: http://www.chicagoreader.com/movies

Deadline Hollywood: http://deadline.com/v/film

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Directors Guild of America: http://www.dga.org

Hollywood Foreign Press Association: http://www.hfpa.org

Hollywood Reporter: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com

Inside Film Magazine: http://www.insidefilm.com

Internet Movie Database: http://www.imdb.com

LA Weekly: http://www.laweekly.com/movies

Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA): http://www.mpaa.org

National Association of Theater Owners: http://www.natoonline.org

#OscarsSoWhite: https://twitter.com/hashtag/oscarssowhite

SAG–AFTRA (Screen Actors Guild): http://www.sagaftra.org

Screen Daily: http://www.screendaily.com

Variety: http://www.variety.com

Village Voice: http://www.villagevoice.com/movies

The Wrap: http://www.thewrap.com

Writers Guild of America—East and West: https://www.wgaeast.org & http://www.wga.org