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1970s Blockbuster Era Powerpoint
1970s Blockbuster Era Powerpoint
Era
WELCOME TO THE
70s
- HIPPIE MOVEMENT, CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT, FREE LOVE, ROCK & ROLL, GENDER ROLE CHANGES, DRUGS
Hollywood experienced a great financial and artistic depression at the beginning of the 1970s Eventually becomes a huge CREATIVE HIGH POINT in the US film industry FUN FACT: Malcom McDowell scratched his cornea and broke a rib during the filming of Clockwork Orange.
LOOSER RESTRICTIONS on language/adult content/sexuality/violence Subject matters reflecting the questioning spirit and truth of the times (curiosity, fantasy) Lack of faith in institutions, DARK SIDE OF THE AMERICAN DREAM Pushing the boundaries of cinema, TESTING THE LIMITS of what people can handle
The Big Boss (1971) Enter the Dragon (1973) - After his death; Most successful martial arts film in cinematic history
1978 Martial arts comedy films (set foundation for rise in Hong Kong cinema in the 80s.
1970- Five Easy Pieces 1971- A Clockwork Orange 1972- The Godfather 1973- The Exorcist 1974- The Godfather Part II 1975- Jaws 1976- Rocky 1977- Star Wars 1978- Halloween 1979- Alien
MOVIE BRATS
GEORGE LUCAS Star Wars (1977) - Highest grossing film in history - Youth-oriented, action packed - Fantasy space world like no other - Refreshing new idea - Earned over $100mil in rentals
STEVEN SPIELBERG Jaws (1975) - Highest grossing film in history until Star Wars - One of the first film to earn over $100mil in rentals
JOHN CARPENTER Halloween (1978) - Highest-grossing independent film made in the US at the time - Spawned a mini horror-boom in cinema - Profitable and stylishly-made film - Iconic character
FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA The Godfather (1972) - Explicitly violent, complex, and majestic saga - First film to gross $100 million domestically - Apocalypse Now Nearly Kill Martin Sheen
WHAT IS A
BLOCKBUSTER?
A Blockbuster is a thing of great power or size, in particular a movie, book, or other product that is a great commercial success. In the 1970s, other terms to describe a hit movie included spectacular, super-grosser, and super-blockbuster. The term really started to pick up when Steven Spielbergs Jaws came out in 1975. (First film to be given the blockbuster distinction) It was a huge cultural phenomenon - a new and exciting facepaced entertainment. It couldve been its own genre. Often released during Summer and Christmas Attracted people (especially younger audiences) back to the cinema Special effects!
HIGH-CONCEPT
FILM
An original and unique premise A story that appeals to mass audiences ($$$) A story-specific pitch (details are crucial; differentiate it from a bland, generic storyline) Obvious potential A succinct pitch (one to three sentences long) Make people feel like Wow, why didnt I think of that? Rely on plot over character Immediate idea of plot, conflict, and theme
THE ONSCREEN ACTIVITY IS NOT AS IMPORTANT AS THE SALEABILITY OF THE PRODUCT BRAND - High-concept movies are often regarded as a safe way to tell an
audience an entertaining story without them having to think too hard.
SEE TRAILER ON TELEVISION SEE ADVERTISEMENT IN MAGAZINES/NEWSPAPERS PAY FOR MOVIE TICKET WATCH MOVIE PAY FOR MOVIE MERCHANDISE
Earning profit from the film, food products, toys, posters, etc.
CONCEPT
Jaws and Star Wars marked the beginning of the new US film industry business model that was hugely dominated by highconcept movies. The importance of a movie shifted from an artistic focal point to money making focal points. The 1970s was the beginning of the end of the New Hollywood period. The basic idea was that your movie had to be easily described/understood and marketable.
THE STEADICAM
Developed in 1978 Camera mount attached to cameraman More flexibility than tripod/dolly Camera moves with the man (running, jumping, walking)
THANK YOU.
1970s Cinema Adverts New age of advertisement and the development of in-theater previews. It was all about finding as many ways as possible to make money.
WORKS CITED
IMAGES
http://img.moviepilot.com/assets/tarantulaV2/project_images/1376470709_jaws.jpg http://bensbargains.net/thecheckout/awesomeness/twenty-amazing-behind-the-scene-film-photos/ http://thecoolship.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Young-George-Lucas.jpg http://assets.nydailynews.com/polopoly_fs/1.1189627!/img/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_635/spielberg23f-2-web.jpg http://ronbase.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/spielberg.jpg http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BOTUwMzY4NzI4Nl5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwMDgzNjk3OA@@._V1_SY317_CR12,0,214,317_.jpg http://www.filmlinks4u.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/Star-Wars-1977-Hollywood-Movie-Watch-Online1.jpg http://www.sensesofcinema.com/wp-content/uploads/images/directors/03/25/carpenter2.jpg http://foglobe.com/data_images/main/francis-ford-coppola/francis-ford-coppola-04.jpg http://scraber.ru/-/movie/photo/id/670 http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZzPsFpWpIaM/Ucb3_pmUHII/AAAAAAAACAc/b0M5-Jnsixc/s1600/img687.jpg https://d2nh4f9cbhlobh.cloudfront.net/_uploads/galleries/249/the_rocky_horror_picture_show_poster.jpg http://www.archiviokubrick.it/opere/film/shining/steadicam/steadicam01.jpg http://images5.fanpop.com/image/photos/28300000/Enter-the-Dragon-bruce-lee-28319699-833-1000.jpg
WEBSITES
"Kahuna Ashram: One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest." Kahuna Ashram: One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Sept. 2013. Roebuck, John. "HOW JAWS SPAWNED THE MODERN BLOCKBUSTER."Http://portable.tv/. Http://portable.tv/, n.d. Web. 5 Sept. 2013. "High Concept Defined Once and For All." High Concept Defined Once and For All. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Sept. 2013. "Scenes from the Morgue." Scenes from the Morgue. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Sept. 2013.
BOOKS
Tom Shone: Blockbuster (2004). London, Simon & Schuster UK. ISBN 0-7432-6838-5. See pp. 2740. Thompson, Kristin, and David Bordwell. Film History: An Introduction. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Higher Education, 2010. Print.