Session Three The Blockbuster Era and High Concept Dr. Richard Nowell Department of Film Studies and Audiovisual Culture Masaryk University ¨16:10 – 17:50 ¨Top Gun (1986) ¨ ¨17:50–18:00 ¨Break ¨ ¨18:00 – 19:15 ¨Blockbuster Era & High Concept flashdance.jpg top_gun.jpg jaws.jpg star_wars_ver2.jpg raiders_of_the_lost_ark_ver1.jpg ghostbusters_ver1.jpg saturday_night_fever.jpg rocky_iv_ver2.jpg flashdance.jpg rambo_first_blood_part_ii.jpg karate_kid.jpg top_gun.jpg ¨The Blockbuster Era as a distinct period in American cinema history ¨ ¨High concept as a coherent industrial/aesthetic strategy ¨ ¨The extent to which High Concept and Blockbuster filmmaking reflects the late 1970s and 1980s ¨ ¨ ¨Name FIVE films released by a Hollywood company before May 1989 that were promoted with both action figures and a pop video upon their original release. ¨ ¨Students that have succeeded to date: Zero ¨ ¨ ¨Summarize this film in 25 words or fewer. ¨ ¨In what sense might Top Gun be considered a High Concept film? ¨ ¨How has transferability to other media forms shaped the content and look of the film? ¨ ¨Is this film all that different from those we already viewed on the course? ¨ top_gun.jpg ¨The Blockbuster Era as a distinct period in American cinema history ¨ ¨High concept as a coherent industrial/aesthetic strategy ¨ ¨The extent to which High Concept and Blockbuster filmmaking reflects the late 1970s and 1980s ¨ ¨Calculated Blockbuster: ¨Designed to be a high grossing film ¨ ¨Blockbuster Hit: ¨A vey high grossing film ¨ ¨Calculated Blockbuster Hit ¨A film that achieves its backers’ high commercial expectations ¨ ¨Sleeper: A surprise hit howard_the_duck_ver1.jpg three_men_and_a_baby.jpg beverly_hills_cop.jpg who_framed_roger_rabbit.jpg ¨How do both Schatz and Wyatt portray late-1970s and 1980s Hollywood? ¨Semi- distinct period in American film history: 1975–1989 ¨ ¨“Blockbuster Era” often contrasted to “Hollywood Renaissance”: ¨Bygone golden age vs. low-point of capitalist cultural production. ¨ ¨Corporate power overwhelms creative filmmaking ¨ ¨Spawned Blockbuster Mentality: A megahit off-sets losses ¨ ¨Innovative creative personnel vs. faceless economic institutions ¨ ¨Middle-class Art Cinema vs. Mass audience blockbusters ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨What were the two major film “events” that are said to have initiated the blockbuster era? ¨One of biggest US theatrical earners ¨ ¨Spotlights potential of : ¨ ¨National saturation booking ¨ ¨Cross-media blitz-marketing ¨ ¨Merchandizing ¨ ¨Minimalistic, striking print advertizing ¨ jaws.jpg http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_BquY6zd9Wxo/S7fNxXjz5aI/AAAAAAAALSE/oh0ytreLhhg/s1600/jaws_book.jpg http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3091/2877017463_e1dc943bc0.jpg?v=0 ¨Surpassed industry expectations to out-gross Jaws ¨ ¨Huge merchandise sales spotlight: ¨ ¨Huge revenue source (licensing) ¨ ¨Huge advertising exposure (synergy) star_wars_ver2.jpg star wars toy.jpg empire_strikes_back_ver1.jpg http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3183/2566965853_c472657415.jpg ¨ ¨What other films are spotlighted as the key releases of the Blockbuster Era? ¨Lucas/Spielberg Canon ¨ ¨Big Budget Fantasy-adventures: ¨ ¨E.T. The Extra-terrestrial (1982) ¨ ¨Back to the Future (1985, 1989) ¨Indiana Jones (1981; 1984; 1989) ¨Ghost Busters (1984; 1989) ¨ ¨ ¨ raiders_of_the_lost_ark_ver1.jpg back_to_the_future.jpg e_t_the_extra_terrestrial_ver2.jpg return_of_the_jedi_ver2.jpg ¨Do you think there are any problems with the ways the blockbuster era is generally portrayed? ¨We need to consider the extent to which big-budget, big grossing films characterized this period ¨ ¨We need to consider how blockbuster-oriented was the Blockbuster Era in comparison to other periods. ¨ ¨We need to consider what else was made in the Blockbuster Era ¨ ¨We need to consider whether the commercially successful movies of the period were ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨Hollywood always handled costly films ¨ ¨Many megahits were released before 1975 ¨ ¨Sidesteps inflation and ticket price hikes to overstate success stories ¨ ¨Box office Gross is newsworthy The Birth of a Nation Poster King Kong Poster Gone With the Wind Poster The Ten Commandments Poster Doctor Zhivago Poster - Click to View Extra Large Image The Sound of Music Poster - Click to View Extra Large Image The Exorcist Poster The Sting Poster - Click to View Extra Large Image The Godfather Poster The Graduate Poster Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid Poster - Click to View Extra Large Image Return to Main Page for Love Story Posters Airport Poster - Click to View Extra Large Image blazing_saddles.jpg American Graffiti Poster towering_inferno.jpg shining_ver1.jpg blue_velvet_ver2.jpg platoon.jpg annie_hall.jpg big.jpg empire_strikes_back_ver1.jpg equus.jpg heroes.jpg friday_13th_4_poster_01.jpg police_academy_four.jpg rocky_ver1.jpg smokey_and_the_bandit.jpg tootsie.jpg animal_house_ver2.jpg beverly_hills_cop.jpg rain_man.jpg three_men_and_a_baby.jpg fatal_attraction.jpg rambo_first_blood_part_ii.jpg kramer_vs_kramer_ver2.jpg ¨Commercial success replaces critical success of Hollywood Renaissance as organizing framework for historians ¨ ¨Film history therefore becomes a story of exceptional hits ¨ ¨Erects canons which marginalize the unremarkable ¨ ¨Innovation and difference overwrite continuation and repetition ¨ ¨All periods are characterized by calculated blockbusters and other types of film ¨The idea of a Blockbuster Era derives from linking discussion of film to prestigious socio-political discourse ¨ ¨It makes film topical by invoking a Reagan-era characterized by laissez faire economics and corporate culture ¨ ¨It also inflects film with a timely sense of modernization, nationalism, and power associated with the Reagan years ¨ ¨American film, and critics, are therefore topicalized ... Just like happened with the Hollywood Renaissance ¨How does Wyatt define High Concept? ¨ ¨What does he mean by “the look”, “the hook”, and “the book”? ¨Economic/aesthetic strategy said to have dominated Hollywood thinking ¨ ¨Angled to youth and to families ¨ ¨Distillable, easily understood idea ¨ ¨Transferable to media and merchandise ¨ ¨Opened widely and promoted heavily to generate event status superman_ver1.jpg ¨Slick, striking, visuals ¨ ¨Up-tempo music-driven montages ¨ ¨Translate well to audio-visual marketing especially music videos ¨ ¨Fetish consumer goods and body ¨ ¨Exaggerate facial/bodily movements ¨ ¨But this was nothing new! ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ bacon.jpg ¨Footloose (1984) warehouse scene: ¨Http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nc8crnqKEns ¨ ¨Rocky IV (1985) No Easy Way Out Montage: ¨Http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANIOI_ERLRk ¨ ¨Berlin, “Take My Breath Away” Video Clip: ¨http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4a6ampIGao ¨ ¨Madonna, “Papa Don’t Preach” Video Clip, ¨http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkxqxWgEEz4&ob=av2n ¨ ¨Easily marketable content ¨ ¨Especially content that could be licensed and used in other forms ¨ ¨When did this logic NOT shape Hollywood conduct and output? ¨ ¨Think: Disney and Mickey Mouse ¨ ¨HC was sexy industry jargon for strong commercial potential ¨ ¨ gremlins_ver1.jpg gizmo3d.jpg gremlins cereal.jpg ¨Saturday Night Fever and Grease ¨ ¨MTV provides key catalyst ¨ ¨Youth market hits inc. Flashdance, Footloose, and Purple Rain ¨ ¨Widespread by mid-1980s, inc. quality cinema like White Nights ¨ ¨Hallmark of Hollywood-ness lionel-richie_say-you-say-me-c.jpg man behind the mask.jpg prince_purplerain-gal-cover.jpg flashdance song.jpg Grease_single.png stayin-alive-the-bee-gees.jpg ¨Saturday Night Fever (1977) Trailer: ¨http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bq4ZMKqWk80 ¨ ¨Valley Girl (1983) Trailer: ¨http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZaRznRmCqc ¨ ¨Mainly from Children’s Cartoons ¨Transformers ¨Care Bears ¨ ¨Occasional R-rated Action Films ¨Commando ¨Rambo: First Blood Part II ¨ ¨Occasional Hollywood Hits: ¨ E.T : The Extra-Terrestrial Gremlins; The Karate Kid Commando_18_Inch_MIB_Red_C-8_5_1.jpg gizmo-ljn-1984-packaging.jpg care_bears_movie.jpg transformers_the_movie.jpg ¨http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4i7r6peTN3I&feature=related ¨ ¨http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCpbTb3IbV4&feature=related ¨Film san be summed up succinctly. ¨ ¨What film cannot be summarized succinctly? ¨ ¨Does it not hinge on the speaker’s skills? ¨ ¨Does it not always ignore content? ¨ ¨Does this process not assume naively that we all view films in the same way? ¨ top_gun.jpg ¨In what sense might Flashdance and Top Gun be considered High Concept films? ¨ ¨Can you summarize either film in 25 words or fewer? ¨ ¨How has transferability to other media forms shaped the content and look of these films? ¨ ¨Are these films profoundly different from those we already viewed on the course? flashdance.jpg top_gun.jpg ¨Wyatt recycles industry rhetoric (and fantasy) ¨ ¨High Concept reflects myriad assumed contemporaneous trends that were rarely employed in /around the same film ¨ ¨High Concept is therefore too narrow a term, and too broad a concept, to reflect the face of film content and handling ¨ ¨High Concept was seen as the essence of a new Hollywood ¨ ¨… and this situation would lead it to become a self-fulfilling prophecy, as we will see in the next session … ¨ ¨