Session Four Major Independents Dr. Richard Nowell Department of Film Studies and Audiovisual Culture Masaryk University ¨16:10 – 18:05 ¨Dirty Dancing (1987) ¨ ¨18:05 – 18:10 ¨Break ¨ ¨18:10 – 19:15 ¨Mini-Majors & Major Independents Dirty Dancing Poster ¨ ¨To what extent does Dirty Dancing feel like a Hollywood movie? ¨ ¨In what ways does Dirty Dancing bear the hallmarks of so-called High Concept filmmaking? ¨ ¨In what ways does Dirty Dancing utilize elements associated with the Hollywood Renaissance? ¨ ¨ graduate.jpg amityville_horror.jpg scary_movie.jpg twilight.jpg austin_powers_the_spy_who_shagged_me_ver3.jpg lord_of_the_rings_the_return_of_the_king.jpg platoon.jpg teenage_mutant_ninja_turtles.jpg Dirty Dancing Poster The Silence of the Lambs Poster - Click to View Extra Large Image ¨ ¨Overview of Output of Major Independents ¨ ¨Independent High Concept ¨ ¨The extent to which major independents challenge distinctions between independents and Hollywood ¨ ¨Reflecting on the course thus far, what are the three broad categories into which contemporary American cinema tends to be organized? ¨ ¨What are their dominant characteristics? ¨Corporate Hollywood ¨Mass Audience ¨Family-friendly ¨Big Budget ¨Spectacle-focused ¨Plot-driven ¨Thematically weak ¨Multi-media ¨Event status ¨Harmless Entertainment ¨ star_wars_ver2.jpg jurassic_park_ver1.jpg transformers_dark_of_the_moon.jpg ¨Visionary filmmakers ¨Sophisticated Audience ¨Adult-oriented ¨Moderately budgeted ¨Thematically rich ¨Visually challenging ¨Theatrically viewed ¨Pet-projects ¨Less well known ¨Intellectually stimulating ¨ godfather_ver1.jpg schindlers_list.jpg brokeback_mountain.jpg ¨ ¨Entrepreneurial hacks ¨Low brow audience ¨Cheap ¨Visually sloppy ¨Thematically weak ¨Low rent exhibition ¨Get-rich quick ¨Obscure ¨Titillating/salacious ¨ pom_pom_girls_poster_01.jpg hostel_part_ii_ver4.jpg american_ninja.jpg carolco.jpg Miramax.jpg Orion.gif newline.jpg ¨What conditions led to a brief boom in non-Hollywood US commercial film making and distribution in the mid-to-late 1980s? ¨Newly established delivery systems ¨ ¨New Revenue streams ¨ ¨Replace drive-ins/grind houses ¨ ¨Complement theatrical release ¨ ¨ VHS.jpg HBO.jpg ¨Targeted by surviving 70s exploitation companies ¨ ¨Lucrative until market saturation in mid-80s ¨ ¨Demand for Content ¨ ¨Hollywood initially reluctant ¨ ¨Retailers want theatrical hits ¨ ¨ desert.jpg santa bunny.jpg esb video.jpg ¨Why did most of the new independent companies disappear quickly, and what helped some to survive a little bit longer? ¨High-risk/high gain ¨ ¨Hollywood safety nets: ¨Back Catalogue (revenue stream) ¨Parent Company (Bailout) ¨ ¨Independents have neither!! ¨ ¨Need ongoing success to survive ¨ ¨Cannot absorb failure wile_e_coyote_gravity.jpg wek 1.jpg ¨Having read the work of both Perren and Wyatt, and from being part of global film culture, what impression do you have about Miramax? ¨Focus on Art Cinema ¨ ¨Dimension ignored ¨ ¨Over-emphasis of films Art Cinema credentials ¨ ¨Reinforces distinctions from Hollywood ¨ ¨Obscures exchange and interaction ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ Spy Kids Poster Good Will Hunting Poster Scary Movie Poster sex_lies_and_videotape_ver1.jpg pulp_fiction.jpg The Crying Game Poster king_kong_lives.jpg blue_velvet_ver2.jpg raw_deal.jpg manhunter_ver1.jpg transformers_the_movie.jpg maximum_overdrive.jpg my_little_pony_the_movie.jpg trick_or_treat.jpg bill_and_teds_excellent_adventure.jpg crimes_of_the_heart.jpg rambo_first_blood_part_ii.jpg basic_instinct.jpg terminator_two_judgement_day.jpg cliffhanger_ver1.jpg total_recall.jpg cutthroat_island_ver2.jpg showgirls.jpg rambo_iii.jpg red_heat.jpg first_blood_ver1.jpg ¨Established 1978 as Satellite producer for Warner Bros. ¨ ¨Goes solo in 1982, enjoying huge success, 1985-1987 ¨ ¨Encounters troubled times 1988-89 when films flop ¨ ¨Sells international rights to films to Sony ¨ ¨Hits cannot offset weak films and no international revenue ¨ ¨Downsizes hugely after 1992 ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ The Silence of the Lambs Poster - Click to View Extra Large Image Dances With Wolves Poster mississippi_burning.jpg throw_momma_from_the_train.jpg RoboCop Poster - Click to View Extra Large Image back_to_school.jpg desperately_seeking_susan.jpg terminator.jpg platoon.jpg amadeus_ver1.jpg ¨To what extent does Dirty Dancing feel like a Hollywood movie? ¨ ¨In what ways does Dirty Dancing bear the hallmarks of so-called High Concept filmmaking? ¨ ¨In what ways does Dirty Dancing utilize elements associated with the Hollywood Renaissance? Dirty Dancing Poster ¨High production values ¨ ¨Hollywood Genre model ¨ ¨(kind of) stars ¨ ¨Soundtrack ¨ ¨High-concept montages ¨ ¨Themes evoking renaissance DD.jpg DirtyDancing4-lg.jpg ¨What other than its content would have helped to make Dirty Dancing appear to be a Hollywood film? johnny-dirty-dancing.jpg jennifer_grey1.jpg ¨Dirty Dancing Opening Credit Sequence: ¨http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ziywOFXLiVM ¨ ¨She’s Like the Wind Montage Sequence: ¨http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mR6vJHJkJhU ¨ ¨Patrick Swayze &Wendy Fraser, “She’s Like the Wind”, Video Clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lU9p1WRfA9w ¨ ¨Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes, “(I had) the Time of my life”, video clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUoDaCH1MJM ¨Does A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master feel like an independent film to you? ¨ ¨ ¨ nightmare_on_elm_street_four.jpg ¨Wide Openings ¨ ¨Merchandizing ¨ ¨Musical tie-ins ¨ ¨Cross media presence ¨ ¨Huge Publicity drive ¨ ¨Freddy Krueger as “Star” freddykruegerdoll.jpg fatboysnfreddy.jpg http://site.unbeatablesale.com/img2004/buys0279.jpg http://i.ytimg.com/vi/YT5frKwJ8_Y/0.jpg http://epguides.com/FreddysNightmares/logo.jpg ¨ ¨A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master Clip: ¨http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYJCd7UGhFI ¨ ¨Vinnie Vincent Invasion, Love Kills ¨http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHSm-VohsNY ¨ ¨MTV Special, September 1988, (7:40 – 8:50) ¨http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21xj9MYS-FY ¨Mid-1980s, seen as a cutting edge of Hollywood practice ¨ ¨Is really a cluster of trends scattered across films; Few if any Hollywood films exhibit all traits of high concept ¨ ¨Enables independents to frame films as Hollywood product ¨ ¨Earliest truly HC films emerge from the independent sector ¨ ¨Distances films from exploitation product ¨Out High Concepted Hollywood ¨ ¨Set new high water mark ¨ ¨Emphasized potential of HC ¨ ¨Fulfillment of HC in Hollywood ¨ ¨Template for Batman (1989) and Dick Tracy (1990) ¨ ¨Villains as marketing hooks dick tracy mob.jpg batman4.jpg ¨Progress in early 90s ¨ ¨1993: Time Warner ¨ ¨Star vehicles in mid-90s ¨ ¨Big Budget Franchises in late-90s ¨ ¨Blockbuster Franchise in 2000s ¨ ¨ Dumb And Dumber Poster The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring Poster - Click to View Extra Large Image Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Poster Rush Hour Poster Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me Poster Elf Poster ¨Unlike exploitation independents, major independents sought to face off with Hollywood directly by releasing similar films ¨ ¨Whereas the makers and marketers of independent spirit films distanced their films from imagined mainstream, major independents often evoked exaggeratedly imagined mainstream ¨ ¨Despite enjoying some success, lack of parent company and back catalogue prevented major independents from absorbing commercial failure ¨