Blockbuster Homework Notes

Task 1 - 
Question 8. Describe the rise of Cineplex and the resulting changes to film distribution:
Cineplex has risen from the 70s and 80s, and was known as the decade of blockbuster hits, and publicity campaigns, of new technology such as CGI and special effects, which appealed to a wide audience. Previous trends such as "the buddy film", "the vigilante film" and "the disaster film" began to fade away in the film industry during the mid-70s.  They were replaced with slasher films, space operas, youth films and slap stick comedies. Many film-makers remade films, by referring to old, original film ideas and including their own material. In some cases, parodies or comic send-ups were made. Others simply reused the exact plot of an old film, and modernized it completely. This has made films become boring and repetitive, therefore people are becoming reluctant to going to the cinemas as they know that the story will be the same. On the other hand, people are falling into the trap of thinking that they are going to see this amazing, original and new film, when they are not.

Question 9. Discuss the phenomenon as a contributing factor in the rise of the blockbuster:
The factor that contributes the rise of the blockbuster is CGI and Special Effects, as technology is developing everyday and many film makers are being benefited by this as their films will look more exciting. This will entice the viewer to go to the cinema and watch these high quality explosions and 3d effects. This means that the film will make a higher profit as more people will have paid money to watch the film in the cinema or buy the dvd.

Task 2 -
How Jaws spawned the modern blockbuster:
- Jaws was the film that made Spielberg
- It would become the first film ever to gross over $100 million at the Box Office giving him A-List director status, only at the age of 27.
-It is directly responsible for the genesis of the Blockbuster and the Hollywood Summer movie mould as we know it today.
- It marks the true beginnings of Spielberg as we have come to know it.
- It has all the hallmarks of a Spielberg film: the everyman, the father/son relationship and an iconic score from John Williams.
-Jaws taps into one of our most primal fear - the fear of the unknown
- The Jaws poster gives us the feel of a lurking predator.
-The mechanical shark had many technical difficulties.
- Jaws changed how major Hollywood studios treated the release of their large-scale productions.
- Product tie-ins and colossal advertising became the norm for large studio pictures.
- As production costs began to rise, instead of original and exciting material, studios didn't want to take risks so they have endless sequels, remakes, reboots, and adaptations.



Jaws - The First Blockbuster? Arguements:
- very different from blockbuster movies as it has a sense of place, character driven, no special effects, rubber shark didn't appear much and wouldn't work 100% of the time

Star Wars was more of a typical Blockbuster:
- star wars changed a generation 
- people wanted to marry some of the stars
- hype/excitement to buy it on DVD

- The Jaws creature and comparatively tiny young swimmer became iconic in the 70s and was seen everywhere: t-shirts, pin badges, posters, billboards, book shops etc.

Context groups:
Star wars: 
- M&Ms (tie-ins)
- Special Effects (technology)
- got money from sales of star wars action figures and toys (economic)
- terrible Star Wars merch:
christmas album
scarf
perfume
ear muffs
cardboard cut-outs
books
bath products
tongue pop
playsets for action figures

How Star Wars changed the business:
captured imaginations (social)
official fan-clubs - waiting outside for new releases(social)
society became sinical
teenage cruising

The high concept movie: every film we see has a formula and small details are changed, such as character names and locations, as films have been told in thousands of different ways.
High concept films are:
-easily recognisable/digested
-one-line pitch
-instant iconography
-consumer appeal
-easy marketability
-star-name
-the plot can be summed up in one or two sentences
- a simple title tells you most or everything you need to know about the film
-based on an idea that breeds easy-to-sell marketibility: tie-in pop music, soundtracks, star vehicles and franchises, consumer goods and dominant, impact-inspired themes.
They introduced cinemagoers to bite-size movies.