Title: Lecture 2: The Nuts and Bolts of Getting a Movie Before an Audience
1Lecture 2 The Nuts and Bolts of Getting a
Movie Before an Audience
2Previous Lesson
- How to succeed in an online course
- How this course is organized
- What we study in an introductory film course
- Form
- Content
- Do the Right Thing
3 This Lecture
- Film as Art
- Film Production
- Preparation
- Shooting
- Assembling
- Film Distribution
- Film Exhibition
- Case Study Jaws (1975) directed by Steven
Spielberg
4Film as Art
- Letters from Iwo Jima (2006), directed by
Clint Eastwood
Lesson 2 Part I
5How do We Classify Film?
- Is it Art?
- Is it Entertainment?
- Is it Business?
- Can it be all three at once?
6According to the Text
- The authors of your textbook, Bordwell and
Thompson, argue that film is at the intersection
of art, entertainment and business. - They remind us that art often comes from popular
traditions that were at one time not considered
art, such as jazz and even Shakespeare's plays,
but that such forms can foster art of high
quality.
7Cinema
- Bordwell and Thompson consider film an art
because it offers filmmakers ways to design
experiences for viewers, and those experiences
can be valuable regardless of their pedigree
(whether a film is considered highbrow or
lowbrow, made for commercial purposes, etc).
Films for audiences both large and small belong
to that very inclusive art called cinema.
8Form and Style
- Art in film, as it is in music or literature, is
the - result of the application of form and style.
- All films have subjects and themes that
contribute to the artistic effect, but in
themselves these are just raw material. - For example, there are many movies about serial
killers, but the application of form and style
makes each one distinctive. - Because of form and style, The Silence of the
Lambs is a much different kind of movie than
Friday the 13th, and arguably a much more complex
and interesting one.
9Bordwell and Thompson
- Its through form and style that a movie draws
us into a moment by moment engagement. As a film
unfolds in time, it offers a developing pattern
that encourages us to ask why things are
happening and to wonder what will happen next.
The film engages our vision and hearing, our
knowledge of the world, our ideas and our
feelings. The filmmaker can create a structured
experience that will involve us keenly and
sometimes change the way we think and feel about
our lives.
9
10Patterns in Film
- A director repeats story information in the form
of dialogue, sounds or images, that helps the
audience keep up with the story. - These patterns in a film are often conventions
borrowed from other movies that help viewers
interpret the language of film, even if only
unconsciously. - The knives in The Shining
- Butterflies/moths in The Silence of the Lambs
- The color red in The Sixth Sense
10
11Film Production
Lesson 2 Part II
12Four Phases of Production
- Scriptwriting and funding
- Preparation for filming
- Shooting
- Assembly
13Scriptwriting and Funding
- Two roles are central in this phase
- Screenwriter
- Producer
- Tasks of the producer are
- Financial
- Organizational
- The chief task of the screenwriter is to prepare
the screenplay or script.
14The Tasks of the Producer
- Nurses the project through the scriptwriting
process - Obtains financial support
- Arranges to hire the personnel who will work on
the film
15Tasks of the Producer (continued)
- During shooting, he or she acts as the liaison
between the writer or director and the company
that is financing the film - Arranges distribution, promotion and marketing
- Monitor the payback of money invested in the
production
16Independent vs. Studio
- An independent producer unearths film projects
and tries to convince production companies or
distributors to finance the film. - A producer may work for a distribution company
and generate ideas for films. - A studio may hire a producer to put together a
particular package.
17Kinds of Producers
- Executive Producer
- Arranges financing/obtains literary property
- Line Producer
- Oversees day to day filmmaking
- Associate Producer
- Acts as a liaison with labs and technical
personnel
18The Screenwriter
- Writes the script, which goes through several
stages - The Treatment
- A synopsis of the work
- Drafts of the script
- Revisions
- The Shooting Script
- The Final Version
19Preparation for Filming
-
- Director Christopher Nolan rehearsing Memento
(2000) with Guy Pierce
20Preproduction
- Producer and director set up a production office,
hire a crew and cast the roles - They prepare a daily schedule based on
continuity, which is the most convenient order of
production - Screenplay revisions
- Storyboards
21Preproduction (continued)
- Production designer designs the films settings
- Set decorator/set dresser
- Costume designer
- Previsualization with computer graphics
- Episode III Revenge of the Sith
22Storyboards
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
23Shooting the Film
Clint Eastwood directing Blood Work (2002)
24Shooting
- Also known as principle photography
25Directors Crew
- Script Supervisor
- Continuity
- First Assistant Director
- Plans shooting schedule, sets up shots
- Second Assistant Director
- Liaison among the first AD, the camera crew and
the electricians crew - Third Assistant Director
- Messenger for director and staff
26Directors Crew (continued)
- Dialogue Coach
- Feeds performers their lines
- Second Unit Director
- Films stunts, location footage, action scenes
27Other Aspects of Shooting
- Cast/Acting
- Director shapes performances
- Visual Effects Unit
- Stunts
- Animal Wranglers
- Camera Operator
28Other Aspects of Shooting (continued)
- Key Grip
- Supervises grips who carry and arrange equipment
and props - Gaffer
- Head Electrician
- Boom Operator
- Microphones
29Assembling the Film
Thelma Schoonmaker, who has edited many of Martin
Scorseses movies
30Postproduction
- Editor
- Works with the director to make creative
decisions about how the film footage can best be
cut together to tell a story - The editors job can be a huge one
31Post Production Terms
- Rough Cut
- The shots loosely strung in sequence, without
sound effects or music - Final Cut
- The finished film, still without sound
- Outtakes
- Unused shots
32Sound
- The Sound Editor builds the soundtrack, which is
made up of - Dialogue
- Sound effects
- Music
33Modes of Production
- Large Scale Production
- Studio Filmmaking
- Warner Brothers, Paramount, Disney
- Exploitation and Independent Production
- Small Companies
- Miramax, Focus Films
- Small Scale Production
- Personal Filmmaking
34Distribution
Lesson 2 Part III
35What is Distribution?
- Bordwell and Thompson refer to distribution as
the center of power - Distribution companies form the core of economic
power in the film industry - They provide mainstream entertainment to theaters
around the world
36Distributors
- Six Hollywood firms remain the worlds largest
distributors - Warner Brothers
- Paramount
- Walt Disney/Buena Vista
- Sony/Columbia
- Twentieth Century Fox
- Universal
37Large vs Small Distribution
- The major distributors have won such power
because large companies can best endure the risks
of theatrical moviemaking, which is very
expensive - They also stand to recoup the most profits
- Smaller distributors usually distribute specialty
films
38Ancillary Markets
- Home video/DVD
- Cable and Broadcast television
- Airlines and hotels
- Cyberspace/Video on Demand
39Profit
- Ancillary markets are where films make most of
their money, sometimes recouping the losses from
a film that did poorly in theatrical release. - Austin Powers International Man of Mystery did
moderate box office in the theater, but really
found its audience on video, paving the way for
theatrical sequels, which now had a built in
audience.
40Marketing
- Trailer
- Television commercials
- Web
- Newspapers
- Soundtracks
- Video games
- Merchandising
41Exhibition
Lesson 2 Part IV
42Kinds of Exhibition
- Theatrical
- Commercial movie houses
- City art centers
- Museums
- Film Festivals
- Non-theatrical
- Home video
- Cable
- Schools
43Television
- Television keeps the theatrical market going.
- In 2004 distributors earned about ten billion
dollars worldwide from theatrical distribution
and about 23 billion from home video.
44Jaws
Lesson 2 Part V
45Why Jaws?
- Jaws is a famous production that highlights both
the problems that arise during the creative
process of filmmaking as well as the innovation
necessary to overcome those problems. - Jaws was a watershed moment in the history of
film. Along with Star Wars, it is credited with
ushering in the era of the blockbuster (which we
are still in). It changed the way that films are
distributed and exhibited.
46The Production of Jaws
- Based on a bestseller by Peter Benchley
- Rights acquired by producers Richard Zanuck and
David Brown - Spielberg tapped as director
- His second feature film after The Sugarland
Express and the TV film Duel
47Problems
- The film was pushed into production early
- It was a technical nightmare
- The shark almost never worked
- Slow production with a lot of pressure from the
studios
48Results
- Jaws became the highest grossing film ever at
that time - Proved the success of repeater business
- One of the first films to open wide on many
screens at once as opposed to being slowly
rolled out.
49End of Lecture 2
- Next Lecture Narrative Structure and Say
Anything.