Kris Simms
July 2, 2006
IRLS 564.001, Corporate Library and Information Centers
Industry Report: American Film
I. Introduction
I will be presenting on the American Film Industry. I am going to start with the conclusion I came to during my research and interview, and the thrust of the presentation will be dedicated to elaborating on this points.
II. Creativity
Creativity, both in technological innovation and artistic expression, drives the success of the film industry. However, technological innovation and artistic expression are intimately related to audience expectations.
This notion of audience includes even the creators themselves. So, regardless of presumed roles within the film industry, the audience is all inclusive. Artistic creativity comes about when the audience wants to see different things.
Technological innovation comes about when the audience wants to see things in a different way. This is reflected by various artistic movements in film and the various formats in which artistic visions are expressed. In either case, the industry grows or changes and in some cases survives due to creativity.
III. History
A. When did the film industry start?
1. The seeds of the motion picture began with centuries old devices like the camera obscura and the magic lantern.
a. If you want to envision these technologies, picture slide shows using glass instead of slides and candle light instead of projector lights.
b. When I think of the concept of motion picture, I think of an old projector spinning a real of film around and projecting it onto the big screen.
c. But, the original creators of the motion picture envisioned not pictures in motion but pictures capturing motion.
d. So, you can almost think of the reals, video tapes, DVD’s or now, digital files as one picture capturing motion.
B. 1895, also the year that radio was invented, the first motion picture was displayed.
1. The democratization of information was predicted by Tesla who predicted televisions 60 years before their production.
2. The inventors of the motion picture always wanted picture to sync up with sound but there were many technological barriers to this vision.
3. The film industry was at first similar to a monopoly because Edison laboratories invented and patented the first motion picture cameras.
a. To escape Edison’s control over the industry, film producers began heading West usually ending up in California, specifically Hollywood.
C. World War I marked a decline in European studios and Hollywood began to thrive.
D. Examples of early artistic and technological creativity are the shift from scene to shot and fixed camera position to the use of dollies.
IV. A new era and the inception of the Studio
A. An example of these innovations and their impact on the industry is the Golden Age of Hollywood from talkies to WWII-talkies saved the Hollywood Film Industry from the Great Depressions
V. Politics and Social Issues in the Film Industry
A. Later, political issues arose during WWII- when film was used as propaganda for both Allies and the Axis.
B. As with all industries the Hollywood Film Industry found itself under attack by the television.
C. This was also a time when individuals in the film industry found themselves under attack if they portrayed communists or communist ideology in a positive light.
1. For instance, The House, Un-American Activities Committee investigated Hollywood.
D. In the post war years theaters began closing at a furious pace.
VI. The 60’s and New Marketing Approaches
A. The industry soon realized that not only good films brought in the audiences. It was new formats, types of cinemas, attractions surrounding film houses.
B. Technology began to bourgeon as a marketing staple.
C. For example, Cinerama’s slogan was “Bigger is Better!” in reference to larger screens and 3D films helped sell films like The Creature from the Black Lagoon although 3D soon died out.
D. The “New Hollywood” –late 60’s saw some successes- Bonnie and Clyde, Mrs. Robinson but the industry itself was still flailing.
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VII. The 70’s and Government Impact
A. There was a variety of success in pornographic films which created a firestorm of cultural and political action.
1. If anyone is interested in this era, I went to the Sundance Film Festival a year and a half ago and saw a documentary titled, X Inside Deep Throat.
a. During a Q & A with the documentary producers and individuals that partook in this particular movement, they claimed that what they created was art and they even carried this argument before the Supreme Court.
VIII. New Creators
A. Throughout the early seventies a group of young directors working in close accord would disband to change movies forever, i.e. Francis Ford Copolla, Steven Spielberg, George Lucas.
B. In the late seventies it started with Jaws, blew up with Star Wars and the block buster was introduced.
C. Special Effects have always been a part of motion pictures, but Star Wars was a movement beyond realism.
IX. The 80’s saw the introduction of the sequel, the block buster and video tape (home viewing technology)
A. Video tape and the VCR were originally seen as a threat to the film industry but only expanded it.
B. The early 90’s saw an artistic invigoration with movies like Pulp Fiction and Forest Gump.
1. Creative editing and story telling.
C. Digital Special Effects were on the rise and movies like Jurassic Park were released.
D. Then the Blaire Witch Project broke all the rules and a movement towards independent film making began to rise.
1. I need to do some research but both the Blaire Witch Project and Deep Throat claim to have the largest net profit.
E. Today the industry is dominated by the remaking of old movies, big screen adaptations of old TV shows and books.
X. Interview with Brian Quint from the Colorado Commission of Film and Some Projected Trends for the Industry
1. What is your educational background? I received an undergraduate degree in film production from Colorado State University.
2. Who are you now employed by? I currently work for the Colorado Commission of Film but I have many independent projects ranging from stock footage production in Alaska to local commercials for car dealerships. I have shot principle photography for all four types of film: documentaries, commercial, television and films.
3. When did you begin to gain an industry perspective of film?
It was an interesting course of events. My schooling provided me with vital information and tools for the technical aspect of film making. It wasn’t until I immersed myself in the local market before I gained knowledge about the commercial aspects of film making. This was a necessary step in my growth as a film maker. Going digital allowed for me to create independent films while in college. But this was not the real world. In order to make money, I bartended at night and fought for the limited jobs Colorado has to offer in the film industry. Finally, I found my niche in producing nature shots that were used as stock footage for commercials, documentaries, films, etc. I am leaving to Alaska to do something similar to this. However, the money I have made during these jobs has made ends meat, but I have reinvested the majority of my money into computers and cameras. It has been a cycle of independent, and industry in order to develop my independent projects that I hope are accepted by the industry in order to reach a greater audience. I needed to learn about the industry and began involving myself with the Colorado Film Commission where began networking and eventually got a job as a production assistant and worked on commercials, documentaries, films and television (mostly local but primarily national). Through working for the CCF I have began to see the importance of film festivals for local economies. Sundance is the model but is being reproduced in places like Colorado.
These notes were reviewed and approved by interviewee on June 26, 2006.
XI. Resources
A & E Television Networks (2004). The Biography Channel: Lucas, George. Accessed
Ceplair, L., Englund, S. (2003). The Inquisition in Hollywood: Politics in the Film
Community, 1930-1960. University of Illinois Press.
Levy, F. (2000). Hollywood 101: The Film Industry. Renaissance Books, Riverside, CA.
MSN Encarta Encyclopedia, (2006). Accessed on July 1, 2006. Available at:
Norton, Peter B., Esposito, Joseph J. (1994). The New Encyclopedia Britannica.
Wikipedia Foundation, Inc. (2006). Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Accessed July 1,
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