For over a century a vicious business war has been waged in Hollywood between studios and exhibitors. At stake, shares in what has now become a multi-billion-dollar business. Both sides were poor losers, exhibitors bringing down the wrath of law on studios via various Consent Decrees, studios fighting back by more tightly controlling output. At the heart of this battle lay distribution: how films should be released; where, when and at what speed. In the silent era few prints were made, movies running for a week or less, working their way down a hierarchial ranking of theaters, taking a year or more to get round America. This is the untold story of how the few became the many, of the contraction of the release cycle, of the maximizing of the marketing dollar, and of the democratization of consumer access, until these days instant wide release worldwide is taken for granted. The Jazz Singer (1927) was one trigger for change, another the growth of world premieres held in tiny towns in far-flung states on the back of the location filming boom in the 1930s that in turn led to the regional wide release. Sci-fi/horror pictures that would be quickly condemned by negative word-of-mouth in the 1950s spurred Hollywood to get them into as many theaters as possible as quickly as possible. As movie budgets ballooned in the 1970s and 1980s, it became necessary to stop releasing major movies in relatively small numbers of theaters, and as movies become only one part of a longer ancillary tail essential to open them in many thousands of theaters. This book explodes myths relating to wide release patterns employed for Duel in the Sun in the 1940s, Elvis Presley and Hercules in the 1950s, Jaws and Star Wars in the 1970s and shows that, contrary to current thinking, movies were instantly released in as many as 500 theaters in the 1930s and over 1,000 in the 1950s.

"Reel Racism: Confronting Hollywood's Construction of Afro-American Culture "goes beyond reflection theories of the media to examine cinema's active participation in the operations of racism --a complex process rooted in the dynamics of representation. Written for undergraduates and graduate students of film studies and philosophy, Reel Racism focuses on methods and frameworks that analyze films for their production of meaning and how those meanings participate in a broader process of justifying, naturalizing, or legitimizing difference, privilege, and violence based on race. In addition to analyzing how the process of racism is articulated in specific films, Reel Racism examines how specific meanings can resist their function of ideological containment, and instead, offer a perspective of a more collective, egalitarian social system-- one that transcends the discourse of race.

Women Filmmakers in Early Hollywood explores when, how, and why the industry accepted women as filmmakers in the 1910s and why, by the 1920s, those opportunities had disappeared. In looking at the issue in terms of workplace, Karen Ward Mahar not only unravels the mystery of the disappearing female filmmaker but uncovers the complicated relationships among gender, work culture, and business within modern industrial organizations.

"With meticulous scholarship and fluid writing, Mahar tells the story of this golden era of female filmmaking... Women Filmmakers in Early Hollywood is not to be missed." -- Women's Review of Books

"A scrupulously researched and argued analysis of how and why women made great professional and artistic gains in the U.S. film industry from 1906 to the mid-1920s and why they lost most of that ground until the late twentieth century." -- Journal of American History

"Women Filmmakers in Early Hollywood offers convincing evidence of how economic forces shaped women's access to film production and presents a complex and engaging story of the women who took advantage of those opportunities." -- Business History Review

"Mahar views the business of making movies from the inside out, focusing on questions about changing industrial models and work conventions. At her best, she shows how the industry's shifting business history impacted women's opportunities, recasting current understanding about the American film industry's development." -- Reviews in American History

Karen Ward Mahar is an associate professor of history at Siena College, New York.

An indispensable lexicon for film theory, defining over 500 critical terms. It contains references to the work of key figures such as Peirce, Doane, Genette and Derrida and examples drawn from the films of directors like Welles and Hitchcock.

'Bollywood' is the dominant global term to refer to the prolific Hindi language film industry in Bombay (renamed Mumbai in 1995). Characterised by music, dance routines, melodrama, lavish production values and an emphasis on stars and spectacle, Bollywood films have met with box-office success and enthusiastic audiences from India to West Africa to Russia, and throughout the English-speaking world.

In Bollywood, anthropologist and film scholar Tejaswini Ganti provides a guide to the cultural, social and political significance of Hindi cinema, outlining the history and structure of the Bombay film industry, and the development of popular Hindi filmmaking since the 1930s. Providing information and commentary on the key players in Bollywood, including directors and stars, as well as material from current filmmakers themselves, the areas covered in Bollywood include:

• history of Indian cinema
• narrative style, main themes, and key genres of Hindi cinema
• significant films, directors and stars
• production and distribution of Bollywood films
• interviews with actors, directors and screenwriters.

This book sheds new light on the socio-economic impact of multinational corporations. Combining Cultural Studies and International Political Economy, it provides a revealing analysis of the Walt Disney Company, and by extension the wider Hollywood studio system. It does so by examining the cultural and economic forces powering the industry's expansion, the 'civilisation' that Disney disseminates, and the various ways that societies beyond the USA have adopted facets of the Hollywood productions to which they are exposed. Identifying both the strengths and the weaknesses of these transnational firms, it demonstrates the significance of their contribution to American power and predominance.

From the American underground film to the blockbuster superhero, this authoritative collection of introductory and specialized readings explores the core issues and developments in American cinematic history during the second half of the twentieth-century through the present day. * Considers essential subjects that have shaped the American film industry from the impact of television and CGI to the rise of independent and underground film; from the impact of the civil rights, feminist and LGBT movements to that of 9/11. * Features a student-friendly structure dividing coverage into the periods 1960-1975, 1976-1990, and 1991 to the present day, each of which opens with an historical overview * Brings together a rich and varied selection of contributions by established film scholars, combining broad historical, social, and political contexts with detailed analysis of individual films, including Midnight Cowboy, Nashville, Cat Ballou, Chicago, Back to the Future, Killer of Sheep, Daughters of the Dust, Nothing But a Man, Ali, Easy Rider, The Conversation, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Longtime Companion, The Matrix, The War Tapes, the Batman films, and selected avant-garde and documentary films, among many others. * Additional online resources, such as sample syllabi, which include suggested readings and filmographies, for both general and specialized courses, will be available online. * May be used alongside American Film History: Selected Readings, Origins to 1960 to provide an authoritative study of American cinema from its earliest days through the new millennium

This book offers an industrial, economic and aesthetic history of the early years of the British film industry from 1899-1911, through a case study of one of the most celebrated pioneer film makers, Cecil Hepworth. Presenting a picture of daily life in his film studio, an analysis of Hepworth's films is offered including the development of their content, production methods and marketing in this formative period. The early twentieth century saw British film production develop from a cottage industry of artisans to a multi-modal complex economic system with a global reach. Changes in the nature of exhibition and distribution caused a major crisis in the years 1908-1911, whereby Britain lost its status as a world leader in film making. Existing histories of this period lay this crisis at the feet of pioneers like Hepworth, whose perceived inability to improve the quality of film production led to stagnation. Brown attempts to challenge this assumption by analysing Hepworth's development of production methods as well as his strategies towards sales in the market to demonstrate the impact on the modernisation of the film industry.

If in doubt fall on your arse. That was the mantra of Fred Karno: acrobat, comedian, writer, music hall impresario, film producer and the undisputed king of slapstick. From his famous nursery of nonsense, the 'Fun Factory', the Guv'nor conquered the world, built an empire, made millions and lost the lot. In the process he discovered and trained the early twentieth century's greatest comedians: Will Hay, Robb Wilton, Sandy Powell, Syd Walker, Frank Randle, Max Miller, Billy Bennett, the Crazy Gang, and most significantly of all Stan Laurel and Charlie Chaplin. He pioneer physical sketch comedy and developed the raw material that Hollywood later fashioned into the finest comics of silent film. The phrase 'It's like Fred Karno's Army' entered the lexicon to describe any chaotic situation, but his extraordinary legacy is largely forgotten, lost in the mists of time and sullied by a tarnished personal reputation. This book tells the remarkable story of the man behind the myth and reveals Karno's huge contribution to comedy and popular culture - an impact which still resonates today.

Paolo Cherchi Usai provides a comprehensive introduction to the study, research and preservation of silent cinema from its heyday in the early 20th century to its present day flourishing. He traces the history of the moving image in its formative years, from Edison's and Lumiere's first experiments to the dawn of 'talkies'; provides a clear guide to the basics of silent film technology; introduces the technical and creative roles involved in its production, and presents silent cinema as a performance event, rather than a passive viewing experience. This new, greatly expanded edition takes the reader on a new journey, exploring silent cinema in the broader context of technology, culture, and society, from the invention of celluloid film and its related machinery to film studios, laboratories, theatres and audiences. Among the people involved in the creation of a new art form were filmmakers, actors and writers, but also engineers, entrepreneurs, and projectionists. Their collective efforts, and the struggle to preserve their creative work by archives and museums, are interwoven in a compelling story covering three centuries of media history, from the magic lantern to the reinvention of silent cinema in digital form. The new edition also includes comprehensive resource information for the study, research, preservation and exhibition of silent cinema.

This book examines the economic circumstances in which films were produced, distributed, exhibited, and consumed during the spoken era of film production until 1970. The periodisation covers the years between the onset of sound and the demise of the phased distribution of films. Films are generally appreciated for their aesthetic qualities. But they are also commodities. This work of economic history presents a new approach, considering consumption behaviour as significant as supply-side decision-making. Audiences' tastes are considered central, with box-office an indicator of what they liked. The POPSTAT Index of Film Popularity is used as a proxy where box office knowledge is missing. Comparative analysis is conducted through the tool RelPOP. The book comprises original case studies covering film consumption in Great Britain, the Netherlands, Sweden, and the United States during the 1930s; Australia and occupied Belgium during the Second World War; and Italy, the United States, Poland and Czechoslovakia during the Post-war. An overriding theme is how the classical American business model, which emerged during the 1910s linking production to distribution and exhibition, adapted to local circumstances, including the two countries behind the Iron Curtain during the years of 'High Stalinism'.

Producing for the Screen is a collection of essays written by and interviews with working producers, directors, writers, and professors, exploring the business side of producing for film and television. In this book, over 30 industry professionals dispel myths about the industry and provide practical advice on topics such as how to break into the field; how to develop, nurture, and navigate business relationships; and how to do creative work under pressure. Readers will also learn about the entrepreneurial expectations in relation to marketing, strategies for contending with the emotional highs and lows of producing, and money management while pursuing producing as a profession. Written for undergraduates and graduates studying filmmaking, aspiring producers, and working producers looking to reinvent themselves, Producing for the Screen provides readers with a wealth of first-hand information that will help them create their own opportunities and pursue a career in film and television.

In this definitive and long-awaited history of 1950s British cinema, Sue Harper and Vincent Porter draw extensively on previously unknown archive material to chart the growing rejection of post-war deference by both film-makers and cinema audiences. Competition from television and successive changes in government policy all forced the production industry to become more market-sensitive. The films produced by Rank and Ealing, many of which harked back to wartime structures of feeling, were challenged by those backed by Anglo-Amalgamated and Hammer. The latter knew how to address the rebellious feelings and growing sexual discontents of a new generation of consumers. Even the British Board of Film Censors had to adopt a more liberal attitude. The collapse of the studio system also meant that the screenwriters and the art directors had to cede creative control to a new generation of independent producers and film directors. Harper and Porter explore the effects of these social, cultural, industrial, and economic changes on 1950s British cinema.

Short films have come into their own, not least in part due to the incredible new ways to distribute them, including the Web, cell phones, new festivals devoted to shorts--even television and theatres. This is the ultimate guide for anyone who's made a short film and wonders what to do next. Whether your short film is meant to be a calling card, a segue to a feature film, or you just want to recoup some of the costs, this book describes the potential paths for distribution. Written by the short film programmer of the Tribeca Film Festival and featuring contributions from top film festival directors, as well as studio, marketing, and technology executives, this book shows you what's important to the decision makers and gatekeepers. This is the definitive handbook filled with insider information available nowhere else.
* A guide to getting your short film the exposure it deserves
* Filled with interviews and insider information from the gatekeepers at Focus Features, AtomFilms, Shorts International, Sundance, and more
* Includes exercises and projects to help you develop a strategy and find the right investors

Drawing on a wide range of archival sources, Andrew Shail traces the emergence of film stardom in Europe and North America in the early 20th century. Modifying and supplementing Richard deCordova's account of the birth of the US star system, Shail describes the complex set of economic circumstances that led film studios and actors to consent to the adoption of a star system. He then explores the film industry's turn, from 1908, to making character-based series films. He details how these characters both prefigured and precipitated the star system, demonstrating that series characters and the 'firmament' of film stars are functionally equivalent, and shows how openly fictional characters still provide the model for 'real' film stars.

In this definitive and long-awaited history of 1950s British cinema, Sue Harper and Vincent Porter draw extensively on previously unknown archive material to chart the growing rejection of post-war deference by both film-makers and cinema audiences. Harper and Porter explore the effects of social, cultural, and economic change on the 1950s film industry in Britain, looking in particular at the impact of the rise of television, successive changes in government policy, and the collapse of the studio system.

Financing an independent feature film production is a highly complex process. This book demystifies the legal and commercial implications of a film from start to finish. It provides a detailed survey of each of the processes and players involved, and analyses of the legal and commercial issues faced by all of the participants in a film financing transaction. Packed with legal advice and straight forward explanations this is an essential reference for filmmakers worldwide.
With contributions from leading professionals around the world, and an up-to-date international approach, this is an invaluable tool for producers, and others involved in the film industry.
Includes: Case studies, Sample Recoupment Schedules, Alternative Financing Models, Glossary of Film Financing and Banking Terms
Philip Alberstat is a media finance and production lawyer specialising in film, television and broadcasting. He has worked on films such as The 51st State, Goodbye Mr Steadman, Tooth and numerous television programmes and series. He is on the editorial board of Entertainment Law Review and is the author of The Independent Producers Guide to Film and TV Contracts (2000), and Law and the Media (2002).
Philip is involved in raising finance for film and television productions and negotiating and structuring film and television deals. He undertakes corporate and commercial work and handles the intellectual property aspects of broadcasting and finance transactions. He has also executive produced numerous film and television productions. He won an Emmy Award in 2004 as an Executive Producer of the Film, "The Incredible Mrs. Ritchie."
Philip joined Osborne Clarke as a partner in February 2002.Prior to that he was Head of Legal and Business Affairs with one of the largest independent TV production companies in the UK. He was previously Head of Media at Baker & McKenzie and began his career at Olswang. He was winner of the Lawyer/Hifal Award for Solicitor of the year in 1997 and is listed in Legal Experts in the area of Film Finance/Media.
* Offers an inside view on film finance with insights from leading professionals
* Provides all the information needed to become knowledgeable of the legal and commercial issues for film finance transactions
* Includes sample contracts, Inter-Party Agreement, Charge and Deed of Assignment, Notice of Assignment, Banking Term Sheets, Loan Agreement, Collection Agreement, Inter-Creditor Agreement, Chain of Title Opinion

From the kinetoscope, used by one viewer at a time, to the lavish movie palaces of Hollywood's golden era, the experience of watching films has varied enormously across film. Exhibition, The Film Reader traces the emergence of a culture of moviegoing, exploring the range of venues in which films have been shown and following the fluctuating status of film and the continuning struggle over audiences.
Contributors explore the meanings conveyed to spectators through exhibition sites and practices, and raise key issues of distribution, access and consumption.
Essays by: Dudley Andrew, Anthony Downs, Gary Edgerton, Anne Friedberg, Kathryn Helgesen Fuller, Douglas Gomery, Thomas Guback, Ben M. Hall, Ina Rae Hark, Charlotte Herzog, Russell Meritt, William Paul, Suzanne I. Schiller, Gregory Waller, Barbara Wilinsky.

Entertainment Industrialised was the first study to compare the emergence and economic development of the film industry in Britain, France and the United States between 1890 and 1940. Gerben Bakker investigates the commercialisation and industrialisation of live entertainment in the nineteenth century and analyses the subsequent arrival of motion pictures, revealing that their emergence triggered a process of incessant creative destruction, development and productivity growth that continues in the entertainment industry today. He argues that cinema industrialised live entertainment by automating it, standardising it and making it tradeable, a process that was largely demand led, and that a quality race between firms changed the structure of the international entertainment market. While a hundred years ago, European enterprises were supplying half of all films shown in the US, the quality race resulted in today's industry, in which a handful of American companies dominate the global entertainment business.

Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather, Part II (1974) is a magisterial cinematic work, a gorgeous, stylized, auteur epic, and one of the few sequels judged by many to be greater than its predecessor. This despite the fact that it consists largely of meetings between aspiring 'Godfather' Michael Corleone and fellow gangsters, politicians and family members. The meetings remind us that the modern gangster's success is built upon inside information and on strategic planning. Michael and his father Vito's days resemble those of the legitimate businessmen they aspire or pretend to be. Jon Lewis's study of Coppola's masterpiece provides a close analysis of the film and a discussion of its cinematic and political contexts. It is structured in three sections: "The Sequel," "The Dissolve," and "The Sicilian Thing" - accommodating three avenues of inquiry, respectively: the film's importance in and to Hollywood history, its unique, auteur style and form; and its cultural significance. Of interest, then, is New Hollywood history, mise-en-scene, and a view of the Corleone saga as a cautionary capitalist parable, as a metaphor of the corruption of American power, post-Vietnam, post-Watergate.

This book analyses the Korean film industry emergence and development in a global business and economic perspective. This is one of the first books to compare the film policies and industries of the world's six largest film industries - featuring Korea as the central character - with the aim of defining the contours of what constitutes an effective film policy. It presents many cases showing that, contrary to what is often believed, an economically sound policy is a good instrument for achieving desired cultural goals. It uses a set of analytical tools - borrowed from the economic analysis of international trade policies - to provide a rich harvest of new, rigorous, and often unexpected results on the effectiveness of the existing film policies. The implications found in this book are relevant not only for Korea, but for all other countries that wish to foster or enhance the competitiveness of their film industries. This book will be of interest to a wide spectrum of scholars interested in cultural studies - media and cultural specialists, political scientists, sociologists, historians - in addition to business analysts and economists specialized in cultural economics. As this book focuses on film policies and how to improve them, it will also appeal to policymakers, business figures, public relations officials, and staff from international organizations working on the film industry.

This book explores why word of mouth is the most important determinant of a movie's success. Beginning with a discussion of the enduring appeal of movies, and why the box office has survived the disruption of television and will likely survive the disruption of streaming services, Owen Eagan goes on to discuss the unpredictable nature of movies and ways to mitigate their risk. His astute analysis sheds light on the role of film festivals, film critics, Oscar campaigns, and word of mouth in influencing a film's success. Eagan concludes with a summary of why word of mouth is the most influential among all the variables that affect a film's outcome. Expertly synthesizing quantitative analyses of box office data with illuminating insights from industry experts, this concise and engaging book presents findings with important implications for scholars, industry insiders and marketing professionals alike.

Written for working and aspiring filmmakers, directors, producers and screenwriters, The Marketing Edge for Filmmakers walks through every stage of the marketing process - from concept to post-production - and illustrates how creative decisions at each stage will impact the marketability of a film. In this book, marketing experts Schwartz and MacDonald welcome you behind the curtain into the inner workings of Marketing department at both the studios and independents. They also track films of different budgets (studio, genre, independent and documentary) through the marketing process, examining how each discipline will approach your film. Featuring interviews with both marketers and filmmakers throughout, an extensive glossary and end-of-chapter exercises, The Marketing Edge for Filmmakers offers a unique introduction to film marketing and a practical guide for understanding the impact of marketing on your film.

This book gives a panoramic view of the rise and growth of Nollywood, Nigeria's movie and home video entertainment industry, into the second largest and most prolific movie-producing industry in the world. It offers an analysis of Nollywood's influence as a local and global cultural force. Scholars from Africa, the African Diaspora and beyond examine the factors that have shaped Nollywood's unique story-telling, production, and distribution system. The volume shows how internal and external economic, social, cultural and technological changes intersect to define Nollywood's film-making and entertainment ethos. It is grounded in sound theoretical perspectives that help readers understand the texts and subtexts of the industry's emergence, transformation, and impact. The range of subjects covered span Nollywood's historical roots in Nigeria pre-colonial traveling/community theatre to colonial era film-making, and its contemporary spin-offs and inspired cousins across Africa and in Europe. It illuminates the interface of artistic, business, cultural and technological innovation and creativity at the heart of Africa's local and global pop culture explosion.

From films that claim the status of harsh realism to others which embody aspects of the tradition of modernism or the poetic, art cinema encompasses a variety of work from across the globe. But how is art cinema positioned in the film marketplace, or by critics and in academic analysis? Exactly what kinds of cultural value are attributed to films of this type and how can this be explained? This book offers a unique analysis of how such processes work, including the broader cultural basis of the appeal of art cinema to particular audiences. Geoff King argues that there is no single definition of art cinema, but a number of distinct and recurrent tendencies are identified. At one end of the spectrum are films accorded the most 'heavyweight' status, offering the greatest challenges to viewers. Others mix aspects of art cinema with more accessible dimensions such as uses of popular genre frameworks and 'exploitation' elements involving explicit sex and violence. Including case studies of key figures such as Michael Haneke, Pedro Almodovar and Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, this is a crucial contribution to understanding both art cinema itself and the discourses through which its value is established.