The 1970s

Y12 FILM HLALLISSA CHAN

Era

WELCOME TO THE 70s - HIPPIE MOVEMENT, CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT, FREE LOVE,

● Hollywood experienced a great financial and artistic depression at the beginning of the 1970s

● Eventually becomes a huge CREATIVE HIGH POINT in the US film industry

● FUN FACT: Malcom McDowell scratched his cornea and broke a rib during the filming of Clockwork Orange.

ROCK & ROLL, GENDER ROLE CHANGES, DRUGS

HOLLYWOOD RENEWED AND

REBORN● Motion picture art

flourished; (vietnam war, kent state massacre, watergate scandal, nixon’s fall, munich olympic shootout, increasing drug use, growing energy crisis)

● LOOSER RESTRICTIONS on language/adult content/sexuality/violence

● Subject matters reflecting the questioning spirit and truth of the times (curiosity, fantasy)

● Lack of faith in institutions, DARK SIDE OF THE AMERICAN DREAM

● Pushing the boundaries of cinema, TESTING THE LIMITS of what people can handle

MUSICAL FILMS - CONTROVERSIAL, HIGHLY EXPLICIT

Set in Berlin during the Weimar Republic in 1931

Aliens, UFOs,the government, creating life

MARTIAL ARTS FILMS

● Bruce Lee reinvented martial arts films

● The Big Boss (1971)

● Enter the Dragon (1973) - After his death; Most successful martial arts film in cinematic history

● 1978 Martial arts comedy films (set foundation for rise in Hong Kong cinema in the 80s.

1970- Five Easy Pieces1971- A Clockwork Orange

1972- The Godfather1973- The Exorcist

1974- The Godfather Part II1975- Jaws

1976- Rocky1977- Star Wars

1978- Halloween1979- Alien

‘MOVIE BRATS’ - A NEW GENERATION OF FILMMAKERS

GEORGE LUCASStar Wars (1977)

- Highest grossing film in history

- Youth-oriented, action packed

- Fantasy space world like no other

- Refreshing new idea- Earned over $100mil

in rentals

STEVEN SPIELBERGJaws (1975)

- Highest grossing film in history until Star

Wars- One of the first film to

earn over $100mil in rentals

JOHN CARPENTERHalloween (1978)

- Highest-grossing independent film made

in the US at the time- Spawned a mini

horror-boom in cinema- Profitable and

stylishly-made film- Iconic character

FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA

The Godfather (1972)

- Explicitly violent, complex, and majestic

saga- First film to gross $100

million domestically- Apocalypse Now Nearly

Kill Martin Sheen

WHAT IS A BLOCKBUSTER?

● ‘A Blockbuster is a thing of great power or size, in particular a movie, book, or other product that is a great commercial success.’

● In the 1970s, other terms to describe a hit movie included ‘spectacular’, ‘super-grosser’, and ‘super-blockbuster’.

● The term really started to pick up when Steven Spielberg’s Jaws came out in 1975. (First film to be given the ‘blockbuster’ distinction)

● It was a huge cultural phenomenon - a new and exciting face-paced entertainment. It could’ve been its own genre.

● ‘Often released during Summer and Christmas

● Attracted people (especially younger audiences) back to the cinema

● Special effects!

HIGH-CONCEPT FILM

● An original and unique premise ● A story that appeals to mass audiences ($$$)

● A story-specific pitch (details are crucial; differentiate it from a bland, generic storyline)

● Obvious potential

● A succinct pitch (one to three sentences long)

● Make people feel like ‘Wow, why didn’t I think of that?’

● Rely on plot over character

● Immediate idea of plot, conflict, and theme

THE ONSCREEN ACTIVITY IS NOT AS IMPORTANT AS THE SALEABILITY OF THE PRODUCT BRAND - High-concept movies are often regarded as a ‘safe’ way to tell an audience an entertaining story without them having to think too hard.

SEE TRAILER ON TELEVISIONSEE ADVERTISEMENT IN MAGAZINES/NEWSPAPERS→ PAY FOR MOVIE TICKET → WATCH MOVIE → PAY FOR MOVIE MERCHANDISE

SOME YOU MAY RECOGNIZE...

(1975) Steven Spielberg

(1975) Milos Forman

(1977)George Lucas

(1979)Francis Ford Coppola

WHAT’S SO GREAT ABOUT IT?

● Redefined the international film industry

● Skillful editing, chilling score, and sound recording

● Appeals to large audiences

● Keeps you on the edge of your seat

● Clunky metal ‘shark’ hardly appears throughout the movie and yet everyone is still terrified simply due to all the built up suspense and anticipation

More ways to make money - Movie merchandise

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1fu_sA7XhE

WHAT’S SO GREAT ABOUT IT?

● New and exciting concept

● Iconic soundtrack

● Appeals to large audiences of all age groups

● Lots of marketing potential

● Blew up science fiction in Hollywood, making people fall in love with the idea of aliens and outer space

Earning profit from the film, food

products, toys, posters, etc.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gvqpFbRKtQ

Jaws and Star Wars marked the beginning of the new US film industry business model that was hugely dominated by high-

concept movies. The importance of a movie shifted from an artistic focal point to money making focal points. The 1970s was the

beginning of the end of the New Hollywood period. The basic idea was that your movie had to be easily described/understood and

marketable.

CONCEPT

NEW MARKETS FOR HOLLYWOOD PRODUCTS

● Cable TV (1972- HBO founded)● 1973 - major films only open towards the end of the week (weekend

movie watchers = maximize profits)● Pay cable TV - unlike regular cable, can view explicit content (sex,

profanity)● Celebrity magazines - market the movie actors● Advertising new releases on television● Some feature films were aired on television (attracted huge

audiences)● Movies released in smaller numbers, on more screens, with

more advertisement

THE STEADICAM● Developed in 1978● Camera mount attached to

cameraman● More flexibility than tripod/dolly● Camera moves with the man

(running, jumping, walking)

THANK YOU.

1970s Cinema Adverts - New age of advertisement

and the development of in-theater previews. It was all about finding as many ways as possible to make

money.

IMAGEShttp://img.moviepilot.com/assets/tarantulaV2/project_images/1376470709_jaws.jpg

http://bensbargains.net/thecheckout/awesomeness/twenty-amazing-behind-the-scene-film-photos/

http://thecoolship.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Young-George-Lucas.jpg

http://assets.nydailynews.com/polopoly_fs/1.1189627!/img/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_635/spielberg23f-2-web.jpg

http://ronbase.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/spielberg.jpg

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http://www.filmlinks4u.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/Star-Wars-1977-Hollywood-Movie-Watch-Online1.jpg

http://www.sensesofcinema.com/wp-content/uploads/images/directors/03/25/carpenter2.jpg

http://foglobe.com/data_images/main/francis-ford-coppola/francis-ford-coppola-04.jpg

http://scraber.ru/-/movie/photo/id/670

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https://d2nh4f9cbhlobh.cloudfront.net/_uploads/galleries/249/the_rocky_horror_picture_show_poster.jpg

http://www.archiviokubrick.it/opere/film/shining/steadicam/steadicam01.jpg

http://images5.fanpop.com/image/photos/28300000/Enter-the-Dragon-bruce-lee-28319699-833-1000.jpg

WEBSITES"Kahuna Ashram: One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest." Kahuna Ashram: One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Sept. 2013.

Roebuck, John. "HOW JAWS SPAWNED THE MODERN BLOCKBUSTER."Http://portable.tv/. Http://portable.tv/, n.d. Web. 5 Sept. 2013.

"High Concept Defined Once and For All." High Concept Defined Once and For All. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Sept. 2013.

"Scenes from the Morgue." Scenes from the Morgue. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Sept. 2013.

BOOKSTom Shone: Blockbuster (2004). London, Simon & Schuster UK. ISBN 0-7432-6838-5. See pp. 27–40.

Thompson, Kristin, and David Bordwell. Film History: An Introduction. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Higher Education, 2010. Print.

WORKS CITED