Hollywood Renaissance and New Hollywood PDF

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Hollywood Renaissance and New Hollywood     

Hollywood renaissance unlike the average Hollywood (not as glamourous, gritty) Breaking up the monopoly of the studios – the dominance of the major Hollywood studios 1960s – decline in cinema audiences because of televisions. Middle class moving out of urban areas into the suburbs where they stayed at home watching TV. Disney avoided being taken over by conglomerates unlike Universal and Warner Bros. Vertical Integration = The studio in charge of production of films, the distribution and exhibitions ie. studios own the cinema

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Horizontal Integration – Larger spread of business model – owning the rights to the soundtrack and marketing them (branching out to the music industry). Also, Publishing companies and Television.

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Recruitment – new young generation coming into the studio system TV production – Warner Bros and MGM use money to produce TV shows more than movies. Movies made for television in 1964. Crisis – 1967-1971: Easy Rider made more money than Psycho, star system changed because actors are no longer owned by studios, they have their own agent that would negotiate the money that the actors would make therefore the movies get more expensive however less people go to the cinema 1969: industry deficit of $200 million – the end of Hollywood? Fall in foreign sales – big rise in national cinema, French and British new wave was successful in the 60s Hello Dolly was a major flop. Heavens Gate ruined United Artists Warner, Fox and MGM lost millions of dollars Another reason why people stopped going to cinemas because they started to look grotty (the 30s had stunning movie palaces, by the 70s had dark grotty theatres with smell of spilled drinks) changed with the rise of the multiplex cinema, to make a great experience to watch a film, different to watching TV. Cinema reached its peak in 1946 – biggest weekly audience then 50s had breakup of the studio system, leaving its downfall in 60s/70s Most films produced up to the late 50s had to be family friendly, was dictated by the hays code (censorship codes) Taxi Driver had an X rating originally changed to M Solutions – Reduced output (made less films), reduced costs of employees and sold costumes and land Renaissance – emerges after the big crisis. Also, responds to a big radical demographic Star Wars – 1976 – big blockbuster was also the end of the renaissance Renaissance does Hollywood in an Anti-Hollywood way. Some people refer to Renaissance for 1967-1976 and some people call after that time New Hollywood - they never seem to be able to agree what to call it. However, Jeff King calls the whole thing New Hollywood. What is the Renaissance – New cinema that reflections social and psychological alienation like taxi driver and political anarchy widescreen – response to Television.

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Experimentation of editing and camera influenced by French new wave and British new wave, German films – inspired Coppola, Scorsese Kramer reading on moodle specifies the age groups) End of production/hays code in 1968 – rise of violence and sexuality and racial representation like in Taxi Driver Low budget, studio bosses are giving young filmmakers a chance to make films like Coppola was 20 when he was hired to make films The Graduate was an example of horizontal integration – also made money due to Simon and Garfunkel soundtrack Millions of people suddenly went to cinema again, the graduate made 40 percent of the population Usually no major stars expect for de Niro in taxi driver Although Spielberg and George Lucas made films like American Graffiti and Jaws, they wouldn’t be class in the same bracket as Scorsese which could be argued. Spielberg and Lucas are more classed New Hollywood because of their blockbusters, not so much part of the renaissance. They worked entirely within the system, the conventional narrative. The Godfather – big blockbuster hit famous actors can be classed as New Hollywood however could also be Renaissance because of racial representation of the mafia immigrants and Jewish characters. New Hollywood – period of the big blockbuster like jaws, star wars and exorcist Special effects – green screen Conglomerates help make these films due to merchandise The opening weekend distribution...