Hollywood, globalisation and Other cinemas

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Hollywood, globalisation and Other cinemas

• Dag Asbjørnsen
• Chairman of the Board
• Films from the South Festival

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Some observations

• Film charts 2007

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Some basic facts

• Hollywood movies rule the home market in the US
• They rule norwegian cinemas
• They rule the other european cinemas
• With the possible exception of France
• They rule in cinemas in Asia, Africa, Latin
  America and Oceania
• With quite a few interesting exceptions
• Despite this They rule the world
• The only true global cinema is made in
  Hollywood, USA

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It has not always been like this

• Historical background
• The Dominance of Europan Cinema
• World War 1
• Emigration
• The Establishment of Classical Hollywood
• The sound film (1927-30)
• The System and its Crises (60s etc)

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Now

• All other systems are Other systems
• Hollywood as standard system
• The Others Deviations, alternatives, art cinema,
  National cinemas, Other commercial cinamas

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Basic features

• The economical system
• The production-distribution system
• The star system
• The narrative system

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The economical system

• Free market capitalism
• Good for making commercial films
• Investments, not subsidies
• Global free markets
• WTO, GATT, MPAA
• Intellectual property protection
• MPAA, US Government
• Remember the entertainment economy is big for US
  exports!

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The production distribution system

• Financing
• Investments, presales, own capital
• Production
• Production company
• (Sales)
• Sales company, festivals, markets
• Distribution
• Distribution and marketing
• Home and abroad
• Exhibition
• Multiple windows cinema, DVD, TV, Internet
• Home and abroad

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Hollywood advantage

• Good access to investments
• Dominates large home market
• Global marketing plans
• Global distribution system (UIP etc.)
• Availability in all windows

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The Star System

• Central to marketing
• Global brands
• Free press
• Lindsay Lohan Scandals etc
• Why do you decide to watch a movie?

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The narrative system

• Developed 1910-1920
• Globally accepted
• Content over form
• Causality
• Transparency
• Analytical editing/ montage
• Pesonification of conflicts
• Double plot structure
• Hollywood dramaturgy

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Hollywood advantage

• The globally known star brand names
• The globally accepted narrative mode

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The system and the Others

• Economical systems
• Mixed economies, small home markets
• Production-distribution systems
• Local, isolated entities
• Star systems
• Locally known
• Narrative systems
• Art film narration, Other modes

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Other cinemas

• The French example
• Heavy subsidies, good (40-50) national market
  share, some int. stars, art film narration
  standard
• The Norwegian example
• Heavy subsidies, 15 national market share, no
  int. stars, no narrational standard
• The Indian example
• Commercial cinema, dominates home market, export,
  regionally known stars, song-and dance
  narrational standard
• The Iranian example
• Art cinema (), import restrictions, export on
  festival market, auteurs, art cinema narration
  standard

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So

• Hollywood is really The Global Cinema
• Other cinemas have restrictions
• Will it always be like this?
• Probably
• Not