150-250 word summary.

• we did our seminar summaries but i was away… they said they did high culture, folk culture, pop culture. elite culture etc. things can morph to different cultures. (get definitions)
• mass culture: (get definition) film as a mass cultural product. industrial revolution makes mass production possible. it affects the population by making people have similar experiences, in terms of the movement of people to the cities to find work.
• the ‘masses’ are potential audiences for cinema. sometime thought to have agency to do with demand, other idea is that masses are passive at the same time. double characterisation of the masses.
• criticisms of mass culture: REPETITIVE AND ALL THE SAME excludes other cultures, everything ends up being the ‘same… what people like (e.g. show types), do they manipulate audiences??? “feel like a proud american” from war- subjected to idealogical, advertising (product placement), hollywood is a money seeking industry. it is cheaper to mass produce because of production costs and factory line style. one studio rather than many. it is faster too. repetition and variation (for different audiences). eg. variations of cars. more luxurious the car, more expensive. targeted for women (always in the city) bag holders, small cars etc….. to hollywood film: all have hollywood stars (familiarity and know the genre), big budgets, music, genre, marketing (trailers and posters etc), resolved, rounded ending.
• classical hollywood: period between 30’s and 40’s… why does it end in the 40’s? because gov steps in to change how ‘system’ works. what system is classical hollywood? ‘studios are vertically integrated’. paramount >production>distribution>exhibition. called vertical because one company owns all. complicated by what they can achieve. if paramount owns the means of production… what do they own? PRODUCTION: cameras, tech equipment, directors(contracted), stars (actors had contracts up to 7 years), writers (contracted), composers (sound), producers (contracted), costume department, sets and soundstages, set designers,… hollywood as the “dream factory”, waiting for the next project. can recycles. DISTRIBUTION: package film known as “block booking” which maximises profits: crappy outweigh the risk of one failing), EXHIBITION: theatres (whats showing when: first screening, second screening, third screening and also the ticket pricing). control the concession stands
• when gov came along, said we need a free market, can’t have the vertical line anymore. so production, distribution and exhibition could be entered by “smaller players”.
  • “Sullivans travels is a reflexive exploration of the conditions of protection of hollywood and its relation of its audiences” Do you agree? Why? It’s a film about film, and it is overtly discussing film not trying to conceal. Reflexive is self aware.