Film in the United States
Definition Motion pictures produced by
Americans and distributed in the United States
Films of the 1990’s avoided originality and innovation,
seeking instead to overwhelm audiences with technological
spectacle, endless sequels, and series films.
During the 1990’s, the United States motion picture
industry found itself in a challenging situation. The
overall number of moviegoers was shrinking, and
business was declining. By 1997, film budgets had
risen to an average of $75.6 million, with marketing
costs also soaring into the millions. In a desperate ef-
fort to reduce huge financial outlays, the major stu-
dios, owned by media conglomerates and television
networks, concluded that the answer lay in reducing
the number of films that were made. They main-
tained that the money invested in unsuccessful films,
some of whose failures had bankrupted studios,
could be better spent by making fewer and bigger
films and lavishing money only on those “safe” films
that seemed capable of returning large profits. Both
the blockbuster and the high-concept film, a film
based on a simple, understandable premise that al-
lows audiences to appreciate its stars, were key ingre-
dients in the studios’ move away from complexity to-
ward fantasy or simpler entertainment.
To facilitate the blockbuster concept, studios ex-
plored other means of cost reduction, which in-
cluded utilizing the latest technologies. In the area
of special effects, advances in digital technology
greatly decreased production costs and ultimately
transformed the very nature of film. As an analog
medium, film relies on light images converted onto
film that inevitably involve some loss of information
in the transference; whereas, in digital imaging, the
original image is reconstructed to create endless
new ones without any loss of quality.
Computer-Generated Imagery (CGI) Originally used
for special effects, computer-generated imagery, or
CGI, was found to be economically ideal for the cre-
ation of sets, props, and large crowds of people as
well as for the simulation of atmosphere or the elimi-
nation of unwanted components. A mainstay of sci-
ence-fiction and disaster films, as well as large histor-
ical productions, CGI can also accomplish physical
effects, such as image doubling and dangerous
stunts. In fact, CGI seemed the perfect tool to enable
studios to appeal specifically to the primary film
viewing age group of twelve to twenty-four and to ag-
gressively target the lucrative teen market.
Industrial Light and Magic (ILM), founded by
George Lucas and owned by Lucasfilm, had created
the pseudopod in James Cameron’s filmThe Abyssin
1989, but went on to achieve new levels in special ef-
fects in the 1990’s. In Cameron’sTerminator 2: Judg-
ment Day(1991), the ILM team designed the T-1000
cyborg capable of morphing into any shape, and ini-
tiated the fantasy-adventure, digital-effects block-
busters that were preeminent in the 1990’s. InDeath
Becomes Her(Robert Zemeckis, 1992), ILM achieved
the first computer-generated skin, and inJurassic
Park(Steven Spielberg, 1993), CGI propelled the
film to earnings of over $1 billion, becoming the
highest-grossing film to date.Jurassic Parkis also no-
table for its marketing strategy that launched a mas-
sive merchandising campaign in toys, fast food, and
video games.
Other significant films featuring ILM CGI tech-
nology in 1994 includedThe Flintstones(Brian Lev-
ant), which flaunted the computer-generated char-
acter of Kitty, the saber-toothed tiger, complete with
hair. Also, Zemeckis’sForrest Gump, an enormous
hit, was benefited by ILM’s scenes of Gump inter-
acting with historical presidents. In The Mask
(Chuck Russell), Jim Carrey’s fantasy facial expres-
sions were simulated with CGI and led to the first
completely computer-generated character in the
three-dimensional cartoonCasper(Brad Silberling)
in 1995.
James Cameron’s own company, Digital Domain,
provided special effects for Cameron’sTrue Liesin
1994 and Neil Jordan’sInterview with the Vampire
(1994) and created the award-winning launch and
explosion sequence in Ron Howard’s Apollo 13
(1995). Digital Domain’s effects for the disaster epi-
sodes in Cameron’sTitanic(1997) secured the film’s
blockbuster status with its gross of over $600 million.
Paul Verhoeven’sStarship Troopers(1997) relied on
CGI for its insect attacks and space battles, as did
Roland Emmerich’s Independence Day (1996) for
dogfights between spaceships and F-18 fighter jets,
and Emmerich’sGodzilla(1998) for most replica-
tions of Godzilla. Notably, Spielberg saved millions
of dollars by using digital matte paintings of battle-
ships rather than real ships inSaving Private Ryan
(1998). Also in 1999,The Matrix(Larry and Andy
Wachowski) was released and impressed audiencesThe Nineties in America Film in the United States 333