Once initial marketing and distribution deci-
sions have been made, all that remains is to show
the film to the public, analyze the reviews in the
media and the box-office receipts of the first week-
end, and make whatever changes are necessary in
the distribution, advertising, and exhibition strate-
gies to ensure that the movie will reach its targeted
audience.
Production in Hollywood Today
The production system in Hollywood today is an
amalgam of (1) a studio system that differs radically
from that of the golden age described earlier and
(2) independent production companies, many of
which are “small picture” or “prestige” (nongenre)
divisions of the larger studios. The term studio sys-
temno longer means what it once did: a group of
vertically integrated, meticulously organized facto-
ries, with large numbers of contract employees in
the creative arts and crafts. Today there is no “sys-
tem,” and the studios exist to make and release
movies, one at a time. In addition, now that almost
every studio has its own prestige “indie” division,
very few producers are truly independent.
Table 11.6 summarizes this new arrangement. In
2005, there were seven studios and some thirty
independent production companies; altogether they
produced 398 films and grossed $8.5 billion. With
the exception of Sony and DreamWorks, the major
studios have been in business since the 1920s.^21512 CHAPTER 11FILMMAKING TECHNOLOGIES AND PRODUCTION SYSTEMS
TABLE 11.5 MPAA Movie- Rating SystemG: General Audience All ages admitted. Specifically: no material is thought to be unsuitable for
children. Contains a minimum of violence, as well as no strong language,
nudity, sex scenes, or drug-use content.PG: Parental Guidance Suggested Some material may not be suitable for children. Specifically: may contain
some profanity, violence, or brief nudity, but no drug-use content.PG-13: Parents Strongly Cautioned Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13. Specifically:
may contain nudity but not sexually oriented nudity. May contain harsher
profanity but not if used in a sexual context. May contain violence but
only if not too rough or persistent.R: Restricted Children under 17 must be accompanied by parent or adult guardian.
Specifically: may include strong language, violence, nudity, and drug
abuse.NC-17: No One 17 and under Admitted No children admitted. Specifically: may contain excessive “violence, sex,
aberrational behavior, drug abuse or any other element that most
parents would consider too strong and therefore off- limits for viewing
by their children.”Source: Motion Picture Association of America, 1990, http://www.mpaa.org/FlmRat_Ratings.asp (accessed April 2009).
Rating Category Explanation(^21) Columbia Pictures, a minor studio founded in 1924, is now
owned by Sony Pictures. See Benjamin M. Compaine and Doug -
las Gomery, Who Owns the Media?: Competition and Concentra-
tion in the Mass Media Industry, 3rd ed. (Mahwah, N.J.: Erlbaum,
2000), especially Chapter 6. The biggest surprise on the list is
that MGM, a victim of continual corporate reorganization, has
dropped from its place as Hollywood’s largest studio to the bot-
tom of the list of large independent producers. Also noteworthy
is the departure of Harvey and Bob Weinstein from Miramax,
which remains under the ownership of Disney, to found a new
production outfit, The Weinstein Company.