Juan Monroy — American Film Industry: Class 13, Sundance and Independent Hollywood

1 Exhibition
- 1.1 Existing modes of exhibition
  - theatrical
  - television distribution
- 1.2 New modes
  - drive in theaters
    - first was in New Jersey in the 1930s
    - take advantage of cheap land in suburban places
    - spread of automobile
    - would explode after World War II
  - Multiplex
    - Stanley Durwood
    - American Multi-Cinema Corporation
    - Ward Parkway Center in Kansas City (1963)
  - Megaplex
    - Ward Parkway Center in Kansas City (1963)
    - AMC Grand 24 Dallas (1995)
    - Multiple Screenings of Same Film
    - Economies of Scale applied to exhibition location
    - Allows for saturation releases
2 Home Video
- 2.1 Sony Betamax
  - introduced by Sony in 1975
  - designed to record television programs off air
  - time shifting device
- 2.2 Video Media
  - AMPEX magnetic video tape, 1958
  - MCA Discovision, optical video disc 1977
  - Pioneer Laserdisc
- 2.3 Betamax Case
  - Universal and Disney studios sued
  - Recording of movies over television
  - Copyright law was updated in 1976
  - allowed for personal time-shifting
  - Sony Corp. of America v. Universal City Studios, Inc. (1984)
  - SCOTUS decided in Sony’s favor
  - case reveals old media companies’ obstinate stance towards new media technology
- 2.4 Home Video
  - Studios began releasing prerecorded videocassettes with movies
  - added new exhibition window
  - revenues grew throughout decade
    - home video outpaced box office by 1986
    - majority of revenues came from home video (still does)
3 Independents
- 3.1 Early Figures
  - Quentin Tarantino
  - John Sayles
- 3.2 Rise of Sundance
  - Utah-US Film Festival (1978)
  - Sundance Foundation (1985)
  - Annual festival in January. Park City, Utah
  - Most visible US film festival
- 3.3 Notable Sundance Films
  - Blood Simple (1985)
  - sex, lies, and videotape (1989)
  - Poison (1991)
  - Reservoir Dogs (1992)
  - Precious… (2009)
- 3.4 sex lies and videotape
  - first feature by Steven Soderbergh
    - Annie McDowell
    - James Spader
  - premiered at Sundance, 1989
  - acquired by Miramax
  - received international acclaim
- 3.5 Ten Forces Shaping Hollywood Indie Cinema
  - Need for self-expression
  - Hollywood’s move away from serious, middle-range films
  - Increased opportunities and capital in financing indies
  - Greater demand for visual media across various platforms
  - Supportive Baby-Boom generation audiences
  - Decline of foreign-language films in the US market
  - Proliferation of film schools
  - Emergence of Sundance Film Festival
  - Development of organizational networks
  - Commercial success for indies
- 3.6 Milestone Films of the US Independent Movement
  - El Mariachi (Robert Rodriguez, 1991)
  - Slacker (Richard Linklater, 1991)
  - Poison (Todd Haynes, 1991)
  - Daughters of the Dust (Julie Dash, 1991)
  - One False Move (1992) and Devil in a Blue Dress (1995)Carl Franklin
  - Reservoir Dogs (1992) and Pulp Fiction (1994)Quentin Tarantino
  - Gas Food Lodging (Alison Anders, 1992)
  - Go Fish (Rose Troche, 1994)
  - The Brothers McMullen (Edward Burns, 1995)
- 3.7 Indie Power Brokers
  - Christine Vachon
    - Killer Films
  - Jon Pierson
    - NYC Film Promoter
  - Harvey Weinstein
    - Miramax
- 3.8 Best Picture Nominees, 1997 Academy Awards
  - Jerry Maguire Columbia Tri-star Pictures
  - Fargo Gramercy Pictures
  - Shine Australian Film Finance Corporation
  - Secrets and Lies Channel Four Films
  - The English Patient Miramax