Conglomerates vs. Independent Studios - THE CONTEMPORARY FILM INDUSTRY -

Why is part of a media conglomerate?

Media Ownership In discussing media ownership we should be aware of the impact that Disney’s takeover, and consequent injection of cash, had on Marvel Studios. However we also need to be aware of the wider issues relating to ownership in Hollywood. We also have looked at the Big Six, and how they dominate the industry through vertical integration.

Independent Cinema Often referred to as ‘art house’ cinema. Has a different set of conventions to the Hollywood style which we are all very familiar with. Many consider it to have more artistic integrity than Hollywood films, which are driven by profits and mass market success.

EXAMPLE: Drive (2011) Directed by Nicholas Winding Refn and starring Ryan Gosling. It was produced by Bold Films and distributed by FilmDistrict, both independent institutions with no major studio affiliation. However it still needed Universal Studios to finance and support the production. What does this tell us? Drive received great critical success. Praised by critics and audiences, it made $76 million worldwide. More than five times its $15 million budget.

EXAMPLE: Drive (2011) Directed by Nicholas Winding Refn and starring Ryan Gosling. It was produced by Bold Films and distributed by FilmDistrict, both independent institutions with no major studio affiliation. However it still needed Universal Studios to finance and support the production. What does this tell us? Drive received great critical success. Critics and audiences liked it. It made $76 million worldwide. More than five times its $15 million budget. Although it is one of the most successful independent films of the decade, its takings still pale in comparison to the mega blockbusters which dominate the industry.

EXAMPLE: Drive (2011)

A British example: The Imitation Game (2014)

Some production history… Written by Graham Moore, The Imitation Game made Hollywood’s 2011 Black List, which is a list of the best unproduced scripts.

A British example: The Imitation Game (2014) Its producers spent many years struggling to find finance. The script was sold to Warner Bros for a “seven-figure sum” after Leonardo DiCaprio expressed an interest in playing Alan Turing. Warner Bros rights to the script eventually expired.

A British example: The Imitation Game (2014) Harvey Weinstein eventually bought the script for $7 million. With his hugely influential Weinstein Company distributing and promoting the film, it made a whopping $215 million worldwide. Budget $14 million.

Harvey Weinstein Considered by many to be the most powerful man in Hollywood. He is a producer and executive of The Weinstein Company. This essentially means that he finances, distributes and promotes films made by others.

Harvey Weinstein He has been praised for making the independent film market “financially viable”. His support of films such as The Imitation Game shows that there is a market for less mainstream/conventional films. However usually only when there is heavy investment in the distribution and marketing.