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Hollywood Film Formula

Hollywood Sign

Hollywood Film Formula
Years active	1910s-present
Location	United States of America
Major figures	Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, George Lucas, Francis Ford Coppola
Influences	Golden Age of Hollywood

Hollywood is renowned as the source and home of the U.S. film industry, being a synecdoche of the industry itself and its peoples. It is currently the neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, and has grown into the world’s most recognizable film industry.

Though Hollywood has attained this prominent status, the industry has over time been continuously over-reliant on a particular set of methods for film-making. These conventions are often criticized as formulaic and therefore unoriginal. In the postmodern era of cinema, the birth of the blockbuster as well as the emergence of the sequel brought a new wave of cinema and filmmakers discouraged from expressing ingenuity and instead focusing on the commercial gain of the medium.

Ever since then, there has been growing critical debate between whether or not this approach to film production can be valued as artistic, and if its effects on audiences are detrimental. Further, the evolution of audiences allowed for more informed and critical responses, resulting in the awareness of this trend and increase in filmic discourse.

Hollywood has notably recycled certain aspects of film-making traditions rather than innovating their craft. The consequences of such involve increasing homogeneity of the audience into a more tolerating crowd, exploitation for commercial intentions, and lowering standards in the film industry. However, filmmakers themselves have grown aware of these trends, with some intentionally choosing not to follow this mainstream development, experimenting in their works to lengths fitted for critical viewership as opposed to commercial gains.

History

Main article: History of film

1970-80s

Blockbuster LLC

Main article: 1970s in film

Main article: 1980s in film

During the mid to late 1960s, the Hollywood system underwent decline due to film productions and locations shifting abroad. Thus, audiences became more aware of foreign language cinema. The French New Wave furthered the cinematic artform by breaking conventions established by the classical era of Hollywood, thereby putting an end to the era spanning over 40 years.

It was until the advent of the film school generation that auteur theory was popularized with leading figures such as Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, Woody Allen, Terrence Malick, George Lucas, and Robert Altman. Expressing their personal directorial visions to a heightened creative capacity, these filmmakers were able to control their films to a level never seen before.

The introduction of the blockbuster in the 1970s through Steven Spielberg’s 1975 film, Jaws, popularized this style of filmmaking due to its immense success. The film’s special effects and use of music revolutionized the medium, encouraging Hollywood to not only produce films with big budgets but invest in massive promotional campaigns for the films’ marketing. This vast financial expenditure saw huge profits, as seen with George Lucas’s 1977 film, ''Star Wars'', thus beginning Hollywood’s exploitation of the modern blockbuster, leading to the struggle of independent cinema.

In addition, the emergence of the sequel trend within Hollywood occurred during the 1970-80s. Surfacing in the mid-1970s, successful movies such as ''Rocky II'', ''The Empire Strikes Back'', and ''The Godfather Part II'' heightened the reputation of the sequel, opening unprecedented capabilities to the medium of film. This movement was further driven by franchising and trans-media adaptations. Momentum gained noticeably in the 1980s, known as the ‘golden age of sequels’ due to successors of a film series outperforming previous films despite an apparent rise in the budget and marketing campaign for the sequel.

Nevertheless, this advent of commercialization had yet to evolve until the 1990s.

1990s-Present

Main article: 1990s in film

Main article: 2000s in film

Main article: 2010s in film

Before the 1990s, sequalization was merely an afterthought due to their stories ending with satisfactory closure. However, the pre-planning of sequel production grew tremendously in the 1990s. The Hollywood system began engaging in long-term investments with multiple projects secured under contracts. Casting also played a major role in this growing trend due to much of Hollywood’s definition coming from its star system. Contracts secured creative talents especially actors for their return in later sequel productions. This can be seen in the ''Toy Story'' and the ''Lethal Weapon'' film series. This contractual security had the purpose of preventing increasing costs, eliminating the possibility of cessation of further installments, and also impressing and securing stockholders.

Films belonging to large trans-media franchises began to spread across numerous platforms. These franchises usually based upon a singular character whose recognisability had encouraged investment of film producers, thus contributing to the persistence of the superhero genre. Spawning from a newfound wave of science fiction and fantasy films, the film arguably to have boosted the genre into mainstream viewership was Richard Donner's Superman (1978). As viewers started to take interest in not only the genre but the franchises of superheroes, a boom in the adaptation of comic books allowed record-breaking profits to superhero franchises within the first decades of the 21st Century. Marvel Enterprises were the most profitable in this genre with the introduction of the X-men franchise and the creation of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, a ground-breaking concept which allowed an ensemble of characters to interact in the same filmic universe.

This inevitably gave way to numerous, often multiple sequels of singular characters, as audiences grew emotionally, even financially, invested in these characters. Audiences continuously desire sequels for characters that seemingly have yet to reach the full conclusion of their development. This can be seen with Jon Favreau's Iron Man, where the sequel was consistent with the original film's style and genre. This majorly shaped audience expectations as public viewers have grown somewhat of a relationship with the protagonists, materialising fandoms.

Nevertheless, these constant adaptations and sequels of original movies or already established franchises will always deliver a sense of nostalgia, dissatisfaction, and a sense of loss. Though, these opinions and attitudes commonly belonged to film critics and scholars, compared to the general movie-going public. A noticeable saturation of sequels from the superhero genre contribute to the idea of 'superhero fatigue' despite the unwavering success of movies, which commentate on the viewership of audiences who have visibly grown more accepting of traditions of unoriginal, noncreative film production. Further, the flow of remakes perpetuate a spirit of unoriginality and even claims of plagiarism.

Hollywood Conventions

Main article: Film genre

Main article: Classical Hollywood cinema

With the end of the classical era, Hollywood has mostly followed a path of convention. Certain film genres were established, providing audiences with a set of expectations for a film under that particular genre. For example, a horror film is expected to frighten and terrify an audience. This certain provision of predictability has been criticized for being driven too much via a specific tone or lack of imagination, despite it enabling audiences to choose a particular film for a specific experience with ease.

Outside of filmic categorization, the role of actors has also been restricted by Hollywood. The typecasting of certain actors to play similar roles to their earlier filmography has further driven audience expectations. This has resulted in the criticism of Hollywood actors as one-dimensional and unable to showcase a variant of acting capabilities. Yet, Hollywood has still been able to capitalize on the talents of actors such as Peter Lorre, Christopher Walken, and Morgan Freeman as they were seen most fit for certain roles.

The presentation of a Hollywood film narrative is also predominately formulaic in its construction through its roots in classical Hollywood. This filmmaking tradition often championed the protagonist in regards to their causal actions and psychological motivations. The character must reach a clearly defined goal, but is often blocked by a conflicting obstruction. This hindrance is most commonly in the form of an antagonist, whose values are opposite of the protagonist's.

This structure also highlights the vast alteration of the status quo, which is usually a change in a character’s values, beliefs, and attitudes or the social paradigms of their world and of other characters. The classical narrative form is less reliant on larger-than-life forces such as natural disasters and avoided the passive protagonist. A pleasurable ending offering a sense of closure leave audiences with affirmed, precise interpretations, and emotions towards the film.

The birth of notable tropes spawned from film also gained notoriety as the line between fiction and fact blurred in cinema. Certain beliefs such as the walking slowly away from a nearby explosion would not result in harm or the survival from a bullet wound has met intellectual, mostly scientific, refuting. Ironically, the fictional realm of cinema has been known to unrealistically portray ordinary life in a simplistic and convenient way, resulting in criticism, satire, and parody.

Audience

General Public

Contemporary movie audience

The general public as the widest segment of the cinema audience has adapted to the canon of film, thus, resulting in a heightened sense of film culture and its conventions. Hence, this has resulted in not only informed criticism of films but unique readings from a film, not traditionally achieved by the formerly passive audience member.

However, audiences are still allured by the modern, arising trend of 'sequelitis', a derogatory term for the constant production of film sequels. Hollywood sequels often rely on the audience's pre-awareness of the characters, the previous narrative, and tone to market their films in a way where audience expectations are firmly set. These audiences often leave with a dominant reading of the film due to its simplicity and loose adherence to expectations.

This method has been effectively used to build audience loyalty, however, it has criticized in its lack of originality and creativity. Nevertheless, such films set to reward nostalgia for inter-textual knowledge. Further, the additional installments to a franchise has the capability to enrich characters deeper through time.

Critics

Chris Stuckmann in 2015

Opinion leaders have been able to offer opinions and new insights in film often not uncovered by typical audiences. These figures are less leaders of the filmic community but rather experts on cinematic form. Their criticisms are highly valued and rarely disregarded, even if audiences tend to disagree . Roger Ebert was a leading figure in film criticism, alongside Gene Siskel. Pauline Kael was also considered as one of the most influential film critics. Ebert usually criticized Hollywood film-making due to the trends of cliches and conventions.

Soon, a new generation of film critics emerged, writing about Hollywood's newest films. The chief film critics for the New York Times, A.O. Scott and Manohla Dargis write reviews for these films, but also write about international and older releases.

Quickly, media platforms surfaced and grew in numbers to allow ordinary film-goers to voice their opinion publicly. The most noticeable rise is that of social media. The platform YouTube has given voices to leading film critics who take an unofficial, more self-aware, and mainstream approach to film criticism allowed for ease of understanding for typical film audiences. Though not professionally seen as film critics, these individuals give general reviews for movies, occasionally reviewing classic movies released before the 21st Century.

Names such as Jeremy Jahns and Chris Stuckmann are quickly associated with their YouTube platform, usually equip with other social media platforms to further influence perspectives on film. Their primary goals revolve around improving the cinematic awareness of audience in order for film-goers to attain a respect and appreciation of the art form and to encourage the overall engagement of films.

Sources

• Bordwell, David; Thompson, Kristin; Smith, Jeff (2016). Film art: An Introduction (11th ed.). McGraw-Hill Education. pp. 10–58, 72–99, 326–349, 453–492.

• Buckland, Warrem (2006). Directed by Steven Spielberg : poetics of the contemporary Hollywood blockbuster. Continuum. pp. 7–28. ISBN 9781628929201.

• Conway, Kelley (2015). Agnes Varda. University of Illinois Press. pp. 35–56.

• Fried, Debra (1987). "Hollywood Convention and Film Adaptation". Theatre Journal. 39 (3): 294–306. doi:10.2307/3208151.

• Klecker, Cornelia (2013). "Mind-Tricking Narratives: Between Classical and Art-Cinema Narration". Poetics Today. 34 (1–2): 119–146.

• Klein, Amanda Ann; Palmer, R. Barton (2016). Cycles, sequels, spin-offs, remakes, and reboots : multiplicities in film and television (1 ed.). Austin: University of Texas Press. pp. 277–298. ISBN 9781477308189.

• Loock, Kathleen (2017). "The Sequel Paradox: Repetition, Innovation, and Hollywood's Hit Film Formula". Film Studies. 17 (1): 92–110.

• Murrell, Jessica (2010). Postclassical Hollywood/Postmodern Subjectivity Representation in Some ‘Indie/Alternative’ Indiewood Films (Ph.D.). University of Adelaide.

• Smith, Evan (1999). "THREAD STRUCTURE: REWRITING THE HOLLYWOOD FORMULA". Journal of Film and Video. 51 (3/4): 88–96.