1. Why was 1989 considered a transitional year for independent distribution? In economic terms, what was the meaning of the term “indie-blockbuster”? How did the industry respond to the “indie-blockbuster”?
During this period, many of the independent studios that had thrived in the 80s unfortunately fell victim to their overzealous investments. While it could be seen as the death of the independents, one called it the “independent shakedown” since it got rid of the weakest links, leaving the well-structured studios to reap the benefits of the approaching decade of the nineties. Economically speaking, the indie-blockbuster was a film that, “on a smaller scale, replicates the exploitation marketing and box-office performance of the major studio high concept event picture”. In a nutshell, a small investment that reaps the same benefits as a studio film, in relative ratio terms that is. The industry responded by creating sub-studios within their major studio company, sub-studios that would produce indie-blockbusters separate from the workings of “A pictures” being done by the studios.
2. What criteria guided Miramax’s acquisition strategies in the 1980s? What additional strategies by the Weinstein brothers led to Miramax’s growth while other independent distributors failed?
Miramax had three elements of criteria they followed in acquiring their films. First, they “selected movies that could be promoted as quality pictures”. Second, they “selected nonclassical films that focused on unconventional subjects and styles”. Third, they found “marketing hooks that could help the films transition from the art house to the multiplex”. Besides these criterion, they appealed to multiple niches and used sex, violence, and controversy as sales strategies, allowing them to grow while others failed.
3. Who financed sex, lies and videotape, and why did they allow Miramax to distribute the film theatrically? Why did Miramax pursue the the distribution rights to the film so aggressively?
The film was actually financed by RCA/Columbia Home Video and Virgin. RCA maintained domestic rights and Virgin maintained the foreign rights. They gave the rights to distribute theatrically because their initial expectation of breaking even through home video distribution alone was poor judgement in itself, due in part to the booming video rental industry of the time. Plus, the film was a success at festivals, including Sundance. Miramax had been known for being the outbidder among all independent studios, and this was one film they weren’t going to let slip through their fingers.
4. What were some of the key promotion strategies utilized by Miramax for sex, lies, and videotape? What markets did they appeal to simultaneously, and how did they appeal to those markets? What is meant by “finding the high concept in low budget films”?
Their main goal was to provide a soft landing for an art-house film falling into the blockbuster world. They first appealed to the art-house audience with blurbs of critic praise and listings of the awards the film merited. Then they targeted the young audience by calling it “one of the best of 1989” and “an edgy, intense comedy”. In finding the high concept in low budget films, Miramax differentiated itself by running towards controversy rather than away from it.
5. What kind of distribution strategy did Miramax use for the film? Contrast this strategy with current “saturation booking” of Hollywood blockbusters.
During distribution, Miramax never overestimated their position relative to studios. Miramax understood that their films would have to complement the studio films rather than directly compete. With that said, they relied heavily on word of mouth and free publicity. They gradually released the film, allowing time for it to gain appraisal and an appropriate buzz.
6. Why were Amir Malin’s comments about niche films prescient of broader industry trends, at a time where many people predicted the demise of niche films?
His comments suggest that middle-class films are less cost effective because they do not do well in foreign markets if they did not do well at home in the first place. This is opposite of event films that can fail at home and thrive in the foreign market. Malin also used the term “sophisticated” when referring to sex, lies. This alludes to the fact that these niche films were being advertised as films different than the usual studio productions, though they advertised themselves of offering what Hollywood does and more, “full of sex, violence, and risky content”.
7. By the mid 1990s, what function did the term “independent” actually serve in the industry? What was ironic about the so-called “Year of the Independents” at the 1995 Oscars? What were the repercussions of the bifurcation of the industry?
The term became familiarly defined as a “hybrid of the studio’s A picture and the post-studio-era exploitation film”. What was ironic about the “year of the independents” was that all the independent studios were owned by larger major studio companies. The bifurcation of the industry caused two things. The first being that the two Hollywoods, niche-targeted and high-concept, both developed interrelated but fundamentally distinct aesthetics. High-concept maintained superstars and big explosions while nice-targeted maintained gritty camerawork and edgy subject matter. The second effect was that these films would all, officially, need a target audience, one that would be found in the marketing plan.
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