Spielburg

Given Spielberg's track record, he is noted as one of the most successful directors/producers of all time. Over the course of his career, Spielberg has produced 140 films and directed 51 projcets. The average profit per film is an astounding $153 million...I'm a communication major, because I am really bad at math, but I know that is a lot of money. His versatility was what set him apart from other producers. He directed the classic "popcorn" movies such as E.T., Jurassic Park, all the Indiana Jones sequels, and more. The objective of the popcorn movie was to put butts in the seats to in hopes to make profit off of the concessions. In addition to his success with the popcorn movies, he also directed many classic "brussel sprout" (courtesy of Dr. Martin) movies such as Saving Private Ryan, Schindler's List, Munich, and many more. Brussel sprout movies were generally more serious and thought provoking. The majority of the money was generated by the popularity of the popcorn movies. Although Spielberg had many great films and is known as a legend in the industry, he did have a couple flops. Two of his biggest flops were 1941, which lost $4 million, and Munic, which lost $28 million. Considering what he normally makes on movies, I don't believe he was sweating too much about that. Spielberg was a great talent that might not be duplicated. He left his fingerprint on the industry, and it will never be the same.

The 5th Time is the Charm

In November of 1968, the rating system was introduced into the film industry. The first version of the ratings went something like this: G, M, and X. The G was for general audiences and the M was for "mature" audiences where parential guidance was suggested. A movie rated R was restricted to anyone under 16. Many peopel were getting confused by between the M and R ratings so they swited it to G, GP, R, and X. Replacing the mature rating with GP (general audience with suggested parental guidance) was sure to ease the confusion among the movie enthusiasts. Nope. The GP was obviously too confusing so, in 1972, they came up with a bright idea of flipping the two letters to make it PG, which stood for parental guidence. These ratings would hold firm until the fourth edition came out in 1984 when PG-13 was introduced. This suggested parental guidence up until the age of 13. The X rating was for adults only. The movies that would earn an X rating would have many mature circumstances such as drugs, violence, and the money maker; sex. The 5th edition of the the ratings eliminated the X rating in 1990, because it was adopted by the pornography business and gave the film makers a bad reputation. They decided to switch the rating to NC-17 which meant that no one under 17 years old would be admitted. I'm glad to see that after 5 attempts, we have found a system that has stood true over the last 13 years.

The Rise of National Television

1948 was a big year for television. Milton Berle and Ed Sullivan (#1 and #2 for first full year of TV ratings) debut their TV shows. The first Emmy award season concluded with the awards presentation taking place in January of 1949. Also, the first cable operation began which cracked the door for the many possibilities that would take television to new heights. Also during this time, the TV Guide debuted. It's crazy to think how such a new idea such as cable television would influence the world so quickly to make the TV Guide the most read magazine in the entire world!

January 1949 issue of TeleVision Guide. Courtesy of http://www.tvhistory.tv/1949_Jan_22_TV_Guide2.jpg

Whether they know it or not, every couch potato is thankful for the year 1950. This year was legen...wait for it...dary. It was the year of the first remote. I personally believe this was the increase of our nations obesity problem.  A few years later, the first wireless remote was developed by Zenith. To me, this was THE most influential year in all of television.

One of the first remotes by Zenith. Courtesy of http://www.electronichouse.com/article/print/a_history_of_tv_remote_controls/

The Beginning of the "Golden Era"

Film has had an incredible history that continues to write itself. Out of all these years, what made 1939 the beginning of the "Golden Era?" This year marks what most consider the peak achievement of the American studio system. Some films that Hollywood released were classics like Gone with the Wind, The Wizard of Oz, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, and many other films that I failed to mention. The American Film Institute composed a "100 Greatest American Films" list, and were five films from 1939 that made the list.


Courtesy of imbd.com

The main reason for these films to earn a spot on the list was because they attracted a large audience. They generated a lot of revenue. Not just from the ticket prices, but from the concessions that the audience bought while at the movie. They were labeled as "popcorn films." They really shaped how we know the movie industry today. The movie industry took this concept and ran with it. Obviously, it is a business first, and this was generating a great deal of revenue. 

The Movies Learn to Talk

The motion picture business was a big success in the early 1900's. Up until 1927, the movies were silent. The producers had to tell a story using nothing but the actions of actors. It was still a big hit with the people. However, after a while, the need for advancement was imminent. Warner Brothers were the first produce a full-length feature film that used synchronized sound as a means of telling the story. The first method used was the Vitaphone which was a sound-on-disk process.

Vitaphone Projector. Courtesy of Guido Diero 1886-1950 Vitaphone Sound Film. http://www.guidodeiro.com/vitaphone.html

Another method of recording sound was the Fox Movietone which was sound on film. The third method was a photophone system that used a variable area optical track. These advancements helped aid the movie business to new heights. Stories could be told with words rather than just actions alone. This adds to the creativity and how powerful the message could be. It made it a lot easier for producers to convey a particular message to the audience which could have easily have been misunderstood in a silent movie. This not only shaped the movie business, but it also shaped the methods of ministry throughout the world. Because of these very advancements, gospel tracks are able to be spread throughout the world giving the message of what Jesus has done for us to every tongue imaginable.