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Directions: Using word processing software to save and submit your work, please answer the following short answer questions. All responses to questions should be one to two paragraphs, composed of five to seven sentences, in length. Your responses should include examples from the reading assignments.

1. How did the advent of home video technologies change the American film industry? In what ways did the studios—who in 1976 regarded home video as a competitor—exploit these technologies to their advantage?

The way home video technologies changed the American film industry was by the invention of the home videocassette recorder in 1976, and Matsushita introduced its Video Home System (VHS) soon after. Sales took off in the early 1980s, and by 1988 most U.S. households, nearly 60 million, had a VCR. Studios established divisions to make and distribute cassettes. Sales to rental stores, particularly the growing national chains, proved very lucrative.

2. How did the policies of "synergy" and "high concept" transform American film industry structure in the 1980s and 1990s? What kinds of films resulted from these policies, and in what ways did distributors and exhibitors try to profit from such films?

3. What is "intensified continuity"? In what ways does this system of formal conventions depart from the classical continuity style of Hollywood filmmaking?

Intensified continuity is a more rapid editing i.e. shorter average shot lengths, more close framings in dialogue scenes, and a free-ranging camera. Intensified continuity encouraged some film- makers to enhance the trend through slow-motion, fast- motion, changes in film stock or color casts, split screen, and other highly visible devices.

4. What factors enabled independent films to proliferate from the 1980s to the 2000s? Identify the various support systems that emerged to support independent production, and identify and describe the four major trends of independent filmmaking.

By the late 1980s, there were be- tween 200 and 250 independent releases per year, many more films than the studios were putting out. One type of support system that emerged was new labor policies. In the early 1980s, a new con- tract arrangement permitted union technicians to work on independent productions without losing their union membership. The Screen Actors Guild wrote special agreements to allow performers to work for lower pay scales on small-budget and nontheatrical projects. There also emerged new venues for independent work, such as the Independent Feature Film Market, an annual round of screenings for press and distributors. IFC also sponsored awards and eventually launched its own cable channel. The diversity of independent work makes it hard to categorize, but four main trends can be identified from the 1980s through the 2000s: arty indies, off-Hollywood films, retro-Hollywood independents, and DIY (do-it- yourself) indies. Arty Indies are not fast paced films, its tempo is slow, and every scene is a single shot. A few movies that would be considered to be an Arty Indies would be “Simple Men” (1992), and “I’m Not There”(2007). An important fact about Off-Hollywood Indies is the focus on directors. The films were often promoted by a new auteurism and one producer even stated that “I’m in the business of selling directors”. In the 1990s the Do-It-Yourself (DIY) genre emerged. The DIY genre consists of films whose main selling points are its unprofessional look and its lack of budget. These movies do not fit into the category of Arty Indies[->0] as they are not experimental enough nor are they plush enough for Retro-Hollywood[->1]. Their cheap look also puts them outside the Off-Hollywood[->2] tradition, and they therefore created their own genre. 5. In what sense has the digital revolution actually preserved the viability of shooting films on film? How have filmmakers managed to integrate the options provided by digital video with a technological apparatus that dates back more than a century?

6. What is at stake with the ongoing move toward digital forms of exhibition? Identify the benefits of digital projection for both theaters and studios, and explain why the rollout of d-cinema in the United States has taken so long, despite early optimism for a quick conversion. 7. What does "convergence" mean in relation to digital media? What does it mean to experience a film via several different "platforms"? Evaluate the effectiveness of the studios' efforts in the new century to incorporate innovations in DVD, Internet, and videogame technology into their business.

[->0] - http://people.hum.aau.dk/~arfr10/Arty%20Indies.html
[->1] - http://people.hum.aau.dk/~arfr10/Retro-Hollywood.html
[->2] - http://people.hum.aau.dk/~arfr10/Off-Hollywood.html

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