The modern American film business is a complex industry. A great deal of work goes into making a Hollywood movie, and unfortunately what happens behind the scenes can often hinder the integrity of films.
When it comes to filmmaking, money is essential to the art form. Most big Hollywood films have multi million dollar budgets, and a single producer can’t possibly provide that much money to so many expensive films.
Generally, to fund a movie, the producer will sell the foreign distribution rights to film companies in other countries for cash up front. To pay for the movie, the studio has to give up its rights to make money on the movie in foreign markets.
Now, for the most part, a well-written and interesting script means nothing to a foreign distributor. To entice these companies to give up the big bucks, the producer must convince the distributor that they have a good movie.
Sometimes a famous director will be enough to validate a film’s quality, but that’s generally only the case with your Tarantinos or Spielbergs. More often than not, a movie needs the names of big actors attached to them to get funded.
Even with all of the doom and gloom surrounding the industry, there are still times when the damaged system produces beautiful things. “Guardians of the Galaxy” is a fine example. It is refreshing to see a Hollywood budget film with real heart, and it is a ton of fun. James Gunn, who directed the film, has a history of making fun movies that make very little money. He came to fame because of his close friendship with Joss Whedon, but Gunn seems to have thrived in the spotlight.
But films like “Guardians” are few and far between. This can cause a major issue when it becomes almost impossible for new actors and directors to get their work out there. Right now, there is a definite bottleneck among creatives in Hollywood.
Luckily there are famous actors willing to put their name behind more obscure or interesting projects. Ryan Gosling, Joaquin Phoenix, Jessica Chastain and the newly reformed Matthew McConaughey all have had a part in getting money in the hands of directors who generally are more focused on art than business.
This kind of filmmaking has another negative side effect. Early ‘80s and ‘90s American art house cinema is filled with incredible films that existed in the $2 to $5 million budget range. Movies like that are very difficult to get made these days because studios are unwilling to put money toward films that are unlikely to have a high yield.
We live in a time where the only options for a filmgoer are really expensive movies or ones with micro budgets. This means a lot of great movies are not getting made because they do not fit in the system.
We must realize that while the film industry may be flourishing, this does not mean that movies are getting better.
Will Kallenborn is a 21-year-old film and media arts senior from New Orleans. You can reach Will on Twitter @WillK_Reveille.