High Concept

Movies and Marketing in Hollywood

Nonfiction, Entertainment, Performing Arts, Film
Cover of the book High Concept by Justin Wyatt, University of Texas Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Justin Wyatt ISBN: 9780292786592
Publisher: University of Texas Press Publication: July 22, 2010
Imprint: University of Texas Press Language: English
Author: Justin Wyatt
ISBN: 9780292786592
Publisher: University of Texas Press
Publication: July 22, 2010
Imprint: University of Texas Press
Language: English

Steven Spielberg once said, "I like ideas, especially movie ideas, that you can hold in your hand. If a person can tell me the idea in twenty-five words or less, it's going to make a pretty good movie." Spielberg's comment embodies the essence of the high concept film, which can be condensed into one simple sentence that inspires marketing campaigns, lures audiences, and separates success from failure at the box office.

This pioneering study explores the development and dominance of the high concept movie within commercial Hollywood filmmaking since the late 1970s. Justin Wyatt describes how box office success, always important in Hollywood, became paramount in the era in which major film studios passed into the hands of media conglomerates concerned more with the economics of filmmaking than aesthetics. In particular, he shows how high concept films became fully integrated with their marketing, so that a single phrase ("Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water...") could sell the movie to studio executives and provide copy for massive advertising campaigns; a single image or a theme song could instantly remind potential audience members of the movie, and tie-in merchandise could generate millions of dollars in additional income.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Steven Spielberg once said, "I like ideas, especially movie ideas, that you can hold in your hand. If a person can tell me the idea in twenty-five words or less, it's going to make a pretty good movie." Spielberg's comment embodies the essence of the high concept film, which can be condensed into one simple sentence that inspires marketing campaigns, lures audiences, and separates success from failure at the box office.

This pioneering study explores the development and dominance of the high concept movie within commercial Hollywood filmmaking since the late 1970s. Justin Wyatt describes how box office success, always important in Hollywood, became paramount in the era in which major film studios passed into the hands of media conglomerates concerned more with the economics of filmmaking than aesthetics. In particular, he shows how high concept films became fully integrated with their marketing, so that a single phrase ("Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water...") could sell the movie to studio executives and provide copy for massive advertising campaigns; a single image or a theme song could instantly remind potential audience members of the movie, and tie-in merchandise could generate millions of dollars in additional income.

More books from University of Texas Press

Cover of the book Boss Rule in South Texas by Justin Wyatt
Cover of the book Yours to Command by Justin Wyatt
Cover of the book Living with Oil by Justin Wyatt
Cover of the book Sam Houston, the Great Designer by Justin Wyatt
Cover of the book Tell Me a Story, Sing Me a Song by Justin Wyatt
Cover of the book The Texas-Mexican Conjunto by Justin Wyatt
Cover of the book Inka Settlement Planning by Justin Wyatt
Cover of the book The Lancelot-Grail Cycle by Justin Wyatt
Cover of the book Showboats by Justin Wyatt
Cover of the book The Concept of Academic Freedom by Justin Wyatt
Cover of the book Masculinity and Femininity by Justin Wyatt
Cover of the book The Bow and the Lyre by Justin Wyatt
Cover of the book American Film Cycles by Justin Wyatt
Cover of the book Landowners in Colonial Peru by Justin Wyatt
Cover of the book D-Day in History and Memory by Justin Wyatt
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy