High Concept Films
According to Justin Wyatt the high concept film is valued by some in the film industry and derided by others. He states, ‘Whereas creative executives such as Katzenberg would stress the originality of a high concept idea, media critics would suggest that high concept actually represents the zero point of creativity’. Discuss the validity of both points of view with reference to Terminator 2: Judgment Day (James Cameron, 1991) and one other film.
The high concept film represents the economically invested interests of Hollywood, as the high concept film is produced to be highly marketable. With Hollywood simply being a profit seeking business, the high concept film provided an assurance of box office revenue in a time when the industry was in decline. It can be argued that this change in filmmaking merely altered the style of Hollywood films, allowing film makers to thrive conceptually in simpler narratives. Conversely, it can also be argued that this resulted in the production of creatively bankrupt films, where the importance of marketability far outweighs that of creativity, originality and complexity. This essay will argue both sides of this debate with reference to Terminator 2: Judgment Day (Cameron, 1991) and Jaws (Spielberg, 1975). James Cameron's Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) is an example of a director exploring complex conceptual meaning beyond the simple high concept narrative. Whereas Steven Spielberg's Jaws (1975) is an example whereby the simplicity of a high concept film not only limits creative exploration, but also breeds consecutive similar films such as sequels and remakes.
High concept filmmaking emerged from a post-WWII America, where Hollywood studios were struggling to produce a product that would re-energise decreasing profits. The 1948 Paramount case saw the Supreme court decide that the Big Five Hollywood studios were monopolizing the film industry (Balio 1990, p. 5). This decree was concluded on the basis that the Big Five
The high concept film represents the economically invested interests of Hollywood, as the high concept film is produced to be highly marketable. With Hollywood simply being a profit seeking business, the high concept film provided an assurance of box office revenue in a time when the industry was in decline. It can be argued that this change in filmmaking merely altered the style of Hollywood films, allowing film makers to thrive conceptually in simpler narratives. Conversely, it can also be argued that this resulted in the production of creatively bankrupt films, where the importance of marketability far outweighs that of creativity, originality and complexity. This essay will argue both sides of this debate with reference to Terminator 2: Judgment Day (Cameron, 1991) and Jaws (Spielberg, 1975). James Cameron's Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) is an example of a director exploring complex conceptual meaning beyond the simple high concept narrative. Whereas Steven Spielberg's Jaws (1975) is an example whereby the simplicity of a high concept film not only limits creative exploration, but also breeds consecutive similar films such as sequels and remakes.
High concept filmmaking emerged from a post-WWII America, where Hollywood studios were struggling to produce a product that would re-energise decreasing profits. The 1948 Paramount case saw the Supreme court decide that the Big Five Hollywood studios were monopolizing the film industry (Balio 1990, p. 5). This decree was concluded on the basis that the Big Five