Ben Avilla Nico Maestu Contemporary American Film November 20 2009 High Concept Films, Low Failure Rates

High concept films have been thriving in Hollywood since their emergence in the late 70s. Some say that these films have watered-down the creativity in Americas filmmaking capital, while others are quick to point out the bottom line: high concept movies sell. But even though high concept films are among the most profitable, even ones based on pre-sold properties are not always a guaranteed success. I shall take a look at the extremely successful high concept film Transformers (2007), and compare it with the minimal success of MTV Films high concept film, Aeon Flux (2005). In my look at Aeon Flux I will demonstrate how it is the ancillary markets, which have become a staple in Hollywood since its conglomeration, that bail out a potential loss. With ancillary markets to provide a safety net for these potentially unprofitable films, there is no doubt that high concept films will remain a mainstay of Hollywood for the foreseeable future. One question about high concept films that is asked frequently is, what exactly constitutes a high concept film? As Benshoff and Griffin state in their book America on Film, the definition of a high concept is simply, an idea for a film that can be explained in a few words (418). While this definition is broad and leaves much too desire, I will look back at the history of high concept films to paint a more complete picture of all the elements that make high concept what it is today. The history of high concept films is relatively short and can easily be traced back

to the late 70s with the inception of the first movies hailed as blockbusters, such as Jaws (1975) and Star Wars (1977), whose revolutionary marketing strategies (summer release dates and merchandising possibilities) would pave the road for the success of high concept films. However, the influence of Roger Cormans work in exploitation films traces elements of high concept films back even further, to the 60s. Cormans work with American International Pictures led to films like Hells Angels on Wheels (1967), whose marketing strategy (targeting a specific audience, in this case, those fascinated with counter-culture, as well as Cormans hit-and-run technique) can be compared to the audience targeting and wide releases that high concept films have come to use in their marketing strategy (Shiel 20). Take the movie Grease (1978) for example, in which audience targeting is used and later described by Justin Wyatt in his book High Concept as he states, Greases marketing formula could be articulated as a focus both on the young, drawn to Travolta and the subject of teen romance/music, and on the older audience segments, drawn to nostalgia (3). And so, by targeting specific audience types, filmmakers hoped to guarantee studios that certain age groups or social groups would be interested in their film, therefore providing serious box office potential. Cormans hitand-run technique also gained popularity in todays movie market, and most certainly in high concept films, which tend to premier on thousands of screens in what is commonly referred to as a wide or saturation release. So with Cormans basic developments in maximizing a films money making potential, Hollywood went on to develop and nurture the production of high concept films with the simple intention to make as much money as possible. One of the most prominent and important elements of blockbusters that would

become just as crucial for high concept films would be the usage of a simplistic image that would portray the essence of a film. Justin Wyatt discusses just such an image in his examination of the film E.T. (1982) stating: The image offers a tight close-up of E.T.s finger reaching out to touch the young hero Elliots finger The [image] offers a very simple graphic image which nonetheless establishes the film as an emotional story of connection between E.T. and a young child. (122) Such images used by blockbusters in the 70s have become synonymous with the high concept films we know today. In the time period of the late 70s and early 80s, the lines between blockbusters and high concept films began to blur. Nowadays the terms blockbuster and high concept seem interchangeable, yet, as the film industry has proven up to this point, high concept films show a greater dependence on ancillary markets, while blockbusters showed a greater dependence on the art cinema that went on to influence such movie brat directors as Steven Spieldberg and George Lucas. That is not to say that leaps and bounds were made in the development and use of ancillary markets during the era of blockbusters. New technology that was arising in the 70s, namely the creation of the VHS and the launching of the HBO network, which helped to extend the life and income of movies released by studios. So while blockbusters do not neglect the use of ancillary markets, it was not until the 80s that the true potential of such markets were attained that allowed high concept films to really thrive. The reason that the 80s proved to be a turning point for the way that movies were marketed, was the inception of MTV. As Carl Plantinga notes in Contemporary American Cinema, on 1 August 1981, the MTV (Music Television) cable channel was launched by Warner Amex Two years later, the big-screen teen musical Flashdance

(1983) hit box-office gold, thanks in part to music videos (297). This marriage of film and music proved to be fruitful as the 80s produced many so-called music movies that have come to be viewed as early examples of truly high concept films. Justin Wyatt speaks about these music movies stating: With the high concept films, the music is matched to a marketable concept behind the overall film. In addition, high concept is marked not only by music and a marketable concept, but also by the other traits of the style (i.e., the particular look and the other pre-sold elements, such as stars and narrative with marketing hooks). This configuration of elements distinguishes music in high concept, reinforcing the inherent marketability of placing music in the film (40). This dependence on marketing and merchandising has become more and more important since the 80s and can be considered as one result of the tension between the economics and aesthetics on which commercial studio filmmaking is based (Wyatt 15). This tension that Wyatt mentions in his book hit a new high point in the 70s with the conglomeration of Hollywood and the prominence of films with an emphasis on box office dollars. Hollywoods virtual collapse in the late 60s/early 70s led to the restructuring in the 1970s of all the studios into media entertainment conglomerates [which] provided not only a safety net for a large investment but an incentive: the popular success of a blockbuster could be spun off into the ancillary markets (Hall 165). The importance of the director, which was popularized by the Auteur theory in the 50s and 60s, had faded away and now studios and executives would take control of film productions. These conglomerations looked at filmmaking in one way: an economical endeavor. With high profits weighing heavy in their minds, these newly structured studios aimed to minimize

the risk of producing films with pre-sold properties (properties with built-in audience appeal), clear and simple narratives, and very little experimentation. So with Hollywood mining the potential profitability of film-related items sold through ancillary markets, we can better understand how high concept films have come to thrive in Americas conglomerated film industry, and therefore, how the term high concept has come to be defined by studios today; as a low-risk, high profit film with great potential for ancillary merchandise. The film Transformers is a prime example of a contemporary and extremely successful high concept film with an even higher grossing sequel. A third film in the Transformers franchise has bee confirmed (something in and of itself, indicative of a high concept film) and who knows how many sequels will appear after that (DeVault). The film Transformers is based on the Hasbro toy line (perhaps one of the strangest pre-sold properties), which undoubtedly has a massive built-in audience appeal. Transformers demonstrates that the focus of studios remains on marketable subjects that will rake in money from ancillary markets, such as action figures, videogames, soundtracks, DVDs, television rights and so on. Transformers can be considered a landmark in high concept films for taking product placement to the next level. The films extensive and unprecedented use, and promotion, of GM vehicles as the central characters in Transformers allowed endless possibilities for their cross promotional partnership. Along with GM, Transformers also utilized promotion with the Internet auction company, Ebay, which not only appears multiple times, but also serves as a key plot point. These are just two examples of product placements in Transformers, but the list goes on to include deals with Pepsi, Vespa, Lunchables, Foot Locker, Visa, Burger King, Sony, Hasbro and more

(Movie Marketing) All of these cross-promotional deals helped to ensure the success of Transformers and underline the importance in marketing campaigns for high concept films. The budget for Transformers was a reported 150 million dollars, yet the film alone brought in over 319 million dollars at the box office (Transformers); Combine that with over 286 million dollars made from DVD sales up to November 2009 (Transformer DVD Sales), not to mention the extra 382 million dollars made in Transformers toys after the films release (Chapman), and one can understand how the usage of ancillary markets has come to be crucial in the business of Hollywood. And as we will see, these ancillary markets become even more crucial when a film does not do as well at the box office, and must look elsewhere to recoup its budget. An example of a film that went through just such a process is MTVs high concept sci-fi film Aeon Flux. In 2005, MTV Films put out Aeon Flux, arguably their strangest and most unique film to date. The sci-fi action film can certainly be described as a high concept film due simply to its basis on the pre-sold property of the animated MTV series of the same name. The star power of Charlize Theron (not to mention her extremely sexual image in the film), who plays the title character, is another indicator of the high concept nature of Aeon Flux. But the built-in audience appeal for Aeon Flux and the star power of Theron were not enough to make this film a smash at the box office. Critics were denied an advanced screening, and as is usually the case with films with such a tactic, Aeon Flux ultimately became labeled as a financial failure with mostly mediocre to negative reviews from reviewers (Kallenbach). Perhaps the lack of a singular marketable image or the confusing narrative can provide an explanation for Aeon Fluxs dismal performance in comparison to successful high concept films, such as Transformers. As Justin Wyatt

comments: The connection between high concept and strong marketing images may not always be present Innerspace (1987) failed to have both an appropriate title and an effective marketing campaign the [artwork] lacked the strong, bold composition most often found in the high concept campaigns (125). Regardless of what led Aeon Flux to be deemed a financial failure, be it the films weak marketing campaign or its strange plot, the power of ancillary markets had to step in to ensure that the production budget would not eclipse the profit of the film. The production budget of Aeon Flux was a reported 62 million dollars with a measly domestic gross of just over 25 million dollars, which, when combined with the foreign gross of over 26 million dollars, still comes out around 10 million dollars short of what was spent to produce the film (Aeon Flux). But in just six months after its theatrical release, Aeon Flux had already made that difference back, and more. The reported DVD sales acquired seven weeks into Aeon Fluxs DVD release were just under 19 million dollars (Aeon Flux DVD Sales). The DVD sales alone equaled roughly 10 million in profits, not to mention the films other ancillaries. Aeon Flux boasted a video game based on the films interpretation of the animated series (Edison), a series of comic books tied-in with the films release (Kennedy) and more. So even with a high concept film that does disastrously at the box office, it is easy to see how the endless amount of possible ancillary markets can almost always guarantee that all the money spent producing one will be made back. I believe that this brief look back on the history of film, which led to the prominence of high concept, can shed light on the trajectory of this nations film industry. The increasing development of technology like Blu-ray and the Internet streaming of

films show an enduring flexibility of film media itself. With cross promotional campaigns and media references seeping into most films, whether on purpose or arbitrarily, it seems inevitable that an industry centered on the almighty dollar would ignore such a lucrative opportunity. Our ever growing dependence our media-based technologies like the Internet, multi-purpose phones and television show no signs that the high concept filmmaking trends that began taking shape around three decades ago will slow down, in fact, it seems likely that they will only speed up with the opening of more and more possibilities for advertising and ancillary income. The studios have apparently learned their lesson from their near collapse in the late 60s, and avoid the excesses of the Auteur period with minimal risk projects that show high profitability and mass audience appeal. High concept films have truly become the most effective weapon in a studios arsenal, and the chances that they will put down such a weapon any time soon are slim and none.

Works Cited

Benshoff, Harry, and Sean Griffin. America on Film. West Sussex: WileyBlackwell, 2009. Wyatt, Justin. High Concept. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1994. Shiel, Mark, Carl Plantinga, and Sheldon Hall. Contemporary American Cinema. New York: McGraw Hill, 2006. DeVault, Ryan. "Transformers 3 Release Date Already Given by Paramount and DreamWorks". Associated Content. November 20 2009 <http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1875263/transformers_3_release_date_alread y.html?cat=40>. "Movie Marketing Madness: Transformers". Movie Marketing Madness. November 20 2009 <http://www.moviemarketingmadness.com/blog/2007/06/29/moviemarketing-madness-transformers/>. Chapman, Jordan. "Merchandising: Where the Real Money from the Movie Gets Made". Google Retail Advertising Blog. November 20 2009 <http://googleretail.blogspot.com/2009/07/merchandising-where-real-money-from.html>. "Transformers". Box Office Mojo. November 20 2009 <http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=transformers06.htm>. "Transformers - DVD Sales". The Numbers. November 20 2009 <http://www.thenumbers.com/movies/2007/TFORM-DVD.php>. Kallenbach, Gareth. "Aeon Flux Not Screening For Critics". Rotten Tomatoes.

November 20 2009 <http://www.rottentomatoes.com/news/1646056/aeon_flux_not_screening_for_critics>. "Aeon Flux". Box Office Mojo. November 20 2009 <http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=aeonflux.htm>. "Aeon Flux - DVD Sales". The Numbers. November 20 2009 <http://www.thenumbers.com/movies/2005/AFLUX-DVD.php>. Edison, N.J.. "Majesco Inks Worldwide Publishing Deal For 'Aeon Flux'". Encyclopedia.com. November 20 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G1131159088.html>. Kennedy, Mike. "Aeon Flux #1 (of 4)". Dark Horse. November 20 2009 <http://www.darkhorse.com/Comics/10-621/Aeon-Flux-1-of-4>.