The Big Picture: Money and Power in Hollywood

Generally good primer on the economics and culture of Hollywood. The section on "The Social Logic of Hollywood" was really good. Stars lie to entertainment reporters (ie "I did my own stuntwork") in return for access.

I liked his description of entertainment conglomerates as brokers of intellectual property. That concept is very apt and well explained.

A History of Hollywood and a rough breakdown of how things work. Considering how long the book is, it's surprising how little detail you can get into in that amount of space. Epstein does a fantastic job with the amount of text he uses, but it's clear that if you're planning on actually getting into 'the biz' you will need to do quite a bit more research.

The Big Picture: The New Logic of Money and Power in Hollywood by Edward Epstein (2005) is a collection of intriguing narratives addressing the American film industry's motivation for money, power, and prestige. Beginning with the studio system spanning the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s, Epstein discusses how the single activity of selling tickets at the box office was the primary source of revenue for the movie industry. In addition, the author describes how a film is actually made — from the initial pitching session to the last phase of non-linear digital editing. He also explains how today's motion picture industry has changed to be dominated by six major corporations — Sony, Time Warner, NBC Universal, Viacom, Disney, and News show more Corporation. He describes how these huge media conglomerates control motion picture entertainment and treat films as part of a larger, synergistic moneymaking industry. In today's industry, Epstein makes the point that the profits from major films are not totally from box office ticket sales, but rather from a variety of other enterprises such as video-game offshoots, fast-food marketing advertising, musical soundtracks, theme park rides as well as merchandising and licensing arrangements (e.g., clothing, home video/DVD sales, cable/pay-TV markets, etc.). In The Big Picture, the author also traces the socio-political influence of movies and how they intentionally shape political responsiveness both in America and abroad. show less