In the 1960, Hollywood industry seemed just fine, until studio projects failed. Usually, television networks would bid for the airing of the films after they were released in theatres, but television networks stopped bidding. Hollywood started to loose $200 million annually.
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| L-R Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, Brian de Palma, Gerge Lucas, Francis Frod Coppola photo from you offend me you offend my family |
The producers tried to re-establish the industry by producing countercultural-flavored films targeting younger audiences. But most of the "youthpix" failed at the box office. But what helped the industry were the films that targeted broader audiences. The films that help the industry earn fortunes again are films from the movie brats namely Francis Ford Coppola, Martin Scorsese, Brian de Palma, Steven Spielberg, and George Lucas among others.
These movie brats attended film school where they learned about the mechanics, techniques, film aesthetics and film history. Unlike the earlier Hollywood directors, these directors have a wide vast of knowledge about movies and directors.
The movie brats' films are blended with personal, and autobiographical coloring. (Bordwell and Thompson, 2008 p. 466) For instance, American Graffiti, is the director, George Lucas's reflection on growing up in California. Because movies are part of the lives of these directors, a lot of New Hollywood films were based on the Old Hollywood. Example, Brian de Palma's Dressed to Kill (1980) borrowed heavily from Hitchcock. At the same time many directors adore the European tradition.
During the 1980s, a new batch of directors created the New New Hollywood. Huge hits of the time continued to come from Lucas and Spielberg, but a younger wave of directors joined the parade thus creating hits such as The Terminator, 1984; The Terminator 2: Judgement Day, 1991 of James Cameron, Beetlejuice, 1988; Batman;1989 of Tim Burton, Back to the Future, 1985 and Who Framed Roger Rabbit, 1988 of Robert Zemeckis.
Foreign directors flocked to Hollywood such as Tony Scott and Ridley Scott who came from Britain, Peter Weir and Fred Schepisi from Australia, Wolfgang Petersen from Germany, Paul Verhoeven from The Netherlands, and Renny Harlin from Finland. Between 1980s and 1990s, women directors became commercially successful such as Amy Heckerling who directed Fast Times at Ridgemont High, 1982. This also includes Martha Coolidge who directed Valley Girl in 1983, and Penelope Spheeris who directed Wayne's World, 1992. Several independent filmmakers went to join the mainstream, but others stayed.
Unlike in the earlier eras, where films movements were present, during the 1970s and 1980s there were no coherent film movements. Directors continued the traditional storytelling. They also started to use visual technologies, and special effects. While other filmmakers who cannot afford high technology effects focused on using flamboyant styles like camera movements and slow motion to create emotional impact.
While in the 80s and 90s adapted classical conventions to modern taste, there are independent filmmakers began pushing the envelope. Independent films began to attract larger audiences and major studios eagerly acquired distribution companies.
The Sundance Film Festival, founded as a forum off-Hollywood scene, became an avenue where studios bought films to line up the filmmakers for mainstream projects. Big-budget independent films conveyed an experimental attitude. Following the pat of Pulp Fiction, studio pictures began to play with the narrative form. (Bordwell and Thompson, 2008 p. 468)
At the start of the new century, many of the Hollywood hits were created by the younger generation of directors. In the era where audiences are brought up to video games, Internet and new technology, directors are reshaping their styles where their audience will be able to relate to.
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