Introduction to Mainstream Film

Mainstream Film

Mainstreamers tend to be something enjoyed by the majority of the zeitgeist.

Mainstreamers are a crowd of followers, mainstream films are crowd pleasers.

They are often associated with commercial success.

Convergence - Two or more types of media coming together
Synergy - Different elements of a company working together to promote a related product.
Oligopoly - When a market is dominated by a small number of companies.
Horizontal Integration - When a media company owns several businesses in the same sector of the industry.
Vertical Integration - When a single company controls both the production and supply of a product.

Institution: Organisation or company, public or privately owned that produces and/or distributes media products.

Conglomerates:

Pros	Cons
Good for Shareholders. Good for Economy Good Low Risk Investments (Hesmondhalgh) Reach a mass audience and ass attention- can control ideas.	Restricts diversity/creativity (Curran and Seaton) Reach a mass and mass attention can control ideals -Interpellation → Texts talk directly to you.

Interpellation - Invited to take a certain view based on the media we consume.

Distribution and Industry:

Mainstream films make more money
Mainstream films attract advertising budgets
Historically, the mainstream film industry is controlled by Hollywood and ‘The Big Six’

The Big Six

Media Studies Knowledge Organiser