Mirza Ali

Publication Date

1974

Document Type

Dissertation/Thesis

Degree Name

M.S. (Master of Science)

Legacy Department

Department of Management

LCSH

Motion picture industry--Finance; Motion pictures--Psychological aspects

Abstract

The process of scientific analysis is universally characterized by a singular phenomenon: The isolation of the constituent element from the composite whole and the examination of this element in relation to the constituency of which it is an integral unit. Through such a method of investigation the essential nature of relationships that characterize the constituency can be determined. The revenue generation capability of a motion picture has been considered a function of the constituency of factors that are aggregated together in what is thought of as an intangible form, an appeal. If the revenue generation capability of a motion picture is a function of the appeal which this motion picture contains, it is only logical that the greater the appeal which a given motion picture possesses in its structure, the greater the amount of revenue this motion picture must produce. While the widely understood functional relationship between appeal and motion picture revenue generation is axiomatic, yet the knowledge of the same is of no use to the motion picture maker if he cannot fully comprehend the nature of the phenomenon that generates appeal. By comprehension, a complete understanding of the relationship of the constituent parts which comprise the composite whole is implied. It has been held in various degrees of belief over the years that the constituent parts which comprise the composite whole of the phenomenon of appeal are reflected in the shape of good name directors, producers, stars, general nature of the script, and the budget. Specific cases that stand in direct refutation of these beliefs need not be cited. The historical record of the different motion pictures that have been produced and/or released in this country establish anything but a consistent validity in this direction. If the revenue generation capability of a motion picture is a dependent variable upon appeal, it is only incumbent upon the motion picture maker to understand the nature of appeal in the finest detail. Or, to state this in different terms, he needs to analyze the phenomenon of appeal through a scientific process. He cannot afford to depend upon the beliefs, thoughts, opinions, conjectures or surmises of the different people upon whom he places the responsibility of making the motion picture. With this objective as a guiding determinant, this study utilizes the findings in the disciplines of psychology and sociology to arrive at a theoretical model for the determination of the appeal factor. The argument is based upon the premise that, keeping everything constant, the revenue generation probability for a given motion picture varies proportionately with the degree of popular appeal it contains. Accepted clinical and field research in the socio-psychological disciplines has been utilized to outline the theoretical framework for the model. This theoretical framework has also been utilized in the development of an universal appeal factor. The objective is to demonstrate that the appeal factor is a tangible element in the generation of motion picture acceptance by the audience and that it can be isolated and measured for the determination of the risk value in a motion picture production.

Comments

Includes bibliographical references.

Extent

2, 36 pages

Language

eng

Publisher

Northern Illinois University

Rights Statement

In Copyright

Rights Statement 2

NIU theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from Huskie Commons for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without the written permission of the authors.

Media Type

Text

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