Hollywood 101: Survival in and Mechanics of the Entertainment Industry
Intersession 2010
Johns Hopkins University
Film & Media Studies
Instructors: Chris Aldrich with Josh Siegel and JB Blunck
4 Meetings: Tuesday, January 19 – Friday, January 22; 9:30am – 6:30pm
1 credit, graded: S/U
Description:
Hollywood is infamous for its glamour and wealth, but what goes on behind the façade? Join Hopkins entertainment industry alumni in an intensive one-week program and explore the business side of fame. Use this course to learn how the industry works and how to network and navigate your way through it. The course will cover various aspects of development, production, distribution, financing, marketing, and representation within the film, television, publishing, music, and internet markets.
Syllabus
Day Topics:
Tues 1/19
Morning Introduction to Entertainment Business and Potential Careers; Overview of business cycles in Film, Television, Publishing, and Music
Afternoon Creative Development Process in Feature Film; Writers, Directors, Producers, Actors; Packaging
Wed 1/20
Morning Financing; Production; Above and Below-the-Line
Afternoon Physical Production/Principal Photography;
Thur 1/21
Morning Representation Business (Agents and Managers)
Afternoon Representation Business (Advanced Topics); Music Industry; Marketing and Distribution
Fri 1/22
Morning Publishing: Books, Newspapers; Television Production, Distribution
Afternoon Case Study: Starting a Cable Network
Recommended Texts
The subject we’ll be covering is necessarily incredibly broad and a great deal of literature exists covering it. There will be no required text for the course. The brief and incomplete list of recommended texts below will give you an idea of some of the material you may wish to take a look at in the coming years should you pursue a career in the entertainment industry. Reading some or even all of the material below will give you a tremendous advantage within the industry as you move forward in your career.
ENTERTAINMENT AND BUSINESS
Blumenthal, Howard J. and Goodenough, Oliver R.: This Business of Television, Third Edition (2006) Billboard
Brown, John Seely and Duguid, Paul: The Social Life of Information, Harvard Business School Press
Farber, Donald C.; Baumgarten, Paul A. & Fleischer, Mark: Producing, Financing & Distributing Film, Second Edition (2004) Limelight
Gershon, Richard A.: Telecommunications Management: Industry Structures and Planning Strategies (Lea’s Communication Series)
De Vany, Arthur: Hollywood Economics: How Extreme Uncertainty Shapes the Film Industry (Contemporary Political Economy) (2004) Routledge
Gerbarg, Darcy: Television Goes Digital (The Economics of Information, Communication and Entertainment), Springer
Izod, John: Hollywood and the Box Office: 1895-1986 (1988) Columbia University Press
Kindem, Gorham: The International Movie Industry, Southern Illinois University Press
Lazarus III, Paul N.: The Film Producer
Levy, Frank: Hollywood 101: The Film Industry (2000) Renaissance
Lieberman, Al and Esgate, Pat: The Entertainment Marketing Revolution: Bringing the Moguls, the Media, and the Magic to the World, FT Press
Nuesch, Stephan: Economics of Superstars and Celebrities (2007) Gabler
Passman, Donald: All You Need to Know About the Music Business
Sickels, Robert C. (ed): The Business of Entertainment (3 volume set), Praeger
Squire, Jason E.: The Movie Business Book, Third Edition (2006) Open University Press
Vogel, Harold L.: Entertainment Industry Economics: A Guide for Financial Analysis (7th Edition), Cambridge
CAREERS
Scheer, Laurie: Creative Careers in Hollywood (2002) Allworth
Brouwer, Alexandra and Wright, Thomas Lee: Working in Hollywood (1991) Avon
LAW AND BUSINESS AFFAIRS
Appleton, Dina and Yankelevits, Daniel: Hollywood Dealmaking : Negotiating Talent Agreements (2002) Allworth
Biederman, Donald E.; Martin E. Silfen, Robert C. Berry, Edward P. Pierson, Jeanne A. Glasser: Law and Business of the Entertainment Industries, 2006, Praeger
Fisher III, William W.: Promises to Keep: Technology, Law, and the Future of Entertainment, Stanford Law and Politics
Litwak, Mark: Dealmaking in the Film and Television Industry From Negotiations Through Final Contracts: 2nd Edition Expanded and Updated (2002) Silman-James Press
Wharton, Brooke A.: The Writer Got Screwed (but didn’t have to): Guide to the Legal and Business Practices of Writing for the Entertainment Industry (1997) Harper
FILMMAKING
Asher, Steven and Pincus, Edward: Filmmaker’s Handbook: A Comprehensive Guide for the Digital Age (2007) Plume
Clark, Barbara and Spohr, Susan: Guide to Postproduction for TV and Film: Managing the Process, 2ed.
Silver, Alain and Ward, Elizabeth: The Film Director’s Team (1992) Silman-James Press
FILM THEORY
Arnheim: Film as Art
Eisenstein: Film Form
Andrew: Concepts in Film Theory
FILM AND CULTURE
Sklar, Robert: Movie Made America
HISTORY
Rose, Frank: The Agency
Bakker, Gerben: Entertainment Industrialised the Emergence of the International Film Industry, 1890-1940 (2008) Cambridge Studies in Economic History-2nd Series)
MISCELLANEOUS
Anderson, Chris: The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business is Selling Less of More
Geoghegan, Michael and Klass, Dan: Podcast Solutions: The Complete Guide to Audio and Video Podcasting, Second Edition
Newman, James: Videogames (Routledge Introductions to Media and Communications)
GENERAL MANAGEMENT AND NEGOTIATING TECHNIQUES:
Von Clausewitz, Carl: On War (1832) Translations by Colonel J.J. Graham, 1874; O.J. Matthijs Jolles, 1943; Michael
Howard and Peter Paret, 1976, Princeton University.
Machiavelli, Nicollo: The Prince (1513)
Sun-tzu: The Art of War
Unknown: Bienseance de la Conversation entre les Hommes (1595) Or Hawkins, Francis: Youths Behavior, or Descency in Conversation amongst Men (1640) Or Washington, George: The Rules of Civility & Descent Behavior In Company and Conversation
De Callieres, Francois: On the Manner of Negotiating with Princes (1716)
Juran, J.M.: Managerial Breakthrough (1964) McGraw-Hill
Carnegie, Dale: How to Win Friends and Influence People (1936) Simon and Schuster
Carnegie, Dale: How to Stop Worrying and Start Living (1944) Simon and Schuster
Goleman, Daniel: Working with Emotional Intelligence (1998) Bantam Books
TRADE JOURNALS
The Hollywood Reporter
Daily Variety