Homework for Thursday 21st March

Mock Exam

Question - "Why did the 1980s see the decline of Fleapit cinemas and emergence of the Multiplex? Give reasons linking to the Production, Distribution & Exhibition of Blockbusters and their popularity."

This essay will discuss why the 1980s saw the decline of Fleapit cinemas, as well as the emergence of the Multiplex. Both of these features correspond with the rise of the blockbusters. The points that will be used to demonstrate why this has occurred is through the use of production, distribution and exhibition. Another aspect that contributes to these changes is popularity, as it is through the popularity of the Multiplex, that has resulted in the bankruptcy of many independent cinemas.  

The first point the essay will address is in relation to the production of blockbusters. Some main factors of production are legal matters and the ideas of the producers and writers. Legal matters cover the content that can be included in the film, and contractual agreements with stars. An example of a blockbuster with large stars is The Godfather (1972). Including big names such as Al Pacino, James Caan and Robert Duvall allows for a larger public appeal and the establishment of sequels, all of which contribute in the generation of a franchise. This benefits multiplexes as they have multiple screens, capable of coping with the volume of people that which to view the movie. This ensures a return on any investments made, resulting on partnerships and deals with multiplexes, whilst Fleapit cinemas miss out on opportunities to screen popular blockbusters. This is partly because the involvement of stars raises the production cost of a film, meaning the money grossed from the films are required to be substantially higher.

The distribution of films also plays a part in the decline of Fleapits and development of the multiplex. Two key features of distribution are merchandising and marketing. By spending money on these features, the film is no longer just a film, but an event. With this in mind, the film becomes a spectacle and encourages others to see it, out of curiosity and also to avoid feeling isolated from others. This is demonstrated through the use of the film Jaws (1975). Jaws had such an extremely large amount of publicity and hype towards it, to the extent where people started to believe they could see sharks in the water. Similarly to production this also resulted in large volumes of people in which the multiplexes were better equip to dealing with. However, multiplexes were also established around town centers and within shopping centres. This allowed for people to spend the day on other various leisure activities such as bowling and eating, all in one location. This caused Fleapits to suffer even more as less people just wanted to watch a film on its own. 

One last point to consider for the decline of Fleapit cinemas and rise of multiplexes is how films are exhibited. It was around mid 1970s that VHS and Betamax were made available to the public. A result of this was piracy and home videos. To counter this, multiplexes needed to offer something that would not be available to people from their homes. They did this by establishing the selling point that the multiplexes can deliver or quality of viewing. A film of which this would apply to is Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (1977). This is on the basis that it was one of the first films that used special effects for things such as explosions, lasers and light sabers. The multiplexes were able to incorporate better sound systems and clearer graphics for the big screen than the Fleapit cinemas. The main reason for this was down to the multiplexes being able to spend more money. This meant that more people would choose multiplexes over independent cinemas, knowing the difference in quality.

In conclusion, the production, distribution and exhibition of blockbuster films in the 1970s and early 1980s have contributed in different ways to the downfall of Fleapit cinemas, making way for the rise of multiplexes. I feel we, as the audience members of these blockbusters, have resulted in this dramatic change to the film industry. It is because we have chosen to carry on watching these films, providing the film makers with money, that things remain the way they do and Fleapits are becoming extinct. It is our actions that condone this change. In my eyes multiplexes should not be labelled as villainous, but quite the contrary. What this does cause however, is a limited choice and lack of variety, when it comes to selecting a film; which could have been offered by a Fleapit. 

Mind Map

Questions

1. When was the first Multiplex in the UK?

The first Multiplex in the UK was built in Milton Keynes in 1985. It seated over two thousand people and had ten screens. The Multiplex was know as The Point.

2. What was cinema attendance like in this time?

The Point sold 2 million tickets in its first 2 years, a miracle in a climate that had seen the national cinema attendance drop to just 55 million by 1984 (the peak had been 1.6bn in 1946). Cannon opened the second British multiplex at Salford Quays in December 1986, and between 1987 and 1991 around 500 new screens sprung up nationwide, by which point British cinema admissions had risen to 100 million.

3. What films were being played in the new multiplexes?

James Bond: View To A Kill (1985)

The Goonies (1985)

Rocky IV (1985)

Aliens (1986)

Big (1988)

4. How were these Multiplexes encouraging audiences to go to the cinema?

They offered a better quality of viewing, such as chair space, sound quality and in some cases larger projection screens. 

5. Where are these Multiplexes built instead of high streets?

Instead of being built in high streets, Multiplexes have been developed in shopping centres. They have also been established in out of town sites, situated next to motor ways. In these situations there are also a lot more space for parking and building developments.

6. What had happened to audience leisure patterns that meant 'Fleapit' cinemas lost popularity?

The multiplexes were also built around other venues where people could go to eat, shop and take part in alternative leisure activities. Selling it as an event, not just a film. This cause Multiplexes to take president over Fleapits.

7.  What advantages did Multiplexes offer cinema audiences and film distributors Over Fleapits?

Like previously stated in the response to question 4, the main selling point Multiplexes have over Fleapits is the better quality. This mainly refers to the facilities.

8. What reasons was cinema attendance low? (Technologies and Audience Leisure Patterns)

This was due to the release of VHS and Betamax which allowed for people to watch films at home. This link to the start of piracy.