1980’sFilm History Decade Project

Melissa Blinkoff, Vanessa Griffith, Pierre Rousseau, John Brooks, Joe Walker, James Grant

Politics Ronald Reagan – President from 1981-1989 Prior to being President and Governor,

he was an actor.- Appeared in over 19 films

First screen performance was in 1937

Technology- The original Apple computer:- Macintosh 128k

- Designed to create high quality graphics.

Technology continued..

“The Graphics Group”

- Started out as 1/3rd of the Computer Division of Lucasfilm in 1979.

- About 45 researchers developed the foundations of CGI.

- In 1982 they began working with Industrial Light & Magic

- In 1986 Steve Jobs purchased the group for 5 Million Dollars & started Pixar.

Prominent Event In September 1985, explorer Robert Ballard found the Titanic

after 8 years of searching

- The 1985 discovery of the Titanic was photographed & documented by National Geographic

Economy and Business Films with cinematic plots were easily marketable and

understandable.

films in the 80s were less experimental and original, but more formulaic, although there was a burst of films eager to capitalize on new special effects techniques.

The average ticket price at the beginning of the decade was about $3, and over $4 by the end of the decade, while the average film budget was over $18 million.

Economy and Business continued..

Big Business Entertainment: Big business increasingly took control of the movies and the way

was opened for the foreign (mostly Japanese) ownership of Hollywood properties.

To save money, many more films were being made in non-US locations by mid-decade.

A number of the studios were taken over by multi-national conglomerates

Economy and Business continued.. 20th (or Twentieth) Century Fox was taken over by oil tycoon Marvin

Davis in 1981 and then entered into a 50% shared ownership with Australian publisher Robert Murdoch in 1985, becoming part of Fox, Inc.

Columbia Pictures was purchased by the Coca-Cola Company in 1982

Walt Disney Productions remained as one of the few studio-era survivors, with Michael Eisner as chairman and CEO beginning in 1984

Warner Communications merged with Time, Inc

Art and Literature After the innovations of the 70s, films in the 80s were less

experimental and original, but more formulaic, although there was a burst of films eager to capitalize on new special effects (CGI) techniques

Many science fiction movies in the 80s were great success: There were many creative movies made during that time Computer animation played a great role in helping science fiction

movies for special effects

Art and Literature continued.. Spielberg's and George Lucas' names have often been associated

with the term "blockbuster" during the 1980s Spielberg's and George Lucas’ film: The Empire Strikes Back (1980) Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) Return of the Jedi (1983) E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982) Back to the Future (1985) Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983)

Global and International The 80’s started with the search for the next “blockbuster”

film. Film trends from the 70’s extended into the 80’s. Films of the 80’s wanted to capitalize on the technical

advances of the 70’s. Production costs soared while ticket prices declined, which

frightened the industry

Global and International continued.. One of the highest rated films of all time came at the turn of the decade. Star Wars: Episode V- The Empire Strikes Back Budget: $18,000,000 (Estimated) Opening Weekend: $6,415,804 (USA) US Box Office sales to date: $290,475,067 Worldwide Box Office sales to date: $538,375,067 American films are more popular in foreign countries than foreign films

are popular in the US. For example Star Wars Episode V made almost $250million worldwide This has a lot to do with the large social influence America has on many

foreign countries

Laws and Regulations

In the US, the PG-13 rating was introduced in 1984, to accommodate films that straddled the line between PG and R.

FILMS ACT of 1985An Act to repeal the Films Acts 1960 to 1980; to make further provision with respect to the financing of films; and for connected purposes.

This Act pulled together by legislation to spread through a number of Acts concerning cinema licensing, including compliance with health and safety regulations.

Censorship Cannibal Holocaust 1980-84

Italian film banned in several countries Singapore, Norway, Morocco, Ireland, Iceland, Greece,

Sweden, Sri Lanka, Turkey, South Africa, New Zealand, Italy

Banned because of extreme violence and animal cruelty South Africa: Given XX rating so it couldn’t be sold in the

country; it’s now rated 18 for a cut version Uncut version is still banned

Censorship continued.. The Last Temptation of Christ 1988

Martin Scorsese Banned in Israel because it could offend Christian believers

in the Holy Land.

Other films were banned mostly due to violence, gore, and religious themes

Important Individuals Producer Don Simpson

Credited with the creation of the high-concept picture of the Modern Hollywood Blockbuster Most popular film format in the 1980s

Important Individuals, cont.Director John Huges

Brat Pack filmsTeen-oriented filmsThe Breakfast Club, Pretty In Pink, Sixteen

Candles

Important Individuals, cont. A few more…

Arnold Schwarzenegger Bruce Willis Eddie Murphy Mel Gibson Sylvester Stallone

Important CorporationsUnited Artists 1981

Bought & merged with MGM to form MGM/UAFilm literature was bought by Ted Turner in 1986

Twentieth Century Fox became part of Fox, Inc. Renamed Fox Film Corporation in 1989 and then became

Fox

Important Corporations, contWalt Disney Productions

Set up Touchstone Pictures in 1984 Made feature films that appealed to adult

audiencesPretty Woman (1990)

Fashion Trends

Neon color and MC Hammer pantsShoulder pads and leg warmers

Pop Culture continued.. In August of 81’ the birth of MTV Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” became the largest selling

record ever In 1983 the compact disc are released Run DMC became the first rap group ever to go certified gold The Nintendo gaming system is introduced in 85’ AIDS was discovered

• These were some of the most popular movies of the 80’s• Movies like this influenced fashion, attitude, and swag of the 80’s

Demographics

The U.s Census Bureau determined the population had increased 11.4 percent from the previous decade.