Midterm Paper

In recent years the world has become much more computerized and technologically advanced. As a result, much of what we do is Internet based. From movies to TV shows, many movies are streamed online. Some of the most popular forms of video are “homegrown” video clips many of which are found on YouTube. In order to capitalize on this, many advertisers and TV shows have started to mimic this amateurish style, hoping to draw larger crowds. But, I do not believe that amateur films and commercials will become any more popular than they already have.

First, there are many important factors that go into a good movie. Being made to look like an armature film takes away from the movie experience. When many people go to the movies it is to escape from the normal, from the everyday. When you take that experience and turn into the everyday, you take away from the experience that moviegoers are looking for.

To see this demonstrated you merely have to look at two recent movies that were made in the armature style. The first, Cloverfield, airing in January 2008 was a pioneer movie being one of the first to appear in this style. With much excitement and hype it earned a gross total of just under $170 million. One of the next movies to come out in this style was Paranormal Activity airing in September 2009. This only grossed roughly $142 million, a significant decline from Cloverfield.

Another reason that amateurish films will not earn the same amount that other movies earn is because of the recent surge in 3D and Imax movies. It is a different way to see movies and is becoming rapidly popular due to the recent advances in both fields. The viewers enjoy seeing movies in this way because it is a different experience. Once more it something out of the ordinary and in being this it is more appealing to the public.

People enjoy seeing movies that get more and more technologically advanced. Here is where competition also comes into play. Once one company comes out with a new and exciting way to film or a show a movie, every other company puts out a movie that is similar so as to keep up with the other companies, and keep their name on top.

Many advertisements will also lose money if they film their adds in this way. The average American likes things that are commercial looking and have certain glamour to them. If you take that away from the add then you take away it’s appeal to the viewer. Another reason is that people tend to remember things that are catchy and creative, and in remembering, they will be more likely to purchase that product. In order to keep their adds catchy and appealing they need the production and “Hollywood” spin on it, otherwise it looks like something that anyone could make themselves.

A lot of television companies are also starting to attempt to cash in on the new craze of “homegrown” films. They are coming out with mini clips of their shows called webisiodes. They are short and often have very little to do with the series that they are based on. Although they are funny and clever they do not hold a candle to the television shows themselves. They have high ratings among people who follow the shows but they do not have high ratings with the entire viewing population. They also make very little money in advertising and they can sometimes be costly to make causing the company to lose money.

The only field in the amateurish category that seems to be prospering is reality TV. Reality TV has been one of the leading television categories, starting with the first major hit in 1999 with Big Brother. Since then it has done nothing but expand. Every major television company now has at least one reality show, and many of them have as many as five, with sequels and spinoffs to many of them.

Though the reality TV business seems to be doing well every other form of “homegrown” film cannot compete with the Hollywood production of their field. They simply do not have the attraction that the professional production companies have to the public. Although they were appealing at first, they have taken a severe hit from the Imax and 3D industries. I feel if the continue to make these amateur films the production values will continue to drop and the industries will end up losing money.