Mr Seal- Eric Fellner: “The film industry is a hit-driven industry” Essay

Eric Fellner: “The film industry is a hit-driven industry”  

Why might someone say this is true?

Someone might say this is true because some directors and actors are driven by a “big break” which they have in their career, which then pushes them forward into the “limelight”. This can then lead to sequels, spin-offs or different films and opportunities for the actor, director or other crew members. This could be considered in some ways as formulaic, which is what some people may think the film industry is. An example of a “hit-driven” director is George Lucas, George Lucas was a film maker when he joined college and created short films throughout his life until his “big break” came. This was the film “American Graffiti” which then led him on to create the “Star Wars” trilogy and then the three prequels to them as well as writing for Steven Spielberg (who is also a “hit-driven” director), aiding him in the “Indiana Jones” series of films. Now he is one of the most well known directors across the world because of one film that started him off. Another reason people may agree with Eric Fellner’s statement is that there are so many different people in the film industry, this makes it hard to get anywhere without getting a “big break” or having connections. Some people may disagree with the idea of the film industry being a hit-driven industry because some people make one film that makes it in the filming world but do not succeed afterwards. For example, Oren Peli is a one off director who created “Paranormal Activity” and after the film being released he has not produced or announced anything since. It was obviously wasn’t what some people would consider his “big break”. I believe that the film industry is a hit driven industry because of my idol Peter Jackson, Peter Jackson stared off with a few low budget films including “Bad Taste” , “Meet the Feebles” and “Braindead”. He then went on to create heavenly creatures and forgotten silver as he became well known for his previous splatter movies which created a new landmark for him. “The Lord of the Rings” Trilogy would then be what I would consider as his “big break” into the film industry that then lead to more amazing films like “King Kong” and “District 9”. Without having connections or making yourself known, you will get nowhere in the film industry unless you start off small and work your way up. Nevertheless, there are exceptions to the hit-driven industry. Therefore, I think someone would agree with Eric Fellner’s statement because there are so many examples of hit driven members of the film industry and there are not many people who get deep into the film industry without a “big break, this is because of the amount of people involved in the film industry.  Even though there are exceptions to this.