High Concept: Movies and Marketing in Hollywood

Texas Film and Media Studies

by Justin Wyatt

Steven Spielberg once said, "I like ideas, especially movie ideas, that you can hold in your hand. If a person can tell me the idea in twenty-five words or less, it's going to make a pretty good movie." Spielberg's comment embodies the essence of the high concept film, which can be condensed into one simple sentence that inspires marketing campaigns, lures audiences, and separates success from failure at the box office. This pioneering study explores the development and dominance of the high concept movie within commercial Hollywood filmmaking since the late 1970s. Justin Wyatt describes how box office success, always important in Hollywood, became paramount in the era in which major film studios passed into the hands of media conglomerates concerned more with the economics of filmmaking than aesthetics. In particular, he shows how high concept films became fully integrated with their marketing, so that a single phrase ("Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water...") could sell the movie to studio executives and provide copy for massive advertising campaigns; a single image or a theme song could instantly remind potential audience members of the movie, and tie-in merchandise could generate millions of dollars in additional income.

Genres: Film, Nonfiction

249 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

Reviews

[G · Rating 3 out of 5]

Somewhat dated yet insightful survey of "high concept's" heyday from 1983-1986, with numerous examples pointing to "the look of [its] images, [its] marketing hooks, and [its] reduced narratives." Chapter 5 is a great rundown on Market Research in under 40 pages, touching on both Future Films and Joseph Farrell's 'Mannequin.'

[Malcolm Davis · Rating 1 out of 5]

It is rare that I can't finish a book,but this is one such case.Reading it is like trying to walk through treacle.I am struggling after 20 pages.It is just so utterly boring and I won't waste my time on it any further.

[Caroline · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good summary of what high concept is, and how it came to be so important in films in the late 70s/early 90s. Worth looking at if you want a better understanding of the connection between films and marketing, and of the context in which many films were created during this time period.