Cinema, critici & commercie

The film is a cultural product with its own industry. This industry can be divided into several dimensions, like distribution and material and symbolic production. The symbolic production is the result of the judgmental capacities of cultural experts. Within the process of symbolic production, the differences between artistic and commercial expressions are fading. These changes have influenced the way in which cultural products are sold to the audience. The advertisements for films in newspapers are good examples of this process. Advertisements contain quotes by critics, to support and promote the film. Baumann (2002) executed a scientific research project on film advertisements in American newspapers. For my thesis, I have analyzed several advertisements, which were published in The New York Times from 1975 until 2005. It is a quantitative analysis and focuses on the content of film advertisements and the usage of quotes. The results are used as instruments to answer this central question: Which changes are noticeable in the usage of quotes in film advertisements in The New York Times during the period 1975-2005? First of all, the results are showing that there have been some remarkable changes in the usage of quotes in film advertisements in The New York Times, during the analyzed period of time. For example, the number and length of film advertisements is increased over the last thirty years. The number of quotes per advertisement is also increased. The influence of commercialism is strong: there are more references to awards and bestseller lists. Because of the increased commercialism and length of advertisements, images are also a larger part of the advertisements, compared to the text. A vast amount of advertisements are promoting the popular genres, which appeal to a large audience. There is a striking shift noticeable, from quotes from the serious press to the popular press. Most quotes are originally from television- and radio shows. The amount of quotes from critics of serious newspapers is diminishing. The variety of quoted authors is increasing. However, the source and author of the quote is named in most of the cases. Interpreting the results, we could say that the assumptions of Baumann (2002, 2007) are no longer up to date. He claims that the usage of quotes is an indicator of the status of films. This is no longer the case. Quotes are no longer a indicator of the success or prestige of film as a way of art. The quotes are loosing their value and are used as marketing instruments. The sources which provide the quotes are more and more diverse and commercialism has a strong influence on this process. Quotes are no longer an indicator of the status of films, but also (and, in some case, above all) a result of commercialism. Nowadays, there are examples of unrighteous ways of using quotes, by taking certain sentences or words out of their context and using them in a positive way. This thesis also has an answer to Bourdieus' theory, in which he says that there is no coexistence possible between art and commercialism. It proves that this actually is possible. Filmadvertisments are a mix of commercial references and quotes from critics. The theories of Janssen (2005) and DiMaggio (1987) are supporting the fading line between cultural genres and the popularization of high culture. This is combined with the renewed valuation of low culture. Nowadays, film is a generally accepted form of culture, with a special segment of high culture, which is called art house. However, most film advertisements are promoting popular films, blockbusters. This could be the result of the amount of marketing budget of the large film studios.