2009 Box office

[Aaron Gerow]

Alex wrote:

>  The explosion in film schools since the 1990s has supplied  
> companies with a wave of young filmmakers and technical staff eager  
> to work, and having been raised in freeter culture they will often  
> gladly do it for minimum reimbursement while working in a  
> supermarket on the side.

I had not thought about that a lot, but I think this is a significant  
factor. But I wonder whether it is not a larger trend in the world  
entertainment industry. John Caldwell gave a talk at Yale last year  
where he argued that, with the rise of new do-it-yourself  
technologies, and easy means of distributing product (YouTube), and  
the desire of many to get into the business, the new business ideal in  
Hollywood is in some ways to now take advantage of this and make media  
content for free. Perhaps Japan is moving towards this as well.

But there are also distinct labor issues. It does not all have to do  
with new staff: Sakamoto Junji came to my class over the summer and  
told everyone about a director friend of his, who has made 5  
critically successful theatrical films, who only made $6000 last year.  
Few people get paid well in the film industry.


Aaron Gerow
Associate Professor
Film Studies Program/East Asian Languages and Literatures
Yale University
53 Wall Street, Room 316
PO Box 208363
New Haven, CT 06520-8363
USA
Phone: 1-203-432-7082
Fax: 1-203-432-6764
e-mail: aaron.gerow at yale.edu
site: www.aarongerow.com