American Film and Cultural Identity

1. Film and Cultural Identity
American Films

2. Statistics and facts
about the film industry
• Entertainment is big in the United States. It is expected, that the sector as a whole
will have generated 564 billion U.S. dollars in revenue by the end of 2014. Forecasts
predict that the entertainment industry will grow to over 679 billion US dollars in
value over the next four years, proving its worth in domestic markets and as a major
U.S. export.
• The film industry is one of the biggest, if not the biggest, player in the broader
entertainment sector; it is considered a cornerstone of the industry.
• The United States has one of the oldest film industries, and Hollywood is the primary
nexus of the U.S. film industry with established film study facilities such as
the American Film Institute, LA Film School and NYFA being established in the area.
• Four of the six major film studios are owned by East Coast companies. Only The Walt
Disney Company — which owns Walt Disney Pictures, Touchstone
Pictures, Hollywood Pictures, Lucasfilm Limited, the Pixar Animation Studios,
and Marvel Studios — is fully based in Southern California.And while Sony Pictures
Entertainment is headquartered in Culver City, California, its parent company,
the Sony Corporation, is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. Most shooting now takes
place in California, New York, Louisiana, Georgia and North Carolina.

3. Definitions
• Ideology- A world view or a system of values, attitudes and beliefs which an
individual group or society holds to be true or important. These are shared by a
culture or society about how that society should function.
• Culture- The characteristics and knowledge of a particular group of people, defined
by everything from language, religion, food, social habits, music and arts.
• Power- The ability or capability to do something or act in particular way.
• Representation- The way in which the media portrays particular groups,
communities, experiences, ideas, or topics from a particular ideological or value
perspective.

4. • Americas rule the world.
• Land of the free
• Racist
• Cowboys and Indians
• Extravagant/ over the top
• Eat a lot of junk food
• Plastic
• Guns
• Rednecks
• Drive everywhere
• Think their the best
• Drugs

5. Why did I get Married
Synopsis:
Suffered a humiliating experience on a plane, the dog was sucked
into a reactor, Nashawn Wade (Kevin Hart) attacks the airline to
court and gets 100 million. With the money, he opened his own
company he called "NWA" (Nashawn Wade Airlines), which also
refers to the group rap NWA. His dream is realized: sexy
stewardesses, funky music and hiphop, incredible comfort with a
dance floor ... Captain Antoine Mack (Snoop Dogg) is the driver hired
by the cousin of Nashawn, Muggsy (Method Man) also on
board. Customers in the "NWA" consists only of black except for a
white family that has no other choice but to take the Terminal
Malcolm X (name of the terminal NWA) to go to New York. This
family consists of Elvis Hunkee (Tom Arnold) Dad chicken Heather
(Arielle Kebbel) and Billy (Ryan Pinkston).
Director name: Tyler Perry
Music composed by: Aaron Zigman
Distributed by: Lionsgate
Theme: Comedy Drama
Release date: October 12, 2007
Country: United States
Box office: $55,862,886

6. Selma
Director name; Ava DuVernay
Music composed by; Jason Moran
Distributed by; Paramount Pictures (United States/Canada)
Theme: Historical Drama
Release date: December 25, 2014
Country; United States
Budget; $20 million
Box office; $62 million
Synopsis:
Selma is a 2014 historical drama film, based on the 1965 Selma to
Montgomery voting rights marches led by James Bevel, Hosea
Williams, Martin Luther King, Jr. and John Lewis. Although the
Civil Rights Act of 1964 legally desegregated the South,
discrimination was still rampant in certain areas, making it very
difficult for blacks to register to vote. In 1965, an Alabama city
became the battleground in the fight for suffrage. Despite violent
opposition, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (David Oyelowo) and his
followers pressed forward on an epic march from Selma to
Montgomery, and their efforts culminated in President Lyndon
Johnson signing the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

7. Battle of The Year
Director name: Benson Lee
Music composed by: Christopher Lennertz
Distributed by: Screen Gems
Theme: Dance
Release date: September 20, 2013(United States)
Country: United States
Budget: $20 million
Box office: $16,549,477
Dante Graham enlists Jason Blake to coach the United
States' b-boy team to compete in the Battle of the Year, as
the US has not won in 15 years. Blake puts together a team
of the best b-boys across America à la Dream Team. After
overcoming their differences and learning to work as a
team, the Dream Team makes it to the semi-finals, beats the
reigning champion French team and finds themselves
against the favorites, the Koreans. Ultimately, they lose by
one point. Blake resolves to resume training as soon as
possible to win next year.

8. Soul Plane Director name: Jessy Terrero
Music composer: RZA and Christopher Lennertz (Uncredited)
Distributed by: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Theme: Comedy
Release date: May 28, 2004
Country: United States
Budget: $16 million
Box office: $14.8 million
Following a ridiculously awful flight that leads to his pet's
death, Nashawn Wade (Kevin Hart) files a lawsuit against the
airline, and wins a multimillion-dollar settlement. Determined
to create a better flying experience, Nashawn starts his own
airline, one that caters to an African-American clientele.
Going into business with a tricked-out plane piloted by the
smooth Capt. Mack (Snoop "Doggy" Dogg), the airline hits a
snag when it has to deal with the family of Elvis Hunkee (Tom
Arnold).

9. Relatable?
I do relate to all the films I have chosen in one way or the other for example the movie ‘soul
plane’ is humorous which will make me engage in the film. Another way I can relate is the
main characters in ‘why did I get married’ because one of the main characters is Janet
Jackson and I have been brought up on her and her brothers songs throughout my life it
made me take an interest in the film so I could see how her acting was as she is a good
singer. As I dance ‘battle of the year’ is something that is interesting as it is the style of
dance which I enjoy and do on a regular basis. In Selma it is trying to get equality for black
people and as I am of a race I like to know my heritage and how much of a struggle for
justice it was for my ancestors, it also makes me appreciate life more because all them
years ago I wouldn’t of been able to do the things I do now.