Scene 1: The History of Film: The 1970s

	Pre 1930s \| 1930s \| 1940s \| 1950s \| 1960s \| 1970s \| 1980s \| 1990s It was during the 1970’s that the blockbuster as we now know it was officially born. The movie that started it all, if it has to go to a single movie, was Jaws. Though somewhat similar to the formula that had described blockbusters under the old studio system, it broke the mold in several major ways. First, its cast was, for the most part, unknown actors. Under the old model it was thought impossible to have a blockbuster without a recognizable cast. Second, and much more importantly, it used shocking special effects, namely a large mechanical shark, to thrill the audience. Audiences had scene special effects before, but this was a whole new level of realism. Thus was born the era of the f/x blockbuster. A few years later the trend was reaffirmed when audiences were again captivated by special effects in one of the most popular movies of all time, Star Wars. Special effects surrounding romanticized and often simplistic characters became the core of the blockbusters, the new formula that brought back the large audiences and flowing cash to Hollywood. By the mid-1970’s the new formula for success had been reached. Whereas before a large number of movies were released and shown on the screens of the theaters that bought them, movies were now released in smaller numbers on thousands of screens at once and advertised with massive promotion campaigns to maximize gross on each film. It broke the financial slump of the 60’s and remains the formula today. In 1978 a device was also developed that opened new doors for filmmakers. Dubbed the Steadicam, it was a camera mount that attached to the cameraman rather than a tripod or dolly. Thus, instead of being stationary or relying on a track or cart to move, the camera could go anywhere a cameraman could walk or run. Since then, numerous changes in the system have consistently improved its quality and ease of use. One of the most recent examples of a sequence filmed using the Steadicam were the Normandy battle sequences of Spielburg’s Saving Private Ryan.
				Equipment and Techniques Movies of the Time Major Happenings Foreign Film

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