Practice Question: Internet Piracy

To what extent does internet piracy pose a threat to the film industry?

Internet piracy seems to have had an impact on the film industry in terms of a decrease of profit in the film's being created, especially in Hollywood films. Independent films do not seem as affected by piracy because they are low budget films anyway and if they do not make all of their money back it will not affect independent film makers as much because their budget is not as big. A lot of independent film makers release their films straight to DVD at the same time of their film being released in cinema's to give film goers a choice in how they would like to watch this film to try and make more of their money back. Mainstream film makers seem to have taken a different approach to independent film makers as they have responded to internet piracy with the resurgence of 3D, giving audiences an illusion of a new experience and do not even think about taking risks with films anymore because otherwise they will not make more money than their original production budget. However because of mainstream films continuously producing 3D blockbusters this may well encourage people to pirate or go out and watch other kinds of films like independent and foreign films which offer an intellectual storyline and not more sequels of Transformers and find more diversity in films.

The internet allowed pirated films to become easily accessible to the public through file sharing services such as services which has now been closed down by the FBI which may have been a way of the film industry making a statement that internet piracy is affecting the film industry and that they now cannot show a more diverse film range in cinemas because of the public essentially stealing money from them which they could have used to take more risks in film making. This caused the resurgence of 3D which made the digital distribution of newer films more difficult to be pirated since you cannot pirate a 3D film. This gave audiences the illusion of a new experience as an attempt to raise cinema attendance since ticket sales have began to drop since 2010. This has impacted the film industry in terms of exhibition since their is a 30% colour loss in 3D films, actually decreasing colour quality in films. Action and Horror genres also now dominate 3D since  they work best with 3D e.g. Avatar.

Socially, pirating films became fashionable to stay indoors and watch a pirated film on TV or on a laptop than go out and pay to watch a film. Cinema attendance decreased from this and as a response films that had pre existing audiences were rereleased in 3D such as Titanic which was directed by James Cameron who is a supporter of 3D and created Avatar. This caused more films to be influenced by 3D to try and give audiences an illusion of a new experienced. Directors such as Guilermo Del Toro  have been forced in to changing their films in to implementing 3D features, Pacific Rim was forced in to 3D and Guilermo Del Toro lost partial control over the directing of his film because he did not want it to be a 3D and his superiors decided otherwise. This suggests that internet piracy has posed a threat top the film industry because the industry is so scared of losing money that they are taking control away from certain directors who don't support the use of 3D.

It is free to pirate films and audiences would probably much rather watch a film for free than go and watch it in the cinema if the choice is available. The film industry has been losing money because of this and presented new 'experiences' when going to see a film such as IMAX cinemas which give audiences a bigger screen and sound quality and 3D films. The introduction of subscription based services such as Hulu, Netflix has helped make the film industry gain some of their revenue back. Youtube has been used to help advertise a different assortment of films both independent and mainstream allowing more independent film makers to get more attention for their films and possibly to attract investors, an example of this is Gravity.

In conclusion, internet piracy has seemed to have become a threat to the film industry, causing them to not be able to take risks in film making, only releasing films in 3D to reduce the risk of piracy and releasing blockbusters which have a high chance of making a high profit. They also cannot release independent and foreign films in mainstream cinemas because of this risk of not making enough money back. Causing their to be a lack of a well developed plot line in films in blockbusters even though it has been done in films such a Inception and Gravity. This is similar to the 1960s when the recession damaged the film industry causing them to only produce films with a low risk that would make back their production budget.

Film Homework: Question Planning

Linio Notes: 3D question

Quiz Answers

1) Action Blockbusters 
Action Blockbusters fast pace it suited a 3D format better than a independent drama as it makes better use of the format and it will make the most money.
2) Yes
Cinemas in the digital screen network were able to release more independent films as it is now cheaper to distribute them and their is less fear of losing money behind them, for example Submarine and Casablanca.
3) Broadband Internet connection/Illegal piracy
People who had an internet connection could download films illegally from file sharing sites such as Megaupload and it meant that people could watch films at home and for free which cause the film industry to lose revenue.
4) Yes
Gives audiences an illusion of a new experiences and older films tend to be rereleased in 3D such as titanic which has a pre-existing audiences and the company are guaranteed to make back their production budget because of this.
5) Yes/No
Yes as it reduces the films colour quality during production as well as costing more to produce. However it does not have a negative effect because it gives audiences an illusion of a new experience and a guaranteed, high grossing revenue back.
6) James Cameron (Avatar)
Martin Scorcese (Hugo)        Both Heavily reliant on 3D
7) Money Laundering/Breaching intellectual property copyright
Megaupload was a subscribe based service which promoted illegal film piracy
Pirating films breaks film copyright laws.
8) Cheaper to get in to cinemas
Distribution costs were lower so independent films could get in to multiplexes without a risk of not making their money back.

8/8 Everything so far as i'm concerned is correct here. GG WP NO RE. --Adam

Practice Question - Video Nasties

Film censorship is motivated by fears about audiences and technology. Discuss this statement in reference to the concerns expressed about uncensored and unregulated video content. (1980s)

Film censorship was created to protect audiences from potentially inappropriate topics in film and to try and minimise the influence of illegal distribution of unregulated films as well as minimising the damage that piracy was causing in the early 1980's. Although, this was not the only reason why film censorship was created. Margaret Thatcher, Mary Whitehouse and the rise of home video causing a decrease in income in for cinema's were all factors which influenced film censorship.

Through the increase of home video, people saw this as a new craze and it became fashionable. These new technologies like VHS and Betamax meant that people can now see films which may be considered inappropriate for them. For example, young teenagers watching 18+ rated movies which influenced film censorship to try and stop films like this being accessible to audiences which would be inappropriate for them to watch. The rise of both home video systems allowed much more efficient piracy for audiences and unlimited access to unregulated films an example of this would be Evil Dead which had intense gore which would be inappropriate for viewers under the age of 18. This caused cinema's to lose money since people were more likely to stay at home and rent a film than go out and watch a film, especially lower budget films which would not have been distributed to big cinemas. The 1980's led to many films considered as 'video nasties' being created and censored by the BBFC. The aim of this was to supposedly protect the people from possible psychological effects from the graphic gore in these films an example of this would be I Spit on your Grave.

This seemed to stir up a 'moral panic' within the conservative party who were in power at the time who were led by Margaret Thatcher who used home video and 'video nasties' as scapegoats for the economic problems they were experiencing such as power cuts during the weeks, shortening work days for people in England as well as unemployment in general in England. Thatcher claimed that these video nasties were a threat to the people as they may possibly influence people to recreate certain aspects of them. These films also spread messages which contrasted with conservative views and the conservatives wanted to control what messages were being sent which was part of this moral panic. Mary Whitehouse also further reinforced these conservative views through media watch which was all about reinforcing family values, or what right wing sympathizers would consider as wholesome family values.

At first, video nasties were only banned in the cinema, but not for home video. The BBFC however did not enforced the Video Recordings Act (1984). This meant that all films which may be considered a video nasties must have been sent to the BBFC for evaluation. An interesting fact is that the BBFC were not very strict with video nasties until there was a conservative influence within the group who linked video nasties to problems within British society. They also feared these films would have a negative influence on the populations behavior. An interesting contrasting point however would be that there is no real recorded evidence or correlation to show that in the 1980's to even suggest that video nasties had an influence on crime rates and national issues in Britain during the 80's.

In conclusion, film censorship seems to have been influenced in some ways by the government through their beliefs that video nasties would have some affect on the general population. Home video was also a major issue, because without VHS or Betamax there would have been no way of getting around film censorship, so film censorship in the 80's was seriously influenced by technological advancements during that time. In comparison to the film industry today there seems to be a massive hole where video nasties used to be apart from a few which caused uproar such as The Human Centipede. Audiences have seemed to become desensitized to these kinds of films in modern society. Personally, I do not believe films should be censored but however still have regulations enforced on them as then it would be more down to personal choice rather that what the ruling government thinks you should see. 

Video Nasty Planning

Practice Question: Multiplexes

What factors led to the decline of town or city centres cinemas in the late 1970s and early 1980s?

Certain factors such as production, distribution and exhibition in the film industry have influenced the decline in town or city centre cinemas which have been influenced by different changes within society which led to an increase in multiplexes on the outskirts of city areas as well as the atmosphere in cinemas becoming more of a social experience rather than going to actually enjoy a film which led to the rise of multiplexes being placed in shopping centres. In terms of technology since visual effects from companies like Industrial, Light and Magic (ILM) were becoming more popular it led to people desiring a spectacle in which they could only get that experience from a multiplex and not in town or city centre cinemas'. Economically, merchandise and marketing made films in a multiplex more profitable since multiplexes were placed in shopping centres which influenced the decreasing popularity of town or city cinemas. In response to these factors blockbusters were being made to fill multiplexes to have more control over films being made and multiplexes were being created to house blockbusters because the film industry realised that this would make a profit because all audiences wanted were style over substance films.

As town or city centre cinema declined in came the rise of the blockbuster and multiplexes. In terms of production, companies were beginning to play more with special effects to create a spectacle and in return, these new effects created hype around films like Jaws turning it in to an event movie, creating the idea of going to a multiplex to be a social experience. An example of directors using new visual effects in their films to create a spectacle is when George Lucas and Steven Spielberg created ILM which was involved in the creation of Star Wars and also influenced the creation of ET in years to follow. As a result of this it has later influenced other film companies to conform to similar production techniques as they new they would get large audiences from films with spectacle over substance. Only multiplexes could house blockbusters because in terms of technology multiplex cinemas had wider screens, as well as better sound and video qualities which town or city centres did not have which led to a decrease in popularity for these 'flea pit' cinema's because they were using older screen technology and could not offer the same viewing experience that multiplexes could.

As the UK were just coming out of a recession most families were still quite tight with money and could not go out to enjoy films in the cinema which meant there was a loss of business for town or city centre cinema's because they could rent a film and get the same experience that they would in a town or city centre cinema. Also piracy was also a huge issue, an example of this is ET, ET was the most pirated film in 1982. Piracy meant that American Hollywood Studios (AHS) were getting less revenue from the blockbusters and they therefore needed something brand new to give audiences or find another way to make their money back. They did this through merchandising. Blockbusters began to only be played in multiplexes and turned blockbusters in to event movies. This led to marketing a film selling merchandise and advertisement to increase revenue and attraction to the film before it is even released. An example of a film which followed this formula of marketing is the Star Wars franchise and the film was only given to Multiplexes as they created a bigger experience than town or city centre cinema with better seating and better sound quality. This hurt town and city centre cinema's as all the films that were making huge amounts of money were only being played in multiplexes which caused town and city centre cinemas to decline.Technological advancements like VHS and VCR meant that people did not need to leave home to watch films, because of this it became fashionable to watch films in your own home. This created an alternative to going to the cinema that was not available before. It would not be before the rise of the multiplex that people started going to see films again. Small town and city centre cinemas lacked the social event status that VHS and VCR provided. However, something to note is that  because of the recession most homes would not have a VHS or VCR because they would not be able to afford one which suggests that this technological advancement may not be the sole factor in the decline of town or city centre cinemas. A contrasting point however is that for the homes that did have a VHS or VCR it would be cheaper to rent a film, than to go out and watch a film in a 'flea pit cinema'.

During the late 70s and early 80s teenagers quickly became the cinemas main audience, they became this because they were economically dependent on their parents, were granted a disposable income and were able to go out socially whilst their parents worked for them. They were attracted to multiplexes which were placed in shopping centers which were where teenagers would interact socially before multiplexes were placed their anyway. This in a sense devalued cinema because it turned it in to a 'shopping experience'. Blockbusters also in return became formulaic to fit what teenagers liked. An example of this is Jaws, Jaws was a violent film which attracted teenagers and it was also based in the summer time in a beach setting which is relatable to things that teenagers like to do socially. Jaws was also released during the Summer time during a time where teenagers would go to the beach as well. This led to the decline in town or city centers because teenage audiences had a big influence on the film industry and multiplexes attracted them more than town or city centers because multiplexes gave them more choice and gave them a new experience in where they interact socially and town or city centers did not deliver the same experience so teenagers did not go there to see their films.

In conclusion there seems to have been a substantial decline in town or city centre cinema in the late 1970's and early 80's which seems to have a correlation with the rise of the blockbuster and the rise of the multiplex. There also seems to be a correlation between the rise of home video and a decline in cinema attendance in town or city centre cinema. These have been influenced by social, economic and technological factors which offered new experiences for cinema audiences and you could only achieve the best experience apparently in multiplexes which pretty much put town or city centers out of business because blockbusters were only being played in multiplexes who were placed in the UK by AHS and multiplexes eventually became an experience for cinema goers, rather than actually going for the film itself, essentially devaluing films and blockbusters began to be created to be place in multiplexes and multiplexes created to house blockbusters.

PDE What factors relate?

Production
-Test screenings
-VFX Studio
-Legal
-Producer and writer
-Artists and designers


Distribution
-Marketing
-Youtube/Vimeo = advertisements
-Web distributor
-Film lab
-DVD retailer
-Merchandising
-Distributor

Exhibition
-Youtube/Vimeo = advertisements
-Web distributor
-Cable/Satellite TV
-DVD retailer
-Film subscription service
-Multiplex cinema

Film practice questions

1. When was the first Multiplex in the UK?
2. What was cinema attendance like in this time? 
3. What films were being played in the new Multiplexes (name and year?)
4. How were these Multiplexes encouraging audiences to go to the cinema?
5. Where are these Multiplexes built instead of the High Street and why?
6. What had happened to audience leisure patterns that meant 'Fleapit' cinemas lost popularity?
7. What advantages did Multiplexes offer cinema audiences and film distributors over Fleapits?
8. What reasons was cinema attendance low? (Technologies and Audience Leisure Patterns)

1) Built in Milton Keynes in 1985.

2) The attendance was declining because we were just coming out of a recession in the UK

3) Star Wars 1977, Jaws 1975 and The Godfather 1972, Saturday Night Fever, Fame.

4)New experience, gave the audience the illusion of more choice, better sound quality and V effects.

5) Shopping centres to attract people, potentially making more money as well as giving audiences an 'all-in-one experiences'

6) Multiplexes gave audiences more choice and had a lot more to offer which pushed independent cinemas aside, causing the public to become dependant on multiplexes for entertainment and a new experience.

7) Distribution costed less for distributors over fleapits and multiplexes had more to offer with merchandise and commercial resources and gave audiences a better experience.

8) The recession, Not developed technology.

Homework: Rise of the multiplex

Lesson 4.3.2: Rise of the multiplex
Watch Mark Kermode videos
What are the arguments about the multiplex?
Treat their audiences as 'cattle'.
Money not going in to paying for Ushers or Projectionists.
Too focused on profit (Raise in 2D film prices).
Compares them to supermarkets (Multiplex) more choice. Put's natural grocers out of business (Art house cinema).
Under Staffed, films are not always projected properly.
What is PDE?
Production - Overseeing and creation of the film
Distribution - The company which sells the film out to cinema's/multiplexes. Includes advertisement/marketing (Toys, games etc). A way of increasing revenue.
Exhibition - Sales/profit made from the film in the cinema.
What is the effect multiplex had or production, distribution and exhibition?
Distributors want 3D in the multiplex.
Production - Bigger films (Stupider films).
Exhibition - People still going to see films but not always enjoying them after.

Mock Question Planning

What social, economic and technological context gave rise to the Blockbuster film from 1975 - 1983? Refer to specific films in your answer.

Planning:

Social:

Due to the long work hours adults had during the 1970's their lives begin to become repetitive and wanted an escape from their regular lives and because they wanted to see something that they hadn't seen before which they couldn't just get from TV and cinema's provided a spectacle in which they could escape from which led to a rise in people actually going to the cinema. (E.T, Star Wars).

Teen audiences began to have a huge influence during 1975 because blockbuster hits attracted huge media attention which drew teenagers to go and see the film in the cinema rather than just pirating them since all the media attention turn't it in to an event movie for example Jaws is seen as one of the first event movies which attracted masses of people because it was something which had never been done in the cinema before.

Multiplexes were also always on the high street which would attract teenagers to create a bigger audience which could explain why the rise of multiplexes had a strong correlation with the increasing number of teenage cinema attenders. Multiplexes also began to appear on motorways because there was more space to build them and could attract a diverse audience.

Technological:

More special affects and technology was very appealing to the public since it created a spectacle and was something in which they hadn't seen before for example Star Wars introduced elements in to films which had not been seen before.

The early 80s caused an increase cinema popularity due to new technologies becoming available to big budget companies which allowed them to create a spectacle to give people a chance to have a brand new experience, like Jaws and Star Wars being two of the very first event movies.

Economic:

Multiplexes were bought in by American companies because they were worried that their films were not being seen by English audiences, English people wanted/expected to see bigger and better films which America provided such as Jaws which is classed as the first blockbuster which is exactly what English people wanted to see which drew them to the cinema. 

Jaws and Star Wars were two of the biggest grossing films during the 70s and 80s which attracted audiences because they had pre existing audiences and news worthy budgets which made people believe that because the the budget was huge the film would be something worth going out to see. (Event Movie)

Star Wars, Jaws and The Godfather

The Godfather (1972)

Had: A Listers
Didn't have: Special Effects
Sets the trend for film franchises.

Jaws (1975)

Had: Well known actors, mixture of story, had merchandise, hype and advertisement (a lot of money).
Didn't have: Simplistic story and lacked in special effects.
Formulaic Films beginning to rise, easier to create than a complex story.

Star Wars (1977)

Had: Special effects, Hype, merchandise advertisement, was formulaic
Didn't Have: A Story (White knight, Dark night)
Significant because it changed  the formula for films.

During the UK recession people did not have jobs, so they could not afford to go to the cinema so instead watched TV. (1970's)
Teenagers had a disposable income from parents which means that they did not have to work and got money from their parents labour.
'The Teenager' Was invented in the 1950s
Cinema attendance was going down in the 70s, blockbusters in the mid 1970's raised attendance again. Saved the industry. Can still be done well. (Inception, Godfather, Jaws, Star Wars) Done in an attempt to get people back to the cinema.
Rise in multiplexes. Invented by America production companies to lure audiences back to the cinema.
Industrial, Light and Magic: George Lucas and Steven Speilberg.

Exam planning

Revision

Creative Artefact Location report

Creative Artifact Planning
Props: Wine glasses, wine bottle, china plates, candle, metal pot.
Costume: Mary (Before the memory loss procedure). - Smart-casual clothing since she is off work and does not need to be in her uniform, she is however wearing the memory loss headgear.
Mary (During the memory loss procedure). - Wearing her uniform this time and the memory loss headgear has disappeared.
Howard - Before and during the procedure he is wearing his work uniform. (Lab Coat, shirt, tie and smart jumper).
Hollis - Only seen during the one of the memories in a photo, she is wearing a cardigan and in a photo smiling next to Howard.
Actors: Emma W, Glenn D and Amanda D.
1st location of setting: Dartford Grammar School, W Hill, Dartford DA1 2HW.
2nd location of setting: 128 Hawley Road, Wilmington DA1 1PT
The use of the second location is mainly for the first part of my script, before Mary begins the memory loss procedure in Howard's office.
Public usage: Usually this setting would be filled with students as I am using a secondary school, however, the school has granted me and my actors permission to use the school to take my key frames after school hours.
Risk Assessment: My actors and I would have to be careful to avoid damage to the china plates and wine glasses as they are fragile and if they break they could harm someone.
They also may harm their selves on the lit candle during the taking of the photos so I will take precautions to avoid any serious danger.
We will be taking the photos near stairs at the second location so their may be a possible trip hazard that I must rectify when I take my 9 key frames.

Possible photos for my 9 Key frames

This photo will be used to show Mary following the man who's face she recognises and he ignores her calls. I will use Photoshop to put my Actors in this photo.

Through green screen I will put my actors in to this picture, and through Photoshop I will make the photo dimly lit and surreal looking to represent a dream state.

This photo is going to represent Howard's office and Mary laying on the sofa in his office, I am going to use either Photoshop or green screen to change the background to match up with the colour pattern of the other photos.

The bed is going to be used for one of Mary's fading memories where Howard and Mary are laying in the bed together.

The table is going to be used for another one of Mary's fading memories where Mary and Howard are having dinner together, I will use Photoshop to make the room darker than it is originally to represent that it is a decaying memory.

Another shot is going to be of a sign of the Dartford Grammar school sign which I will Photoshop to say Lacuna Inc. To make the location obvious.

The shot after will be a shot of Howard and Mary outside of Lacuna Inc. before they go inside for the treatment.

My final shots will be a close up of Mary's distraught face after realizing that she is about to forget about Howard and their relationship the other final shot will be of Howard looking through the closed blue doors that he had shut behind him looking through the window of the door with his face blurred out to show that Mary has forgotten everything about Howard since their first meeting and I will use Photoshop to create this affect and I will make the background around Mary darker with Photoshop also.

Summer Blockbuster pitch

Spectacle: 3D manuever gear, titan powers.
Set piece: Human's hiding in secrecy from titans hiding in skyscraper sized walls. They use the manuever gear to fight the titans.
A listers: James Franco, Tom Felton, Jennifer Lawrence

Mock results

Half term homework

Task 1:

What is so significant about Jaws?

The title of Jaws itself is significant since it tells you almost everything you need to know about the film since Jaws is the name of the villain of the film so you would know that there will be a big focus around that character.

The plot of Jaws can be summed up in a couple of sentences: It is about a man-eating shark who eats people and is mercilessly hunted by man and man prevails over Jaws.

Jaws is also a film that has high marketability, such as the soundtrack and iconic vehicles and characters that could be made into consumer goods e.g. The boat that Chief Brody uses, Chief Brody himself as well as Jaws.

Jaws was a high concept movie of it's time, it had predominant themes of good versus evil as well as having the main character face a major problem as well as overcoming a seemingly unstoppable conflict. IT also has recognizable themes that could be found in other high-concept movies such as life, death and fear. Jaws also had a global appeal since shark attacks, or more widely dangerous animal threats are an issue accessible to everyone as well as conforming to global gender stereotypes of men and women, Brody being the hero, his wife having very little screen time in comparison since she is just considered a housewife. Jaws also does not offend many people apart from the mild gore from the shark attacks and people who may have experienced shark attacks which is a minority population. Jaws also portrays young female beach goers in quite a voyeuristic way to grab more attention from a male audience to then be followed up by action from the conflict with Jaws. Jaws is also straightforward and easy to understand so it does not confuse of upset a mainstream audience. Jaws had A-Lister's such as Rob Schneider and Robert Shaw, however they are not known as stars and the film still sold remarkably well. However the director could be considered a star of the directing world, Jaws was directed by Steven Spielberg which may have been a major contributing factor.

What are the characteristics of a blockbuster?

A blockbuster is a film with great financial success

Elements of a blockbuster:

Franchise

Event movie

Blur between video game and movie experience.

Non CHN

Literature

Great advertisement

Other Sources

Wide audience appeal

Post-genre

'Stars' (However not always a guarantee).

Producer/Director (Still not always a guarantee, reputation and style can affect this). 

Global Appeal

Culture Neutral

Simple Characterizations

Stereotypes followed

Save the world

Love interests

Spectacle, CGI, production and pyrotechnics.

Visual film or dialogue based.

Branding (Helps continuity).

Merchandise

Pre-existing audience

These are all different elements of blockbuster films, however, just because these are followed does not mean a film will become a blockbuster, it can sometimes have the opposite effect, some films have tried to follow these elements but tried to put a spin on it, turning it in to a flop. E.g. Howard the Duck directed by George Lucas.

Identify a newly released Blockbuster now showing at the cinema

Analyse the promotion and mind map - poster, trailer, merchandising and identify

Some films try to add too many of these elements in, e.g The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug. Adding a love interest between two characters who were not part of the original novel series as well as the excessive use of CGI, production and pyrotechnics to create a spectacle damaged the films profit in sales. In the poster it features many of the main characters who are all mainly A-Lister's, some even considered 'Stars' this may have attracted a lot of the audience but it was reviewed badly in some areas, suggesting that 'Stars' are not always a guarantee that the film will be thoroughly enjoyed, as well as messing with a pre-existing fan bases story by adding new characters and creating a love interest between them. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPVWy1tFXuc
The trailer itself had good reviews and created a lot of hype before the actual release, again the love interest segment and the reintroduction of Legolas had received mixed reviews.

Task 2:
Newly released blockbuster: Robocop
What characteristics of a blockbuster does this film follow?

Pre-existing audience
Visual film
Spectacle, heavy use of CGI
Love interests
Stars
Blur between gaming and a film experience
Merchandise
Wide audience appeal
Simple characterizations
Global Appeal
Not confrontational

What are the criticisms of Big Dumb Movies?

How did we get to the point where the cinema is dominated by these films?
 

One of the reasons that 'Big Dumb Movies' sell as much as they do is that they are hyped up so much through trailers, advertisement etc.

A lot of 'Big Dumb Movies' have also been seen to be heavily reliant on CGI and pyrotechnics. (Transformers)

Also, the bigger the films budget the film can become a big event movie. The budget has to be newsworthy which can sometimes stop it from not being considered a 'film flop.'
The newsworthy budget however does not always guarantee it's success, the quality of the film itself if you can believe it is a major deciding factor as well.
Not all Blockbusters are considered 'Big Dumb Movies' just because they are set to release in the summer. (Iron Man 3)
The summer is usually the time when people go out to the cinema and spend money on film, causing Big Dumb Blockbusters to be hugely successful. For example, Transformers made a lot of it's money back based on it's release date because people tend to go out more in the summer.

People in the Hollywood film industry who produce Blockbusters in my point of view, seem to be scared in moving out of what they are comfortable producing keep recreating similar plots and adding more CGI or special effects to make it sell more. They are scared because if they create a flop, it is not only their reputation and occupation on the line, but the company that they work for and as well as the actors to. which is why there are a lot of 'Big Dumb Movies.'