AHSS*1070 Lecture Notes - Lecture 11: Richard Dyer
Chapter 12: Stardom
-Film stars are integral part of every major film industry
-Play pivotal role in production and marketing of films
-“Actor” is not synonymous with “star”
-Film industry relies on stardom to lure audiences into theater by marketing actor’s biography
(fictionalized or not)
What makes someone a star?
-Stars are celebrated figures with whom fans develop a relationship
-Fans care about their favorite stars long after film has ended
-Fans treat film stars as extraordinary individuals, as larger than life
-also consider them ordinary everyday people, like family members or friends
Stars and the movie industry
-Stars influence economic viability of entire film industries
-Abolition of lengthy studio contracts in1950s helped facilitate growth in independent
productions
-producers now able to arrange star contracts for a single film or for a small cluster of films
-led to subsequent proliferation of talent agents responsible for managing star careers
-Studying of box office receipts of nearly 200 films released in early 1990s, economist S. Abraham
Ravid discerned virtually no correlation between star’s presence and film’s box office gross
Stars can possibly ignite interest in film opening, but not guarantee long term film revenue
The Dynamics of Performance
-Film scholars interested in trying to explain what makes a particular star’s performance
memorable
-Stars create following by developing memorable and recognizable persona
-Two elements of that persona are roles a star plays, and techniques used to create these roles
The Star Persona
-Richard Dyer argues, “the star phenomenon depends upon collapsing the distinction between
the star-as-person and the star-as-performer”
-Dyer argues that star’s image is constructed across four different public arenas: films,
promotion, publicity, and commentary
-Image constructed across these outlets makes up what critics call the star persona
Star’s persona created by interplay between screen, media coverage, and (selective)
biographical details to which audiences gain access
Stardom and Ideology
-Mainstream narrative films tend to express popular sentiment and often reflect dominant
ideological assumptions of their culture
-Scholars in star studies frequently explore how stars function as cultural barometers, embodying
find more resources at oneclass.com
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Document Summary
Film stars are integral part of every major film industry. Play pivotal role in production and marketing of films. Film industry relies on stardom to lure audiences into theater by marketing actor"s biography (fictionalized or not) Stars are celebrated figures with whom fans develop a relationship. Fans care about their favorite stars long after film has ended. Fans treat film stars as extraordinary individuals, as larger than life also consider them ordinary everyday people, like family members or friends. Stars influence economic viability of entire film industries. Studying of box office receipts of nearly 200 films released in early 1990s, economist s. abraham. Ravid discerned virtually no correlation between star"s presence and film"s box office gross. Stars can possibly ignite interest in film opening, but not guarantee long term film revenue. Film scholars interested in trying to explain what makes a particular star"s performance memorable. Stars create following by developing memorable and recognizable persona.
