Media Reflection #3

Who Makes the Movies I Watch? Reflecting on Media Companies and My Viewing Habits

        The two most recent movies that I have been able to view are Barbie and Everything Everywhere All at Once. Although both of these movies are quite different in terms of tone, style, and genre, examining how these movies were produced can tell us a significant amount about the respective companies that produced these titles and how these companies can affect the type of stories that consumers want to view. Also researching the companies that have produced these movies has given me a greater appreciation for my own media consumption.

        Barbie was created by Warner Bros. Pictures, which is one of the biggest and oldest film studios in the world. Warner Bros. is part of a huge media conglomerate and has made big-budget, widely marketed films with international distribution. Alongside Warner Bros., other listed production companies involved in the making of Barbie include Heyday Films and LuckyChap Entertainment, Margot Robbie's production company. Although the latter aims to facilitate more female-driven stories, the movie itself nevertheless benefited from the extensive financial resources, marketing power, and distribution network that Warner Bros. had at its disposal. This allowed for Barbie to be promoted on an enormous scale and thus be something of a cultural event rather than simply a movie release.

        Meanwhile, Everything Everywhere All at Once was produced by A24, a company largely synonymous with indie and auteurism film projects. A24 is known to give more creative freedom to filmmakers and embrace unconventional storytelling. Unlike major studios, A24 mostly works on relatively low budgets and relies on word-of-mouth, critical reception, and festival buzz rather than enormous ad campaigns. For the film, the directing duo The Daniels were able to take very big creative risks-a flick that combines absurd humor, science fiction, family drama, and experimental editing in a peculiarly distinctive way from the studio movies.

        When I consider my own viewing practices, it seems that what initially draws me to content created by the larger studios versus independent studios can be vastly different. Big studio productions like Barbie will likely draw me in because of their ubiquity. It becomes difficult to ignore the trailers, the chatter on social media, and the talk among friends when trying to decide what to watch. Independent productions will likely draw me in because they have something different to offer.

        Before coming to the class, I was never aware of who produced the material I watched. Most times, my preference depended on the genre of the movie, the cast, or word of mouth, rather than the film production company involved. However, further critical analysis of Warner Bros. and A24 film productions has made me appreciate how much this production company determines storytelling, artistic ability, and audience perception.

        I think I am going to move forward being much more aware of who produces the content I watch. That is, although I will continue enjoying large studio films, I increasingly feel interested in supporting independent companies that put creative risks and diversity of voices ahead of profit-making. Understanding who is behind a film adds another layer to how I experience a film and often makes me intentional about the media I choose to consume.



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