Course 2017-2018 a.y.

Classes: 31 (I sem.)

Instructors:
Class 31: ALBERTO PASQUALE

The film industry has experienced critical changes in recent years. Technology and market evolutions have significantly transformed the industry, shaping a fast-growing global arena where multinational and local players interact and compete. The course introduces concepts, theories and practical knowledge needed to understand how the global movie industry operates through its various stages: development, financing, production, marketing, distribution, licensing. Through discussions of cases, as well as interactions with guest speakers, students develop a critical understanding of the structure of the industry, the different components of the value chain, the logics governing the strategies of studios and independent players, and the main factors shaping how the industry evolves, including public intervention through subsidies and tax incentives. The focus is on acquiring the knowledge needed to work in the industry and/or developing entrepreneurial ideas.

The course starts with an examination of the properties that define entertainment industries, and how those properties together introduce a unique set of challenges and opportunities for managers.
Subsequent modules explore a variety of questions, including

• How is the industry structured, and what shapes its current state and future evolution? What are the main institutional logics underlying film production and distribution?
• What drives sustainable competitive advantage in the industry, and how changes in technology (e.g. digital platforms) and markets (e.g. emergence of global markets) shape competitive positions?
• How do entertainment businesses best allocate resources across a portfolio of projects? How do markets for stars and prestige both constrain and enable firm strategies?
• What are the dominant and emerging business models in the industries, and what are the conditions for their sustainability?

Cases discussed in class include: Disney, Warner Bros., Marvel, Independent financed movies, Netflix and Hulu (to be confirmed).

For attending students
Grading is based on

• Class participation (10%).
• Group project (30%).
• Final written exam (60%).

For non-attending students
Grading is based on a

• Final written exam (100%).

Essential Textbooks.

• J.E. SQUIRE (ed.), The Movie Business Book, Focal Press, 2017.
• A. FINNEY, E. TRIANA, The International Film Business - A Market Guide Beyond Hollywood, Routledge, 2015, 2nd edition.

Recommended readings.

• Industry.
• H.L. VOGEL, Entertainment Industry Economics, Cambridge University Press, 2015, 9th edition.
• C. MOUL, A Concise Handbook of Movie Industry Economics, Cambridge University Press, 2005.
• T. BALIO, Hollywood in the New Millennium, Palgrave, 2013.
• M. CURTIN, J. SHATTUC, The American Television Industry, Palgrave, 2009.

• Strategic issues.
• M. D. SMITH, R. TELANG, Streaming, Sharing, Stealing – Big Data and the Future of Entertainment, The MIT Press, 2016.
• A. ELBERTSE, Blockbusters – Hit-Making, Risk-Taking, and the Big Business of Entertainment, Henry Holt, 2013.
• J.A. KNEE, B.C. GREENWALD, A. SEAVE, The Curse of the Mogul – What’s Wrong with the World’s Leading Media Companies, Portfolio, 2009.
• B. DE WIT, Strategy – An International Perspective, 6th edition, Cengage, 2017.
  

• Management:
• E. CATMULL, Creativity, Inc. – Overcoming the Unseen Forces that Stand in the Way of True Inspiration, Random House, 2014.
  

• Marketing & Distribution
• R. MARICH, Marketing to Moviegoers – A Handbook of Strategies and Tactics, Southern Illinois University Press, 2013 3rd edition.
• F. KERRIGAN, Film Marketing, Elsevier, 2010.
• J.C. ULIN, The Business of Media Distribution Monetizing Film, TV, and Video Content in an Online World, Focal Press, 2014, 2nd edition.
• N. MINGANT, C. TIRTAINE, J. AUGROS, Film Marketing into the Twenty-First Century, Palgrave, 2015.
• R. LOBATO, Shadows Economies of Cinema - Mapping Informal Film Distribution, Palgrave, 2012.