Hollywood

The media industry, particularly the companies based in Hollywood, has grown exponentially and overcome any obstacle thrown its way; its irrepressible growth was barely stunted by the US government's antitrust decrees, which forced the major studios to sell their theaters, a large source of their income (Hill and Gibson 247). The area considered to be Hollywood represents an industry that ruthlessly adapts and reforms itself in order to continue to turn larger profits and expand into other forms of communication. The leaders of these companies consistently undermine the creativity of the directors and writers in order to make a slightly larger profit, rather than allowing the public to experience truly original works of cinema or any other form of media they might control, i.e. magazines, music, or novels. The conglomerates cling to their outdated plots and predictable actions, things they deem essential to a profitable film, but Erich Fromm stated it best, “Creativity requires the courage to let go of certainties.” The decision to forego originality in favor of profitability represents a fundamental wrong in the society in which it exists.

Hill, John, and Pamela Gibson. The Oxford Guide to Film Studies. New York: Oxford University Press, 1998. Print.

-David Zabriskie