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DECKARD OR SKYWALKER?

by Alper Caglar

Audiences watch films. Audiences pay for films. Audiences are the ultimate masters of everything cinema strives to be, as it is a medium that was meant to be exhibited. Since the inception of movies, no scientific theory has been made for any single film to be completely successful. There have been maverick films which revolutionized the genre and influences countless others. Fields such as advertising and marketing have been essential in trying to attract audiences. In the following essay I will discuss the importance of storytelling in relation to marketing. According to my view marketing is not the answer to creating blockbusters, but rather the inherent appeal of the plot is.

In 1982, Ridley Scott's sci-fi thriller Blade Runner made its determined debut. Not only was it littered with the state-of the art special effects, but it also had a consistent plot and a famous cast. Harrison Ford, famed for his blockbuster roles in Star Wars and the Raiders of the Lost Ark, portrayed the main character based on a famous Phillip K. Dick novel. The movie had all the ingredients for being a hit, yet was never one. On the contrary it was considered a major disappointment bringing only 27.6 million dollars in the box offices nation-wide. What went wrong? The formula had worked on the 461 million dollar atom bomb Star Wars, and it had worked without the prime time television trailers and Super Bowl spots that indisputably dominates today's media. The comparison ends decisively.

Even though Star Wars was a low-budget, minimally marketed soap opera it managed to attract audiences nearly twenty times more than Blade Runner. Marketing was initially blamed for the crash of Blade Runner. Critics couldn't figure out what else could have been wrong. A mentally stimulating story about humanity, lots of loud action scenes and incredible cinematography… not to mention the guy who played Han Solo as the leading man.
Hollywood is dependant on cold, hard cash. Most mainstream films are considered failures without clean profits that soar above the production costs. This is where marketing comes in, as it generates commotion and publicity to make the audiences anticipate the film. Yet in contemporary cinema, sometimes even the most ambitious marketing is not enough to save a film.

What most executives failed to understand was that the main difference between the two productions were their storylines, not their marketing. Star Wars is a story that George Lucas himself summarizes as:

…something other than these artsy character movies; a more socially-acceptable medium. I was thinking of something that I could get excited about that would be a little less esoteric…

Lucas had envisioned a futuristic myth which could appeal to the vast majority of the audiences, with unambiguous good and evil as well as fast-paced excitement provided by dazzling visuals. It would be a story of heroes and villains, and it did not urge the audiences to think. The role-models in the film were exemplary, such as Luke Skywalker the underdog who rose towards being a Jedi Knight and in the end, won the day against overwhelming odds. The audiences always knew whom to cheer for, and got their money's worth with a tale that was simple yet stimulating.

Blade Runner on the other hand was a story which was very complicated and provoking. It was not an audience soother and did not strive to be a story of hope and excitement. The brooding atmosphere of doom and humanitarian criticism showed that it was no popcorn flick. It was set in a bleak and pessimistic future, with our civilization immolating itself with technology, with man-made intelligent machines suffering on our behalf. It combined elements of annoyance by bringing us face to face with the fact that our future may not be bright as a species as we make it out to be.

Undeniably audiences do not always wish to view intellectual films which disturb instead of present a utopian landscape. This majority ultimately forms the bulk of the ticket buyers and is the primarily targeted consumers. This "public opinion" and "word of mouth" is what fuels the success of any film. The following is an internet review:

My simple review is - I hate this film. It's funny, 'cause I like Ridley Scott. I like Harrison Ford. And I like sci-fi. So why didn't I like this? Maybe the film was too intelligent for me. I know there are all those insinuations that Deckard might well be a replicant, but to me, I couldn't really care less.

Because films need to bring bountiful revenues, directors and producers choose to cut out or modify material which would detract from the satisfaction of the masses. This results in most movies losing integrity as they strive to please the maximum number of viewers. The top ten lists for all time national blockbusters, ranging from Titanic to Harry Potter, are all entertaining films made to be entertaining, not to promote philosophical debate or cerebral exercise.

Without a doubt Star Wars and such films are exemplary of cinematic glory and appeal. They are why we call movies magical and fantastic. Yet the fear of releasing or creating provocative or pseudo-surreal films inhibits the creative output of many screenwriters and directors. We simply are being denied of variety in our selection. Only through the collective efforts of the industry can this flaw be corrected. When more conglomerate executives begin financing tentative films, and when audiences understand that cinema itself is not just eye-candy, movies like Blade Runner will have a chance to develop sagas of their own just like Star Wars.

Bibliography

George Lucas Interview Well-Rounded Entertainment
May 1999
http://www.well-rounder.com/movies/reviews/lucas_intv.html

Blade Runner Audience Reviews. Internet Movie Database
7 February 2002 http:us.imdb.com/CommentsShow?83658/20

Star Wars & Blade Runner Ratings. CARA Online Database
1977 and 1982 www.filmratings.com

Box Office Revenues. World Wide Box Office
http://www.worldwideboxoffice.com/