Film Tourism in the USA - Essay Example

Film Tourism in the USA When the filming of motion pictures began probably no one had any idea the impact it would have on tourism. The scenes of picturesque locations shown in a movie attract tourists, the audiences notice while watching movies. Be it filming The Hobbit in the New Zealand, or the comedy trilogy Hangover shot in Las Vegas Nevada, they attract a lot of tourists to their respective filming locations. As a consequence they significantly contribute (in monitory terms) to the tourism industry. This type of visitor attraction is termed as film induced tourism. The film induced tourism is not new, it is just that it wasnt predicted in the beginning, the movie business was supposed to be about arts and not financial gains for the tourism industry. However it has changed the overall film production business. There is sufficient evidence present that shows by portraying a place in an attractive fashion tourists and visitors would flock to that place. They might have heard about the place before, but seeing it in a movie and especially in the context of the plot, it leaves a unique impact on the audience. This is a form of subliminal advertisement. Since 1935, movies have changed how they impact the audiences. Mutiny on the Bounty (1935) was the first movie that attracted huge number of visitors to the location of the shooting (Roesch, 2009, p. 8), and Tahini turned into a major tourist location only because the film was shot there. By the filming of great masterpieces such as Lawrence of Arabia (1962), Bridge on the River Kwai (1958) and The Sound of Music (1965), their respective locations have turned them into Makkah for tourists. The great upsurge in tourist influx because of Hollywood movies did not come until the release of the blockbuster Jaws (1975). This movie proved that movies can be a marketable commodity, an attraction to lure tourists in to visit the locations shown in the movie. The era of the 70s is also marked by the expansion seen in the Hollywood world by the emergence of production companies like the Walt Disney, Time Warner, and Bertelsmann. These production giants were not only confined to making movies, they started investing in theme parks and other tourist attractions. They realized how the success of the movie can contribute to business of tourism. Suddenly the movies were not only about film production, many factors started going into the production and the eventual outcome of the movie. For instance a movie might not do very good on the box office (the movie Godzilla is an excellent example of this) and might receive very harsh response from the movie critics, however, it still can do really well in terms of financial gains. If the movie shows tourist locations that attract more visitors, it is also a contribution to its overall success. Adding to the literary associations and TV productions, film production is a very useful tool in reinvigorating the image and promoting the place. Even after the screening of the movie, it can still have a huge impact even after its production (Hall, Roberts & Mitchell, 2003, p. 120). The impact and influence of Postproduction Exposure (PPE) have been established with evidence on tourism. In many cases the picturesque locations of natural and other countryside portrayed in the movies have immensely increased the number of visitors. They would like to take in the surroundings and feel what they saw in the movie. They want to experience the same feelings which the camera showed to them. The film induced tourism is not only about showing picturesque locations in their most exquisite form. The emotional attachment and appeal to these locations cannot be ignored. People laugh, cry, feel excited, become intensely serious and even dream about movies. They even influence their behavior. A historical place might be unknown to the majority of population what but its portrayed in the movie and probably in the best light it can change the business scenario for the better. A huge number of people visit the US every year only because of the blockbuster movies. In fact, there arent many places that are not famous in the US but they are little known because of the huge media frenzy popularity that the Hollywood movies enjoy. There are so many places to go to in the US, many sceneries for foreigners to explore, however, the impact that Hollywood had in attracting tourists from all over the world cannot be matched by any other attraction. It is a fact that Hollywood is the most dominant film industry in the whole world. What they show in their movies, from the plot to the locations to the subliminal messages in their movies, they all have a significant impact on the global audience. The locations shown in the movies aside, the mere sightseeing of the famous Hollywood sign serves as a huge attraction for visitors to come and see one of the most recognized signs in the world. The tourists are so much interested in this sign that the influx of tourists and visitors to the canyon creates traffic problems. The neighbors frequently complain about huge traffic generated by the influx of these visitors (Pool, 2013). A a lot of tourist companies are available providing bus and van services in and out of the canyon. It is difficult to assess the exact contribution of the Hollywood movies to the tourism industry, because every year the financial figures are different. One blockbuster movie on Christmas Eve can significantly boost the number of visitors to the US. Holistically speaking the tourism industry is gaining significant amount from the tourism and influx because of the movie produced by the Hollywood. For instance according to The Economist (1998) Georgia was attracting US $100 million, Virginia US $72 million and Illinois US $100 million, and the Hollywood movies play a deciding factor in making those financial figures possible. The amount of money involved in this type of tourism can be estimated from an example. When the movie A Thousand Acres was under production, there was a scene in the movie where cornfields were supposed to be shown as far as the eye could see. The actual location was supposed to be Iowa as specifically mentioned in the screenplay. However, Illinois had its eyes on the economic benefits of showing this location in the movie. The film crew actually worked to change the location so much so that they had to go cornfields for only to shoot this scene. They did not invest their money without having a clear view about the economic benefits of showing the scene. According to Beeton (2005, p. 21) the direct economic benefits amounted to US $21 million plus 183 full-time jobs. This estimation is only about the direct financial benefits of shooting at that location. At does not include the gamble of attracting more tourists to Illinois. The Illinois film office had to provide pages of data about growing corn. The vast fields of corn were raised in a mere six week time, and they successfully shot those seen just outside of Chicago, Illinois. Many movie themed parks have a direct correlation between their ticket sales and the success of the movie. They have the general tourist appeal, however, the theme parks are directly related to the production, screening, and successful box office performance of the movie. The Disney World Orlando received 17 million visitors in 2010 alone (Connell, 2012). The Themed Entertainment Association states that the Universal Studios in Orlando and the Hollywood studios saw an increase in the visitors by 6% and a significant 26% respectively (Connell, 2012). This type of upsurge in the business cannot be ignored. This is a huge factor the production company takes into consideration before even starting the production of the movie. To understand why this type of tourism is so much interesting for the visitors one needs to go into the psychology that comes into play while the person is viewing a movie. For instance the movie The Counselor (2013), shows scenes shot in bewilderment. The rich couple who are the drug dealers keep cheetahs as pets. And take them out for a walk where they set them loose after Jack rabbits. They feel entertained by this chase, the game of chasing and death. The audiences are definitely interested in seeing this site. The audience want to visit this bewilderment. They want to experience what the characters in the movie are shown to be experiencing. There is also an interesting impact in the way certain locations are portrayed. In many Hollywood movies Chinatowns in the US have usually been portrayed as the center for Asian criminal activity. The impact of such representative projection of certain locations creates an immense in the subconscious of the audience. It is like a myth. Either they want to be convinced by visiting the location or they want to visit it to see for themselves if it is in fact true what has been portrayed in the movie about that location. There is also the impact of the movies on the audience where the audience want to live the life of the character set in those particular locations. For instance the movie 127 Hours (2008) starring James Franco, was shot in the Canyonlands National Park, the Blue John Canyon, Utah, US. An adventurer goes on to have the time of his life on his own. He has his mountain bike and his mountain climbing gear with him. The people who have the similar mindset wanting to have similar adventures like this character shown in the movie would like to visit this location. The interest is developed by seeing how the characters live their life in the surroundings. The scenes shown in the movie of the locations create a unique form of advertisement for those locations. The impact does not necessarily have to be positive. They ghetto life presented in so many movies are specifically associated with the drug trafficking, arson, theft, murder and gang wars. Audiences from all over the world would certainly want to avoid these places because not each movie is based purely on fantasy, they also reflect the truth. Even if it is exaggerated it still has a certain reflection of the truth. According to common knowledge the film tourism will relatively drop the US. The reason is not because the US has ran out of locations but because the production crew and the directors from Hollywood have so many picturesque locations available throughout the globe. New Zealand has turned into an ideal location for shooting scenes with a lot of dreamy greenery behind them which have a more natural effect on the audience. The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit series are one of the prime examples why Hollywood crew would fly over to the New Zealand to shoot movies. These runaway Hollywood productions are contributing significantly to the locations where theyre shot. For instance Sydney Australia gained $80-$100 million from the Hollywood funded film production (Fitzgerald, 2000). This trend will only increase because not every movie can be filled in the US. If the whole world watches and appreciates Hollywood movies there was certainly want to see Hollywood Studios expanding and shooting movies around the world. From this discussion it can be predicted that in the future other locations around the globe would probably steal some film induced tourism from the US. The Hollywood movies will significantly contribute to the locations they show in their movies. The concept of outsourcing business has been around for quite some time now and it is only understandable if it translates into the moviemaking business and incorporates global movie locations. Why wouldnt countries be interested in offering benefits and other resources for film crew for movie productions. There is no denying that the film induced tourism has significantly impact the way movies are made now. The filmmaking studios have realized that there is huge business opportunity presented to them in shooting movies and selecting locations for them. Connell (2012) suggests that the most profitable strategy in terms of choosing location is selecting those sites that are associated with the production studio. It makes sense because all the upsurge in the tourism because of the success of the movie directly goes into the pockets of the studio. Therefore they would like to cash in all of this bonus by specifically shooting movies at those associated locations. The audiences are interested in seeing movies that represent the reality as accurately as possible. It would not make much sense if a movie about me on if Germany is shot in California. Or if a romance takes place around Taj Mahal it should be shot at that particular location. It will significantly in increase the number of visitors to that place, however it is an imperative part of the movie production. References Bob Pool (8 October 2013). Discontent brewing under the Hollywood sign. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 18, 2014 from http://articles.latimes.com/2013/oct/08/local/la-me-hollywood-sign-wars-20131009 Beeton, S. 2005. Film-induced Tourism. Clevedon: Channel View Publications. Print. Connell, J. 2012. Film Tourism – Evolution, Progress and Prospects. Tourism Management 33(5): 1007-029. Hall, D. R., Roberts, L. and Mitchell, M. 2003. New Directions in Rural Tourism. Aldershot, England: Ashgate. Print. Roesch, S. 2009. The Experience of Film Location Tourists. Bristol: Channelview Publications. Read More