CFP: The Golden Opportunities of Film Exhibition (6/1/14; 10/29-11/1/14)

From: Cynthia Miller <[email protected]>

CALL FOR PAPERS
CFP: The Golden Opportunities of Film Exhibition=20
An area of multiple panels for the 2014 Film & History Conference:
Golden Ages: Styles and Personalities, Genres and Histories
October 29-November 2, 2014
The Madison Concourse Hotel and Governor=92s Club
Madison, WI (USA)
DEADLINE for abstracts: June 1, 2014

AREA: The Golden Opportunities of Film Exhibition

=46rom coin-operated kinetoscopes to nickelodeons to picture palaces to =
drive-in theaters and multiplexes, motion pictures have only been as =
successful as the box office receipts earned through theatrical =
exhibition.

The early movie business offered golden opportunities for those who were =
willing to take the risks. Some became itinerant showmen, while others =
ordered projection equipment from Sears, Roebuck to open family-run =
small town moviehouses.  Film producers seized their golden opportunity =
when they realized that theater ownership insured access to movie-mad =
audiences. Today movies can be accessed directly across multiple media =
platforms, while theater owners face the high costs of upgrading =
screening technology and the challenges of reinventing the moviegoing =
experience. What are the golden opportunities for the 21st century film =
exhibitor?=20

This area will examine the history of film exhibition through its many =
permutations, from the local exhibitor serving the hometown audience to =
Big Five dominance during the Golden Age of Hollywood. Papers on other =
elements that affected the success of an exhibitor, including: theater =
design and safety, management and promotion styles, civic engagement, =
and the increased importance of the concessions stand are also invited =
and encouraged.

Additional questions that might be explored, but others are welcome:

=95	Did the Paramount decision kill the golden goose?
=95	How did exhibitors negotiate the pressures of community =
standards and censorship?=20
=95	What factors produced the decline of the drive-in?
=95	What made an exhibitor successful in Peoria?

Proposals for complete panels (three related presentations) are also =
welcome, but they must include an abstract and contact information, =
including an e-mail address, for each presenter. For updates and =
registration information about the upcoming meeting, see the Film & =
History website (www.filmandhistory.org).

Please e-mail your 200-word proposal by 1 June 2014, to the area chair:

Deborah Carmichael
Michigan State University
[email protected]=

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