Eli Noam

“Hollywood 2.0: How Internet Distribution Will Affect the Film Industry”

Editors: W. Russell Neuman

Abstract:
Eli Noam ponders whether Hollywood will wither away in a struggle with low-cost global competition. The fundamental technology of the 35mm motion picture camera and projector have been stable and unchallenged for 80 years. Digital video, computer-based editing and Internet distribution, however, present new challenges to the traditional business model of celluloid celebrity. Noam's surprising conclusion is that Hollywood will not only survive but probably thrive in the new environment, primarily because of its capacity for industrial efficiency. It seems counter intuitive — big studios, high overhead, old ways of doing business. Noam explains that the iconic cigar-chomping Hollywood mogul leading an inefficient studio system unchanging since the 1930s is an image perhaps frequently found on the screen but it is not an accurate representation of the modern industry behind the screen.

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