Economics: Spotlight on Entrepreneurs in the Entertainment

Economics: Spotlight on Movie and Entertainment Industry

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Do you know this Entrepreneur and what he is famous for?

Multiple Choice

He is filmmaker, George _____

• Pannanopolis

• Bush

• Trollman

• Lucas

Poll

Do you like Star Wars Movies?

• Yes

• No

• A little/ Some of them

• I do not know

Open Ended

Can you name any technology used in Star Wars films?

Let's Find out more about George Lucas and why we are learning about him in Economics class...

More than Star Wars: George Lucas

• " The crossroad in my career," filmaker giant George Lucas recalls, "happened early on. I was in an automobile accident. Before that I was not really a good student. I wasn't really focused on my life.I came through an accident I never should have survived. In the process of that I realized that there must be some purpose for me...and I better figure out what it is"

More Than Starwars Continued...

"That really motivated me in a very different way which sent me off utimately, searching for the things I loved and ending up in the film business. "

George Lucas did more than just "wind up" in the film business: he conquered it. Lucas as a writer, director, producer and film business owner , has had a hand in more than half of the top 20 box office hits of all times. (At the time the textbook was printed)

Multiple Choice

George Lucas was a good student.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

George Lucas was somehow involved in almost half of the highest grossing films of all time.

• True

• False

India Jones Franchise and Star Wars franchises are some of top grossing films of all times

• He has worked as a writer on and produced many movies

• He has earned many awards

• His films have made big economic impact both in the United States of America and around the world

Did you know Pixar was a part of Lucas films...started in 1979...and sold to Steve Jobs by George Lucas in 1986???

Who was this Entrepreneur and Artist?

Walt ______

Multiple Choice

What is the name of the artist / Entrepreneur who changed the movie industry?

• Walt Whitman

• Walter Sandler

• Walt Disney

Open Ended

What do you know about Walt Disney?

Open Ended

What is your favorite Disney Movie?

A Household Name: Walt Disney

• The name Disney is known around the world. Yet as a young man, Walt Disney was a failed film maker operating out of a makeshift studio in a garage in Los Angeles.

• Disney had moved there from Kansas City, where he had helped to create cartoon advertisements for showings in movie theaters.

• Dreaming of making full- scale movies he headed to Los Angeles, California, then as now, the film capital- to pursue his dream.

Walt Disney Continued...

• For five years he struggled to make ends meet. Then he released an animated film featuring a character that would soon become a household name: Mickey Mouse.

• The year was 1928, and the film industry was just about to explode.

• The ability to add sound to movies had just been developed. Color movies would become possible in just a few years.

Walt Disney and Technology

Walt Disney and his workers made full use of new technologies .

Today, Walt Disney Company is a business giant. With income from more than 4 Motion picture units, television channels and a streaming site named Disney +., theme parks, resorts, merchandise based on Disney characters, ( Now they even own the Star Wars Franchise and Lucas Films)

Disney is practically an Industry unto itself. This huge media presence has brought Disney characters to millions of people around the world.

Multiple Choice

What new technologies contributed to the film industry blowing up and Walt Disney's success?

• sound and color

• video cameras

• cell phones

• still cameras and batteries

Multiple Choice

Walt Disney was always rich and succesful.

• True

• False

Walt Disney and Economics

• Walt Disney combined economic success with a cultural impact that few if any others have achieved.

Multiple Select

What do Walt Disney and George Lucas have in common?

• Movie Producers/ Film Makers

• Americans

• Overcame faliures or hardships early in life

• Both used cutting edge technology for their time

Multiple Choice

Do you think the films and all businesses by Walt Disney and George Lucas add to USA's GDP?

• Yes

• No

Open Ended

The histories of economics and technology are tightly interwoven. In boom times (good)the money is available to research and develop new technology. In bust (bad) times necessities or needs often lead to invention.

Look up a technology that has caused economic growth. What is the technology and how did it add to trade and production?