Neither audiences nor producers need film stars anymore

Neither audiences nor producers need films 

stars anymore

What ever film stars used to offer the industry, franchises now offer the industry. However, film stars are still very much relevant to producers and audiences. Film stars offer a sense of security for both the audience and the producers, audiences feel more secure with 'typecast' actors as they know what to expect; whereas producers can take a stars popularity and anticipate what the potential audiences will want. They do this in the same way that they use film stars to draw in audiences by exploiting their 'star qualities' in their marketing. 

One of the reasons for the decline of the film star is franchises, franchises draw audiences in through expanded universes; such as books, comics, video games. Franchises are slowly overpowering star driven films. This isn't to say that franchises don't cast film stars or that film stars are not born from franchises. Audiences engage more with franchises it allows for them to go on a lengthy journey with their favourite characters; an example of this is the Harry Potter franchise. The Harry Potter films span over a decade, this has allowed the fans to grow up along with the characters and build a strong connection with them; this is then amplified by the creation of theme parks and merchandise. The negatives within franchises are that stars begin to morph into characters and this becomes the only way an audience can see them, in turn, this has resulted in less film stars and more characters. This isn't damaging to producers as they have learnt that franchises are an easy way to draw a big audience as long running franchises, like Harry Potter, have become a social experience; people will go to see the film with the same group of people each time and they are secure in knowing that they will get the same storyline with slight variations in content. 

Another reason for the decline in the film star is the rise of the TV star, TV is becoming an increasingly popular genre; offering audiences a cinematic experience at home. Television has evolved into a more in-depth and complex genre, with shows such as Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones and Lost offering audiences hundreds of episodes and hours of open ended story that takes multiple seasons to conclude. Other elements such as box sets and Netflix, give audiences the 'binge watching' experience and are becoming increasingly popular. 

** Positive for audiences

** Positive for producers

** expansion of franchise into TV