Automobiles in the Film Industry,

¶ … automobiles in the film industry, and specifically how they are impacted by mass media and how mass media influences their use and popular culture surrounding their use. The writer explores several books and movies to analyze the use of autos in American film and mass media influence on that decision..

Since the inception of the automobile, significant importance has been placed on its use and look. Young men are conditioned to believe that attracting women is based in part on having the right type of car. Young women are raised to think if a man has a nice car he is a worthwhile pursuit. In addition, media and society have conditioned Americans to place certain values on certain cars. If it's a sedan or a station wagon the owner must be old or boring. If it is sporty or a particular type of car the assumption is made that the owner is modern in thought and action. Autos have importance in all walks of life, including entertainment.

The film industry has used automobiles for many years to try and influence the public and popular culture. Several classic movies use automobiles as intricate parts of their plot, and the subsequent result was popular culture changes and fads. The use of the automobile in American films creates popular culture changes that can become a fad or last many years. Mass media has always had an impact on society and popular culture. Whether it is changing the way the masses feel about health care, automobiles or images, mass media has been able to steer the mindset of the general public.

Automobiles in films through using them directly or linking them in advertising during key ads for the film all play a part in the way the public responds to the automobile or what that automobile represents in the film.

Mass media

Before one can begin to analyze the use of automobiles in American films, one needs to have a grasp of mass media and its workings.

Mass media often depends on popular culture demands for its cue as to what direction to move in. Mass media uses things that are already popular to make current issues or products more popular (Echeverria, 2003).

One example of this occurring can be found in the recent trend to use popular people to approve certain advertisements or product placement. Whether it is a politician or a famous and well-known actor doing the spot, mass media is aware that the words "I approved this ad," carries clout with the American public. It has been used to sell cars and other products as well as to promote self serving political messages to the public just before election time.

Mass media is designed to reach the public by mass (Flink, 1976). Pop culture is often impacted by mass media and the opposite also occurs.

It is important to distinguish between campaigns that use predominantly mass media techniques, and those that use mass media as only part of a broader 'community-wide' approach. The U.S. Task Force on Community Preventive Services describes such campaigns as 'large-scale, high-intensity, community wide campaigns with sustained high visibility', which combine mass media with other approaches such as support and self-help groups, counseling, screening and education, community events and walking trails (Kahn et al., 2002). It is difficult to separate the media and community components and to establish the added value of media only. Testing media-only approaches has been tried for smoking prevention campaigns (McVey and Stapleton, 2000), but remains to be tried for physical activity. This is important if we are to understand the precise contribution that mass media can make, either on its own or as a component of a community-wide approach (campaign, 2004)."

Whatever approach is ultimately used has a bearing on the pop culture's response and belief.

The central point to note is that behavior change is neither a likely nor a necessary early outcome of mass media campaigns. Rather, a valid outcome is a positive change in any of the antecedent variables, such as beliefs, social norms or intention. This is slightly at odds with the traditional notion of social marketing (Maibach et al., 2002), which tends to focus on behavior as an outcome. However, the more usual public health communications framework, which includes assessing shorter term mass media initiatives, should emphasize the proximal over the distal variables in assessing campaign effects (campaign, 2004)."

These are important factors to understand when it comes to the examination of the use of automobiles in American film because the use promotes a change in the social attitude of pop culture.

The use of popular items for the purpose of changing pop culture ideas and trends is not new. It has been examined by experts who agree that trends are often driven by mass media and American film (Fishwick, 2000).

The cultural code provides a shared understanding of how to read the symbolic meanings embedded in mass media images. From early childhood, individuals are socialized into a deep knowledge of what meanings specific products embody. For example, in U.S. culture, pickup trucks are generally understood to represent rural, blue-collar transportation, whereas chauffeured limousines are seen as representing urban, affluent transportation. Most consumers within the culture are fluent in reading multiple forms of this code and can readily provide renditions of the common cultural meanings of various pets (e.g., mutt dog vs. Persian cat), hairstyles, apparel styles, leisure activities, foods (e.g., hotdogs vs. caviar), musical forms, and so forth (see, e.g., Bourdieu 1984). Thus, rather than representing a smorgasbord of idiosyncratic meanings, consumers' interpretations of cultural products follow a discernable cultural logic, albeit in a way that is often tailored to their personal interests (Hall 1980) (Thompson, 1997)."

Examples

There are many classic examples of automobiles being used in the American film industry and that use changing or steering the direction of pop culture events (Edensor, 2002). One of the most well-known examples of the importance automobiles play in pop culture is the 1973 film American Graffiti.

The film uses automobiles to drive home the point that cars were one of the most important elements to pop culture during the early sixties. The film hit the screen and the nation paid attention. It has been called a sleeper film because nobody anticipated the popularity and following it would create. The film created a pop culture attitude that riding in cars, and cruising were ways to relax and bond for life (American Graffiti (1973) (http://www.filmsite.org/amerg.html).

The film had a direct impact on pop culture by reviving the memories of the past. The film works to revive the belief that anyone who means anything, anywhere, cruises the strip.

Everyone who's anyone cruises the strip in their shiny automobiles and while they're doing that they're listening to Wolfman Jack on the radio (constantly). Music is an integral part of this group, defining its moods, fears, desires and feeding from the same emotions (American Graffiti (1973) (http://www.filmsite.org/amerg.html)." blonde is used symbolically to represent one of the main character's concerns. Curtis, the rising star senior is on his way to college the next day. The entire film is based on that final night and the four boys cruising in cars and all that the cruising and cars represents. Curtis is afraid that he is making a mistake going to college and a blonde who continues to elude him all night long in her own car represents those fears (American Graffiti (1973) (http://www.filmsite.org/amerg.html).

The cars are used to represent many things such as freedom, bravery, comfort and peace. The pop culture was changed for years following the release of the film and its popular theme (American Graffiti (1973) (http://www.filmsite.org/amerg.html).

The car symbolizes popularity in the film. Steve gives his car to the group nerd to watch while he is gone, which will automatically remove the nerd's nerdy status (American Graffiti (1973) (http://www.filmsite.org/amerg.html).

American films have a way of using automobiles to represent symbolic ideas (American Graffiti (1973) (http://www.filmsite.org/amerg.html).

Everyone cruises in the one-way traffic on the main strip in their fancy automobiles - it is an endless parade of customized cars. Police cruisers are on the lookout from side streets. Couples neck close to each other in the front seats, and two guys squirt water from squirt guns across the gap of two cars pacing each other. An Italian guy named Jeff Pazzuto (Ron Vincent) informs John about a rumored drag challenger in town: "There's a very wicked '55 Chevy lookin' for you." While cruising the main drag in his newly-acquired Chevy vehicle, Terry is razzed by someone leaning out of another car: "Is that you in that beautiful car (American Graffiti (1973) (http://www.filmsite.org/amerg.html)?Geez, what a waste of machinery." From the car cruising next to him, Terry is mooned by a bare-assed guy in the back seat who presses his cheeks against the car window (American Graffiti (1973) (http://www.filmsite.org/amerg.html)."

The entire movie revolves around the automobiles and their significance cannot be denied, but this is not the only movie that automobiles are used to play key parts in the attitudes of pop culture. Another classic example of this can be seen in the movie,

Smokey and the Bandit starring Burt Reynolds. In Smokey and the Bandit automobiles were used to exemplify sex appeal and freedom. The car was used as a vehicle for escape from the drudgeries of real life. The car and the driver are promoted as objects of desire, therefore something to attain. The movie became popular and people began to emulate the movie by purchasing similar vehicles and desiring lives like the star of the movie had in the movie.