Schatz: "From the Genius of the System"

Thomas Schatz's piece "From the Genius of the System" highlights the importance of the producer and the studio in classic Hollywood film production. Schatz asserts, "producers and production companies have been the most misunderstood and undervalued figures in American film history" (526). The audience does not realize or appreciate production studios ability to attract certain talent: writers, directors, art directors, and costume designers. It is the production studio that blends together the individual talents in order to create a successful film. In addition, a studio attracts certain producers and talent based on their distinctive style. Schatz gives the example of a ‘signature’ Warner Bros. moment in the film, Public Enemy when Jimmy Cagney “[gazes] just past the camera and [mutters] ‘I ain’t so tough.’” The audience also does not recognize the signature endings or genres that certain studios attract. I found this piece to be particular relevant to the work I do as a script reader for Focus Features. In the scripts that are passed to me, I look for a certain genre characteristic – ‘indie’ typed – that would mark the script as a ‘Focus’ film. Even if the film is well written and exciting, if it is an extreme action film or high budget film then I would immediately pass.