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"Entertainment Economics: The Movie Industry"
Forum 7  ·  April 3, 2003  ·
On April 3, 2003, a Weidenbaum Center Forum program was held on the Washington University in St. Louis. The goal of this full-day public forum was to analyze one of America's most powerful and influential industries - the motion picture industry. Cosponsored with Washington University's Department of Economics and Program in Film and Media Studies, the Weidenbaum Center Forum addressed the major issues raised by changes in the economic environment of movie making and brought these issues to the attention of a larger audience through major conference involving industry insiders, economists, and others.

Transcripts, video, and audio of the conference may be accessed from this page. Transcripts are in pdf format; video and audio stream in RealNetworks.
Audio and Video of entire event

Audio and video
Text Transcripts of event

Digital Production and Distribution

Moderator: Charles Moul, Washington University Bio
Keynote Address: Laurence Thorpe, Sony Electronics bio     transcript
Panelist 1: Lawrence Lessig, Stanford University School of Law bio    transcript
Panelist 2: Doug Whitford, Wehrenberg Theatres bio     transcript
Panelist 3: S. Abraham Ravid, Yale and Rutgers Universities bio     transcript
Keynote Luncheon Talk
Speaker: Leonard Hill, Leonard Hill Films bio     transcript
Hollywood Money: Financing and Accounting
Moderator: Paul Rothstein, Weidenbaum Center bio
Panelist 1: John Sloss, Sloss Law bio     transcript
Panelist 2: Harold Vogel, Vogel Capital Management bio     transcript
Panelist 3: Janet Wasko, University of Oregon bio     transcript
What Movies Get Made: Past and Future transcript
Moderator: Jeff Smith, Washington University bio
Panelist 1: Lloyd Silverman, The Artists' Colony bio
Panelist 2: Michael Shamberg, Jersey Films bio
Panelist 3: Richard Chapman, Screenwriter bio
Panelist 4: Rodney Hill, University of Kansas-Lawrence bio


Background information

September 4, 2003 Court Blocks Media Rules
July 24, 2003 House Votes to Prevent Change in Media Rule
Federal Communications Commission
Senator Blanche Lincoln launches bill to keep independent movie production in United States (Bill text)
Rep David Dreier launches bill to keep independent movie production in United States

Motion Picture Association of America
Screen Actors Guild
American Federation of Television and Radio Artists
Association of Talent Agents
Directors Guild of America
Writers Guild of America
Producers Guild of America

Electronic Frontier Foundation
International Telecommunications Union