From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Film industry term
In the context of the
film
and
television
industries, to
greenlight
is to give permission to proceed with a project.
[1]
[2]
[3]
It specifically refers to formally approving its
production
finance and committing to this financing, thereby allowing the project to proceed from the
development phase
to
pre-production
and
principal photography
. The power to greenlight a project is generally reserved to those in a project or financial management role within an organization. The process of taking a project from
pitch
to green light formed the basis of a successful
reality TV
show titled
Project Greenlight
.
[4]
The term is a reference to the green
traffic signal
, indicating "go ahead".
At the Big Five
major film studios
in the United States and the mini-majors, greenlight power is generally exercised by committees of the studios' high-level executives.
[5]
However, the studio president, chairman, or chief executive is usually the person who makes the final judgment call.
[5]
For the largest film budgets involving several hundred million U.S. dollars, the chief executive officer or chief operating officer of the studio's parent
media conglomerate
may hold final greenlight authority.
[5]
In practical terms, greenlight power in the 21st century at major film studios means the power to commit the studio to spending about US$100 million, on average, for a
feature-length motion picture
designated for
wide release
for the North American market.
[2]
Historically, this power was exclusively held by white male executives in Hollywood, though the status quo has slowly begun to change since the turn of the 21st century.
[6]
UCLA reported in 2020 that senior management teams at Hollywood film studios were 93 percent white and 80 percent male.
[6]
Studio executives weigh many factors when deciding whether to greenlight films, of which a few include: the film already has a
bankable star
or director attached; the film has a "built-in audience" because it is related to an existing
media franchise
; the story resonates with a wide audience, evokes passionate emotions, or causes viewers to lean forward in eager anticipation of whatever happens next; the hero is likable and relatable; the film can be marketed to
all four quadrants
; and the film can be distributed widely through multiple windows and into multiple international markets.
[2]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Knox, Dave (2005).
Strike the Baby and Kill the Blonde: An Insider's Guide to Film Slang
. New York: Three Rivers Press. p. 98.
ISBN
9781400097593
. Retrieved
5 July
2023
.
- ^
a
b
c
Hirschberg, Jeffrey (2009).
"Chapter 1: Behind the Greenlight: Why Hollywood Makes the Films It Makes"
. In Sickels, Robert C. (ed.).
The Business of Entertainment: Volume 1, Movies
. Westport, Connecticut: Praeger. pp. 1?14.
ISBN
978-0-275-99840-0
. Retrieved
July 19,
2023
.
- ^
"Green light (dictionary definition)"
.
Encyclopedia.com
. 2020-05-02
. Retrieved
2020-05-11
.
- ^
"Project Greenlight"
.
HBO
. Archived from
the original
on December 18, 2008
. Retrieved
January 17,
2009
.
- ^
a
b
c
Lang, Brent; Shaw, Lucas (2013-11-19).
"Who Has Greenlight Power in Hollywood? A Studio-by-Studio Guide"
.
TheWrap
. Retrieved
2020-05-11
.
- ^
a
b
Barnes, Brooke (August 20, 2020).
"Pledging to Tell More Inclusive Stories, MGM Remakes Orion Pictures"
.
The New York Times
. p. B1
. Retrieved
July 8,
2023
.