DISCUSSION: This is a long excerpt.
The conclusion is that films no longer engage audiences emotionally, because studio executives focus on increasing profit through publicity.
We can weaken the argument by showing that studios do still increase the emotional appeal of their films, even though they’re focussing on publicity.
Lines 55-57 imply that “affecting audiences emotionally” is a synonym for providing an
“engaging experience”.
___________
- You can “consider” something, and then decide to ignore it.
- The executives may have stopped using these talents. Talented people can become hacks once they rise to positions of authority.
- “Have a say”? That’s pretty vague. Studio executives could still hold most of the influence.
- CORRECT. Studio executives seek profit through publicity. This indirectly shows that publicity can help a film’s emotional appeal. So publicity may not be the problem.
- This doesn’t tell us whether mass media publicity improves the content of the films.