Production Tiers
The motion picture industry actually comprises several overlapping but distinct businesses, referenced here as production tiers. These tiers are an outgrowth of budget limitations, collective bargaining agreements and accessible distribution outlets. Whole communities of talent, crew and services revolve around them to such an extent that talent agencies, production companies, sales companies and distribution companies become loosely identified with their specialized tiers. Different tiers require different market strategies: The low end tiers favor simple stories, exploitation genres, unknown or little-known stars, and an overabundance of cheesy SF/X, stunts, violence and blatant nudity. The high end tiers favor good stories, excitement genres, big-name movie stars and a plethora of tasteful SF/X, stunts, violence and implied nudity. In contrast, the middle tiers demand stories and genres in which name actors find challenging roles.
