Questions and Answers
What percentage of movies released in American cinemas in 1996 were based on real life events?
What percentage of the US box office did real life stories take on average between 1996 and 2000?
What percentage of movies budgeted over $100m are based on actual events?
What genre has the highest share of real life events?
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What percentage of the time did Canadian filmmakers base their movies on real life events between 1996 and 2015?
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What is the primary difference between 'based on' and 'inspired by' a true story in screenwriting?
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Which of the following films is an example of 'based on' a true story?
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What is a common trait among scripts that are 'inspired by' true events?
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Which type of true story allows for the creation of fictional characters and events within a historical setting?
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What is the primary appeal of true stories in Hollywood?
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Study Notes
Evolution of Movies Based on Real Life Events
- Between 1996 and 2016, the percentage of movies based on real life events increased from 7.7% to 27.2%.
- Original screenplays remained steady at around 50%, with adaptations from other sources declining proportionally.
Revenue Share of Real Life Movies
- Between 1996 and 2000, real life stories accounted for an average of 5.5% of the US box office.
- Between 2011 and 2015, this increased to 10.2%.
Budget and Genre
- Only 2.9% of movies budgeted over $100m were based on actual events.
- Drama movies have the highest share of real life events, while romantic comedies are least likely to be based on real life.
Country-Specific Trends
- Canadian filmmakers based their movies on real life events 24% of the time between 1996 and 2015.
Types of True Stories in Screenwriting
- "Based on" a true story: characters, storylines, and majority of scenes are primarily based on actual occurrences.
- "Inspired by" a true story: more creative liberties are taken, with fictional characters, events, and cherry-picked facts.
- Based on "true events": names, people, locations, and happenings may be made up within the historical event's confines.
- Inspired on "true events": scripts take a true event and tell a cinematic story with nearly all fictional characters and macro events.
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Description
Explore the trend of movies based on real-life events and discuss how much creative liberty filmmakers should take with the truth.
