Star System as a Failed System?

In recent years, it is increasingly common to see a well-known celebrity in a television series or in a movie. It is a clear method used by large and small production companies to increase audiences and thus the benefits obtained from an audiovisual production. A user who follows an influencer on social media is likely to follow a television series or go to the cinema to see a movie in which the influencer appears. The world of cinema and television are just another business. The ultimate goal is to make money and make a profit. To do this, supply must attract demand. How? Getting the largest possible audience. Using the public image of celebrities in movies and on television is an easy way to attract consumers. It is pure marketing.

Once upon a time in Hollywood…

This process is commonly referred to as the “Star System”. It is not something recent. This has been happening since before the appearance of cinema. The star system was the method of creating, promoting and exploiting stars in Hollywood films. Movie studios would select promising young actors and glamorise and create personas for them, often inventing new names and even new backgrounds. The star system put an emphasis on the image rather than the acting. The appearance of these stars on the big screen attracted thousands and thousands of viewers and only with their presence in the movies the benefits obtained scandalously increased. Some examples of stars created from this method were Marilyn Monroe, Marlon Brando or James Dean.

Moreover, the star system existed in forms of entertainment before the cinema appeared and may be tracked back to Phineas Taylor Barnum, in the mid 19th century, an American showman who developed a system of promotion for his “Museum of Freaks” and later his Greatest Show on Earth circus.

Nowadays

With the evolution of social media, the appearance of new tools to gain fame, such as TikTok, or the creation of the influencer concept, the usage of celebrities to promote audiovisual material is becoming the most common. Production companies begin to pay attention to the followers of the individuals on social media when deciding who will participate in an audiovisual project. In this sense, on many occasions it is always the same actors who are called by the production companies due to their ability to attract an audience. Popularity on social media is gaining more importance than acting skills.

An example of the Star System can be seen on the Spanish television series Elite. In the first season of the series the casting includes three actors recognized by the Spanish audience who would later stop appearing in the following seasons once the series had already achieved its fame. The series also includes influencers such as Manu Rios, as well as actors without any professional training, such as Omar Ayuso, just because of his high numbers of followers and influence in social media.

Is this a crisis?

This situation is beginning to generate some concern in the performing arts sector. Many actors and actresses complain that this situation is affecting them in a negative way. Who is not within this “star system” or who does not move well enough within social networks, is not called to participate in the new castings. In the same way, there is a concern that the quality of the audiovisual works will decrease due to the lack of professionalism of some of the new signings. Many times the new faces on television have not even studied acting, they have simply gotten where they are because of their fame. A situation that can end up destroying dramatic arts. If someone from outside the sector sees that to become a recognized actor it is better to obtain followers on Instagram than to train professionally, he will always opt for the first option. Perhaps the art of acting will be reduced to the theater, where only those who really have a passion for learning will have a place.