The Role of Central Park in New York's Movie Tourism Industry - Research Paper Example

The Role of Central Park in New Yorks Movie Tourism Industry - Sequel Part 4 Results and Discussion Results When asked whether movie tours was something they would set out to do when visiting New York, six respondents affirmed their intent to visit important movie sites, a respondent indicated intent to consider it while three responded in the negative. Those in agreement loved movies, the city’s history, were avid fans of particular movies and wanted to prove that scenes really existed. Some took advantage of their presence in the city to find out more about movies, television shows and industry workings; to wholly appreciate the city and gather information projects on movies. Respondents 2, 7, 9 and 10, not in favor of the tours, cited time constraints, preferred other tourists’ attractions reflecting more of the city’s rich culture and wanted to avoid crowding at movie locations. With regard to forehand knowledge of New York’s movie tourism, three respondents did not know much, just some locations and perception; respondent 2 knew nothing at all while six respondents felt that they had extensive knowledge about the specialized tourism. Most respondents reported having actually watched some movies and television shows shot in the city. Six respondents had watched Sex and the City, five had seen Home Alone, three had watched the Friends show; two had seen The Backup Plan, Wolf of Wall Street, Spider Man, Friends with Benefits and the Gossip Girl Show. Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Antichrist, Ghosts Busters, New Year’s Eve, Remember Me, Night at the Museum, Birdman, Begin Again, Whiplash, the Mindy Project, Glee, Peter Pan, Taken 2, The Purge, Serendipity, Ugly Truth were some of the movies seen by respondents, along with The Power, Forever, Crime Scene Investigation (CSI)New York, Parenthood, La Ciudad and Grey’s Anatomy shows. Watching the above movies and shows made respondent expect things like loads of snow on city streets, bitter cold, lots of celebrities and glamour as depicted in movies such as Home Alone, Sex And The City, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Batman, King Kong and Will Smith’s movies. They expected unique, exciting and unattainable sights such as disasters; actual movie locations; a commercial hub; excellent structural and architectural designs; a cosmopolitan, multicultural and friendly city; bigger and better than London. Respondents 7 stated that movies; “… made me think that New York is very cosmopolitan city. A lot of people are living there; it is multi-cultural city and a very friendly place …” After visiting New York, most respondents reported that the city was not as glamorous as expected, but was better than other cities in this regard. Others did not see any heroes, though they found the city a good place with a celebrity feel. Some were mostly vindicated and three respondents’ opinions were changed by sight of dirt and litter in city streets. Respondent 10 felt the city was rougher, illustrated by barred and steamed windows while two respondents retained their opinions. Respondents 5 and 6 reported lowered opinions. With regard to the movie industry; six respondents felt that they knew a little bit more, particularly on production and locations. These also felt that the industry was quite complex and they needed more time to gain better knowledge. Respondents 2 and 3 felt that they did not gain knowledge due to time constraints while three others felt knowledgeable about exaggeration by the movie industry. Five respondents felt that to some extent, movies and shows represented the city, but that there was some exaggeration in terms of bright lights, billboards, size scales, the busy nature of the city and heroism, especially with regard to unnatural events and disasters. Respondents 4 and 7 agreed it was a true representation with regard to locations while three others felt that true representation was not achieved due to production’s restricted point of view marred by film effects. Of all the movies shot in Central Park, Home Alone stands out with eight of the respondents mentioning it. King Kong, Enchanted, What Happens in Vegas, Friends with Benefits, Stuart Little, Ghost Busters, God’s Spell, Spiderman, Gossip Girl, Sex and the City, Harry Met Sally and Serendipity received a mention each. The following sites on Central Park were identified by the respondents as being part of the movies and shows they had watched; the lake, fountain and bridge, Wollman’s ice rink, boat house, steps, the conservatory garden, the Tavern on the Green, the Dakota Building, the Plaza Hotel and the Bandshell. Nine respondents agreed that they would visit Central Park for other purposes such as history, relaxation and bird watching. Respondent 1 felt that Central Park was just like any other park and he would only visit for a movie tour. Five of the respondents felt that the park was more important to the movie industry. This was due to the fact that Central Park does not specifically serve that purpose, is unique and does not really need the industry to survive. Three respondents felt that both industry and Park needed each other in a symbiotic relationship. The Park provides prime locations while generating revenue from the industry and associated tourism. Two respondents felt that the movie industry was more important due to its influence on tourism. Seven respondents felt that their expectations were met on visiting the city, with three agreeing it was a positive experience while a respondent 7’s misgivings were met. Respondents 2 and 9 felt that the city exceeded their expectations by being bigger and better while respondent 1 felt that there was too much hype about New York City in movies and television shows. Discussion As Rugojeva (2014) observes, most places in New York visited by tourists have featured extensively in film and television. The Central Park stands out as a prime destination for most movie tours, and maps since it has hosted many movie locations. Most tourists want to visit film locations and see celebrities. As respondent 2 observes, tourist’s visit for the celebrity feel and compare reality with film. Respondents 1 was inspired by movie experiences to expect a load of snow, a variety of people and glamour as in Sex and the City. With regard to celebrities, fans hope to meet their idols such as Will Smith. Respondent 2 expected to see actors from Batman and King Kong. Films such as Home Alone and series such as Gossip Girl show case the city as a fast paced complex city, and tourist want to experience this for themselves, and see whether they can cope in such an environment. Such productions made Respondent 7 think that New York is very cosmopolitan city and a visit broadened his knowledge about the city, movie characters and production. For respondent 1, 8 and 10, the pull to tour such locations is a validation of their movie shaped perceptions; they get to recognize places in film, and see the bigger picture, or parts not captured by the camera. Movie tourism can have negative effects too, as stated by Hudson and Richie (2006). Respondent 4, an ardent movie tourist, asserts that he would; “… not go for movie tour in case I find the place unattractive and overcrowded with tourists.” The fact that most respondents could identify films shot in Central Park, the actual locations and its impact on the movie and television industry is indicative of Central Park’s position as a movie tourism destination. While most respondents tended to be serendipitous tourists, a good number were specific tourists as identified by Macionis (2004). Respondent 3 would set out on a movie tour, while respondent 5 would take advantage of being in New York to do so. Respondent 6 would fit Cohen’s (2004) experiential tourist since he is involved in an active study of the industry. As expressed in their sentiments, respondents 9 and 10 are diversionary tourists. Part 5 Conclusion Aim Outlining the role of the movie industry in New York City with an accent on movies filmed in Central Park, the major aim of this study can be ascertained from responses to queries on willingness of respondents to set out on movie tours when visiting the city, the reasons backing the stands and feedback on their actual experiences after visiting. This role, as inferred from result of the study, suggests that movie tourism on Central Park benefit the city mostly economically. Revenues earned are both direct and indirect. The park collects revenues from the moviemakers seeking venues to hold their filming, and the city benefits from tourists, investors and various stakeholders who flock into the city to perform their jobs and tourist to satisfy their curiosity by hosting them. Most respondents intimated that revenues in the park are highly boosted by provision of production venues and movie tourists. While Central Park does not depend on the industry, revenues brought in from the industry certainly stand out. Objectives This first goal of the study sought to establish how Movie Tourism serves as a tourist attraction in New York. Responding to a query on overall experience of visiting New York, a majority of tourists indicated that they would make it their business to visit locations within Central Park where favourite movies or television shows where shot and at end of their visits, were satisfied with the experience. The second objective set out to find which productions from the Park were well known, attractive and identify tourists’ knowledge of them. Responding to queries on productions seen before visitation; their effect on perception of New York; on movie representativeness; knowledge gained from movie tourism and identification of actual movie sites and impressive productions, tourists gave an impressive list of productions as well as locations inspiring their visits and opined that they had gained more knowledge. The third objective intended to determine the extent to which movie tourism attracts visitors to Central Park film sites. Tourists responding to queries about their opinions on New York City and movie representation pre and post visitation implied that the only way that they could form valid opinions would be actual visitation, thereby promoting movie tourism. Lastly, the study set out to understand the importance of Central Park for movie tourism in the city, and a majority of tourists suggested that the park was absolutely necessary for production purposes. Central Park’s long history as a production site and its identification as such by tourists underlines Central Park’s importance to the movie tourism. Summary The study has accomplished its goal by ascertaining that the movie industry, specifically production from Central Park, helps the city economically through revenues generated from production and tourism. Aside from profits, cosmopolitanism and multicultural society is also part of the benefits of the industry. This was enabled by studying four objectives based on New York’s movie tourism attractiveness, the extent of that attraction, influential productions known to tourists and importance of Central Park to the movie industry. These goals were all achieved. Read More