2007年VOA标准英语-There is Still No Business Like Show Business

By George Dwyer
Washington, DC
13 February 2007
 
watch Show Business report

The Washington D.C.-based Motion Picture Association of America, or MPAA, recently hosted a conference on "The Business of Show Business". Designed to raise awareness¹ in Washington about the contributions the film industry makes to the national economy, the MPAA conference was the first such meeting of its kind. And as VOA’s Jim Bertel reports, plans call for this new conference to become an annual event

 
Business of Show Business conference
"The Business of Show Business" was a day-long event in which film industry experts met to inform politicians, policymakers, and others about the financial benefits of the American motion picture industry, particularly the industry's contribution to the national economy.

"Together with leaders of government we are setting aside one day in Washington to draw the spotlight² where it rarely goes, to the starring role American film and television play in our nation's economy -- what we call 'The Business of Show Business.' "

So said former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman, who is currently chairman and CEO of the Motion Picture Association of America, or MPAA. It is a lobbying group for the U.S. motion picture, home video, and television industries.

"We are creating good-paying American jobs. Direct employee salaries typically run nearly 80 percent higher than the national average," he added.

Participants discussed financial strategies for making and marketing³ films, investment and risk management, and other business challenges. Former film star and now California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger addressed the group with a recorded message.

 
The film industry plays a big part in economic growth
"The film industry is a giant engine of economic growth, employing more than 750,000 people and boasting a surplus balance of trade with every single country in the world."

The attendees here met in small groups as well as in formal symposia⁴, and included filmmakers, lawmakers, cinema arts students, and other industry constituents⁵ from around the world.

Producer Lindsay Doran is past president of United Artist Pictures. "If you visit other countries you see American movies everywhere," she said. "There is something about the optimism of American movies that is so inspiring in every single country. It is not just the money that we spend on them or the comic book nature of some of them. It is these stories about ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances who make something happen that nobody thought they could make happen that just continues to inspire people and has been for a hundred years."

A presentation of film clips by young filmmakers helped drive that point home.

California Senator Diane Feinstein reflected on both the art and the commerce involved in filmmaking. "Great movies, I believe, shape who we are as Americans, in our own eyes and in the eyes of the world. And this industry not only impacts American culture, but it impacts our economy."

An economic impact report released at the conference finds that the U.S. film industry generates more than 1.3 million American jobs, pumping $60.4 billion dollars into the U.S. economy, and generating $10 billion dollars in tax revenue

Those revenues could be substantially higher, said the report, were it not for the global phenomenon of copyright theft. Illegal downloads and pirated DVDs cost the industry billions, a matter that is sure to be addressed in future conferences.

1 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。

2 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

3 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。

4 symposia   

座谈会，评论集； 讨论会( symposium的名词复数 )； 专题讨论会； 研讨会； 小型讨论会

参考例句：

• Two symposia are scheduled for the ESC Congress 2007 on this subject. 在这个领域，两个会议被安排在2007ESC大会上。
• Moreover, the coordinator participated in four international conferences and symposia, gave talks or showed papers. 此外，项目执行期间，参加了四次国际学术研讨会，作了分组报告或论文展示。

5 constituents   

n.选民( constituent的名词复数 )；成分；构成部分；要素

参考例句：

• She has the full support of her constituents. 她得到本区选民的全力支持。
• Hydrogen and oxygen are the constituents of water. 氢和氧是水的主要成分。 来自《简明英汉词典》