ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces the intent, scope, and content of Contemporary Film and Economics. Economics is the applied study of how individuals make choices and allocate limited resources. These choices often become pivot points in a person’s life, the future of their business, or the lives of those they interact with. Movies are best described as visual storytelling, where the plot is driven by characters who make choices with profound effects on their world. Successful movies connect the worlds of their characters to the audience, using conflict and tension to engage the viewer. Not surprisingly, many of these decisions and the plots for movies draw on real-life experiences. The intersections between stories that resonate with audiences and individual choice create natural environments for economic principles and concepts to emerge within a movie’s plot. This chapter introduces this book as an exploration of the degree to which these decisions, seemingly common and ordinary when viewed through cinema, actually provide a window for understanding applied economics.
