A television film , alternatively known as a television movie , made-for-TV film/movie , telefilm , telemovie or TV film/movie , is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network , in contrast to theatrical films made for initial showing in movie theaters , and direct-to-video films made for initial release on home video formats. In certain cases, such films may also be referred to and shown as a miniseries , which typically indicates a film that has been divided into multiple parts or a series that contains a predetermined, limited number of episodes.
58-578: Sharknado is a 2013 American made-for-television science fiction comedy disaster film directed by Anthony C. Ferrante . It tells about a waterspout that lifts sharks out of the ocean and deposits them in Los Angeles . It is the first installment in the Sharknado film series . The movie first aired on the Syfy channel on July 11, 2013, and stars Tara Reid , Ian Ziering , and John Heard . It
116-514: A cult film . The film was used for a RiffTrax Live event in July 2014, where former Mystery Science Theater 3000 cast members mocked the film for a live audience and broadcast to other theaters through NCM Fathom ; the idea for using the film for this was prompted by the Sharknado producers discussing the film with Fathom at the same time. After the event, Ferrante said that "Being skewered by
174-527: A multiple-camera setup , but are written to be easily broken up into individual 30- or 60-minute episodes for syndication . Many such movies relocate the cast of the show to an exotic overseas setting. However, although they may be advertised as movies, they are really simply extended episodes of television shows, such as the pilots and the finales of Star Trek: The Next Generation , Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager . Most of these are made and shown during sweeps period in order to attract
232-567: A Star World premiered to an audience of over 60 million people on September 17, 1978. The most-watched television movie of all time was ABC 's The Day After , which premiered on November 20, 1983, to an estimated audience of 100 million people. The film depicted America after a nuclear war with the Soviet Union , and was the subject of much controversy and discussion at the time of its release due to its graphic nature and subject matter. The BBC 's 1984 television film Threads earned
290-417: A film which deals with abortion in three different decades (the 1950s, the 1970s and the 1990s) became a huge success, and was HBO 's highest rated film on record. If a network orders a two-hour television pilot for a proposed show, it will usually broadcast it as a television movie to recoup some of the costs even if the network chooses to not order the show to series. Often a successful series may spawn
348-419: A film's expenses would be lessened by filming using video , as the movies were contracted by television studios, these films were required to be shot on 35 mm film . Various techniques are often employed to "pad" television movies with low budgets and underdeveloped scripts, such as music video -style montages, flashbacks, or repeated footage, and extended periods of dramatic slow motion footage. However,
406-452: A form of advertising slogan. A tagline for the movie series Star Wars, for example: Websites also often have taglines. The Usenet use taglines as short description of a newsgroup. The term is used in computing to represent aphorisms , maxims , graffiti or other slogans. In electronic texts , a tag or tagline is short, concise sentences in a row that are used when sending e-mail instead of an electronic signature . The tagline
464-531: A large television audience and boost viewership for a show. Crossover episodes containing a number of episodes of the characters of individual series interacting with characters across different shows (as has been done with the CSI , NCIS and Chicago franchises, along with between Murder, She Wrote and Magnum, P.I. , Scandal and How to Get Away with Murder , and Ally McBeal and The Practice ) also play as films, encouraging tune-in among all
522-505: A rape victim in the drama A Case of Rape (1974). My Sweet Charlie (1970) with Patty Duke and Al Freeman Jr. dealt with racial prejudice, and That Certain Summer (1972), starring Hal Holbrook and Martin Sheen , although controversial, was considered the first television movie to approach the subject of homosexuality in a non-threatening manner. If These Walls Could Talk ,
580-475: A recording of a television program made by filming the picture from a video monitor – and the only (relatively inexpensive) method of recording a television program until the invention of videotape . Many television networks were against film programming, fearing that it would loosen the network's arrangements with sponsors and affiliates by encouraging station managers to make independent deals with advertisers and film producers . Conversely, beginning in
638-503: A similar reputation in the United Kingdom as it followed two families and workers of Sheffield City Council in the run up and aftermath of a nuclear war. The two are often compared on aspects such as realism. Another popular and critically acclaimed television movie was 1971's Duel , written by Richard Matheson , directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Dennis Weaver . Such was the quality and popularity of Duel that it
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#1732773211852696-559: A spin-off from a TV series including The Incredible Hulk Returns , The Trial of the Incredible Hulk and The Death of the Incredible Hulk . Occasionally, television movies are used as sequels to successful theatrical films. For example, only the first film in The Parent Trap series was released theatrically. The Parent Trap II , III and Hawaiian Honeymoon were produced for television, and similarly,
754-539: A tagline for a brand or product. Tagline , tag line , and tag are American terms. In the U.K. they are called end lines , endlines , or straplines . In Belgium they are called baselines . In France they are signatures . In Germany they are claims . In the Netherlands and Italy, they are pay offs or pay-off . Referral networking organizations may encourage taglines to be used as the conclusion to an introduction by each attendee. The purpose would be to make
812-424: A television movie sequel after ending its run. For example, Babylon 5: The Gathering launched the science fiction series Babylon 5 and is considered to be distinct from the show's regular run of one-hour episodes. Babylon 5 also has several made-for-TV movie sequels set within the same fictional continuity. The 2003 remake of Battlestar Galactica began as a two-part miniseries that later continued as
870-572: A television movie, Don Siegel 's The Hanged Man , was broadcast by NBC on November 18, 1964. These features originally filled a 90-minute programming time slot (including commercials ), later expanded to two hours, and were usually broadcast as a weekly anthology television series (for example, the ABC Movie of the Week ). Many early television movies featured major stars, and some were accorded higher budgets than standard television series of
928-441: A tornado warning. They arrive at April's house just before the first floor is flooded and shark-infested. Collin, April's boyfriend, is eaten by sharks, but the rest of the group escapes unharmed from the house, which gets hit by a huge wave causing it to collapse. As they travel, the group comes across a school bus trapped in the floodwaters and surrounded by sharks. Fin stops to save the children and bus driver by rappelling down to
986-491: A variant of a branding slogan , taglines can be used in marketing materials and advertising . The idea behind the concept is to create a memorable dramatic phrase that will sum up the tone and premise of an audio/visual product, or to reinforce and strengthen the audience's memory of a literary product . Some taglines are successful enough to warrant inclusion in popular culture . Consulting companies which specialize in creating taglines may be hired to create
1044-593: A weekly television program. Another example is the Showtime movie Sabrina, the Teenage Witch , which launched the sitcom of the same name that originally aired on ABC, and used the same actress ( Melissa Joan Hart ) for the lead role in both. The term "TV movie" is also frequently used as vehicles for "reunions" of long-departed series, as in Return to Mayberry and A Very Brady Christmas . They can also be
1102-482: Is reunited with Nova, and Fin gets back together with April. Sharknado was directed for film studio The Asylum by Anthony C. Ferrante , whose previous directing credits include the horror film Boo , and written by Thunder Levin, whose previous writing credits include the film Mutant Vampire Zombies from the 'Hood! . The film's tagline is "Enough said!" Sharknado is one of many B-movies commissioned by Syfy. Robbie Rist said in an interview that he came upon
1160-463: Is sometimes used as a supplementary expression in promoting a motion picture or television program. It is an explanatory subtitle, in addition to the actual title, on posters or the CD/DVD packaging of videos and music. Taglines can have an enticing effect and are therefore an important aspect in the marketing of films and television programs. Increasingly also found in the advertising world, taglines are
1218-585: Is the High School Musical series , which aired its first two films on the Disney Channel . The first television movie was so successful that a sequel was produced, High School Musical 2 , that debuted in August 2007 to 17.2 million viewers (this made it the highest-rated non-sports program in the history of basic cable and the highest-rated made-for-cable movie premiere on record). Due to
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#17327732118521276-622: The Midnight Run sequels have all been released as made-for-TV movies despite the first having a strong run in theaters. These types of films may be, and more commonly are, released direct-to-video ; there have been some films, such as The Dukes of Hazzard: The Beginning (a prequel to the film version of The Dukes of Hazzard ) and James A. Michener's Texas , which have been released near simultaneously on DVD and on television, but have never been released in theatres. Made-for-TV movie musicals have also become popular. One prime example
1334-520: The Jesse Stone CBS television movies, "broadcast networks aren't investing in made-for-TV movies anymore". The slack has been taken up by cable networks such as Hallmark Channel , Syfy , Lifetime and HBO, with productions such as Temple Grandin and Recount , often utilizing top creative talent. High-calibre limited programming which would have been formerly scheduled solely as a two-hour film or miniseries also has been re-adapted to
1392-550: The Red Cross of Oklahoma City also used the film as an opportunity to pass on storm safety information while others incorporated it into their own advertising. Regal Cinemas announced that at midnight on August 2, 2013, it would play the film in roughly 200 theaters nationally. Tickets sold out quickly in New York, Boston, and Seattle, where more showings were added to appease customer demand. Box office numbers were weak for
1450-499: The 1950s episodes of American television series would be placed together and released as feature films in overseas cinemas. Television networks were in control of the most valuable prime time slots available for programming, so syndicators of independent television films had to settle for fewer television markets and less desirable time periods. This meant much smaller advertising revenues and license fees compared with network-supplied programming. The term "made-for-TV movie"
1508-470: The 1970s and 1980s before realizing that the proceeds from his first theatrical film, A Christmas Story (released in 1983), far exceeded anything he had ever done in television. Nonetheless, notable exceptions exist of high production quality and well-known casts and crews that even earned awards, such as The Diamond Fleece , a 1992 Canadian TV film directed by Al Waxman and starring Ben Cross , Kate Nelligan and Brian Dennehy . It earned Nelligan
1566-405: The 1970s were a source of controversy, such as Linda Blair 's 1974 film Born Innocent and 1975's Sarah T. - Portrait of a Teenage Alcoholic , as well as 1976's Dawn: Portrait of a Teenage Runaway and its 1977 sequel , Alexander: The Other Side of Dawn , which were vehicles for former Brady Bunch actress Eve Plumb . Another significant film was Elizabeth Montgomery 's portrayal of
1624-407: The 1993 Gemini Award for "Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Dramatic Program or Mini-Series". Occasionally, a long-running television series is used as the basis for television movies that air during the show's run (as opposed to the above-mentioned "reunion specials"). Typically, such movies employ a filmed single-camera setup even if the television series is videotaped using
1682-558: The Candelabra (which featured established film actors Michael Douglas and Matt Damon in the lead roles) and a limited range of scene settings and camera setups. Even Spielberg's Duel , while having decent production values, features a very small cast (apart from Dennis Weaver, all other actors appearing in the film play smaller roles) and mostly outdoor shooting locations in the desert. The movies typically employ smaller crews, and rarely feature expensive special effects . Although
1740-675: The MST3K guys was an honor." In 2016, Homes.com added a page to their disaster prep guides on How to Prepare Your Home For a Sharknado. The success of Sharknado spawned a series of sequels, with the sixth and final entry in the series being released on August 19, 2018. In 2023, Sharknado was re-released with new special effects and deleted scenes for the film's tenth anniversary. Television film Precursors of "television movies" include Talk Faster, Mister , which aired on WABD (now WNYW ) in New York City on December 18, 1944, and
1798-472: The New York Daily News said " Sharknado is an hour and a half of your life that you'll never get back. And you won't want to." Kim Newman of Empire called the film "cynical rubbish, with an attention-getting title and just enough footage of terrible CG sharks in a terrible CG tornado chomping on people to fill out a trailer suitable for attracting YouTube hits." Sharknado has become
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1856-457: The U.S. doubled between 1990 and 2000. In several respects, television films resemble B movies , the low-budget films issued by major studios from the 1930s through the 1950s for short-term showings in movie theaters, usually as a double bill alongside a major studio release. Like made-for-TV movies, B movies were designed as a disposable product, had low production costs and featured second-tier actors. ABC 's Battlestar Galactica: Saga of
1914-576: The Week] Night at the Movies showcases which led to a shortage of movie studio product. The first of these made-for-TV movies is generally acknowledged to be See How They Run , which debuted on NBC on October 7, 1964. A previous film, The Killers , starring Lee Marvin and Ronald Reagan , was filmed as a TV-movie, although NBC decided it was too violent for television and it was released theatrically instead. The second film to be considered
1972-493: The average rating is 6.40/10. The site's consensus states: "Proudly, shamelessly, and gloriously brainless, Sharknado redefines ' so bad it's good ' for a new generation." Reviewer Mary McNamara, writing for the Los Angeles Times , mentioned that the plot holes are "the whole point of movies like this: fabulous in-home commentary. Often accompanied by the consumption of many alcoholic beverages." David Hinckley of
2030-464: The bus from a bridge. Afterward, the bus driver is killed by a letter in the Hollywood Sign . While Nova is driving the car, a shark lands on top of the car and rips the roof off. Fin's hand is cut and the group abandons the car before it explodes. They steal another car and meet up with Fin and April's son Matt, who is found taking shelter at his flight school. Three tornadoes develop and absorb
2088-412: The city with shark-infested seawater. Bar owner and professional surfer Fin sets out with his friends, Baz, Nova, and George, to rescue his estranged wife, April, and their teenage daughter, Claudia, after the bar and boardwalk are destroyed by the flooding. While heading to April's home, the group stops on a freeway to save people as flooding causes sharks to attack. George is killed and the group learns of
2146-437: The film's plot: "There's a flood. And a storm. Don't worry about it." The premiere of the film was watched by 1.37 million viewers, which is slightly below the average audience of 1.5 million viewers for a typical Syfy original film. However, the film was a trend on Twitter, including discussion by celebrities such as Damon Lindelof , Wil Wheaton , and Olivia Wilde and also by Cory Monteith , whose last tweet before his death
2204-516: The film's poster at the American Film Market and became enthusiastic about the concept. When his friend Ferrante said that he had been approached to direct the film, Rist insisted that Ferrante take the job. Rist was given a small role in the film and composed the theme. Actress Tara Reid said of the film, "It is silly, and there's only a certain amount of barriers you could go into. You can't take it so seriously when it's absolutely
2262-411: The floodwater, turning into shark-filled "sharknados". The group borrow equipment from nearby storage and Matt and Nova become attracted to each other. Matt and Nova decide to stop the threat of the incoming sharknados by tossing bombs into them from a helicopter. Two are destroyed, but they are unable to stop the third one. As Nova fights off a shark that had latched onto the helicopter, she falls out of
2320-486: The helicopter and directly into another shark's mouth. Matt is heartbroken. Baz is also lost in the storm along with Matt's friends Bobby and Luellyn. Ultimately, Fin destroys the last sharknado with a bomb attached to his car and the sharks begin to plummet toward the ground. One falling shark flies directly toward the remaining members of the group. Fin jumps into its mouth with a chainsaw and cuts his way out. He emerges carrying an unconscious but otherwise unharmed Nova. Matt
2378-406: The information; Once the information changes, the headline is abandoned in favor of a new one. The tagline is related to the entertainment piece and can, therefore, appear on all the information of that product or manufacturer. It is linked to the piece and not to the concept of a specific event. If the sentence is presented next to a logo, as an integral part, it is likely to be a tagline. A tagline
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2436-405: The introduction and that speaker more memorable in the minds of the other attendees after the meeting is over. Other terms for taglines are "memory hooks" (used by BNI®) and "USP" or "Unique Selling Proposition" which is a more commonly known term. The tagline is sometimes confused with a headline because information is only presented with the one or the other. Essentially the headline is linked to
2494-450: The less expensive digital 24p video format has made some quality improvements on the television movie market. Part of the reason for the lower budgets comes from the lack of revenue streams from them; whereas a theatrical film can make money from ticket sales, ancillary markets , and syndication, most television films lacked those revenue streams, and the films are seldom rerun . Raconteur Jean Shepherd produced several television films in
2552-625: The made-for-television movie". Network-made television movies in the United States have tended to be inexpensively-produced and perceived to be of low quality. Stylistically, these films often resemble single episodes of dramatic television series. Often, television films are made to "cash in" on the interest centering on stories currently prominent in the news, as the films based on the "Long Island Lolita" scandal involving Joey Buttafuoco and Amy Fisher were in 1993. The stories are written to reach periodic semi- cliffhangers coinciding with
2610-471: The midnight showings; estimates were at under $ 200,000. Syfy and The Asylum announced in August 2013 that Sharknado merchandise would be made available, including shirts and potentially other products, such as costumes, bags and posters. Funko acquired the licensing agreement to manufacture the POP Vinyl version of Sharknado Rotten Tomatoes gives the film an approval rating of 77% based on 22 reviews;
2668-569: The network-scheduled times for the insertion of commercials , and are further managed to fill, but not exceed, the fixed running times allotted by the network to each movie "series". In the case of films made for cable channels, they may rely on common, repetitive tropes (Hallmark Channel, for example, is notorious for its formulaic holiday romances, while Lifetime movies are well known for their common use of damsel in distress storylines). The movies tend to rely on smaller casts, one such exception being those produced for premium cable , such as Behind
2726-478: The newer "limited series" format over a period of weeks (rather than the consecutive days usually defined by a miniseries) where a conclusion is assured; an example of such would be The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story , and these are most often seen on cable networks and streaming services such as Netflix . In a 1991 New York Times article, television critic John J. O'Connor wrote that "few artifacts of popular culture invite more condescension than
2784-511: The original film was not explicitly a comedy, maintaining at least a façade of seriousness despite the implausible plot, the sequels were more openly comedic in nature. Off the coast of Mexico, the ship of shark fin smuggler Captain Carlos Santiago is caught in a hurricane , interrupting his meeting with a potential buyer. A tornado throws shoals of sharks onto the boat, killing all aboard. The hurricane soon hits Los Angeles, flooding
2842-430: The popularity of the first two films, the second HSM sequel, High School Musical 3: Senior Year , was released as a theatrical film in 2008 instead of airing on Disney Channel; High School Musical 3 became one of the highest-grossing movie musicals. Television movies traditionally were often broadcast by the major networks during sweeps season. Such offerings now are very rare; as Ken Tucker noted while reviewing
2900-409: The same length, including the major dramatic anthology programs which they came to replace. In 1996, 264 made-for-TV movies were made by five of the six largest American television networks at the time (CBS, NBC, Fox, ABC, and UPN ), averaging a 7.5 rating. By 2000, only 146 TV movies were made by those five networks, averaging a 5.4 rating, while the number of made-for-cable movies made annually in
2958-423: The series crossed over to effectively create a multiple-hour plot that plays as a film when watched as a whole. Tagline In entertainment , a tagline (alternatively spelled tag line ) is a short text which serves to clarify a thought for, or is designed with a form of, dramatic effect . Many tagline slogans are reiterated phrases associated with an individual , social group , or product . As
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#17327732118523016-440: The sharks flying in the sky. It's so out there that it's actually really funny." The cast had to imagine the presence of sharks due to a green screen being frequently in use. Ian Ziering stated that he had serious reservations about the script but was motivated, in part, by the need to earn enough to qualify for Screen Actors Guild health insurance for his family. In an interview with Uproxx's Danger Guerrero, Ferrante summarized
3074-509: Was about the film. Due to an increase in publicity (mostly through Twitter), Syfy repeated Sharknado on Thursday, July 18, 2013, one week after its premiere. That airing was watched by 1.89 million viewers, an increase of 38% over its initial airing. On July 27, a third airing of Sharknado got 2.1 million viewers, continuing the increase in popularity of the film and setting a record for most watched original film encore in Syfy history. Sharknado
3132-619: Was also given a one-night-only special midnight theatrical screening via Regal Cinemas and Fathom Events , where it earned $ 200,000 from 200 screenings. The over-the-top premise and theatrics of the film quickly earned it a cult following. The film spawned a franchise of the same name ; five sequels have been produced ( Sharknado 2: The Second One , Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No! , Sharknado: The 4th Awakens , Sharknado 5: Global Swarming , and The Last Sharknado: It's About Time ), as well as three spin-off films ( Lavalantula , Sharknado: Heart of Sharkness , and 2 Lava 2 Lantula ). Though
3190-491: Was coined in the United States in the early 1960s as an incentive for movie audiences to stay home and watch what was promoted as the equivalent of a first-run theatrical film. Beginning in 1961 with NBC Saturday Night at the Movies , a prime time network showing of a television premiere of a major theatrical film release, the other networks soon copied the format, with each of the networks having several [Day of
3248-533: Was produced by RKO Pictures , and the 1957 The Pied Piper of Hamelin , based on the poem by Robert Browning , and starring Van Johnson , one of the first filmed "family musicals" made directly for television . That film was made in Technicolor , a first for television, which ordinarily used color processes originated by specific networks. Most "family musicals" of the time, such as Peter Pan , were not filmed but broadcast live and preserved on kinescope ,
3306-493: Was projected to increase revenue for The Asylum from $ 5 million in 2009 to $ 19 million in 2013. A representative of the National Weather Service jokingly recommended what to do in case of a sharknado, saying: "As with any waterspout or tornado, the best advice is to be in an interior part of the lowest floor of a sturdy building – and not outside, whether sharks are raining down or not." Organizations such as
3364-693: Was released to cinemas in Europe and Australia , and had a limited theatrical release to some venues in the United States and Canada. The 1971 made-for-TV movie Brian's Song was also briefly released to theatres after its success on television, and was even remade in 2001. In some instances, television movies of the period had more explicit content included in the versions prepared to be exhibited theatrically in Europe. Examples of this include The Legend of Lizzie Borden , Helter Skelter , Prince of Bel Air and Spectre . Many television movies released in
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