The following appeared as part of a column in a popular entertainment magazine:
“The producers of the forthcoming movie 3003 will be most likely to maximize their profits if they are willing to pay Robin Good several million dollars to star in it—even though that amount is far more than any other person involved with the movie will make. After all, Robin has in the past been paid a similar amount to work in several films that were very financially successful.”
Discuss how well reasoned you find this argument. In your discussion be sure to analyze the line of reasoning and the use of evidence in the argument. For example, you may need to consider what questionable assumptions underlie the thinking and what alternative explanations or counter examples might weaken the conclusion. You can also discuss what sort of evidence would strengthen or refute the argument, what changes in the argument would make it more logically sound, and what, if anything, would help you better evaluate its conclusion.
ESSAY The argument claims that the producers of the movie 3003 will be most likely to maximize their profits if they are willing to pay Mr. Robin several million dollars to star in it. Also, this amount is far more than any other person involved with the movie will make. The argument cites as premise, that Mr. Robin has in the past been paid a similar amount to work in several films that were very financially successful. Stated this way the argument fails to mention several key factors on the basis of which it could be evaluated. The conclusion relies on assumptions for which there is no clear evidence. Hence the argument is unconvincing and has several flaws.
First, the argument readily assumes that casting mega stars is the only way the producers of this movie will be able to maximize their profits. This statement is a stretch and not substantiated in any way. There are numerous examples of movies wherein mega stars have been cast and the movie has failed to turn up good profits; such as : The Fast and Furious movie. Clearly, the author fails to clarify how this move will help maximize profits; Additionally, he cites that Mr. Robin must be paid several million dollars, hinting at high costs only. The argument would have been much clearer if it gave examples of how casting a mega star such as Mr. Robin will help the profits this movie will make.
Second, the argument claims that no other star of the movie will be making as much money as Mr. Robin will be making. Consequently, this claim make projections towards an ill-satiated cast in terms of the money they will be making. We can only assume that the performance of the other members of the movie may not be up to the mark, or that the casting team may not able to cast good members for the other roles. If the argument had provided evidence that the members best for other roles in the movie can be hired for the money allocated then the argument would have been much more convincing.
Finally, the author says that Mr. Robin has been paid a similar amount to work in several films that were very financially successful. For this statement again it is not clear whether Mr. Robin who had been paid a similar amount in the previous movies, which turned out successful, will be willing to work for a similar price, or will be interested to work for this movie (considering the script). Without convincing answers to these questions, one is left with the impression that the claim is more of a wishful thinking rather than substantive evidence.
In conclusion, the argument is flawed for the above mentioned reasons and is therefore unconvincing. It could be considerably strengthened if the author clearly mentioned all the relevant facts such as : Why does this movie needs Mr. Robin as a cast to perform well financially, Whether Mr. Robin will agree to work for a price he charged previously, Whether Mr. Robin will be interested in the script of the movie. In order to assess the merits of a certain situation, it is essential to have full knowledge of all contributing factors. Without this information the argument remains unsubstantiated and open to debate.