Hollywood MUST change to survive!
POSTED BY: chrisisall
UPDATED: Monday, September 27, 2010 20:21
VIEWED: 4668
PAGE 3 of 3
Quote:Sorry, that venue is covered, I believe, and in entirely capable hands.
Originally posted by two:
chrisisall's version of Browncoats: Re-Re-Redemption 3
Mine will be original, unique, and totally & completely appreciated after my death.
The laughing Chrisisall
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I think the dilemma that the movie industry is facing is far more complex than "Hollywood is unoriginal and wants to make blockbusters." There are quite a few factors, and many of them are beyond the control of those who make the films.
Without even addressing the state of the economy, let's look at ticket prices. They've risen dramatically in recent years--and look like they'll continue to rise.
Pair that with the ease of rental and the speed at which movies are available for rent and you've got a losing propsition for theatrical profits. For the cost of one visit to the theater for my wife and me (including snacks), I can get a month's worth of rentals at Netflix. Since I watch 4-6 movies a week, that's about 20+ for the price of 1.
Movie releases also have to contend with social networking. I was reading an article earlier this week that briefly discussed the impact, noting that ticket sales are increasingly impacted by things like people texting their freinds as soon as they get out of the theater (if not FROM the theater), and that the West Coast BO take can be affected by reviewed posted on facebook and in blogs by East Coast viewers.
Addressing originality: It's not necessarily that the movie business has grown unoriginal, so much as that the movie business is a BUSINESS. Although the studios don't expect every movie to be a blockbuster, they HOPE each will be, or at least will turn a profit.
Hollywood goes in trends, largely based on what it, as a collective industry, thinks is likely to pry heard-gotten bucks from the folk who have the most disposable income at any given time. When STAR WARS was popular, for example, there was a run on sci fi (which is happening again, in the wake of AVATAR). When the economy tanks, people want fantasy, so sci fi, comedy, and over-the-top action rise. When prosperity reigns, so does dark and gritty.
(As an aside, consider FIREFLY: in 2002, the show failed despite its quality because the post-9/11 American viewing audience wanted patriotic, straightforward, possibly even vengeful fiction. They wanted broad fantasy. Top grossing films in 2002? Spider-Man, LotR2, Star Wars: Episode II, Harry Potter... It's not a big surprise that FIREFLY failed. Now, consider the state of America today. Despite the lack of general prosperity, a darker, cynical show like FIREFLY would probably do quite well...)
Anyway, back to originality...
Hollywood has always relied on remakes, sequels, and stories adapted from other properties because they have a built-in audience. In recent years, this has, admittedly, become a crutch for the industry, but the pendulum is starting to swing the other way, thanks in large part to the failure of many remakes, sequels, and adaptations (paired with an increased number of
"surprise" successes for original pieces).
When talking about the unoriginality of Hollywood, by the way, cut the writers a break. They are very rarely the ones at fault. It's exceedingly rare for a script to survive contact with a director, story development, producers, and actors intact. Often, the finished product bares only superficial resemblence to the product that the screenwriter was paid for.
(A fairly extreme example: The screenplay KANSAS tells the story of an older man who may or many not be a spy who runs into a teenaged boy who has run away from home on a lonely stretch of road in Kansas. The two go on an adventure together that allows each to learn from the other, and which helps both deal with their issues.
That script was eventually made as the Cruise/Diaz vehicle KNIGHT & DAY.)
It is often said screenwriting is the least respected job in the movie industry.
Now, let's throw in another factor: TV. Unlike the movie industry, where even the most successful screenwriters are likely to watch their works consistently gutted (without becoming screenwriter-directors, anyway), in the TV industry, writers command a fair amount of respect... and between the networks, cable, and other options, there are many solid opportunities. So, arguably, some of th
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Quote:this was a GREAT post, Gwek!!!!
Originally posted by GWEK:
There are probably other things I'm not thinking of, but I've already prattled on long enough that I don't expect anyone to make it to the end of this post. :)
Please, prattle on as you like!
The laughing Chrisisall
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Quote:
Originally posted by chrisisall:Quote:Niche viral internet marketing.
Originally posted by Storymark:
to pull off a theatrical release that anyone shows up for requires a minimum of 10-20 million in advertising.
Provide you past likes or general fan criteria, and boom- your selections appear. Then you pay your $2 and download you choice to disk. You then shoot out you review, and get a credit towards your next buy, if it's rated good by enough viewers.
I guess I am very much not-lacking in imagination, eh?
The laughing Chrisisall
You're right. It's just that simple...... but NO ONE ELSE has thought of it yet..... Yep, that must be it, nothing more to it.....
"I thoroughly disapprove of duels. If a man should challenge me, I would take him kindly and forgivingly by the hand and lead him to a quiet place and kill him."
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Quote:There is the danger of making the next I'm Still Here, which is a very 'misunderstood' movie. www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=main&id=imstillhere.htm
Originally posted by chrisisall:
Mine will be original, unique, and totally & completely appreciated after my death.
The laughing Chrisisall
http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2010/09/casey_affleck_levels_about_im.
html
Technology may come to the rescue of small movie makers:
Buffy and Firefly fans will appreciate the impetus behind the development of Novacut. "We're developing [this] video editor because there's no reason for Joss Whedon to ever have a show canceled... We want to see an explosion of financially viable independent TV shows distributed directly to fans over the Internet, funded through direct fan support, licensed under the Creative Commons. We love The Guild and think Felicia Day has blazed a trail others can now follow. If The Guild is successful with only a million fans, shouldn't there be thousands of shows like it ? - www.whedon.info/Novacut-a-new-open-source-video.html
The Joss Whedon script for "Serenity", where Wash lives, is
Serenity-190pages.pdf at www.mediafire.com/two
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Maybe Chrisisall can make the next The Room? It would fit his plan. 
"I thoroughly disapprove of duels. If a man should challenge me, I would take him kindly and forgivingly by the hand and lead him to a quiet place and kill him."
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Quote:Cheeky monkey.
Originally posted by Storymark:
Yep, that must be it, nothing more to it.....
The laughing Chrisisall
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