Star Production Co.'s

[Jeff Strayer]

What are the creative implications, as well as shift in power, with the increasing number of stars setting up development companies and producing the films they star in?

It's been done for many years; but the music business in the late-90's began to rely heavily on star producers to do the leg/set-up work, and then bring the neat little package to Papa Bear (studio) -- problem is, too many star producers didn't know how to objectively develop a project, hired too many friends, etc. etc. -- and music has been paying creatively ever since. Could this happen in film?

[PoisonIvy]

I think it is already happening. Most actors these days have production companies that go belly up all the time. I don't think they rely as heavily on friends as the music industry did. I mean they certainly would hire friends but they'd have to have some kind of credentials simply because there's outside capital involved and the company has to have at least some credibility.

I think the changes are largely due to the changes in moviegoing patterns - less and less people choose to go to the movies these days. For some the cost is too high ($ 14 at a good theatre in LA)... for some the experience is not worth it. As a result the industry itself got more skiddish and started to rely heavily on what they call "proven" material - bestsellers, comic books, remakes, scripts by huge writers. It seems that these days only huge movies with A-list attachments make it, leaving medium and small budget movies in the dust with few exceptions like "Crash" that actually made out ok...

That said, there will be a shift - definitely in distribution patterns (I don't think theaters can survive long in this situation) probably in creative areas as well. Time will show.