Re: Actual Storytelling In A High Concept Film
One can argue this has been changing over the last decade, or so because many people are now preferring to wait for the DVD, or cable debut to see the film for the first time because of mediocre word-of-mouth, personal taste and most important in this economy... Price of a movie ticket.
So, in an instance like this the studio still gets their additional revenue stream profit (DVD) and a lot of films are now finding their niche a.k.a. success on video as opposed to their initial theatrical run. This in turn might fuel the other ancillary streams like the OST and other promotions that are not time sensitive like a limited run McDonald's Happy Meal toy tie-in, etc.
I'm not going to name specific titles because you're in this business, so you know the type of films I'm talking about. Studio films. Not small, indie films whose life blood is DVD and cable runs, either.
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Now, to address the larger discussion we're having here and on the Business boards...
To clarify, for me, when I think of a tentpole-type movie I think of something like "Transformers" by Michael Bay... And maybe THIS is the real problem and not so much how, or why the studio system is supposedly broken?
One can argue films like Transformers are the epitome of a studio film / system because A) It is based on a existing IP, B) has ancillary profit streams built into it, and most of all... C) The end product, the movie itself, is not very good, generally speaking.
It's not very good to someone like me who is much older than the target demographic, and who likes SMART ACTION -- There's that phrase again -- Instead of frat boy action on steroids, the kind of action Michael Bay excels in.
Interestingly enough, to support what Jeff said, they tested the hell out of the first Transformers movie and it was through the roof in all four quadrants. Even Michael Bay and Steven Spielberg were surprised, apparently. They thought they just had a strong "kids" movie on their hands, but when the numbers came back and older people and females also liked it they knew they had done something "right".
So, what's the problem then?
Why are we even having this debate and discussion lamenting the whole studio system if so many people apparently like movies like "Transformers" that are mostly superficial flash and no substance?
I can't speak for anyone else, but for me it's what I have been saying for a decade now: There are just too damn many of these Transformer-type movies out now at the major theaters at any given time.
There is no choice anymore.
(NOTE: I am talking about the regular movie season; not Oscar season)
I know the argument can be made there is always a choice, and I and others who argue this position are not looking hard enough. OK, fair enough.
However, on the other hand, if you look at what is released in the theaters a good portion of the year it is mostly studio films not only aimed at a younger and less sophisticated demographic, but that are also based on properties only this demographic finds engaging e.g. comic books, video games, etc. And they are all pre-existing IPs, too. Not every one, but a good majority I'd say.
Even if I was not trying to break in... I think the over saturation and over-reliance on IPs is not a good thing for the industry as a whole.
Jeff and others might have a more informed take, but from my own personal intuition, I feel this is a bad move (for a lot of reasons I won't go into here) for any industry to stagnate and become over-reliant on one type of product in the long-run.
Like I said, in a similar thread, a lot of people like myself who are looking for something more sophisticated... SMART entertainment, regardless of genre... Are being forced to look for it on DVD and as foreign releases to satisfy this need as a resut.
This is what *I* do not like about the current studio system.
It has become so focused on catering to not only a niche demographic (18-25 year old males), that a lot of the offerings fall into the Transformers / Michael Bay category of film making that is not only unappealing on a personal level... But more importantly shuts out a huge portion of us who want the choice of SMART entertainment when we go the movie theater.
I would love to go to the theater more often and support the industry I am trying to break into...
But a lot of times when I look at what's playing at my local multiplex... I'd say half of it doesn't interest me. Of course, this is personal taste. Of course it is. One man's trash is another man's treasure. But I think what I am experiencing is not as uncommon as the studios want you to think, though. Maybe I am wrong, but from others who share my point of view I am not the only one.
I am not 18-25-year olds. I do not like comic books. I do not want to see video game adaptations left and right. I want more than just CGI, explosions & teasing sexuality (Megan Fox). I don't begrudge those who fall into this criteria, or who really don't care about how they spend their money e.g. the movie doesn't have to be good enough just to have a good time out with friends, etc.
And don't get me wrong. I'm not an elitist who only likes boring, four hour melodramatic period pieces by Merchant Ivory and company. Quite the opposite. I like escapist fair. I love sci-fi.
I just want SMART action. SMART comedy (versus raunch). SMART sci-fi, etc. Mainstream Hollywood studios don't seem to be capable of producing these kinds of stories anymore, IMO.
Somewhere in the process "SMART" is getting lost whether due to the director, and or studio mandates that declare anything that is going to have a wide appeal somehow must be "dumbed down" to achieve that appeal. I do not believe in this philosophy, but I know it is a reality. This is why discussions like this and possible ways to over come it are valuable, IMHO.
Originally posted by JeffLowell
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So, in an instance like this the studio still gets their additional revenue stream profit (DVD) and a lot of films are now finding their niche a.k.a. success on video as opposed to their initial theatrical run. This in turn might fuel the other ancillary streams like the OST and other promotions that are not time sensitive like a limited run McDonald's Happy Meal toy tie-in, etc.
I'm not going to name specific titles because you're in this business, so you know the type of films I'm talking about. Studio films. Not small, indie films whose life blood is DVD and cable runs, either.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Now, to address the larger discussion we're having here and on the Business boards...
To clarify, for me, when I think of a tentpole-type movie I think of something like "Transformers" by Michael Bay... And maybe THIS is the real problem and not so much how, or why the studio system is supposedly broken?
One can argue films like Transformers are the epitome of a studio film / system because A) It is based on a existing IP, B) has ancillary profit streams built into it, and most of all... C) The end product, the movie itself, is not very good, generally speaking.
It's not very good to someone like me who is much older than the target demographic, and who likes SMART ACTION -- There's that phrase again -- Instead of frat boy action on steroids, the kind of action Michael Bay excels in.
Interestingly enough, to support what Jeff said, they tested the hell out of the first Transformers movie and it was through the roof in all four quadrants. Even Michael Bay and Steven Spielberg were surprised, apparently. They thought they just had a strong "kids" movie on their hands, but when the numbers came back and older people and females also liked it they knew they had done something "right".
So, what's the problem then?
Why are we even having this debate and discussion lamenting the whole studio system if so many people apparently like movies like "Transformers" that are mostly superficial flash and no substance?
I can't speak for anyone else, but for me it's what I have been saying for a decade now: There are just too damn many of these Transformer-type movies out now at the major theaters at any given time.
There is no choice anymore.
(NOTE: I am talking about the regular movie season; not Oscar season)
I know the argument can be made there is always a choice, and I and others who argue this position are not looking hard enough. OK, fair enough.
However, on the other hand, if you look at what is released in the theaters a good portion of the year it is mostly studio films not only aimed at a younger and less sophisticated demographic, but that are also based on properties only this demographic finds engaging e.g. comic books, video games, etc. And they are all pre-existing IPs, too. Not every one, but a good majority I'd say.
Even if I was not trying to break in... I think the over saturation and over-reliance on IPs is not a good thing for the industry as a whole.
Jeff and others might have a more informed take, but from my own personal intuition, I feel this is a bad move (for a lot of reasons I won't go into here) for any industry to stagnate and become over-reliant on one type of product in the long-run.
Like I said, in a similar thread, a lot of people like myself who are looking for something more sophisticated... SMART entertainment, regardless of genre... Are being forced to look for it on DVD and as foreign releases to satisfy this need as a resut.
This is what *I* do not like about the current studio system.
It has become so focused on catering to not only a niche demographic (18-25 year old males), that a lot of the offerings fall into the Transformers / Michael Bay category of film making that is not only unappealing on a personal level... But more importantly shuts out a huge portion of us who want the choice of SMART entertainment when we go the movie theater.
I would love to go to the theater more often and support the industry I am trying to break into...
But a lot of times when I look at what's playing at my local multiplex... I'd say half of it doesn't interest me. Of course, this is personal taste. Of course it is. One man's trash is another man's treasure. But I think what I am experiencing is not as uncommon as the studios want you to think, though. Maybe I am wrong, but from others who share my point of view I am not the only one.
I am not 18-25-year olds. I do not like comic books. I do not want to see video game adaptations left and right. I want more than just CGI, explosions & teasing sexuality (Megan Fox). I don't begrudge those who fall into this criteria, or who really don't care about how they spend their money e.g. the movie doesn't have to be good enough just to have a good time out with friends, etc.
And don't get me wrong. I'm not an elitist who only likes boring, four hour melodramatic period pieces by Merchant Ivory and company. Quite the opposite. I like escapist fair. I love sci-fi.
I just want SMART action. SMART comedy (versus raunch). SMART sci-fi, etc. Mainstream Hollywood studios don't seem to be capable of producing these kinds of stories anymore, IMO.
Somewhere in the process "SMART" is getting lost whether due to the director, and or studio mandates that declare anything that is going to have a wide appeal somehow must be "dumbed down" to achieve that appeal. I do not believe in this philosophy, but I know it is a reality. This is why discussions like this and possible ways to over come it are valuable, IMHO.
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