J.R. Hudson
Spirit Animal
Is it just me? Or is it very obvious the new Hollywood era is dying before our eyes?
Something seems amiss in modern Cinema.
Something seems amiss in modern Cinema.
New Hollywood
- Thread starter J.R. Hudson
- Start date
J.R. Hudson
Spirit Animal
I can't quite put my finger on it.
Most people know that I am obsessed with visual language. The movement and oftentimes the non-movement of the camera
These days it just seems like reverse OTS reverse OTS reverse OTS
There seems to be this trend where a shallow depth of field is used incessantly which I think removes the world from the audience because you can't see it with such a soft background
I'd be open for more discussion on this as I'm certain there are many other observations
It just seems like a lot of movies these days are being dialed in
Most people know that I am obsessed with visual language. The movement and oftentimes the non-movement of the camera
These days it just seems like reverse OTS reverse OTS reverse OTS
There seems to be this trend where a shallow depth of field is used incessantly which I think removes the world from the audience because you can't see it with such a soft background
I'd be open for more discussion on this as I'm certain there are many other observations
It just seems like a lot of movies these days are being dialed in
The shallow DOF thing comes from the “DSLR Revolution”, where anyone with an EOS Rebel and a “Nifty Fifty” could shoot everything at f/1.8 and get a razor-thin focal plain on every shot because that’s SO “cinematic”. It raised a generation of self-taught filmmakers with no sense of shallow focus as a tool to be used sparingly and intentionally.
Curious what you’re seeing that is just “reverse OTS reverse OTS reverse OTS”. Examples?
I think one of the things that we’re seeing is much more formulaic, cookie-cutter production as so much less programming is being ordered, and what is being ordered is on much smaller budgets. But I see that only in some programming. Again, I’d love to know which shows you’re talking about.
But Hollywood itself is also limping along at a fraction of the production that it had just a few years ago. Studios stand empty (or are sold off entirely) as lots of production moves out. Some shows are going to other states that are less expensive (and right-to-work). Others are going overseas where costs are much lower and unions don’t exist.
On the cinema side, there’s stuff like Marvel Studios. They’re trying to crank out movies as cheaply as they can. Recent offerings have featured some absolute trash CGI, which is a product of taking the lowest offer to do the work.
I know quite a few folks out in LA/Hollywood who are hard-pressed to find industry work out there. Hell… I’m in Tennessee and am feeling the pinch here, too.
With the strikes over (this round), production will start creeping back once shows get through pre-pro, but it’s still going to be much lower than what it was.
Curious what you’re seeing that is just “reverse OTS reverse OTS reverse OTS”. Examples?
I think one of the things that we’re seeing is much more formulaic, cookie-cutter production as so much less programming is being ordered, and what is being ordered is on much smaller budgets. But I see that only in some programming. Again, I’d love to know which shows you’re talking about.
But Hollywood itself is also limping along at a fraction of the production that it had just a few years ago. Studios stand empty (or are sold off entirely) as lots of production moves out. Some shows are going to other states that are less expensive (and right-to-work). Others are going overseas where costs are much lower and unions don’t exist.
On the cinema side, there’s stuff like Marvel Studios. They’re trying to crank out movies as cheaply as they can. Recent offerings have featured some absolute trash CGI, which is a product of taking the lowest offer to do the work.
I know quite a few folks out in LA/Hollywood who are hard-pressed to find industry work out there. Hell… I’m in Tennessee and am feeling the pinch here, too.
With the strikes over (this round), production will start creeping back once shows get through pre-pro, but it’s still going to be much lower than what it was.
Well, there are trends. What one likes and becomes comfortable with, becomes stale to the new group of artists. Something new comes along and we don't like it and see it as a decline. We see it in everything from generation to generation - "These kids today! Why in my time.....".
And so it may be with cinema. If you're an older person, then you had that experience of everything being new and awesome when you were young. As you age, you are comfortable with what you know and then the new stuff, well, it's not so cool.
Being old like me, nearly everything seems that way. I see this and that and everything are in decline. I think it just comes with age.
And so it may be with cinema. If you're an older person, then you had that experience of everything being new and awesome when you were young. As you age, you are comfortable with what you know and then the new stuff, well, it's not so cool.
Being old like me, nearly everything seems that way. I see this and that and everything are in decline. I think it just comes with age.
ahalpert
Veteran
I think Netflix sucks. And they're steering the industry. Most of what they're making feels very made-for-TV. They have some standout productions. But last night, my wife and I were looking for something to watch on Max. Then we switched over to Netflix and the difference in the tenor and caliber of the material was immediately obvious just from scanning the titles and thumbnails.
Take Penguin - it has no business being as sophisticated as it is, dramatically speaking. And the style, while of somewhat mixed quality, is often superb.
Take Penguin - it has no business being as sophisticated as it is, dramatically speaking. And the style, while of somewhat mixed quality, is often superb.
Well, that seems logical to me. They need content and lots of it. So they aren't going to make 100% top-notch stuff. Not when a large portion of viewers are watching on their phones.
I was talking to a post-sound guy. He laments that he mixes these Marvel superhero movies doing beautiful stuff with ATMOS 3D, 128 objects moving around in space only to have people watch in on their phones with earbuds.
ahalpert
Veteran
This anti-union sentiment is misguided. In an article about the declining proportion of scripted material being made in LA, IndieWire writes:
"What FilmLA calls “California’s signature industry” (no offense to Silicon Valley or wine, we suppose) is taking the work to the UK, Ontario, New York, Georgia, and elsewhere."
Now, Fewer Than 1 in 5 Scripted Productions Are Shot in L.A.
A new FilmLA study has found that in 2023, fewer than 1 in 5 scripted productions that were released were shot in Los Angeles.
www.indiewire.com
The UK and Ontario have strong unions, AFAIK. Only Georgia is right-to-work.
The UK funds something like a quarter of the production budget of films made in the UK.
Basically, only about 20% of scripted material is still shot in LA but 25% of the industry still lives there.
I wasn’t talking about the UK, or Canada, or even NY. Looking at productions that are going to other parts of Europe, where costs are far below what they are here. (Though, while Canada has unions, rates are lower there than they are here in the US.)
Georgia is Right-to-Work, but IATSE is still there. Same goes for NC and here in TN. Just means the union doesn’t have as many teeth in these parts.
My point is, studios are moving production out of Los Angeles and, often, out of the US altogether. As for LA and NY, under the union agreements the labor rates are higher in production cities than they are in non-production cities.
But the moral of the story is that production is shrinking here, much of it is moving abroad, budgets are tightening, and so many of us freelancing in film and TV are struggling to find work. It’s not just Hollywood. We’re feeling it here in Tennessee as well.
I’m ready to join IATSE here, but waiting until it makes sense to do so, as everything going on here lately is non-union.
Also worth pointing out that there was a push from the studio to film the new Joker sequel in London, where it would have cost 20% less to produce.
variety.com
Georgia is Right-to-Work, but IATSE is still there. Same goes for NC and here in TN. Just means the union doesn’t have as many teeth in these parts.
My point is, studios are moving production out of Los Angeles and, often, out of the US altogether. As for LA and NY, under the union agreements the labor rates are higher in production cities than they are in non-production cities.
But the moral of the story is that production is shrinking here, much of it is moving abroad, budgets are tightening, and so many of us freelancing in film and TV are struggling to find work. It’s not just Hollywood. We’re feeling it here in Tennessee as well.
I’m ready to join IATSE here, but waiting until it makes sense to do so, as everything going on here lately is non-union.
Also worth pointing out that there was a push from the studio to film the new Joker sequel in London, where it would have cost 20% less to produce.
Inside the ‘Joker: Folie à Deux’ Debacle: Todd Phillips ‘Wanted Nothing to Do’ With DC on the $200 Million Misfire
Todd Phillips “wanted nothing to do with DC” during the making of the film and refused to test screen the $200 million comic book sequel.
variety.com