The Digital Revolution Will Fail

K

Kholi

Section Moderator
Here's the blog about it.

"The digital revolution will not smash open the door of Hollywood, unless film makers understand that NOW is the time when it’s possible to do this, NOW is the time that you have to grasp this opportunity and above all now is the time you have to start making films that actually have something to say to the audience."

http://www.1000dollarfilm.com/2007/02/20/the-digital-revolution-with-fail/

I totally agree, and just had this conversation today at the meeting table before I went to check the blog for what I had missed.

If anything, the Digital Revolution is making it harder to get noticed. If anyone can pick up Canon HV20 with 24p capabilities and shoot a "movie", then that raises the bar of mediocrity even higher. Time is on your side, take advantage of it and write, plan, write, then plan some more.

All us writers out there better be writing the good stuff. And those of us who are not writers, need to really pair up with those who love to write.
 
Nevermind what I said. Did you read the article? This has nothing to do with distribution, it has to do with taking it a bit more seriously.

The content.

XL-H1 Horror movie sold for millions at Sundance. They took their time and did it right.
 
Seriously, I see the possibility of a new Golden Age of cinema, one where exciting, innovative films hit the market place every weeks, being pissed away because hardly anyone is taking it seriously.
Guys, we have these incredible, cheap production tools — let’s move on from that and work out what stories we want to see made.
Click to expand...



the tools are cheap, but the means of getting it in theatres or on the shelves of blockbuster aren't. that's where the real bottleneck is in my opinion.



i know there are a lot of hacks out there, but i also believe there are some really talented people who just haven't been able to get there stuff out to the masses. when we find an effective model to overcome that obstacle is when we'll see a lot more quality movies.
 
I just think 24p is the HAM radio of this generation. Everyone has their voice. But somehow i feel, the novlety will fade once people realise its actually REALLY hard to make a coherent movie.
 
Yeah, it's not about the tools, at ALL... it's about making something intriguing and different for people to see...
 
these turds with cameras don't worry me at all. they're not artists nor filmmakers. they have no respect for the craft of story telling or movie making. they don't know what an audience is besides their immature buddies giggling at the playbacks.

That is what will seperate the true filmmakers from the rest. Sure the market and industry will be flooded with garbage which will make it harder for the good stuff to get some spot light but the fact of the matter is that it will only take a bit longer for the good stuff to float to the top.
 
Jay Rodriguez said:
Sure the market and industry will be flooded with garbage which will make it harder for the good stuff to get some spot light but the fact of the matter is that it will only take a bit longer for the good stuff to float to the top.
Click to expand...

Exactly, I agree with you;
have you watched TV lately? I could rephrase your sentence above to read: "...the [TV] market and industry [HAS BEEN] flooded with garbage [for quite some time].

Garbage always existed, and will continue to exist. There was plenty of crap that was made on VHS, DigiBeta, 35mm, 17.5mm, 70mm, 9.5mm, 8mm, Betacam, etc. etc.

It's just another cam & format. Nothing will change.
 
The key is watchability. Or, more to the point, sellability.

Hollywood isn't looking for art; it's looking for a product which people will pay to see. If it happens to BE art, then so much the better, but it's not the moving factor.
 
yeah they are looking for new ways to sell the same ol' crap.
Click to expand...
You're right, it's all about the money - Apocalypto, letters from Iwo Jima, Munich, Good Night and Good Luck, Babel, Little Miss Sunshine, Children of men, Blood Diamond, half Nelson, United 93 - if only someone would make a good movie.
 
jamestmather said:
You're right, it's all about the money - Apocalypto, letters from Iwo Jima, Munich, Good Night and Good Luck, Babel, Little Miss Sunshine, Children of men, Blood Diamond, half Nelson, United 93 - if only someone would make a good movie.
Click to expand...

I don't understand, were these bad movies?
 
All these contests you see now - from the Incubus video to On the Lot to many screenwriter's labs and such - all of them are hollywood farming people for ideas. Hollywood is desperate, they've sold out so bad they don't know what's good anymore, and they'll take ANYTHING they think is marketable. That's why they're so interested in reaching out to new people w/ digital tech - enter a couple of contests and if you've got the "idea" then they're gonna try to pull you in. This whole youtube phenomena has been seized upon them as nation (or even world)-wide idea farming.

That said, there is something that will always beat idea farming, that will always shine no matter the quality of the equipment, and that is a solid, coherent movie. Make your story good enough and people will look past what camera you shot it on. Frame your shots well enough and no one will notice the light stand cables in the background, or that it's your bedroom. Write your story well enough, and a decent-to-good actor can make it sing.

The tools have been available to us for a long time. But every film is only as good as its weakest point, and there have been, unfortunately, more than enough weak points.
 
no they were great films but most movies there are "the marines" and and "Ghost riders" movies with nothing that make money... the other go unseen for a while then are eventually appluaded for by public audiences.
 
Hollywood is a business its core function is to make money, if Film X makes money then Film X will be made.

Hoewever what makes money changes from time to time.

They see the biggest market and cater for it, its that simple.

Dont forget DVD sales, and now Games sales (that tie in with the film) and those toys, fan stuff etc... That all makes up return on the film (not just ticket sales)
 
ugafan said:
the problem isn't production, it's distribution. that's the real challenge now.
Click to expand...

I agree with the distribution part. The one strength that I notice is the unity we have amongst each other. We are the future. We stand as a prominent force on our own, but we with all of the talent and cheaper production cost in the world we still face the same problem. We are whores still to the big fish. Begging to be welcome into an arena that has its own way of doing business and treating this new exciting field of movie makers. The technology was made for those who can't have to have. Let's be honest with ourselves. Though the passion came from the engineers and developers, the funding for these new technology came from the big wig technology giants like Sony, Panasonic, JVC, Canon, and so on to make a profit. A new market for up and comers. We are Gorilla at its finest. We must stand on our own, through a distribution set up to support our needs. A system that is not only controlled by Hollywood. An audience driven system. We have everything at our fingertip. We must do what the music Industry has done in some ways. Rap music was not an overnight success. It was a 30 year grass roots won't take no for an answer revolution. In the end it is the most popular form of music distributed world wide. 3Six mafia won an Oscar for god sakes. Distribution is the way, and a marketing campagne that will excite audiences around the world.
 
jamestmather said:
You're right, it's all about the money - Apocalypto, letters from Iwo Jima, Munich, Good Night and Good Luck, Babel, Little Miss Sunshine, Children of men, Blood Diamond, half Nelson, United 93 - if only someone would make a good movie.
Click to expand...

I have a question.

What is a good movie?
 
spidey said:
no they were great films but most movies there are "the marines" and and "Ghost riders" movies with nothing that make money... the other go unseen for a while then are eventually appluaded for by public audiences.
Click to expand...

Hmmmmm.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top