The Day the Movies died

[fALk Gärtner]

A top notch look at Hollywood that represents every bit of my sentiment toward films today (not only Hollywood). Very well written and researched the writer gobbles together a history of how films became brands putting money and technology in the center and leaving creativity and risk behind.

The Day the Movies died

 

[Rob Castiglione]

Hi Falk. I also think that parallel to all the craven failure of hollywood to there is an incredibly vibrant independent film sector emerging. No need to be depressed about the future of film! I recently saw Another Year by Mike Leigh and was blown away. It is still possible to make and screen innovative films.

 

[Bryce O]

I just moved out to LA and I starting to see from ground zero why the industry is in this state... nepotism. People only hire their friends or people they know personally out here. The majority of people I know who are heading towards film executive or production jobs never even wanted to work in film. Their stories are always something like "yea, one of my dad's friends asked me to come work at his studio as a producers assistant. So I guess I'm doing that now." And guess what? They're going to be tomorrow's producers/executives. It's pretty sad.

 

[Alex G. Cohn]

I haven't finished reading the whole article yet, but I don't really agree with his comments on Inception.

Inception was an enormously expensive film that received an enormously expensive amount of advertising. I'm not sure how that's the studio just doing Nolan a "favor," nor do I see any actual quotations supporting the author's theory that the studios are trying to ignore the financial success of Inception, other than that studios aren't abandoning their comic book / remake strategies.

In fact, in my opinion, the success of Inception is more of an example of the fact that Hollywood is dead than anything I've read so far in the article. This is just my personal opinion, but I didn't really find Inception to be very complicated or clever at all... just a lot of slick presentation... smoke and mirrors.

 

[Tim Hole]

Then again it depends if you are of the school that Inception was an allegorical statement on the idea and philosophy behind filmmaking.

I think we would be remiss to think that they just loved the idea. They are bound to have allowed him to get away with certain aspects of Inception in return for being on-board with future projects. There was bound to be a deal struck somewhere along the line.

Word is that he has agreed to allow Inception to be dimensionalised. If thats the case look for it making a return to the IMAX screens.

 

[Alex G. Cohn]

I think we would be remiss to think that they just loved the idea. They are bound to have allowed him to get away with certain aspects of Inception in return for being on-board with future projects. There was bound to be a deal struck somewhere along the line.

Another director probably couldn't have gotten the film made, but I'm certain that a studio doesn't throw away $200 million plus dollars ($160 million estimated budget + massive amounts of advertising) on a film that it doesn't have faith in, because of a favor to a director.

The studio might not have been in love with "Inception: The Project," but they were certainly in love with "Inception: The Christopher Nolan Movie."

 

[Mark Collins]

As a grip...whatever. Even a shitty film still pays well.

As a director, well, that sucks for me because I write my own stuff, and trying to get that greenlit takes that much more effort and bribing to get it done. I'm ok with nepotism though, to a certain degree. Why? Because it gets me jobs.

"Oh hey, I know this person X and I want to work with him again. This other guy is more qualified but person X and I have worked together in the past and I trust them"

I recently had a conversation with a friend of mine who's a stunt guy who works in Hollywood. He's also extremely grateful for nepotism because he's putting his life in the hands of his team, and if he can't trust them then he can't work, or will get seriously injured. This is the nature of the biz. It will always be this way. When you start out (as I am), you don't know anyone/ So, you meet one person, and that one person brings you out on set and suddenly you meet another person, and the trend continues until you are working most of the time.

Welcome to life. It's not sunshine and lolipops.

-------------------

On topic: I'm not sure if Hollywood is dead or not. Sure, there's the whole ripoff/sequel/adaptation thing, but you get good stuff out of it occasionally. Scott Pilgrim vs The World is an example of an adaptation done by an extremely skilled director and it shows how well that material can be handled. Prince of Persia, not so much (though I didn't mind it, since it reminded me of the first 2 Mummy movies).

You also get directors like Rodriquez, who are gods at filmmaking. Rodriquez can make those stupid, cheesy movies and still have them come out awesome. Sin City, Desperado, Machete. All of them completely ridiculous, but all of them amazing films. (Machete just being fun though). So no, with people like Nolan, Rodriquez, Verbinski, Speilberg, Scorsese, Tarantino, Cameron, and a lot of others around, Hollywood is far from dead, just different.

 

[Mark Allen]

If you can't understand why a film got made, then put yourself in the executive in charge's feet and explain why no one thought it could fail.

"It was a popular character directed by the guy who made that movie that did so well two years ago starring this top actor... etc."

It's what I call the liability speech. And, unfortunately, I think that fear of losing one's job and having a good back up is a lousy place to make decisions from.

I think someone has to have filmic tenure or be totally brand new with nothing to lose to really be courageous enough to put something forward just 'cause it makes them excited. It's something everyone else could learn from for sure and I feel like it's what is missing.

However, I bet that if you took the number of great movies that are made every year in every decade - movies that would last for years and years with value - you might come up with about the same number... it's just that there are SO MANY MORE movies being made now and the movies that you can't escape knowing about are the ones, of course, which will have the biggest returns.

Also there's taste. One person loves Rodriguez, another person thinks he's the messiest and worst filmmaker ever to get praised as god. Thee are different movies for everyone.

 

[fALk Gärtner]

Also there's taste. One person loves Rodriguez, another person thinks he's the messiest and worst filmmaker ever to get praised as god. Thee are different movies for everyone.

Yes but did you read the article I linked? its not just about taste its about that they make the whole demographic a infantile loving

I am over 30 I actually like scifi and also action in movies - I love fast editing and such - its not about that - its that my intellect is trampled upon. If inception - where I got the story and how its gonna end after beeing into the movie for 5 minutes - is considered the best movie of last year I think we have declined already to a point where movie making is just about making pretty action pictures - a rollercoaster ride - nothing more. There used to be movies that actually at least tried to tickle your intellect where the characters where developing into forms that couldn´t be foreseen after first seeing them - or worse after seeing the poster. The article makes for a very compelling analysis and I wholeheartly agree with it - also with the conclusion (yes its long but read it to the end its not totally offensive to the inside people).

 

[Chris Ratledge]

When you start out (as I am), you don't know anyone/ So, you meet one person, and that one person brings you out on set and suddenly you meet another person, and the trend continues until you are working most of the time.

*bitching turned on*
I wish it were that simple, but it's never been that way for me! Maybe it is for everyone else! :furious3: There's an unforseen factor that's keeping me under-employed, despite my unsuccessful searching for whatever I'm doing wrong or what it may be.

It's been a painful catch-22
*bitching turned off*

 

[Jens Jakob Thorsen]

I am over 30 I actually like scifi and also action in movies(DONT WORRY ITS GOING TO PASS AT 40;-) - I love fast editing and such - its not about that - its that my intellect is trampled upon. If inception - where I got the story and how its gonna end after beeing into the movie for 5 minutes - is considered the best movie of last year I think we have declined already to a point where movie making is just about making pretty action pictures - a rollercoaster ride - nothing more.

Have you ever watched a Michael Bay movie or a Jan deBont movie?(One of the best DPs ever, sadly turned director),(Speed,Twister). Many of these films are unwatchable for adults and other mildly intelligent people. Their emotional emptiness is only surpassed by the amount of B.S.in the dialoge...
Hollywood features have been miserable for decades, but I think(hope)Its actually on an up-ward curve, due to the many,many fantastic TV-series with artistic integrity, that have come out from the US in the past 8-10 years: Six feet under, Sopranos,Breaking Bad, Carnivale,Deadwood,Mad Men, etc,etc

I have high hopes for Hollywood, considering how much "Inception" rises in directorial quality over any Michael Bay film(All though It did not work for me, and I was bored)

 

[Bryce O]

I recently had a conversation with a friend of mine who's a stunt guy who works in Hollywood. He's also extremely grateful for nepotism because he's putting his life in the hands of his team, and if he can't trust them then he can't work, or will get seriously injured. This is the nature of the biz. It will always be this way. When you start out (as I am), you don't know anyone/ So, you meet one person, and that one person brings you out on set and suddenly you meet another person, and the trend continues until you are working most of the time.

Nepotism is great if you have already been working jobs and know what you're doing. But it's bad, to the point of making you want to murder people, when you're unemployed and people you know who are making money everyday are always asking questions like: "Hey we're shooting on the 5D tomorrow, can you give me some pointers?" or "What format does the that Red camera shoot? How come the footage is always on so many hard drives? I though high-def could just fit on blu-ray's...?" :emote_headwall:

 

[Chris Ratledge]

Nepotism is great if you have already been working jobs and know what you're doing. But it's bad, to the point of making you want to murder people when you're unemployed and people you know who are making money everyday are always asking....

YES! Funny how much I agree with this. Can't figure it out either.

One of my favorite quotes on success:

"Success is simply a matter of luck. Ask any failure."
- Earl Wilson

 

[Mark Allen]

Yes but did you read the article I linked?

Yes, I had read it before when a friend emailed the link. I think it's a good article. I was trying to postulate some additional ideas which make us not understand why choices are made. His assertions are interesting and they too touch on taste, but I guess my point with taste was that even within the same demographic, there is going to be taste differences.

My point about decisions being made from insecurity is also laced throughout the article, just stated differently.

 

[Rob Ruffo]

I just moved out to LA and I starting to see from ground zero why the industry is in this state... nepotism. People only hire their friends or people they know personally out here. The majority of people I know who are heading towards film executive or production jobs never even wanted to work in film. Their stories are always something like "yea, one of my dad's friends asked me to come work at his studio as a producers assistant. So I guess I'm doing that now." And guess what? They're going to be tomorrow's producers/executives. It's pretty sad.

Sounds like a lame excuse to me, for your own failure. Sorry, but it does. Sure nepotism helps, but it counts for only a small fraction of those who gain power. Don;t have connections? Make connections. Most top directors, DPS and producers were not born into the industry, many were not even born in the U.S.A..

But if you keep that kind of whiny victim attitude, then you have no chance at all. In that case quit now.

 

[Rob Ruffo]

Have you ever watched a Michael Bay movie or a Jan deBont movie?(One of the best DPs ever, sadly turned director),(Speed,Twister). Many of these films are unwatchable for adults and other mildly intelligent people. Their emotional emptiness is only surpassed by the amount of B.S.in the dialoge...
Hollywood features have been miserable for decades, but I think(hope)Its actually on an up-ward curve, due to the many,many fantastic TV-series with artistic integrity, that have come out from the US in the past 8-10 years: Six feet under, Sopranos,Breaking Bad, Carnivale,Deadwood,Mad Men, etc,etc

I have high hopes for Hollywood, considering how much "Inception" rises in directorial quality over any Michael Bay film(All though It did not work for me, and I was bored)

I find it's indy films that I find more often unwatchable. I am not a fan of grungy cinematography nor of depressing themes. I love many Hollywood films. I'll bet you feel superior to me for that reason.

I am also sick of seeing the 1970s and 1960s or any past decade overrated. There were terrible films made then too - all of them forgotten - and great ones, just like now.

The article is also full of complete hogwash like "...in the 1970s making good original movies was a central goal of the men who ran the studios". NO. They ran a business (a publicly traded set of corporations with a legal obligation to their shareholders, no less) , not a public service, not a hobby. Their goal was to make money. You can make money with good movies, and you can make money with "Piranha" or "Ants" which were also 1970s movies.

​

 

[Bryce O]

Sounds like a lame excuse to me, for your own failure. Sorry, but it does. Sure nepotism helps, but it counts for only a small fraction of those who gain power. Don;t have connections? Make connections. Most top directors, DPS and producers were not born into the industry, many were not even born in the U.S.A..

But if you keep that kind of whiny victim attitude, then you have no chance at all. In that case quit now.

Whiny attitude? What are you talking about? I was just stating my observations... I wasn't complaining. What are your credentials to call me out on what I've seen anyways? I was just saying nepotism is stupid from a purely subjective point of view... because for all you I could be one of those people with a job that I didn't earn.

Sounds to me, from your post, that you are one of the few that have made it on connections only and like to pretend that talent had something to do with it. Which is what most people that rely solely on connections do...

I came to LA with two other roommates. One of the three of us were friends with a manager at a production company and got a job right away. The other two are still unemployed, but admittedly (by the first person none the less) have more aptitude for production and film-making in general. Trust me, my observations are sound. Nepotism rules this town. Your a fool to believe other wise. Also again, for all you know I could be the one with the job... but still seeing and reflecting the irony of the situation.

Also note, I said that I JUST MOVED to LA. Failure would be when someone who has lived here for 20 years can't succeed... :rolleyes5:

BTW, I have another friend here who got an interview with a big producer (who will remain nameless, but trust me...) just because he dated a girl that was friends with an agent that knew him. This position wasn't even advertised. He didn't end up getting the job, but please explain how nepotism didn't come into play here...

For the record, I'm also not saying that nepotism is the ONLY way people get jobs out here... but it's surely the majority.

 

[M Most]

I came to LA with two other roommates. One of the three of us were friends with a manager at a production company and got a job right away. The other two are still unemployed, but admittedly (by the first person none the less) have more aptitude for production and film-making in general. Trust me, my observations are sound. Nepotism rules this town.

And how exactly is that different from any other business, in any other industry, in any country in the world? Knowing someone is always a path to a more open door, but talent, perseverance, and a never ending desire to learn ultimately open the same doors, and keep those doors open for a lifetime career. The previous poster was right: this is the adult world we live in. Knowing someone makes things easier because you don't have to introduce and sell yourself. But the fact is that most of us didn't know anyone when we started - we educated ourselves, persevered, and keep learning all the time. Succeeding in the film business rarely has anything to do with nepotism. It has to do with all of the other things I just mentioned. Complaining about nepotism "ruling" the film industry is stating the obvious, but not just about the film business, it's stating the obvious about society in general.

If you want to succeed, don't expect it to happen overnight. It just doesn't work that way. Not even if you "know someone."

 

[Tom Lowe]

Let's wait till TREE OF LIFE drops in May and see if anyone is still claiming that the system is broken. I doubt it.

 

[A. Clint Litton]

Let's wait till TREE OF LIFE drops in May and see if anyone is still claiming that the system is broken. I doubt it.

here here!