I dig it. Great post. I hope the right folks read this.
I think the other things that streaming so far has neglected -- and that most companies have also neglected -- are attitude, context, authenticity, engagement, takeaway, & community. These are all critical aspects of cinema that get lost in the focus on transaction, convenience, and access. If you want to play to win and play to last, they have to be in mix. But that can be done. To me what you are pitching is not "indie" or "presitge", but "CINEMA" or maybe "CINEMA, DAMNIT!"
Fun is forever. For this reason, Disney is forever.
Horror same. Thus a24, Blumhouse, Carpenter.
But these are people centric in the end. Call it the auteur syndrome if you will. But auteurs be the directors, actors etc - they all die naturally or by their own hand. Like Miramax, which also delivered on that indie spirt before they sullied the space they made and lost.
HBO has done this well before being dragged through the Max mud. HBO and Disney may have people that drive their success but not so front and center. Disney = fun. HBO = prestige.
For a good bit I've been thinking about what 'indie' means, like way back when @tedhope was at good machine. What is it's spirit? It's forever difference?
Saying that again - what is the forever difference for this new place you propose?
Indie is more than foriegn, speciality, fringe, avant garde, art house, new wave. For me, Indie is rejection, revolution, rebellion against current form. Despite budget. While it gets assimilated like all threats, in the end, Indie, is art. Like a Sargeant painting is art, not craft. A subtle fuck you, "are you really going to wear that? said the painter to the sitter."
So some of this - cue Dogme - is again - people centric. Vice was people centric. Roy Rogers same. Both gone or near to same.
People centric is VERY enticing and perhaps is the first version of a company before sensibilities become inculcated. Apple before Jobs.
But if these companies inhabit a set of values they survive. A post Gates Msoft. Amazon after Bezos. I see no 'spirit' in Netflix other than ubquity. Certainly Verizon had less than Brett Easton Eliis's zero.
So starting companies - to me - need to have that person or team infusing it's values - and over time that becomes something transcendant.
Garica? Dead. Grateful Dead spirit? Alive.
This is a long haul you eloquently propose.
On comedy I'd note one thing. You're right. It's a gap.
The leader here is SNL. They have sprouted more success than anyone because they have a format and laboratory for talent.
This is important. Everyday all day. A place to experiment.
Like you said with web3.
It needs to begin in a garage and always leave it's heart there.
Money would help this, but Quibi had lots of that.
This is why I work in web3.
When it comes to linear entertainment I'm positive - you can do it.
Great post! As we approach the video content viewership predicted in the Pixar film WALL-E, we owe it to ourselves to find a way to produce and distribute -- as Ted commented -- "CINEMA, DAMNIT!" With the consolidation of the streamers and a dearth of competition at the buying level, it behooves us on the production level to band together too and apply some selling leverage... but it means impact'y folks (like myself) need to roll up with serialized content folks and always be creating multi-platform media.
As always Roy a thought provoking and enjoyable read. Rob long also commented on, if you like the “fear of comedy” and as I suggested to him there is an elephant in the room that everyone skirts around as you to have also done so masterfully here, why indeed no more Hangover or Tropic Thunder? just the feminist juggernaut Barbie. As I’m a intellectual lightweight I leave that up to you heavyweights to ponder while I’ll join the great un washed masses watching Ricky Gervais and Dave Chappell on Netflix both hitting number 1 in my my country in the last two weeks.
I saw two of these film on the list. Marcie The Shell With Shoes on and The Boy and The Heron. That film just won a Golden Globe for Best Animated Film. It deserved it.
Please build this. As far as community engagement, have you heard of Galerie.com? It’s basically an online film club with recorded and live interviews with filmmakers built around curated films. It’s new and small, but has the right idea! That kind of engagement at your scale would be incredible.
I dig it. Great post. I hope the right folks read this.
I think the other things that streaming so far has neglected -- and that most companies have also neglected -- are attitude, context, authenticity, engagement, takeaway, & community. These are all critical aspects of cinema that get lost in the focus on transaction, convenience, and access. If you want to play to win and play to last, they have to be in mix. But that can be done. To me what you are pitching is not "indie" or "presitge", but "CINEMA" or maybe "CINEMA, DAMNIT!"
Cool is by definition transient.
Fun is forever. For this reason, Disney is forever.
Horror same. Thus a24, Blumhouse, Carpenter.
But these are people centric in the end. Call it the auteur syndrome if you will. But auteurs be the directors, actors etc - they all die naturally or by their own hand. Like Miramax, which also delivered on that indie spirt before they sullied the space they made and lost.
HBO has done this well before being dragged through the Max mud. HBO and Disney may have people that drive their success but not so front and center. Disney = fun. HBO = prestige.
For a good bit I've been thinking about what 'indie' means, like way back when @tedhope was at good machine. What is it's spirit? It's forever difference?
Saying that again - what is the forever difference for this new place you propose?
Indie is more than foriegn, speciality, fringe, avant garde, art house, new wave. For me, Indie is rejection, revolution, rebellion against current form. Despite budget. While it gets assimilated like all threats, in the end, Indie, is art. Like a Sargeant painting is art, not craft. A subtle fuck you, "are you really going to wear that? said the painter to the sitter."
So some of this - cue Dogme - is again - people centric. Vice was people centric. Roy Rogers same. Both gone or near to same.
People centric is VERY enticing and perhaps is the first version of a company before sensibilities become inculcated. Apple before Jobs.
But if these companies inhabit a set of values they survive. A post Gates Msoft. Amazon after Bezos. I see no 'spirit' in Netflix other than ubquity. Certainly Verizon had less than Brett Easton Eliis's zero.
So starting companies - to me - need to have that person or team infusing it's values - and over time that becomes something transcendant.
Garica? Dead. Grateful Dead spirit? Alive.
This is a long haul you eloquently propose.
On comedy I'd note one thing. You're right. It's a gap.
The leader here is SNL. They have sprouted more success than anyone because they have a format and laboratory for talent.
This is important. Everyday all day. A place to experiment.
Like you said with web3.
It needs to begin in a garage and always leave it's heart there.
Money would help this, but Quibi had lots of that.
This is why I work in web3.
When it comes to linear entertainment I'm positive - you can do it.
Great post! As we approach the video content viewership predicted in the Pixar film WALL-E, we owe it to ourselves to find a way to produce and distribute -- as Ted commented -- "CINEMA, DAMNIT!" With the consolidation of the streamers and a dearth of competition at the buying level, it behooves us on the production level to band together too and apply some selling leverage... but it means impact'y folks (like myself) need to roll up with serialized content folks and always be creating multi-platform media.
As always Roy a thought provoking and enjoyable read. Rob long also commented on, if you like the “fear of comedy” and as I suggested to him there is an elephant in the room that everyone skirts around as you to have also done so masterfully here, why indeed no more Hangover or Tropic Thunder? just the feminist juggernaut Barbie. As I’m a intellectual lightweight I leave that up to you heavyweights to ponder while I’ll join the great un washed masses watching Ricky Gervais and Dave Chappell on Netflix both hitting number 1 in my my country in the last two weeks.
Coming in second place to RZA is not too bad! 😅
I saw two of these film on the list. Marcie The Shell With Shoes on and The Boy and The Heron. That film just won a Golden Globe for Best Animated Film. It deserved it.
Please build this. As far as community engagement, have you heard of Galerie.com? It’s basically an online film club with recorded and live interviews with filmmakers built around curated films. It’s new and small, but has the right idea! That kind of engagement at your scale would be incredible.