My Thoughts on Today's Film Industry
December 21, 2018
Hollywood is releasing more of the same movies over and over again: more sequels, remakes, adaptations, and reboots. From their perspective, It's somewhat understandable, as these stories have proven their success and have a following.
Studios are spending way more but are taking fewer risks by developing stories that people are used to; by doing so, we are closing off an entire branch of films that could've been the next Fight Club, A Beautiful Mind, The Prestige, Looper, or Get Out - all very original ideas and what I'm really into. But a lot of the time, even a branded story can flop. Take a look at Mortal Engines and its catastrophic flop in the box office. This was a branded story with a following and yet it still failed, and this is just one example.
It seems that sophisticated visual effects or branded characters are being used as the main selling point rather than the narrative itself. You can wow an audience to come see your visually stunning movie, but it won't resonate in their soul like it would with an effective, and vibrant original story. The only movie that did it really well was Avatar.
I'll take you back to the early 70s when the industry was not doing so well until it took a risk on a bunch of young, eccentric filmmakers with odd ideas that eventually led to a wave of the most iconic films and franchises ever created. A self-sustained story that is compelling, emotional, engaging, and cinematic is what makes the film successful, not a recycled narrative, not visual effects, and not A-list celebrities.
People have seen it all, and now, more than ever, we are welcoming out-of-the-box ideas. These stories do exist, but it often seems that they are overshadowed by big-budget films or other mainstream narratives. I'm always in shock when I see Hollywood spending $200M+ on mediocre stories with extraordinary visual effects. They are so reliant on branded stories to carry the entire industry that creative ideas get ousted from ever being produced. It seems bizarre to me, especially when there are wild success stories like the first Paranormal Activity that was made for roughly $15,000 and grossed almost $200M worldwide. That's an ROI of 1,333,233%. This is unheard of! Not even the stock market or real estate come close to these returns.
Ultimately, it seems absurd to me that Hollywood is spending $200M on a movie, in the hopes of making 100% to 500% return on it, which is way harder to do when you're spending that kind of money in the first place. Wouldn't it be better to spend $20M - $50M and expect the same high-grossing results? I think they are better off putting that money in Bitcoin than continuously producing these films...
Paranormal Activity amongst many others prove that audiences don't need A-list actors, they don't need visual effects, and they certainly don't need branded stories to be intrigued. We just want a damn good movie! We don't need Ben Affleck or Jamie Fox, we just want to be compelled. Yet, Hollywood persists in spending millions on A-list actors and millions on visual effects. I believe it is better to diversify and produce 10 x $20M films with great stories and decent actors, than spend the entire $200M on one movie, hoping it would be a huge success. Plus, I think people are happy to see fresh faces on screen instead of Meryl Streep all the time - and fresh perspectives from new directors. The only studio doing a good job at this is Netflix.
In conclusion, while Hollywood has made What Women Want for $70M and grossed $375M worldwide, it really needs to revisit that formula and think about What People Want. Take risks on new directors, on new stories, on less visual effects, and give people profound movies. Open up the industry from an elite group of people to an industry that embraces creativity and talent nationwide. Hollywood should be the hub of (lucrative) artistic expression and not the easy route of producing another superhero film. Be more like Netflix, take risks on crazy stories and crazy filmmakers with smaller budgets, and become your 1970s self again.
With Love,
A concerned filmmaker.
Written by,
Lior Hanev