A Fading Hollywood
John Ink2Quill
www.ink2quill.com

Art forms are many, and some are very old. We have writing, painting, sculptures, mosaics, murals of all kinds, song, poetry, music and the list goes on. And like so many things in life, our Sun will set on some of those art forms. Just to give an example, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but Opera might be one of those art forms.

What about a whole industry that passes? Is Hollywood headed for extinction? Well let’s take a look at some of the forces that make it seem that. If we look at the budgeting, finance and profit side, and the retention and nurturing of talent side, and the fans, audiences or consumers side, whichever you call them, it would seem to be so.

Firstly, the budgeting, finance and profit side of Hollywood. Keep in mind that these are not the same things. Budgeting is the allocation of resources to projects. So, for example, if super hero movies, which are the movies the whole family can enjoy and understand, are earning a lot money then they will get a lion’s share of the resources. That means that other films might not be considered for budgeting or called “artsy” films. The model of the Hollywood film industry today, with the declining popularity of movie theaters, is that a few films get most of the capital and are expected to earn most of the profits for the year. This system of profit is the very thing that is accelerating the demise of theaters. It is not the only reason but it is nonetheless a valid reason. The theater experience has lost a certain predictability and variety, a certain organic element that some called surprise.

So, to sum it up, budgets in Hollywood are, in a way, trapped to follow a certain path and the fans and viewers know this. The viewer of today is far smarter than 10, 20, 30 years ago. Their selection is so much broader and they are able to discern good productions better than ever before. Also, just as a side note, writers have to stop making symmetrical stories where everything ends in a tidy bow, the villain dies the way he/she/they killed people, like in the case of so many horror or crime movies. The audiences notice things like that. One of the great story elements of films like the crime/ horror film “Se7en” is it’s ending. It’s ending was horrific and unpredictable. It was not the ending I expected, at all, whatsoever.

Sure, the times are a changing and we have the entire world now, or nearly the entire world, to mine for talent. That means good writers, good ideas, talented photographers, directors, editors and such are everywhere. They are not just in California anymore. Many of the old places where talent could prosper have dwindled due to the emergence of AI, which promises a faster made and cheaper production but not a better one. There is room for both people and AI in this changing landscape.

So, what will the new entertainment industry look like? Will it be as centralized again as the Hollywood of today? Will it have a different name with a new set of people and AI running it? Horrifically speaking, will there be discrimination against people by AI or vice versa?

I hope not. For f@#k”s sake. I hope not.

Things to think about.

I’m just rambling.

John Ink2quill

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