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1.  

   

   Haywood, Nov 19th, 2007 @ 6:16am

   
   

   Low budget doesn't have to suck

   Think; "Phone Booth". That movie had to be low budget, 1 primary set where well over 90% of it was shot, and it was a phone booth + the surrounding street scene. A few cop cars, a few uniforms, props didn't wear them out, wages had to be the biggest expense. Had that been shot with unknown actors, it could have been done practically for free. Thing is, it wasn't all that bad, a lot more has been spent on a lot worse films.

    

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2.  

   

   VX, Nov 19th, 2007 @ 6:40am

   
   

   Doesn't matter

   Hollywood still has a lot of money. The first successful startup to make any real impact will immediately be bought by one of the larger studios who will then systematically suck out any creative content. This is the same scenario played out every year when a newly successful or seemingly promising video game developer is bought out by Electronic Arts.

    

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3.  

   

   JC Weatherby, Nov 19th, 2007 @ 7:04am

   
   

   50M Drop in the Bucket

   $50M is not enough to compete with Hollywood. Roughly a third to half of this will have to be spent on marketing. They'll be lucky to have one breakout hit which puts them on the map. Part of their business plan should be to license distribution to the majors, who are in a much better position to get them "over the hump." They can then use this heightened profile to leverage their content across web and mobile platforms.

    

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4.  

   

   Eliot, Nov 19th, 2007 @ 7:04am

   
   

   I disagree...

   I, for one, don't have that great of internet and I'm not planning on viewing all my stuff on the internet. I think that Hollywood is going to change their methods ... but I think thats unrelated to the strike. As you point to, media is becoming an individualistic process.
   
   The strike may be bad for everyone involved, but I think it will be good (eventually) for the greater populace at large. It will hopefully weed out some of the weaklings.

    

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5.  

   

   grapeshot, Nov 19th, 2007 @ 7:29am

   
   

   But Low Budget Often Does Suck

   Low budget doesn't have to suck, but it too often does. Most of the time it sucks not because the creators had no access to technology or distribution, but because they have no compelling story. At the heart of any good show is a good story, which takes the viewer on an emotional journey.
   
   While it is true that trolling through YouTube reveals millions of individual creative efforts, one also sees a depressing amount of self-indulgent, amateur garbage. Furthermore, all of it is small and intimate, suitable for viewing on a small computer screen. But what is there on-line that can fit our giant, big screen TVs with the 5.1 surround sound systems? I don't always want to be peering at a 4" by 3" little square on my computer screen.
   
   I am by no means an advocate for the media conglomerates. I agree with the premise of this post, that there is a revolution happening about the way stories get told to an audience, and the conglomerates can't seem to "get" it. BUT, I also see value in the studio system of culling, sifting, and shaping stories so that it is accessible to the broadest possible audience. (By the way, that's an audience that ranges from the simplest viewers to the most discerning and sophisticated ones.) This system, at its best, can create a "Braveheart" or TV shows such as "Lost" or "24", which no student with a videocam can easily create. Everybody notices the vast amount of "crap" that comes out of the Hollywood system, but no one remarks on how much great stuff that same system produces.
   
   At this point in the upcoming media revolution if I had to depend solely on whatever original content is on YouTube for my entertainment, it would be an awfully sad experience.

    

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6.  

   

   Kevin, Nov 19th, 2007 @ 8:25am

   
   

   Re: But Low Budget Often Does Suck

   By the same argument:
   
   Big budget doesn't have to suck, but it too often does. Most of the time it sucks because the creators had easy access to technology and distribution, and no compelling story. At the heart of any good show is a good story, which takes the viewer on an emotional journey.

    

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7.  

   

   Anonymous Coward, Nov 19th, 2007 @ 9:23am

   
   

   Sounds to me like this is only bad for the major studios. Good content needs writers, the writers will be okay in the end if they just keep doing what they are doing.

    

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8.  

   

   Max Powers, Nov 19th, 2007 @ 9:29am

   
   

   Low Budget - Big Hit

   I can't help but think of some low budget movies that became big hits. The writing was brilliant, the directing was right on and the actors became stars.
   
   Breakfast Club
   Dog Day Afternoon
   Twelve Angry Men
   
   to name few.

    

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9.  

   

   Bob Jonkman (profile), Nov 19th, 2007 @ 9:42am

   
   

   Parallel the Musician's Strike in the '40s

   The current writer's strike reminds me of the Musician's strike in the 1940's -- the orchestras of the big bands and backups for vocal stars argued with the record labels about royalties for recordings. While they were quibbling, the law of unintended consequences took effect, and small, individual bands took over where the large orchestras used to be. Rock'n'Roll was born, and no-one really listens to big band music any more.

    

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10.  

    

    Tim Lee, Nov 19th, 2007 @ 10:14am

    
    

    Re: Parallel the Musician's Strike in the '40s

    That's very interesting! Do you know of a source that fleshes out the connection to the rise of the modern recording industry? The Wikipedia article doesn't say much about that aspect of it.

     

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11.  

    

    Bob Jonkman (profile), Nov 19th, 2007 @ 10:39am

    
    

    Re: Parallel the Musician's Strike in the '40s

    I'm not sure I can find this online. I listen to a local jazz station JAZZ.FM91, and one of the hosts, Glen Woodcock mentioned this many years ago -- at least, that's where I think I heard it. You may need to contact him for primary source material...
    
    --Bob.

     

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12.  

    

    chris (profile), Nov 19th, 2007 @ 11:04am

    
    

    Re: But Low Budget Often Does Suck

    I also see value in the studio system of culling, sifting, and shaping stories so that it is accessible to the broadest possible audience. (By the way, that's an audience that ranges from the simplest viewers to the most discerning and sophisticated ones.) This system, at its best, can create a "Braveheart" or TV shows such as "Lost" or "24", which no student with a videocam can easily create.
    
    yeah, that "lowest common denominator" stuff works up to a certain point, and we passed that point years ago. braveheart was original, but "the patriot" was not. "the rundown" was great, but "the marine" was terrible. for every original franchise (lord of the rings) there are several lackluster knockoffs (eragon) and sequels (spiderman 3).
    
    the problem is that for each jewel, there are a lot of rocks, and those rocks make the hollywood moneymen scared to back something that isn't a guarantee.
    
    TV is even worse. how many medical dramas and cop shows do we need to see in a given week? there are so many permutations of CSI and law and order on the air i can't wait for their writers to start plundering anime for new ideas (CSI mecha universe anyone? how about law and order: magical martial arts unit?) how many times do we need to see someone voted off the metaphorical island before TV can move on?
    
    if hollywood is feeling the heat from video games, indy media, and the web, i say "it's about time".

     

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13.  

    

    sonypinto, Apr 6th, 2009 @ 12:20am

    
    

    freenewmovies.com

    This is very beautiful.
    http://justnewmovies.com
    http://cinemabusters.info

     

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