It is hard to come to the realization that you have been pimped out most of your Hollywood working life. Think of all the middlemen and fees tied to your skillset. In the industry's beginning, 700 feet of film “In the Can” had serious costs with many potential pitfalls such as over exposure, lost reels, not to mention the cost of the film and the list goes on. In today’s world a bad take is a click away from being irrelevant and instantly (not the next day) recognized. I was told bad “real film” shot incorrectly was like a farmer plowing his field and when he got to the end he saw he did not have his plow down.
I recently witnessed two 30 second commercials, perfected in 3 days using only a computer and a few photos with keywords. The results were astounding and I was glad I did not own a studio. From lighting to makeup, the computer we call Henry, did it all, with no meal breaks and he passed the piss test every time. Perfect audio and the script could be changed on the fly if needed. Want to change to a sexier accent? No problem, add 5 minutes. That's faster than you can get a cup of coffee.
This is the reality we are all faced with. Grabbing signs and tearing down businesses does not help you pay your mortgage. Burn that sh*t down was my old, youthful, go to attitude, but time has taught me to think first and try to understand and maybe embrace the big picture.
They say there is not enough money to go around and they are right.
The Pirates of Hollywood are no longer needed for distribution.
When all the unemployed talented people wake up, if they can, they will understand that content is King!
When we saw the marriage of the studios and TV networks we witnessed the final attempt to continue their pirating and control.
Technology has left the building and is headed our way. We must understand it and harness the future or get left behind. Does anyone think China will give a damn about AI Films effect on our livelihood. In today’s world, content is the name of the game, yet we still want to be hookers for a business model whose time has passed. Forming our own groups to produce and release or sell the final product direct to the consumer, leaves 80% of the proceeds (plus merchandising) to be divided up among the creators, with much less deadweight onboard = seriously lower overhead.
Modern digital distribution saves the consumer the $12 popcorn and $10 sodas. Big screen TV’s are cheap and your home is usually safer than a movie theatre parking lot at night. The romantic days of the big screen experience will fade into the sunset like the drive in theaters.
In 1995 when I wrote that film was dead, you would have thought I had some incurable, highly contagious disease. Even my phone calls could spread the disease.
Film was dead. Storytelling and talking pictures were not.
Today I can take Tik Tok newbies and reach more viewers than any studio executive. We either upgrade our mindset or get used to under employment and low pay for the majority. This is our wakeup call and the chance to get the Pirates out of our pocketbook, forever.
John Alden
Digital content creator since 1996
Put your creativity to work for real.