Waves are most commonly caused by friction between wind and the surface of the water. I mean, that’s what the Google machine says anyway. Waves can also be created in other ways, of course. Surf parks, for instance, use a fascinating combination of super science-y methods to build their waves. But the one consistent part of the origin of waves is that the water doesn’t make the wave… waves are built by external forces.
Having spent my entire professional life in various parts of the entertainment industry, I have learned an important truth. Frankly, it is one of the most infuriating parts of this business of entertainment. You see, the truth is, the entertainment industry doesn’t build waves. It rides them. Don’t get me wrong, there are absolutely individuals in the industry who have created extraordinary innovations in story telling, formats, promotion. It’s not that it doesn’t happen. It’s more that it is an anomaly. Honestly, in some cases it was an accident. A bug. Not a feature. You see, and this may sound ironic, the entertainment industry is wildly risk averse. Some reasons are obvious. Making high-quality films and TV is extremely expensive. They essentially amount to multi-million dollar bets. It’s not for the feint of heart. And the ones who do it well are deserving of great respect. But the fact that it can be risky, tends to create pressures on studios and streamers to mitigate those risks. And often, that means sitting back and waiting for something to be proven successful by someone else. They wait for a wave to build, and then they jump on. Dumping money and resources onto someone else’s innovation. Ever wonder why similar plots and storylines show up in clumps? A movie about meteors hitting earth gets greenlit at Studio A and boom - Studios B, C, D and Streamer E suddenly go into production on their meteor movies. You can imagine the meetings happening all over Hollywood:
Two studio executives sit in the conference room. Ya’ know, the small one that only seats 40 people. They are eating lunch from one of those classic LA eateries that specializes in food that resembles other food. Suddenly, Exec One looks up from his copy of Variety and says, “Oh shit. Studio A is making a meteor movie. We got any meteor movie ideas?”
Exec Two mumbles through a mouth of something that tastes like chicken, “No. We only got a couple ‘aliens attack the earth’ things we developed after ‘Independence Day’ was a big hit.
Exec One taps his fingers on the table. The wheels are turning. Suddenly, lightning strikes. “Can we just replace the aliens with a big space rock?”
Exec Two doesn’t have to think twice. He wipes the mayo that he calls aioli from his chin and mumbles, “Yup.”
Exec One smiles at his genius. “Greenlit.”
And that’s often how it happens. It doesn’t matter if it is a plot line, a technology, whatever. If a wave starts to build, they pile on.
But this time it’s a little different. The truth is the studios and streamers are stuck. They have painted themselves into a corner that, frankly, I don’t know how they get out of. Not only will they, as always, sit by and watch as we build this revolution without them - this revolution just might make them irrelevant. Or perhaps, a more generous way of saying it is that they will keep doing what they are doing. Stuck in neutral. While those of us imaging a better world for creators will surf the wave right past them.
Here is why. The industry’s risk aversion has led them to make fewer movies and to only bet on the big, high-budget, spectacles. But these films are so expensive that they must acquire funding from outside groups. As these films keep costing more, making profitability more difficult, those funding sources are beginning to look for alternatives. Which means the studios and streamers, who (as publicly traded behemoths) are unable to easily change their entire business model, will start to see those funding sources head for the exit. And where will they go? Well, I believe they will be looking for new, alternative forms of production, marketing and distribution. In no way am I predicting the demise of the studios. They are filled with very smart people. They will keep going. But it will be different. They will no longer be the only game in town.
So what does that mean for those of us trying to build the Next Wave of Cinema? This dream we call Film3?
Well, the way I see it, it’s an opportunity. An opportunity to be a part of something that changes everything. The industry won’t build this wave. It can’t. WE WILL. And that is powerful. If we, as a community of pioneers and revolutionaries prove that creator-led communities can be just as powerful as the studios, then it is this movement that has the power, not the old systems.
But it will only work if we build together. If we support each other. If we chose to be collaborators, not competitors. I know that sounds idealistic. It is. But it’s not naive. It is the only way we can truly change the way things have worked for a century. It is exciting. It is daunting. And for me… it is everything.
How about you? Will you wait to ride the wave, or will you jump in and help us build it? I hope you’ll join us. Come on in, the water is fine.
Being a Part of Something That Changes Everything