The Future of the Film Industry

• 1.  What are some specific ideas you have about how this coronavirus pandemic might impact the film industry... in 6 months?  in a year?  in 2-5 years?  longer?   

Obviously since all production is shut down, there's going to be a big delay in movies actually going through the theaters. This will hurt the theaters, especially smaller independent ones like the Tivoli, because they won't have people coming in to see the new movies released. I think that it's going to take a long time for people to feel comfortable going back to movie theaters again. I personally love seeing movies in the theaters and always prefer it to streaming -- I probably go 10+ times per year -- and I really can't see myself going back to the theater any time soon, even once the stay-at-home order is technically lifted. I also think that movies being filmed in locations around the world are going to have trouble reopening production, since international travel is going to be slow to reopen and people will be wary to fly and be far from home. I don't know if I can give any specific time frames because while a lot of people globally are very wary of the virus, lots of people also don't seem to be taking things seriously. There will also probably be another big delay when everything opens back up, people think we're back to business as usual, and there's a second wave that shuts everything down again.

• 2.  Are there ANY positives that might come out of this coronavirus pandemic for the film industry? Is there anything good you're seeing about how all of the craziness related to this pandemic might in some way help/benefit the film industry... in a year?  down the road a few years?

I have a really hard time seeing how this will benefit the film industry. The only way I can think of this benefiting it is if there's a huge shift to streaming new movies directly on devices, like The Irishman. Since a few movies are already being released directly to YouTube and HBO, I think, people will probably realize how nice it is to not have to leave their houses and will demand similar availability even post-quarantine. 

• 3.  Outside of this surreal coronavirus pandemic, what’s the most serious problem you’re seeing facing the film industry?  Explain why this is "more serious" than other issues the industry has been facing in recent years.  

I think a really serious issue is that AMC is taking over all movie theaters. Theaters like the Tivoli are dying out, but they really enhance the movie-going experience, with the beautiful, old-fashioned interior and exterior and the showings of old movies. AMCs all around the world show the same big-budget movies, which is an issue because it streamlines the movies that are made easily available to the public. This is serious because if people aren't being introduced to older movies or indie movies that have sort of fallen by the wayside, then those indie production studios suffer and the older movies die out, essentially removing a whole history and style of movie from the public eye. I think this is an even bigger issue than streaming because, at least with streaming, indie movies can still be released and viewed by more niche audiences. AMC doesn't even really allow those types of movies, like Kelly Reichardt's new movie First Cow. 

• 4.  Quote something that Lucas, Spielberg, or one of the 25 people interviewed in the article said that you absolutely agree with about the future of film.  Why do you think this person is so right about this?  Explain. 

I really liked what Amy Pascal said about self-imposing rules for not putting a movie in the theater because nobody will see it, saying, "if we decide that, then it will happen, and that will be a self-fulfilling prophecy." I think this is an important thing for people in the industry to remember because the trend in that article seemed to be relative pessimists agreeing that we're living a "reverse Darwinian" age of film and it's time to "adapt or die." I have a hard time seeing how indie films will just completely fall of the map because so many people still love them. If there's such an uproar, as shown in this article, from people against this trend of blockbuster domination, why is there all the concern about it dying out? Filmmakers are the ultimate deciders of the movies that come out, so they should take the risk and make indie films and risk slightly less money for the sake of trying to revitalize the market. 

• 5.  People say the film industry has changed so much in the past few years.  What do you “miss” about the film industry because you feel it’s changed from your childhood or even just a few years ago?  What do you feel "nostalgic" for from your youth, when you consider movies and the film industry? 

I don't think I feel too nostalgic about anything in particular about the movie-going experience -- it doesn't feel that different. I guess I could say the prices being cheaper, but who am I kidding, I didn't pay for the tickets when I was a little kid. The one thing that does stand out to me is the cellphones; I'm so tired of seeing people's phones light up and go off in the theater when it's all dark. I don't remember that happening all too often when I was younger. I also miss the Lemonheads. Theaters don't sell Lemonheads anymore, and those were a staple of my childhood movie-going experience. 

• 6.  What are two specific positives you feel about the film industry today?  What's good about it?  

I guess it's good that movies are becoming more accessible to people in their daily lives due to streaming. In the early-mid 20th century it seemed like if you didn't have the time or money to go see a movie in the theater, you just didn't see movies and you knew very little about them. Now, however, we get them for a relatively cheap monthly price streamed directly to our phones, which lots of people have on them at all times, and they're made so much more accessible, even if you can't make it out to the theater. It's also positive that at least movie theaters are still in existence. I don't like the fact that AMC is monopolizing the theater business, but it's better than all movies going directly to your laptops and cellphones. 

• 7.  Which two student presentations did you watch/review above?  What's one important thing you feel you learned from each presentation (or the links provided)? 

I looked at Ethan's presentation of Film vs. Digital and Lily and Chloe's presentation on movie theaters. From Ethan's presentation, I thought it was really neat that there are some directors still using film, despite how difficult it is to get. In reference to what Tarantino said about shooting movies on film or not at all, it's sort of a testament to how much some directors love what movies used to be. It's bittersweet to see this type of director loving the nostalgia of movies live and make movies in an era where those movies of the past are dying out. In Lily's and Chloe's presentation, I thought it was interesting that AMC holds discount Tuesdays to try and rope in more audience members. I guess I just always thought of AMC as this titan of cinema, and to see them struggling is alarming. 

8.  Given what you know about the film industry right now and based on what you've read, watched, experienced yourself, and learned in this class, what is your fear about film in 10 years?  What is your hope for film in 10 years? 

My fear about film in 10 years is that there won't be any variety or experimentation with success for movies that come out. I'm interested in working in the film industry in some way, especially for independent and arthouse films, and I hate the idea that the entire business might be in shambles because all people want to see is Marvel. My hope is that more niche directors like Kelly Reichardt and Wes Anderson are able to find a strong following in the general public enough so that their styles of movies can survive and continue to be shown in theaters even 10 years down the line.