April 14, 2022
I was just on a much-needed vacation, and while I was away, I didn’t think about the film business at all, or turn on a single screen – much less watch a movie or a show. But now that I’m back, I’m almost afraid to fire up my queue because I know I’ll be overwhelmed by the amount of films and shows to catch up on. And a new report from Nielsen came out while I was away that quantifies that amount a bit – reporting there are over 817,000 unique titles across TV and streaming services now. That’s up 26% from 2019 and the number is small because it doesn’t include every season or episode, and I’m sure it’s missing the gazillions of films that aren’t on the services – never picked up or culled from the library due to a (perceived) lack of interest.
I’m kidding about this abundance being a problem, of course – I think this is an embarrassment of riches. As I’ve always said when people talk about this deluge of things to watch – I never used to complain that there were too many damned bands in the record store. And we’re not going to stop people from making movies and shows now that everyone has a camera in their pocket, so we might as well embrace the surge.
But it’s tough because back when we had those record stores, we had curators who would steer us to the good stuff. There were the cranky store employees, who might point you in the right direction if you approached timidly or cockily enough (getting this balance right wasn’t easy). Or the other shoppers – I’ve had numerous encounters where someone said – no, buy this not that. Or I could rely on picks from college radio (which used to be the discovery engine for most good music). The list goes on, but I had a lot of informal curators who I could trust. Now, I have algorithms that don’t work, and a broken critical system where the “real critics” feel they all have to review the same things and compete with one another in their writing styles – who can be funnier, pithier, or meaner – more than they try to bring in viewers to a film.
What should be our best discovery system is also broken – film fests. We have film fest programmers who mainly just copy the programming of other major discovery festivals – Sundance, Cannes, etc. (who have their own biases) – instead of actually curating new things for local audiences. There are few exceptions, and the reasons are myriad, but mainly come down to them trying to please their own local press/critics who want to see the same crop of titles and not be challenged with discovery, either. But even the best of these curators, at the little festivals I admire and who struggle to do an awesome job – often fail to spread the word outside of their festival. Sure, they’ll post on Letterboxd, where no one only other cinephiles go, to discuss the same damned films again. But no one is doing a good job of recommending titles to the cine-curious. The best resource I’ve found is probably Ty Burr’s Watchlist, but I’d love to subscribe to 10 or 20 of these from film fest programmers who I trust. I hold out some hope for #filmtiktok, but we’ll see if that can coalesce into something interesting and sustainable.
I write about this issue often. I even tried to start a company to solve this problem. And every time I write about it, I get at least five emails from people pushing their film curation app, but none of them (including me) have nailed online curation of films. One of the latest I heard from is Reelay, which has a nice TikTok-ish interface for video reviews and sharing, which has some promise if the folks running it can raise enough money to market it further. But for the most part, I’m stuck facing a wall of movie/TV posters on the shitty interfaces that have become the norm (design thinking, what?).
But these are first world problems, worrying about your queue. Or the need for curators. I hesitate to even mention these problems, but…
Perhaps it won’t matter for much longer, the deluge will end. As streamers bulk up, merge and spend like drunken sailors on “content” in a war for subscribers, they’re leaving the little folks behind. They want originals and only “nurture” a select few new filmmakers. But before long, as Peter Kafka points out in Vox (This is as Good as Movies are Going to Get), they’ll lose interest in the content wars, as these are won and the victors can focus on what works for keeping the subscribers they have and nothing more. We’ll get more of what we had before – reality TV with an occasional Sopranos level series, some superhero movies, and maybe if we’re lucky, more diversity in what we see and who is behind the camera. But a lot less of indie, arthouse or “quality” cinema, and in that way, a lot less diversity of voices and stories.
The Vimeos of the world don’t want these films either, and one can only live off free travel, wine and cheese from festivals for so long. If we want a sustainable future for certain kinds of storytelling, we’re gonna need curators to help surface the best from the rest, and bring attention to the under-seen. And better distribution systems built on top of that, too, so we can watch all of the stuff that won’t be bought or distributed by the major streamers – you know, the only ones people watch or will be watching in the future.
But for now, I don’t have more time to complain, because I have 20 different queues to sort through so I can talk about the best new series I’m watching when I next attend a film fest programmer party. With my mask on.
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Film
Future of Film Incubator: Opportunity for filmmakers alert! You may have heard of Future of Film before — they share the latest ideas, technologies and strategies to empower creators and inspire industry change. Their newest initiative, the Future of Film Incubator, reimagines how screen stories come to life. Designed to empower storytellers, this 6-month process will mentor, guide and support creators with coaching, sessions with some of the most respected players in the industry and hands-on learning opportunities with new technology. Taking place virtually and in London, the program culminates with participants pitching their projects to leading buyers, financiers and investors. Applications are now open for storytellers from all backgrounds with a strong vision and commitment to get their projects financed and made. (GSH)
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Branded Content
 First Brand Film Oscar - WePresent Film Commission The Long Goodbye Wins at the 2022 Academy Awards: The Long Goodbye, a short film by Aneil Karia and Riz Ahmed, commissioned by WeTransfer, won a 2022 Academy Award for Best Live Action Short, a film about rising intolerance around the world, and was called “required viewing” by a member of the British Parliament. The film’s impact is a testament to the power of branded storytelling, and in the words of WeTransfer, “is a perfect example of how brands can work with artists to facilitate creative ideas that can move the cultural needle.” Click here to watch it. (GSH) And check out everything WeTransfer is doing - these folks are killing it when it comes to the brand assisted entertainment space - and are currently on my "ones to watch" and "doing it right" lists (BN)
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Miscellany:
Lego and Epic Games Partnership Aims For A Kid-Friendly Metaverse: The metaverse is uncharted territory. And safety isn’t a given. That's why Epic and Lego have partnered to create a child-safe metaversal experience. The partnership is based on 3 pillars: (1) prioritizing children’s well-being, (2) protecting children’s privacy; (3) equipping children and parents with the tools to mold their experience, though we don’t yet know what “the product” will be. The partnership raises critical questions as we begin to experience massive evolutions of the internet: Can the metaverse be a safe space for children? Who should be held accountable for creating and maintaining safe space in the metaverse? How can brands protect users who experience/inhabit their digital worlds? Alyse Stanley for the Washington Post brings us the news. (GSH)
 Pushing Buttons: How indie games stole the limelight at UK gaming’s biggest awards: Indie video games dominated last week at the Bafta Awards, one of the UK’s most prestigious ceremonies for film, T.V, and games. TOEM, a black and white indie game created by just 8 team-members won Debut Game. The Artful Escape, described as an intergalactic prog-rock adventure, won Artistic Achievement (check out Keza MacDonald’s piece for The Guardian for more winners and nominees. Near the end of her article, Macdonald writes, “Unlike in the film world, people who work in video games tend to be genuinely invested in each other’s success. Games are still culturally undervalued – though less so with every passing year – and so a victory for a single game feels like a victory for everyone.” But something else set this ceremony apart from previous ones, according to MacDonald: the nominees and winners of the Bafta Games award were of diverse backgrounds, and actually reflect the people who play games. (GSH)
GSH = Articles written by Sub-Genre's Gabriel Schillinger-Hyman, not Brian Newman (BN)
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