I am the kind of person who loves to stay up to date on everything, especially the world of film. I love cinema and have wanted to be a director since I was 5. I like to be the kind of person who has seen all the good movies and all the good TV shows. I am worried that those days will soon pass.
I think it cannot be denied we are in a content bubble. Television, an already once seemingly endless stream of content, now literally all online as an endless stream of content. And Hollywood like always will not stop cranking out movies I feel obligated to stay up on.
People have the option now of seeing the new seasonal blockbusters and art films of days old, the option to pirate virtually any content they want, the option to pay for what is now an extortive amount of streaming services, the option to not pay for anything but indulge in free videos on youtube, or the option to be home vegging out to broadcasts or binge streaming.
The more the quality producers and channels keeping spreading there content farther and farther on more competing services, the more it will be harder for the film buff to stay on top of their game.
Now sum say this may be a good thing, but if so much content is constantly produced and constantly spread out, the audiences of each program will become smaller, and smaller, and more concentrated and less diverse. We risk losing the unviersal dreamscapes that are the Speilburgian traditions that have kept film alive. Now again, a plus side of this is more work for actors and crews, the negative of this is the artists who could be movers and shakers of the medium may never get the audience they deserve.
I am all for the consistent output of quality content, but I am also for keeping the beauty that is recognizable talent alive. I am for the best and most talented getting their chance for the widest audience possible. Of course, some actors show that is definitly not always the case as opposed to who you know in the industry, but still the wider audience never lets a weak talent last long in this business. That is not an endorsement as to the objectification that has driven many, especially women and children talents, to there demises and even graves. There are several things about the industry we must change, but they must change on the whole scale, not just case by case.
I am not saying lets retreat to days of old, that would be ignorant and reactionary. I am saying we need new industry standards, and we need to appreciate the universal audince as well as the concentrated ones, and we must be fair as to the delivery of content. Many cannot afford the bills to keep hulu, netflix, yahoo, amazon, showtime, hboGo, spotify, cable, and internet all together with $15 cinema ticket prices.
The content bubble will burst, and let us hope those with true talent survive the explosion and stay in our memories.
James J Jackson 