Tuesday, 17 January 2012
Sunday, 15 January 2012
New Ground
You reach a dead end. You have the same thoughts, same complaints, same answers.
You're torn between getting away from yourself, or fighting deeper into it.
Watch a film, go for a walk, read a self-help book, whatever you think will pull you through. But nothing you purposefully do, will.
Creativity is when you all your knowledge, talent, ambition and ideas find a new pathway. And then you're free, you can flow non-stop, and your complaints become opportunities, and life feels good again.
You can't force it, because you don't know where the path is. But without getting lost, you never find new terrain.
Friday, 13 January 2012
Band Of Brothers. Michael Kamen. My Grandfather.
He says it's nothing like the real thing, he dismissed it. Same with Private Ryan. But It's as near as I'll ever get to the real thing cause I'm just a lucky Kid who can sit around making lists of Top 5 War films. But he really lived it, and lost people.
'Band Of Brothers' was a profound show for me. It captured everything I love about my Grandfather and his generation. I mean, they stood up. They did something. It's immeasurable.
So I'm listening to 'Band Of Brothers Requiem' (composed by Michael Kamen) on repeat and it hits me on a level hardly anything ever hits me. The world is so different now. We're so lucky in Europe, and America, but how often do we really appreciate why?
Illegal Streaming of Movies
Some kid from the UK was running an illegal streaming site, called TV Shack, and he's in the process of being extradited so he can face trial in a US Court. Read about it here.
Now, that's fair enough. He broke numerous laws, probably lost the studios hundreds of thousands of dollars, and he profited through advertising.
So, he's the bad guy.
But watch what happens two years from now, when the studios make websites that look exactly like the illegal ones. Why? Because It's what the people want, and soon the studios will follow.
These kids who set up video sites are catering to what the people are demanding. The studios could do the same thing now -- cut prices and stream the films online. Give the public what they want.
That's what we learned from the music industry. The argument was "people just want to steal", but it wasn't true. People just wanted mp3's. And remember when they tried to stop music being on YouTube? They used to ban your account if you put a track online. Now they welcome it with a big advert on your video, because they found out how to monetize it.
I'm tired of this game. I'm tired of the crazy prices. When I was a teenager I saved up week after week to buy 'FRIENDS' on VHS. It was £19.99 per video. Each video had four episodes. I spent hundreds and hundreds.
And then the DVD'S came out, and they put eight episodes on a disc and a deleted scene or two. And we accepted it because the technology was better.
And then eventually they put it on a single box set, which cost a couple of hundred but now only costs £40.
But if I go on a website tonight and stream an episode because one of my DVDs won't play properly, I'm breaking the law?
Netflix just launched in the UK, streaming only, £5.99 a month. This kind of thing is the future, but right now their catalogue sucks, it's half-assed. Same goes for lovefilm.
But all the major broadcasters in the UK stream their programmes the next day online. And you can get them through your Xbox. Netflix is here from the USA and maybe someday we'll get Hulu.
The point is, everyone is coming up with answers, but the Studios sue the kids who supply them. But a year or two from now, they'll copy them. One way to look at the people behind these sites is as lawbreakers, but in my opinion, they're just leading the way. The studios will follow, right after they've put them all in jail.
Thursday, 12 January 2012
ONLINE STREAMING: The Future Of Film Distribution?
1. Streaming movies online, illegally, for free - nearly everyone I know does this.
2. The music industry tried to kill Napster, they thought it was just people stealing -- but something else was happening, a revolution of music distribution. This is why we have iTunes and Spotify.
3. Physical media isn't needed anymore. I keep going to buy DVDs but then realise I don't want them taking up my space. Discs are dead.
4. Everyone loves YouTube.
5. People's computer screens are getting bigger. People don't need the giant TV to watch a movie, they can do it on their computer.
6. We harp on about the cinematic experience, but this is not everyone's cup of tea. The majority of people are happy at home.
7. Yes, free streaming and bit torrents do hurt the film business. But we need to start looking at it in a more open-minded way.
8. People are tired of getting conned. The bankers stole, the car insurance went up, and have you seen how much it is to see a film in 3D!?
9. Louis CK sold his new show online for $5 and the people flocked to it, he's made nearly $2million. This is not an anomaly, people pay for things when they're of value. That's why the DVD rental sites did well, they were a good deal.
10. But DVD rental is a thing of the past. People can go to the cinema, spend a days wages in tickets and popcorn, and still the movies suck. Or they can sit at home and stream them for free. They're doing the latter. Why?
a) The cinema is too expensive.
b) They like being at their computers.
c) So many films are terrible.
d) Cinema is changing. People like to stream and now the quality can be amazing.
The industry can go after people, sue them, and try to force them to watch movies in the cinema, but the people don't want to! If they did, audiences wouldn't be in decline and everyone wouldn't be streaming illegally.
There are legal options (not for new releases), we're slowly getting there. There are sites where you can stream films, and video on demand is growing. But the technology isn't fully being embraced. Sure, I'd love to keep the cinema's packed day and night, but that's not going to happen. And who can afford to go?
I never liked the multiplexes anyway. Too much junk that doesn't even deserve an audience. If the big chains died, maybe we would see the resurgence of the independent cinema? A place for community and good films? And sure, people would still come out for the superhero movies, but it'd be more of an event.
SUMMARY
The cinema isn't dying. They still build them and when they advertise the latest big budget let down, the audiences flock.
But something is changing. People are feeling less inclined to leave the home. They like watching films from the comfort of their sofas. The technology is there now. People can stream, illegally, and It's all great quality.
In the modern era, we shouldn't be condemning those who do this, we should be finding a way to give them an incentive to do it legally. And that probably means brand new releases being streamed online legally for a small price.
The studios think people are skipping the cinema and watching films for free on the internet. This is true, but it doesn't mean what they think it means. Most people are happy to pay.
They just want value.
Especially now, people are getting hip to the marketing BS.
And they're tired of the same old movies. You can't remake 'Valentines Day', call it 'New Years Eve' and expect audiences to give a shit.