Assembly Line Movie Making

You ever look at the number of movies that come out nowadays? It’s turned into an assembly line. There are at least two movies that come out in theaters a week. Then you have the untold that come out straight to DVD. There are some good movies that come out, but there is twice as much garbage.

One way that they have streamlined that line is by recycling storylines. There are quite a few original ideas circulating around out there, but they never get to see the light of day. The producers and directors never even get to see scripts that are out there, because they have people in between them that screen them all. Readers are useful, but the moviemakers need to start looking at the submissions, as well.

Another problem is that a little trick or gimmick works beautifully in one movie and then it gets incorporated in all the others of that genre. Yes, movies are a business, but they are also a form of art. What happened Hollywood, forget who John Ford was? Alfred Hitchcock not in your short term memories either? There are directors that give us their dreams, but they are covered over by the flood of the assembly line.

Mainstream Hollywood, why don’t you slow down? Indie film makers out there, not all of you are the next Kevin Smith. Yes, there are some people that will buy your melodramatic piece on some misfit, but few will be as good as Juno or sell near that many movies. I know it is your dream and you have the money, but please put some effort behind it. Look at all aspects of the process and make sure you don’t have a weak link that will cause people to ignore you.

Do I believe that there should be no more indies? I emphatically say no. George Lucas and Kevin Smith are not anomalies. Tyler Perry proves that independence is to be strived for, as well. I am saying that we all need to remember that this is an art form reliant on pretty immediate sales. So, to keep from being forgettable, leave shock value low and good story telling high.

The big studios need to look at Disney. They have two partnerships that has something for everyone, Pixar and Walden Media. Disney is still making good movies and they decided to team up with studios that have the same love for the art that they do. Pixar always picks the right formula. Instead of gimmicks, their stories are heavily reliant on the story. Walden Media has done some near great movies as well. The Narnia series, if done correctly, can be as profitable for them as Harry Potter has for Warner Brothers.

Maybe the trend for movies to be more plot based will continue. We truly need originality back in the movies. Then, it will be worth it to pay the amount being charged in theaters.