I agree they have some serious issues and inequality to work out, but I also concede that the sorts of productions we are talking about (science fiction in particular) tend to be expensive to produce. Having a large entity with deep pockets (like a studio) to foot the bill until money rolls in makes this easier.
We really need to get the powers that be to stop pretending that me consuming media streaming on my phone is somehow different than you consuming the same media OTA on television, or Alice watching on a laserdisc, or Bob on his home IMAX theater. The studios are either making content or they are not. They are either distributing that content, or they are not. And they are either paying the people who generate that content a fair, livable wage…or they are not. It really doesn’t have to be any more complicated than that, and anyone who claims it is likely has a profit incentive in the current system to do so.
Having a large entity with deep pockets (like a studio) to foot the bill until money rolls in makes this easier.
You understand, that’s not a studio anymore, that’s just a bank, a crappy bank that charges insane interest.
Let’s start moving away from this nightmarish Weinstein-esque model and move towards one that’s a little less orphan-crushing-machine.
Yes, money will be hard, especially at first, doubly-especially for scifi and similar expensive things, but it has to be better than this, and the fx studios are getting crushed by the studios as well.
(…)that’s not a studio anymore, that’s just a bank, a crappy bank that charges insane interest.
You make a good point there. I hadn’t considered it from that perspective.
Whatever the solution, the ratio between executive pay and the pay of the people actually getting their hands dirty should be a lot closer to 1. Right now it is tragically far from that.
I think this is a good time to end the studio system, if not now it will only get worse.
I agree they have some serious issues and inequality to work out, but I also concede that the sorts of productions we are talking about (science fiction in particular) tend to be expensive to produce. Having a large entity with deep pockets (like a studio) to foot the bill until money rolls in makes this easier.
We really need to get the powers that be to stop pretending that me consuming media streaming on my phone is somehow different than you consuming the same media OTA on television, or Alice watching on a laserdisc, or Bob on his home IMAX theater. The studios are either making content or they are not. They are either distributing that content, or they are not. And they are either paying the people who generate that content a fair, livable wage…or they are not. It really doesn’t have to be any more complicated than that, and anyone who claims it is likely has a profit incentive in the current system to do so.
You understand, that’s not a studio anymore, that’s just a bank, a crappy bank that charges insane interest.
Let’s start moving away from this nightmarish Weinstein-esque model and move towards one that’s a little less orphan-crushing-machine.
Yes, money will be hard, especially at first, doubly-especially for scifi and similar expensive things, but it has to be better than this, and the fx studios are getting crushed by the studios as well.
You make a good point there. I hadn’t considered it from that perspective.
Whatever the solution, the ratio between executive pay and the pay of the people actually getting their hands dirty should be a lot closer to 1. Right now it is tragically far from that.
I don’t know how to make it happen, and I don’t even expect it to happen quickly or all at once.
But there always needs to be a counterforce to keep everyone honest, the studios have no counter at all.