I have been decidedly silent as of late because I sunk a lot of money into a movie about a traveling family of coats, who meet up with a vest and...it did not go good. The premise was spot on (who hasn't had a coat?) and the story was gold (vest teaches them about letting go, everyone learns something). It just didn't gain the traction we had hoped with the focus groups. Why, you aren't asking me because I can't hear you? I'll tell you why.
Nostalgia.
There was nothing for people to associate with so the backers didn't want to go full tilt with the Sanders! Money is only interested in making money. Look at this oddly chosen quote from producer Tom DeSanto of Transformers and XMen -
“The studios are so dependent on pre-existing brands, they’re not allowing anything new into the pipeline,” he said. “They want to know what was the video game or what was the comic book. It’s shortsighted. But what’s being missed is the next generation of new stuff. Because nostalgia is creative death.”
Never mind the fact that this guy just shit in his own sandbox, he has a great point. Are you noticing a lot of nostalgia based entertainment hitting your cultural windshield?
Just this morning they announced they are going to re-do Dirty Dancing. Again. The reason was blatantly put "it made $214 million." So money gets to make money. But remember when they already tried to do this?
ugh.
And then there was the explosive ratings for Nickelodeon's re-runs of their 90's line-up, ala Clarissa Explains It All. And then Star Wars Clone Wars, and then the Thundercats reboot, and then the Yogi Bear movie, and then Ghostbusters 3, and Fast and Furious 6, and then Mortal Kombat, and then your friend's shitty 80's themed party, and then The Land Before Time 52, and then the Flight of The Navigator remake, and then SpiderMan the musical, and then Spider Man the reboot, and then a Total Recall remake, and then The Crow remake, and then your friend's shitty 90's themed party, and then the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reboot, and then the Judge Dredd reboot, and then Quisp, and then, and then, and then.
It takes a certain person to continue the brave and thankless work of producing works of art. It also takes a certain person to monetize and economize a thing like art and view it from only a lucrative stance. Somehow we both got thrown into the same boat, and we need one another to survive. Great shows do horrible in focus groups. Somehow, an 'original' idea gets through and smashes our notions of what we needed. What we wanted to be shown. As artists, it's our job to go out there and make something new.
But you'll say (and you won't because you're looking at a screen) What about derivative works, there is nothing new under the sun, Pygmalion, The world in six songs, there is nothing new except what has been forgotten, we live in a remix culture, together we are larger than the sum of our parts, I'll be more mature if you will, everything we learn we are only remembering, how is all this possible and you can buy a taco for $0.39?
Think of the influences of the past as trampolines not as the scalps and face-skin of dead people to wear to a costume party.
Be inspired by the world and contribute to the fabric of the here and now without the training wheels of yesteryear.
There are plenty of great original ideas out there and the tide of recycled ideas is inevitable. However, it is our duty to fight against and lambast this cultural Kevorkianism and work on our work. The more we do this, the more we put time in between us, and our eventual nostalgic pining for the styles of 2012. Remember when you read that blog about remembering about reading that blog?
People. I know my movie about traveling coats didn't pan out, but I bet for sure you ain't ever heard of that idea before!
It takes a certain person to continue the brave and thankless work of producing works of art. It also takes a certain person to monetize and economize a thing like art and view it from only a lucrative stance. Somehow we both got thrown into the same boat, and we need one another to survive. Great shows do horrible in focus groups. Somehow, an 'original' idea gets through and smashes our notions of what we needed. What we wanted to be shown. As artists, it's our job to go out there and make something new.
But you'll say (and you won't because you're looking at a screen) What about derivative works, there is nothing new under the sun, Pygmalion, The world in six songs, there is nothing new except what has been forgotten, we live in a remix culture, together we are larger than the sum of our parts, I'll be more mature if you will, everything we learn we are only remembering, how is all this possible and you can buy a taco for $0.39?
Think of the influences of the past as trampolines not as the scalps and face-skin of dead people to wear to a costume party.
Be inspired by the world and contribute to the fabric of the here and now without the training wheels of yesteryear.
There are plenty of great original ideas out there and the tide of recycled ideas is inevitable. However, it is our duty to fight against and lambast this cultural Kevorkianism and work on our work. The more we do this, the more we put time in between us, and our eventual nostalgic pining for the styles of 2012. Remember when you read that blog about remembering about reading that blog?
