A topic very close to my heart is the endangered art of moving pictures. We will soon celebrate 100 years of sound film, and until a few years ago, films developed extremely positively (with or without digital effects). Therefore, one would think that this will be a positive anniversary with great prospects for the future. But it will turn out differently!
Since streaming providers offer their own productions exclusively on their platforms, they are putting the entire industry under massive pressure! One would actually think that this shouldn't be a problem, since such providers with their own productions can never create a nationwide offer that really satisfies the need for entertainment. But they have succeeded. The consequences are clear: the average citizen today prefers to stay at home in jogging pants (if at all) and watch inferior and empty series instead of going to the cinema to see decent films. Films that artists worked on, who toiled for years on a single script, with actors who were born for their work and only work towards an Oscar, to then enter the immortal Hollywood legends with a drug overdose.
And not only them, the talent of every single person on set was needed (make-up, costume, lighting, editing, sound design, camera operators...), all of whom had to give 100% performance to turn a good idea into an absolute timeless masterpiece that remains forever in film history.
We all know the greatness of film art and the genius of its creators. Let's think back on just a few of them.
Orson Welles, whose "Touch of Evil" revolutionized the concept of suspense with a single explosive scene in the start of the movie.
Stanley Kubrick, whose perfectionism culminated in "The Shining" – the scene with the baseball bat and Jack Nicholson was filmed over a hundred times, a record to push the actors to their limits and achieve the highest authenticity. Or his visionary "2001: A Space Odyssey" from 1968, which is still considered an unsurpassed masterpiece of science fiction, not even surpassed by Nolan's "Interstellar."
Alfred Hitchcock, who let the main character die in the middle of the story in "Psycho," shocking the audience, and whose "Rear Window" with James Stewart and Grace Kelly redefined the thriller from a unique perspective, a film that left the viewer in constant uncertainty.
And even today, there are these visionary artists: Christopher Nolan, who set new standards in the action genre with works like "Dunkirk," "Inception," or "Tenet." He had entire hotel rooms rotated or a Boeing 747 crashed into a hangar to create authenticity. Michael Bay and Steven Spielberg, who have also created incredible works and will continue to create them.
I could name countless other examples, but my concern here is not the artists and their works themselves, but the profound change that is taking place in the film industry.
Because this art has disappeared from today's streaming providers. If you watch a few series and films from the red streaming giant, you immediately realize how things are done there. A bunch of bookkeepers write a story without love and heart, which is only half thought through and feels incomplete. The budget is a lot smaller than for classic movies. This means that more films can be made with less money. After all, the masses simply have to be supplied with content. The actors are poorly chosen and don't fit the roles they're given. They are generally not bad actors, but their talent is just poorly utilized. For me, that's also a sign of bad casting. And don't even get me started on the effects, which are really bad due to the small budget and hurt your eyes. The locations often look bad, fake and not immersive. It gets really sad when you see the green shimmer on the clothes, the reflection of the green screen on the fabric or the poorly cut hair from the background.
If it were a sitcom from the 90s, I wouldn't say anything, but this sometimes happens with big and highly rated action movies that are touted by the purveyors themselves as the most successful movie of the year. - I apologize if you hear my frustration in my text.
One could say: "Yes, it's not so bad, if you don't want that, you don't have to subscribe to the provider." That's true, but unfortunately, their behavior has consequences for the entire film industry. We're back at the beginning of the text: Because of these cheap offers, people go to the cinema less, the cinemas remain empty or even have to close, and the film industry is forced to join the cheap trend. And that's where I come in again: When I watch a new movie in the cinema, nicely dressed with a jumbo cup of popcorn, and then see effects that simply cause eye cancer, then I could cry. Because I don't just see how the films are getting worse, but I see how the whole industry is going down the drain.
My urgent recommendation to all of you is:
Take the time and go to the cinema, enjoy the experience on the big screen, while it's still possible. Immerse yourselves in the world of films, let yourselves be captivated by the stories, and support the cinemas that make these magical moments possible for us. I understand, of course, that it is convenient to stream films at home, and that's perfectly fine. But if you do stream, please choose consciously. There are film studios that continue to produce real cinema films with passion and dedication and offer them on their own streaming platforms. Think, for example, of Paramount+ or Disney. By using their offers, you contribute to ensuring that the tradition of classic cinema film does not die out and that the production and distribution of high-quality films continues to be promoted.
Thanks for reading.
To be honest, I am really very grateful to you for each and every one of them. Because the text was necessary for me to let off some pressure.
Samantha Silverstein