CINEMA BuzzFEED - 19 March 2014

'Popcorn Time' Fails To Pop

Movie pirate app 'Popcorn Time' shut down just two days after its launch.  Called "the Netflix of piracy", Popcorn Time, a free app which allowed the downloading of first-run movies, was launched and summarily pulled off the internet.


Its creators, who remain anonymous, stated in their blog that, "We are enormously proud of our creation.  We are the underdog that would fight for the consumer.  We are standing up against an old -fashioned industry. The movie industry has way too many ridiculous restrictions on way too many markets". 

So, these content pirates are creating a free app that people can access to watch movies. Seems like a lot of time and effort to produce something so that a few, other dishonest, people can view movies on their cellphones and tablets.  Why don't these masterminds produce entertainment content of their own and give it out for free!  Why pirate others' works so a 'consumer' can access movies free? Why does the common man need free movies to watch? Why not build an app that is useful for everyone, like a green app, or health app, educational app. Building an app so others can pirate movies makes no sense - it serves no useful purpose other than to 'get'  big, bad Hollywood.

There is nothing new and different about 'Popcorn Time' - it's just another piracy scheme using a better platform.  It's not genius. It's not altruistic. It's spivery on the periphery of the entertainment industry and nothing more - and should be recognized as such.

3D Continues To Decline At Cinemas

According to a report by Charlotte Jones, Associate Director for Media and Technology Digest, and a source CMG has found to be very credible, 3D movies continue to be shunned by the public.

For 2013, box office revenues from 3D movies totalled $1.96 billion for N. America, that's down over 4% from 2010's total. 3D has become less and less in demand by moviegoers even for major blockbusters. Re-introduced five years ago with the release of  'Avatar' - the overuse and poor quality of 3D in a number of releases did not win over moviegoers.

The leading title in terms of revenue solely from 3D in 2013 was 'Gravity' (Warner Bros.), which grossed 81% of its total box office from 3D admissions (one of the highest shares ever recorded for a 3D release). This demonstrates that audiences will seek out 3D films which they feel bring value-added entertainment to their viewing experience and sticking with the 2D version (and cheaper admission) for those movies that do not.

Total 3D releases for 2013 were 39, with  'Iron Man' being the most successful 3D /2D release in terms of total box office draw.  3D animated films continued to underperform - accounting for just 25% of all 3D box office, down 8% from 2012.  This was compounded by the fact that there were 26 animated titles released in 3D for the year vs. only 12  in 2012.  Again, demonstrating that audiences were not convinced that the 3D upcharge was warranted.

Hollywood Filmmakers/Stars Lured To TV

Productions like 'Sons' lure H'wood Talent

Once upon a time, Hollywood movie stars and big-time film directors shunned working on TV as the 'small' screen was viewed as inferior to the cinema.  TV was for those that couldn't make it in the majors or were working their way up the entertainment food chain.  Not so anymore, in fact, major stars and directors are flocking to TV.

"TV is made fast, but often lacks the tools of cinema. Film directors are bringing more cinema to TV - to find the sweet spot between film and television", says Richard Brown, a Hollywood producer. "Typically in TV, directors are subservient to writers and producers. The reverse is true in film.  But in the new, high-quality TV series that are being made, the creative control is more equally weighted."

In movies, scriptwriters normally have their work turned over to more writers for rewrites, not so in TV. In fact, whole TV series are written before production starts.  This artistic freedom, and the high quality of modern TV production, is luring Hollywood directors and actors alike. Additionally it gives actors the opportunity to function as writers and/or directors, which rarely happens in film production.

The question becomes: could what is happening with TV be the forerunner of a new era in TV drama? Could the writer/producer shows such as 'The Sapranos', 'Breaking Bad', and 'The Wire' be giving way to the director led format of movie production.  The answer is, without question, yes.  "Where the director is responsible for the whole series and the entire aesthetic vision, offers them a way in.  It presents established film directors with the possibility of telling longer stories which go deeper into character than is usually possible in film", says Brown.

This shift is noticeable in the economics of the entertainment business. Since the 2007 film writers strike there has been a 35% fall in the number of writers working in film - while employment in TV has doubled.  Even the Oscars, hosted by TV talk-show host Ellen DeGeneres, were treated like a TV show with pizza, selfies, and tweets.  But it is not only TV that is benefiting, it is also the content streamers such as, Netflix, Google, Amazon, Apple, etc. that are luring big-name Hollywood stars and directors. And, keep in mind that the content streamers are not bound by viewing figures like TV, their only concern is to sell more subscriptions - and that is where the opportunity and money lies as this game  plays out.

Jim Lavorato