Hollywood Is Brokener. Or something

Lynda Obst has an excerpt from her new book on how Hollywood is broken, which follows what we’ve been discussing here.  The excerpt alone is informative and paints a workable theory about risk-adverse Hollywood since you can’t plan easily in an age where balance sheet reliables have suddenly shifted.

As the resident Career Guru here (I also think of myself as the resident sex symbol, but that’s my own delusion), I’d also note something else – Hollywood exerts an irrational pull on other careers.  How many gamers base ideas on blockbusters made for balance sheets, how many writers operate under the delusion they want to write some big film, how many people want to be in the industry peripherally?  If it’s melting down, the impact will be far wider than we expect – and if it’s melting down, some people should ask where they’re getting their ideas from . . .

– Steven

Movie Meltdown?

Steven Spielburg isn’t too hot on the film industry:

“Eventually going to be an implosion — or a big meltdown. There’s going to be an implosion where three or four or maybe even a half-dozen megabudget movies are going to go crashing into the ground, and that’s going to change the paradigm.”

I’d have to agree.  The gamble on big pieces, spectacle, etc. has to backfire eventually – and the fallout will be fascinating.

Our own Serdar puts it simply: it’s not sustainable.

– Steven

Book Review: Tales From Development Hell (New Updated Edition): The Greatest Movies Never Made?

Tales From Development Hell (New Updated Edition): The Greatest Movies Never Made?
By David Hughes

ISBN-10: 0857687239
ISBN-13: 978-0857687234

PROS:

  • An insider’s look at Hollywood’s movie machine and how it often takes years – or over a decade to make a film.
  • Snappy, exciting, writing style that engages as well as informs.
  • Lots of juicy, oddball, interesting information.
  • The author’s personal stories help flesh out the truth of the book.

CONS:

  • Occasional information overload can be distracting.
  • Complexity of the Hollywood system could have used some flowcharts.
  • You’ll want to punch Hollywood in the face.

SUMMARY: An indispensable book for anyone that wants to know how Hollywood works (and doesn’t work), and why a lot of films never happen – or turn out poorly.

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