Enjoy the Movies
Everyone enjoys a good movie. Well, most people. I do know someone that never watches a movie due to ‘bad dreams’ and continuous ‘voices in my head’ – Paranoia will Destroy Ya. That said, the state of cinematic entertainment is, let us just say, lacking, by a lot. Back in the BC (Before Covid), we swung by the drive-in over the summer months. Typically, there were three movies playing, and usually one was worth watching – 33% success rate not bad for baseball and movies. Some of the newly minted tech bros have noticed the sorry state of theatrical travesty, Palantir people Shyam Sankar and Ryan Podolsky and venture capitalist Christian Carrett to launch Founders Films.
The goal of the company is to make films that honor America. That sounds like a reasonable goal. But in the coming digital dystopia we are careening towards, one can also catch a whiff of the possibility of automated propaganda or worse – you certainly don’t want to be mistakenly on one of the USA’s most wanted ‘lists’ when you purchase your e-ticket, from the digital marketplace, using your shiny new smart phone / portable explosive device with Palantir watching. Genius but deadly.
Anyway, Tech companies have been scratching at the edges of the thespian LA dynasty for years. Digital Media Distribution, Audience Sentiment Analysis, and Automated Digital Animation to name of few. Locking in on the audience with fusion analysis, and it is not a stretch of the imagination to see where all of these could lead in the not so near future.
Still, with innovative technology applied to the movies every day in the name of reducing costs, the actual films themselves just get worse. Wonder why that is? Looking at a small informal poll at the water cooler reveals that there seems to be truly little original content coming out. Even if the movie is interesting and one might be willing to take out a small personal loan to enjoy one on Saturday night, aka a credit card with a modest 27% APR, the plots are all rehashed. Really, how many more superpower hero movies can we take. At least try to spread them out a little further.
There are production areas that are breaking the trend. Theatrical music does seem to present unique opportunities for talented artists. Even if the franchise is tired and you have No Time to Die, you cannot help but be a little impressed with the opening music.
General perceptions count though, and consensus is the movies suck. All the digital marketing and wizardry can’t make a two-hour experience better if the storyline is light. This all points squarely at the writers of cinematic endeavors and ecosystem of organizations that decide what content makes the cut. This new company is trying to solve the latter – we applaud that. The core problem though is not getting near enough attention. We are aware of specific ‘writers’ that are already using AI to write scripts. That explains more than a few things. In our view, what we need is more creative talent like the Tolkien, Lucas, and Kubrick variety. The fewer big corporate strings attached the better.
And yes, we build data centers for theaters. In fact, unbeknownst to many people, most modern theaters are small scale data centers. We readily admit our ulterior motives. That said, enjoy your summer with friends and family. Find a movie you can stomach. The movie industry needs you. Anything is possible in the future if we take the time and have wherewithal to invest in areas that need attention – and provided the Russians Love their Children Too. Have a wonderful summer.