9 Comments

I don't know if I've changed that much from 10 years ago. I had Netflix then, I have Netflix now. I went to the cinema to see films of interest, I do so now. I think the biggest change is the quality being produced. So much of it is just uninteresting or bad, and the good series gets cancelled by the service after one season so why even bother?

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It’s cool that not much has changed for you personally, but of course, so much has changed for most. And I agree re the quality of what’s being produced!

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My husband and I live in LA and took great interest in reading this BBC article this weekend (we are both English.) My husband is a film and TV composer, and it's been the toughest year for him since we first moved out here ten years ago. He's lucky to finally be working again now that some of his shows have started up additional seasons. But it's been so tough for ALL our friends in the industry. My take is that it comes down to risk aversion on the part of the studios and screening services due to their NEED to make a profit. On social media, for the most part, people follow their creativity and inspiration for themselves and NOT for their shareholders. Time and again, Netflix will create an amazing new series that gets cancelled immediately based on their algorithm for what they consider a successful show. Whereas you have other shows that aren't as good being renewed for the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th seasons because so many people watch them. I don't know what the answer is. It's a bit of a mess. It seems to me that the current system is designed to reward low-budget content that has high views, such as reality TV, and that with the decline of movie theatres, the meatier projects are getting left behind.

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Brilliant response - agree with everything really. It's weird how the dream of streaming became--- another rush for the money. A few years back Ted Sarandos was talking like a god of storytelling, here to save us all. But now Netflix is like anything else.

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I found this part really interesting and I agree..."It's not just film and TV, it's happening everywhere. I'll load up the New York Times to find something to read, but I rarely find it. I end up on Substack instead, and find myself reading for hours. This wasn't even fathomable a few years ago."

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I surprise myself when I look at my habits, and realise I don't do the things I think I do. NY Times/Substack is a perfect example of that.

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Totally agree. Life is getting lazier each year. Big screen TVs also help us gain contentment that the movie is ‘good enough’ on the smaller screen IMHO.

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Do you think it's just about laziness though? Sometimes I think it's progress, just not a progress that feels nice, because we all adored the old way.

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Maybe but we all get a shade more disconnected as we spend less time with one another. The cinema was an awesome gathering spot in my younger days. The convenience of ‘on demand’ is its own thing and a good thing for commerce but not so great for social life.

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