The Righteous Mutiny
The Righteous Mutiny
I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and is thus far enjoying the holiday season. For those of you in LA, I also hope you're enjoying the blessed two weeks of vacation that greets the end of your year. Hilariously enough, when I once interviewed for a job at CAA, they touted that as an extra benefit. Sure, I'd love to work for peanuts, have a certifiable a**hole as a boss, get objects thrown at me, and never sleep...all for the last two weeks of the year as a vacation. SIGN ME UP! I didn't get that job.
One of my favorite questions to ask my fellow assistants once we returned from winter break (that's what most of us called it) was what movies everyone saw. Now, keep in mind this was all, BC (Before Covid) or the "Before Times" or "That Time When People Actually Went to the Movies." Most of the responses would be a mix of the latest releases or some old-school fave that they watched after scarfing down a batch of grandma's cookies (peanut butter blossoms are my faves.) Well, this year, after scarfing down about a baker's dozen of said blossoms, with the kids nestled all snug in their beds, and my wife (she would kill me if I referred to her as "Ma") watching her fave show (Call The Midwife,) I decided to watch one of my faves, Crimson Tide. A Tony Scott classic (May He Rest In Peace.) It is a master class in spectacular acting (in this writer's humble opinion.) I imagine most of you know the story. It's ultimately old school Gene Hackman's Captain versus new upstart Denzel Washington's Lieutenant Commander. After a mutiny on board a nuclear submarine, Denzel Washington and Gene Hackman battle it out for control.
The whole thing got me thinking about the future crisis of leadership heading our industry's way. The same ten or so people have more or less run all the legacy studios for the last twenty or so years. In Crimson Tide, it's pretty clear that Washington's character is meant to herald in a new post-Cold War era, whereas Hackman's character's time has passed as the world changes around him. We can see something similar happening in the industry right now, except where are all the Lt. Commander Hunters? And that is the freight train coming down the tracks.
Many of you may say that the streamers are heralding a whole new era of leadership. However, one must ask where those streamers got most of the talent running their shops? And who trained most of those folks? Well, what about the assistants climbing up the ladder? As one of Richard Rushfield's anonymous contributors pointed out in his latest Ankler Exit Interview series, more and more production companies and studios are dumping assistants with the move to remote work. " And the fewer people who are excited about Hollywood that you have coming in, the worst things are going to be in five years. For that company and for the industry." EXACTLY.
So, what's the solution? Well, a Crimson Tide-style mutiny, of course. I'm not suggesting that someone burst into Tom Rothman's office and demand he resign, but there are ways to push back against the status quo and bring in a new era. In some ways, this is already happening. Movies have more or less lost their cultural relevance mainly because the heads of the studios don't know what anyone likes anymore, and the streamers are the cable channels of the 90s. Folks are fleeing the entertainment hubs of NYC and LA and bringing production to other cities, bringing new perspectives, but more needs to be done, and it starts with everyone at all levels. It means advocating your opinions for those just starting their careers, especially if you're part of the generation that isn't going to the movies, push to make your voices heard. For middle management, start looking for the new stories (outside of your immediate bubble), travel and meet folks outside of LA, and gain a new perspective.
For the department heads, you all must realize that you're only renting those seats; you inevitability will be fired or laid off, you don't own the job, so use the time wisely while you've got it. Take some risks. Lord knows you're making enough money to roll the dice a bit. You've got some influence; use it while you've got a say and make changes to the biz. Be open to the younger voices in your department. Try new strategies. Your only goal should be to leave the business better than you found it. And for us consultants, it means pushing our clients to find new tactics, strategies and helping new voices get their stories. One of the most popular "Speciality Brews" we offer at Vision Craft Brew is the Tribal Change. It transitions production companies into the original content space, but we need to keep pushing more. It's only through a ground-up "mutiny" where change will occur. Let's get started.
Hit or Miss
As some of you may know, last week was the 20th anniversary of the release of the first of Peter Jackson's epic trilogy Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring. Not only did the films turn out to be visually striking, but they all ended up being massive hits, with the final installment, Return of the King, receiving a Best Picture Oscar. It was a crazy risk for all involved, including New Line Cinema, the studio that made the film. I was fortunate enough to be at New Line when Return won the Oscar and every employee at the time got a picture with the Oscar, which I still have. Unfortunately, the bravado that defined the early years of New Line and the LOTR years quickly disappeared as New Line tried to become a big studio versus focusing on the risk-taking that made them a success in the first place. Unfortunately, Peter Jackson has not recaptured that success in subsequent years. It's a shame he pulled so far from fantasy. There are still many great tales left to be told. Regardless, it was a success for all involved, and it may be one of the last timeless hits to come out of Hollywood for a long time if things remain the same.
Pages from the Commonplace Book
My son and I recently began reading The Chronicles of Narnia together, which I've never read. They've been great thus far, and we just started on book 3, The Horse and His Boy. Below is a quote from the first novel, The Magician's Nephew, and given that we are approaching the end of yet another COVID year, I thought it best to end on a more optimistic note:
"When things go wrong, you'll find they usually go on getting worse for some time, but when things start going right, they often go right on getting better and better."
Despite the recent COVID surge and all the ups and downs in our industry, I believe we are on the "better and better" half of that quote. Happy New Year! See you all in 2022.
Hollywood Breaks
No Hollywood Breaks this week as Tim and I continue our "winter break." We'll return on Friday, January 7th.
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