good grief @telvayns - Tumblr Blog

It's interesting to think about the intersection of these two facts:

Films reflect the time period in which they were made.

Our most popular films right now are all reboots, sequels, and reused IPs.

On one hand, you could make the case that our generation is being deprived of its place on cultural timeline, because (as far as the mainstream goes) all we're being given is rehashed ideas from other time periods. Seems rather boring to analyze.

But on the other hand, I think future film historians will find that this era is culturally fascinating. Not because of the "nostalgia bait" itself, but because it represents the emergence of independent cinema and streaming.

When TV was invented, people could watch filmed media at home. You no longer had to go to a theatre just to watch cartoons or comedies.

So the studios responded with a wave of epics in the 1950s. They said "Okay, you can get Dick Van Dyke at home, but you can't get Ben-Hur." Television couldn't compete with the budget, big name stars, or visual tech that film studios could offer. They were financially incentivized to blow your socks off with visuals and big name stars.

But with the emergence of streaming and independent film, that's no longer the case. A-listers are happy to take TV roles, and TV offers Hollywood-level visuals. You don't need to mess with the theatre system at all. It's easier than ever to make good-looking movies and share them with the masses with no major studio backing.

So what's the one thing that studios still have going for them? What's the one thing that Disney can give you that an independent filmmaker can't? Yoda. The Little Mermaid. Iron Man. Fucking brands. That's all they have, so that's all they sell.

We aren't being sold reboot after reboot because it's what the people want to see, or because our current culture is somehow more boring and lifeless than ever before. It's because it's the last stranglehold that these soulless studios have over the industry. They will shove your own childhood down your throat because their domination over previous generations is the one thing they have left to sell to this one.

#currently finishing my masters (submitting this week) but just had to add my tv studies knowledge here #scholars are already finding the PRESENT interesting RIGHT NOW for this reason #the phenomenon described above ^ where actors can take prestige tv roles and skip indie film #is called ''convergence''#it describes the practice where film and television converge partially because of streamers #but it is NOT a one way process #film is also becoming more like tv - longer and more complex and #(as you point out re: reboots and sequels)#far more serialized #just as (prestige tv mind not all tv) television balloons in budget and scope #and film and tv come to share aspect ratio and colour grading and even cameras and actors #it is indicative of just how closely related these mediums have become #theatrical releases for streamer-produced films (like with netflix's frankenstein) are another symptom of this #film has a unique cultural cachet and tv is considered ''lesser'' as a medium (which does echo in this post a bit)#so when streamers want to legitimize their product they showcase it in theaters #branding in this i think is a symptom of money involved and the lack of risk-taking that shareholders adhere to #re: second screen pushing and all such things #but i do just want to say. it isnt a future thing! we are studying all this right now because it is already interesting :)#text

orpheuslament

this recent trend of teenagers using genAI chatbots to talk to fictional characters is fucking grim. what you should be doing is roleplaying on private messages with your friends until the lines between you & the characters begin to blur & you develop some very complex & confusing feelings for each other that culminate in a massive fallout you dont have the tools to process nor understand

#😔#text

elexecution

its awesome theres a vampire on sesame street because you need to introduce children to the concept as early as possible

#norine dresser in the book ''American Vampires:#Fans Victims Practitioners'' (1989)#text

cinematicnomad

SUPERNATURAL ✧ 1.12 FAITH

#so true #spn

deftoons

KRISTEN STEWART & LILY GLADSTONE riding a horse together in CERTAIN WOMEN 2016, dir. Kelly Reichardt

#this movie ;__;#certain women

hollowboobtheory

surprisingly difficult pill to swallow: most people are not playing 8 dimensional mind chess and can be taken at face value

#text

speedlimit15

Uh oh i think something deep inside me just gave up for good 🤣

#text

amethyinst

we were never meant to see everyones opinions all the time

#text

angel-advise

my post: masculinity is seen as neutral in male-dominated society because it benefits men to be seen as the default every single fucking tag and reblog: idk man i see masculinity as neutral so i don't think it's that deep

red dead and beyond

bed bath redemption

Some of my favorite Borderlands ladies!

#bl #MAYA.... she is so shaped here

milos-coffin

Having the "I wanna go home" feeling when youre already home is the worst feeling ever

#text

miraclemaya

i need to age regress to 18 and do a bachelors degree correctly this time and get a million dollar job the moment i graduate and make 2000 friends who all love and worship me and find the artifact and defeat the evil mastermind and slay the ape

#text #unfortunately now there are several apes