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  1. #1
    A Wearied Madness Vakanai's Avatar
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    Default Has television truly become that much better than Hollywood films?

    Over in another forum somewhere, I asked if anyone else was excited for the news about a new Mortal Kombat movie. First response was, kinda predictably these days, someone complaining about how they would prefer an HBO series. I said I was kinda tired of everyone always saying that such and such should be either a Netflix or HBO series, and they made a comment about how I should accept the "fact" that TV is less likely to screw things up than Hollywood. I made the argument that that's not really true, but only seems so because of these points:

    1. Television puts out a lot more product, so it's easier for the crap to get lost and drowned out in the pile. Hollywood films are relatively speaking fewer and far more profile, their failures stick out more.

    2. Most people stream video online these days, meaning that they choose what they watch, meaning that they rely far more heavily on reviews, ratings, and word of mouth. This means it's easier to steer clear of crappy television, not that crappy tv isn't there. Films most people see in theaters before most ratings or reviews, never mind that even if you don't watch them you've seen and remembered the marketing (trailers) for them. You don't know what crappy tv is out there, but you do know what crappy films are out there.

    3. People are still feeling the exciting newness over victories from Netflix or HBO. But not everything is going to be Game of Thrones. People will be exposed to more and more clunkers on these services over time, and realize it's just as big a crapshoot as television or Hollywood has always been.

    So I thought I'd ask you - am I right? Is tv really no better or worse than Hollywood at making entertainment? Or am I just wrong and unwilling to admit that Hollywood sucks now and TV really is a better place for all our nerdy fan franchises?

  2. #2
    DC/Collected Editions Mod The Darknight Detective's Avatar
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    TV is great today for non-special effects stories, but it's still easily second fiddle to the movies when it comes to CGI spectaculars.
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  3. #3
    Astonishing Member AndrewCrossett's Avatar
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    Movies are basically good now for lavish, big-budget spectacle movies. CGI explosions and monsters. Television has become better at just about everything else.

    I only ever bother going to the theater now for those kinds of movies... ones that are popular enough I know I won't be able to go spoiler-free for the 6 months or so before it goes on streaming or DVD.

    It seems like whenever I think about adapting a book or comic I like to the screen, I prefer a Netflix or HBO series to a movie.

  4. #4
    Astonishing Member jetengine's Avatar
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    Tv does such a good job that people want GOT last season remade ?

    Nah, TV and movies have distinct differences.

  5. #5
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    I think this has been the theory for the last maybe 10-15 yrs...that television has become a better source for dramas as multiplex movies have relied more and more on tent pole movies and franchises.

  6. #6
    Mighty Member TriggerWarning's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Vakanai View Post
    3. People are still feeling the exciting newness over victories from Netflix or HBO. But not everything is going to be Game of Thrones. People will be exposed to more and more clunkers on these services over time, and realize it's just as big a crapshoot as television or Hollywood has always been.
    This. Everyone wanting to see an adaption of some source material is hoping it will turn out as well as Game of Thrones or Daredevil on Netflix. And not like some movie clunkers like the Dark Tower which pretty much abandoned its source material and made a bad movie out of it. Some things are definitely better in movie form - take It by Stephen King which is getting the two movie treatment but its a stand alone property. Something like the Dark Tower needs a TV series to do justice to the 7 core books of the series 3-4 absolutely crucial side book King did which are essential reading to the DT series - if you haven't read King most of his book tie into the DT world is some fashion but most of the time its just small little easter eggs that can be ignored (like with IT for instance) but there are 3-4 books that aren't labeled Dark Tower but are still essential because they either feature major characters from the DT or tie into major events of the series.

  7. #7
    Mighty Member TriggerWarning's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by jetengine View Post
    Tv does such a good job that people want GOT last season remade ?
    You can always find people whining about anything. I think most are fine with the last season of GoT and the only unhappiness is that its ending. What most are whining about with GoT is the heel turn by a character that was many people's favorite since the first season. They are ignoring how heavily foreshadowed the heel turn is going all the way to the beginning of the series and just pouting "she was supposed to be the hero" and then crying out how the show is bad because it reinforces the "women are crazy" trope all while ignoring the fact that another female in the series who was equally well developed is so far the hero and MVP of the entire series and may well be the one to save everyone.

  8. #8
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    To an extent, it depends on the amount of money available in general for film entertainment, how many outlets that money needs to be divided amongst, and what the viewer's personal values are.

    As more outlets become available, more good writers are going to seek more places to sell the writing to. So will the bad writers, of course, but the important thing is that good writing will have more places to find a home at.

    When it comes to most other aspects of production though, the best will rise to where the most money is, and that's not likely to be streaming or TV for the near future. So that means folks like directors, lighting designers, costumers, editors. There's only so much work these folks can do, and where they can do it is largely based on how skilled an experienced they. As with everything, there will be exceptions - people who are well-connected for instance.

    As an example, look at House M.D. The first episode was directed by Bryan Singer, who had a personal stake in the show. The direction and, most visibly, the lighting, were of a scale never approached again in that series. It was a startling drop in quality, and if you ever want to be able to see how much influence a director can have over what finally appears on screen, compare the first and second episodes of House.

    So the best production values, generally but not absolutely, is always going to be where the money is, whether we're talking Endgame or The Third Wife. That's going to be in the movie theaters for a long, long time. But individuals may find themselves more drawn to stories presented on smaller stages like TV and streaming, regardless of lower production values.

  9. #9
    Astonishing Member AndrewCrossett's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by TriggerWarning View Post
    This. Everyone wanting to see an adaption of some source material is hoping it will turn out as well as Game of Thrones or Daredevil on Netflix. And not like some movie clunkers like the Dark Tower which pretty much abandoned its source material and made a bad movie out of it. Some things are definitely better in movie form - take It by Stephen King which is getting the two movie treatment but its a stand alone property. Something like the Dark Tower needs a TV series to do justice to the 7 core books of the series 3-4 absolutely crucial side book King did which are essential reading to the DT series - if you haven't read King most of his book tie into the DT world is some fashion but most of the time its just small little easter eggs that can be ignored (like with IT for instance) but there are 3-4 books that aren't labeled Dark Tower but are still essential because they either feature major characters from the DT or tie into major events of the series.
    The Dark Tower is the poster child for movies that should have been TV shows right from the start. They knew they couldn't possibly do that whole million-page story in one movie, so they wrote another story altogether and slapped the marketable title on it... and with King's blessing. The whole thing was bizarre. I can't believe they thought that approach would turn out well, especially since they could have easily gotten a trilogy of blockbuster movies out of the original source material.

    Now they're doing it right... a series based on the prequels which will (I hope) be followed by an adaptation of the main story, true to the books.

    Although I liked the move Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, I think that should have been a TV show too. They had to leave soooo much good stuff out of the movie.

  10. #10
    A Wearied Madness Vakanai's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by AndrewCrossett View Post
    It seems like whenever I think about adapting a book or comic I like to the screen, I prefer a Netflix or HBO series to a movie.
    But the bulk of television today isn't HBO or Netflix. If we remove those two from the equation, would you still feel the same?

  11. #11
    Astonishing Member AndrewCrossett's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Vakanai View Post
    But the bulk of television today isn't HBO or Netflix. If we remove those two from the equation, would you still feel the same?
    I was using those as examples, but I think scripted television overall is better than it has been... maybe ever. Netflix probably has 10 dead-end shows for every good one, but the streaming glut right now, and the demand for content that goes with it, means that a lot of creators are getting their stuff seen that wouldn't have gotten the time of day back when it was just a handful of networks, basic cable channels, and movies. The visual entertainment industry was badly in need of a shakeup, and has gotten it. Who knows if it will last?

  12. #12
    DC/Collected Editions Mod The Darknight Detective's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by AJBopp View Post
    When it comes to most other aspects of production though, the best will rise to where the most money is, and that's not likely to be streaming or TV for the near future.
    Absolutely correct. The biggest budget for two hours on TV or streaming can't compare to a big-budget film.
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  13. #13
    Uncanny Member XPac's Avatar
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    I can sort of buy the arguement that if it's something you REALLY life, you prefer seeing it on TV instead of movies.

    As much as I like the MCU for example, I'm happier Daredevil ended up on Net Flicks. In the MCU we get 2 hours of DD in one movie. Assuming he does well, he can get another 2 sequals along with maybe short appearances in Avengers or Spiderman. So that's what... 7-8 hours of DD? On netflicks he gets 13 hours in a single season. Getting 3 seasons plus Defenders, and it's no contest.

    So TV is a case of greater quantity. Movies can often be a case of better quality, but that's not ALWAYS the case. The Net Flicks for example had quality writing and enough of a budget to make it look good. Maybe not MCU budgets, but it more than did the job done.

    BUt there are times when the TV stuff does come off as second rate by comparrison, so it depends.

  14. #14
    Astonishing Member AndrewCrossett's Avatar
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    The smaller budgets on TV mean the shows have to rely on storytelling and acting rather than being able to blow you out the back of the theater with SFX. A small number of movies manage to put good storytelling together with spectacle (MCU, LotR, Harry Potter) but others don't.

    Most of the stuff that used to be made as movies is now going to TV because you can't get made or promoted if you're not a franchise film with a $300 million budget anymore. 90% of the Academy Award nominees in recent years never even played in my local cineplexes.

    In any case where the source material is longer than a single novel, it's almost always better to do it as a TV series.

  15. #15
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    Yes and No. You can tell a longer story (maybe better) and dig deeper into a character than in a movie. However a movie budget gets you better production value.

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