Thank you for such a thoughtful piece! All too often in school, I heard fear from professors about “content” that is perfectly encapsulated by your point that there’s comfort in believing that movies have more value than YouTube.
Unfortunately, the system doesn’t work the same way for new filmmakers anymore and learning tools that allow you to feed yourself while honing your skills is incredibly important!
Hi Ben, I'm happy to have a chat with you. I don't think our ideas are as far apart as your piece lays out. I'm actually more "online" than any of my industry friends and have worked the creator economy business into my teachings. I would appreciate if you fix my title in your piece, it's Discipline Head of Producing, not "director," and I see you fixed my name in the online version. Not sure how to reach you, you can email me at hello@dearproducer.com.
This article was recommended to us by Christie at Kinema. Very good stuff! Thank you for writing it. You have my subscription! I'd love to connect with you if you have a second.
You provided a convincing, gracious rebuttal. In the end, pragmatism has always been a boon to self-expression, particularly when it comes to would-be filmmakers. At this point, leaning into the creative economy's innovations actively will lessen the chances of a work's cultural irrelevance, tame budget constraints and power more favourable distribution. Thanks as ever
As someone who graduated from an arts program, I am begging schools to understand that “reducing art education to job training and monetization metrics” IS ACTUALLY HELPFUL!!!
We want JOBS after graduation, we want to be EMPLOYED. That is why we are paying for an education. From 10+ years of experience, I can say honestly it doesn’t really help if we know how to tell a story, but can’t market ourselves!
Appreciate your takes, I think the person who wrote the article in dissent is wildly out of touch.
Great read man, thanks. As someone who went to film/animation school, and worked in the TV industry, but found way more success with my own projects on YouTube than I ever did wasting my time trying to get into film festivals and the "traditional" route, I've been having some of these same conversations lately.
To keep it brief (too late) I'll just say that the frustrating thing to me about these conversations is that film history is full of examples of the exact kind of things that are on YouTube and other social video platforms.
The French New Wave was criticized as amateurs and lacking craft for using jump cuts and shooting handheld. Stan Brakhage made probably dozens of films under 60 seconds. Al Gore giving a power point presentation won an Academy Award for best documentary, Orson Welles made basically the first video essay with "F for Fake"... and my YouTube feed is full of videos with much better production quality than the entire Dogma 95 movement (I know that was part of the gimmick). "The Rock," (Michael Bay) and "Natural Born Killers" (Oliver Stone) are the godfathers of frantic disorienting "retention editing."
... not to mention MTV back in the 80s and 90s, where the viewer was shown a new "short film" set to music every few minutes - they just didn't get to swipe to the next video themselves.
None of what's on YouTube or "social media" is really any different from what has always been made with moving images. the big difference now is that everyone has the opportunity to try to attract viewers to their work if they want it... and we're finding out what the viewers actually choose for themselves.
Great points, Ben. I love film and TV and YouTube, and I've learned that if someone on the inside of System A says you don't need an alternative to it, it means the real money and influence is outside. If someone wants to become a visual storyteller right now but they aren't excited about exploring YouTube and TikTok, I'd be very worried about their odds of success.
I teach film students in my Film Distribution and Marketing class. If I could rename the class I would call it “Platforms”. A thorough understanding of all platforms available to filmmakers (creators) and marketers alike is a necessary path to creative success in our current world. Viewers of all platforms want great stories. I simply teach the infrastructure, which changes each and every semester. Once the basics of each platform is understood, these students are better prepared to craft their stories for their desired audiences, market to them and shape their careers for the long term. Yes, YouTube is currently a dominant distribution and marketing platform, so it should be understood like all the platforms that exist alongside it. Artists can and will create what inspires them. Understanding the changing ecosystem will allow them more flexibility and give the a much greater chance to reach their desired audiences.
Jordan... 'welcome back' from wherever you journeyed.
'Sorry' for the brevity of comment on today's post... One Word: 'OPEN'... you included the word in the post... it's the word that captures the essence of the entire post by describing how stuff gets created.
Thank you for such a thoughtful piece! All too often in school, I heard fear from professors about “content” that is perfectly encapsulated by your point that there’s comfort in believing that movies have more value than YouTube.
Unfortunately, the system doesn’t work the same way for new filmmakers anymore and learning tools that allow you to feed yourself while honing your skills is incredibly important!
Hi Ben, I'm happy to have a chat with you. I don't think our ideas are as far apart as your piece lays out. I'm actually more "online" than any of my industry friends and have worked the creator economy business into my teachings. I would appreciate if you fix my title in your piece, it's Discipline Head of Producing, not "director," and I see you fixed my name in the online version. Not sure how to reach you, you can email me at hello@dearproducer.com.
This article was recommended to us by Christie at Kinema. Very good stuff! Thank you for writing it. You have my subscription! I'd love to connect with you if you have a second.
You provided a convincing, gracious rebuttal. In the end, pragmatism has always been a boon to self-expression, particularly when it comes to would-be filmmakers. At this point, leaning into the creative economy's innovations actively will lessen the chances of a work's cultural irrelevance, tame budget constraints and power more favourable distribution. Thanks as ever
As someone who graduated from an arts program, I am begging schools to understand that “reducing art education to job training and monetization metrics” IS ACTUALLY HELPFUL!!!
We want JOBS after graduation, we want to be EMPLOYED. That is why we are paying for an education. From 10+ years of experience, I can say honestly it doesn’t really help if we know how to tell a story, but can’t market ourselves!
Appreciate your takes, I think the person who wrote the article in dissent is wildly out of touch.
Great read man, thanks. As someone who went to film/animation school, and worked in the TV industry, but found way more success with my own projects on YouTube than I ever did wasting my time trying to get into film festivals and the "traditional" route, I've been having some of these same conversations lately.
To keep it brief (too late) I'll just say that the frustrating thing to me about these conversations is that film history is full of examples of the exact kind of things that are on YouTube and other social video platforms.
The French New Wave was criticized as amateurs and lacking craft for using jump cuts and shooting handheld. Stan Brakhage made probably dozens of films under 60 seconds. Al Gore giving a power point presentation won an Academy Award for best documentary, Orson Welles made basically the first video essay with "F for Fake"... and my YouTube feed is full of videos with much better production quality than the entire Dogma 95 movement (I know that was part of the gimmick). "The Rock," (Michael Bay) and "Natural Born Killers" (Oliver Stone) are the godfathers of frantic disorienting "retention editing."
... not to mention MTV back in the 80s and 90s, where the viewer was shown a new "short film" set to music every few minutes - they just didn't get to swipe to the next video themselves.
None of what's on YouTube or "social media" is really any different from what has always been made with moving images. the big difference now is that everyone has the opportunity to try to attract viewers to their work if they want it... and we're finding out what the viewers actually choose for themselves.
Great points, Ben. I love film and TV and YouTube, and I've learned that if someone on the inside of System A says you don't need an alternative to it, it means the real money and influence is outside. If someone wants to become a visual storyteller right now but they aren't excited about exploring YouTube and TikTok, I'd be very worried about their odds of success.
I teach film students in my Film Distribution and Marketing class. If I could rename the class I would call it “Platforms”. A thorough understanding of all platforms available to filmmakers (creators) and marketers alike is a necessary path to creative success in our current world. Viewers of all platforms want great stories. I simply teach the infrastructure, which changes each and every semester. Once the basics of each platform is understood, these students are better prepared to craft their stories for their desired audiences, market to them and shape their careers for the long term. Yes, YouTube is currently a dominant distribution and marketing platform, so it should be understood like all the platforms that exist alongside it. Artists can and will create what inspires them. Understanding the changing ecosystem will allow them more flexibility and give the a much greater chance to reach their desired audiences.
Hope for CONVERGENCE
That is the key ‼️
Extraordinary analysis….
So clear and profound…
It makes you aware that for both: legacy and creator economy innovation is mandatory in order to survive and reach your audience by all means.
Congrats
Jordan... 'welcome back' from wherever you journeyed.
'Sorry' for the brevity of comment on today's post... One Word: 'OPEN'... you included the word in the post... it's the word that captures the essence of the entire post by describing how stuff gets created.
Brian Couch