Your research is always so fantastic. I was wondering if there were key films that 'reset' the standards as later films compared themselves in intensity/action/sfx to that film. Did the changes to audience expectation tend happen after certain films set a new bar (like John Wick or The Matrix) and popular comparisons or is there an incremental increase over time of those things. I hadn't thought about the changes to helicopter sounds or car chases (Baby Driver was incredible) until your article, thanks!
Thanks for the kind words. Generally speaking, I find it hard to find 'Patient Zeros' as you suggest. Sometimes there are ones we intuit (Gladiator, The Blair Witch Project, Pirates of the Caribbean, Iron Man, etc.) that upend some industry wisdom, but the lag between signal and effect makes it hard to prove causation. We can certainly say that we think "[x] redefined the genre" but creating a graph is much harder
From what I can tell, we're seeing the diminished creativity of studios who feel pressed to do the minimum for maximum gain. I believe this is surfacing due to heightened political drama and terrible economic winds.
Hell! Even storytelling has all but evaporated; replaced by a need to insert what honestly could be considered political propaganda and even social engineering in the guise of pretense and grandstanding.
Sad times, and quite possibly the final death knell of a glorious century old industry.
Your research is always so fantastic. I was wondering if there were key films that 'reset' the standards as later films compared themselves in intensity/action/sfx to that film. Did the changes to audience expectation tend happen after certain films set a new bar (like John Wick or The Matrix) and popular comparisons or is there an incremental increase over time of those things. I hadn't thought about the changes to helicopter sounds or car chases (Baby Driver was incredible) until your article, thanks!
Thanks for the kind words. Generally speaking, I find it hard to find 'Patient Zeros' as you suggest. Sometimes there are ones we intuit (Gladiator, The Blair Witch Project, Pirates of the Caribbean, Iron Man, etc.) that upend some industry wisdom, but the lag between signal and effect makes it hard to prove causation. We can certainly say that we think "[x] redefined the genre" but creating a graph is much harder
This is an outstanding article that has societal implications. You should hype it more — maybe it explains why Trump is on the Dept of Warpath
A very interesting read, sir, thank you.
From what I can tell, we're seeing the diminished creativity of studios who feel pressed to do the minimum for maximum gain. I believe this is surfacing due to heightened political drama and terrible economic winds.
Hell! Even storytelling has all but evaporated; replaced by a need to insert what honestly could be considered political propaganda and even social engineering in the guise of pretense and grandstanding.
Sad times, and quite possibly the final death knell of a glorious century old industry.