Tuesday, August 29, 2023
TikTok Has Broken Hollywood And No One Knows What To Do About It
www.slashfilm.com: The entertainment industry is in a weird spot right now. Streamers and studios keep purging exclusive material that hasn't made the jump to physical media, seemingly intentionally creating a new library of lost media in favor of tax write-downs. The AMPTP has forced a dual strike between the WGA and SAG-AFTRA, effectively shutting down the industry and already making a huge dent in box office performances.
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Colangelo definitely made some valid points in this article. The decreasing of the national/global attention span due to social media can be frightening for the entertainment industry, especially for movies and plays that don’t last between 30 seconds and 20 min in duration. (Though, I digress I do have issue with the fact that many movies being released at the moment are three hours long - many of the most perfect films are 1:30-2 hours long, not everybody needs a 3 hour epic). Still, knowing that the phase of “tablet kids”–who lack certain social skills and attention span–is only growing, leaves worries for the world, not to mention the field that I and my peers are going into as DPs. I didn’t actually think about how attention span affected the audience’s respectfulness for the moviegoing experience (and the “silence your cell phone” signs) until Colangelo mentioned it in this article, which is really interesting. I hope, for our sake, that society can relearn those norms when attending a film or theatrical production. As well as the issue of our shrinking attention span, Colangelo mentioned issues with pirating affecting the streaming industry. Usually when I see clips of movies or shows on Instagram Reels or TikTok it makes me more interested in watching it in full, so it was enlightening reading how that has actually seemed to decrease profits for streaming services. Though of course, pirating in general is a much bigger topic to be discussed, which as Colangelo mentioned affects many in the film industry, most greatly so the actors and people on the production who aren’t ‘famous’ and whose residuals could be affected.
TikTok's impact seems to extend beyond just Hollywood; it's leaving its mark on Broadway as well. I found myself realizing this during our recent production meeting for "A Doll's House." As I shared the memorable moment of Jessica Chastain exiting the house through the load-in door, I realized that while I was fortunate enough to witness it firsthand, several colleagues in the room hadn't. Surprisingly, they were familiar with the ending thanks to TikTok. And honestly, I have some strong feelings about this—TikTok, you've got me frustrated. Theatre has always held a unique and transient charm, an experience that unfolds and fades away with each live performance. Yet, TikTok's influence threatens to disrupt that enchanting ephemerality. Sharing snippets and spoilers might be tempting in the age of social media, but it undermines the essence of theatre. The magic lies in the fleeting moment, the energy exchanged between the performers and the audience, and the shared experience that's truly alive in the present. TikTok's ability to disseminate such crucial aspects in bite-sized videos undermines the very spirit that makes theatre special. While technology has its place in the arts, we must safeguard the irreplaceable quality of live theatre.
What shocked me the most after reading this article is how this issue of ‘plagiarism’ has been so overlooked. Although I’m not a TikTok user, short-form videos are still everywhere and there is almost no way to avoid them. They are just a much faster way to get information. The issue with ‘plagiarism’ that the article talks about is very accurate and I agree a lot of times people are walking a thin line between promotion and exploitation. When we look at Barbie and Oppenheimer, they are great examples of how social media and video platforms have helped immensely with box office numbers. However, it’s interesting that when people realise the video content includes promotion, they tend to react vigorously and reject the ‘product’. So, to combat this, companies’ publicity teams are working harder to ensure that the advertisement and promotion are as subtle and natural as possible. However, there are definitely cases where companies used the controversy to their advantage in promoting. I think this psychological battle is very interesting, but I definitely do not encourage filming in movie theatres and posting them on streaming platforms because that ruins the experience for those around.
While I understand what the author is trying to say, I feel that they are undermining just how annoying watching a TV show or a full length movie on your phone in three to ten minute increments is. Consuming media that is designed in portrait is already small enough, I can not imagine trying to watch anything on half of my phone screen. Accounts that would post this kind of content are trying to get you to stay on their page for as long as possible, so I am sure that all the videos for one show or movie are not arranged perfectly one after another. I have never come across anything like this in the many hours I spend online and maybe I’m not on the side of social media that has it. What I do see constantly is people taking 30 seconds to three minute clips of shows to highlight their favorite scenes.
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