5 ms·
> If you cut corners, it looks like Youtube crap. I wonder where series like Louie and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia fit into this mix. They're pretty low
by jonahrd 10y ago
> If you cut corners, it looks like Youtube crap.
I wonder where series like Louie and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia fit into this mix. They're pretty low budget and do look pretty Youtubey, especially the earlier seasons. But for some reason that doesn't detract from the quality of the show at all.
Do audiences actually need high production value if they have great acting, writing, directing?
- fredsir 10y agoProbably not in It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, but in Game of Thrones, poor production detracts.
- duncanawoods 10y agoLast I heard Louie CK was in debt after self-funding his last series. Could have been different production values / unusual business model though. http://variety.com/2016/tv/news/louis-c-k-millions-horace-pete-1201750625/ http://variety.com/2016/tv/news/louis-c-k-millions-horace-pe...
- bisby 10y agohorace and pete was great, but it was definitely not for his core audience. it's not comedy or really a show. It's more like a filmed stage performance. A lot of people I know bought the first 1-2 episodes thinking it would be hysterical and never bought more after they realized what it was, and never even gave it a chance since it caught them off guard.
- slg 10y agoThat whole story was a case of reporters not knowing what they were talking about. Every television/movie production is in debt at that point of the process. All the money is spent up front and it takes a while to recoup those losses and turn a profit (the whole long tail thing). The difference was this was self financed so the debt was his and not some studio's. It is very similar to what happens at startups. No one expects revenue from day one but the losses can start immediately. Louie CK basically founded a startup and decided not to take any VC money. That means when it came time for his IPO (the digital streaming deal he signed with Hulu), all the money went directly to him making the entire endeavor profitable.
- yoodenvranx 10y ago> Do audiences actually need high production value if they have great acting, writing, directing? No. I'd rather watch 90 minutes of random "Whose line is it anyway" segmentd in 360p Youtube than the latest Transformers rendered in 8K.
- ghaff 10y agoFor mainstream audiences? Pretty much yes. Downton Abbey would not have been a hit if it had 1980s BBC production standards. Nor would the rebooted Battlestar Galactica have been as popular if it had the production values of the original.
- tomjen3 10y agoDownton Abbey had a pretty formularic script for at least the first 3 seasons though. A season based arc to try to save it, then it get fixed just for a new peril to start the next season.
- magic_beans 10y agoI love the real-life quality of shows like Louie and Broad City.
- krrrh 10y agoOne of the things that caught my attention watching the credits for Louie was that Louie CK himself was listed as editor in addition to his other roles.
- drewrv 10y agoYour examples are comedies, which can get away with it as the audience isn't expected to take things seriously.
- acchow 10y ago> Do audiences actually need high production value if they have great acting, writing, directing? La La Land was made with a $30M budget and has grossed >$220M already.
- ghaff 10y ago$30M may not be big budget by Hollywood standards but it's hardly "low budget" and, from what I've seen, La La Land looks like a fully professional Hollywood production.
- santaclaus 10y agoNecessary but not sufficient for many genres. Guardians of Galaxy wouldn't have been nearly as fun without the amazing visual effects (imagine the raccoon guy as a muppet), but would have been Transformers slop if the writing and characters hadn't been interesting.