7 ms·

While I'm not particularly looking forward to this series, having rather unknown actors isn't putting me off at all. And why shouldn't they go with directors

by cgeier 4y ago

While I'm not particularly looking forward to this series, having rather unknown actors isn't putting me off at all. And why shouldn't they go with directors they are happy with? TV series often have a lot of different directors, often directing just a single episode of a season or even a series.

oneoff786 4y ago
TV series are often bad though. You can often see drastic dips in episode quality. Do they really know what they’re doing with these directors?
Sebb767 4y ago
The budget-talent-ratio just seems off. Usually, movies spend a lot of money on hiring talent, which here clearly isn't the case here. So the question is where is that money going. Grandparent and I are afraid that we end with something graphically completely overproduced and no story. Also, if you provide a junior engineer with a few million, you can't expect perfect software, even with that budget. Same reservations apply here.
- newsclues 4y ago
  In Hollywood you don’t always hire people for talent but branding and audience awareness. If you have a brand like the Hobbit you don’t need brand name actors or directors to attract an audience.
  - Sebb767 4y ago
    You're missing the point: We (GP and I) don't think you need known actors. There are great series with (then) unknown actors. It's just strange to have such a massive budget (which usually would go, in part, to known actors and directors) and then forgo them. Also, for directors, there's definitely a case to be made that you need someone who can handle such a large budget. That's why I made the example with the junior engineer.
    - Clubber 4y ago
      Yes, some of the best titles have none or just 1 top tier actor at the time: Star Wars (Alec Guinness), West World (Anthony Hopkins), Game of Thrones (Sean Bean), Breaking Bad, The Wire. I'm sure there's other's I can't remember. Some directors prefer fresh actors for some movies. It s not necessarily a red flag, but it could be. Time will tell.
      - verve_rat 4y ago
        But none of those had a budget this out of wack, that is the point being made here.
      - adventured 4y ago
        Not a great list for that premise. The Amazon Lord series not only lacks stars, it lacks famous mid-tiers as well. West World had Ed Harris, Evan Rachel Wood, James Marsden, Thandie Newton, among others. These are mid tier actors that are quite well known (even though they're not superstars). Breaking Bad had as its lead a very prominent television actor in Cranston. Malcolm in the Middle was a hit tv show that had a long run as far as TV shows go. He was already very TV-famous prior to Breaking Bad. Getting Cranston to carry Breaking Bad was them going with a TV heavy-weight with tons of experience and a deep familiarity for TV audiences.
        Clubber 4y ago
        I forgot about Ed Harris, I think he's way higher than mid-tier; he's very good and has been around forever. West World was probably a bad example thinking about it. >a very prominent television actor in Cranston He wasn't very prominent (he certainly is now). The show was for a particular demographic (later GenX) but that's about it. I'd say it was on par with That 70's Show. He was in a few Seinfeld episodes too. Compare that with the cast of LoTR and it's a stark difference. Point being, some directors prefer fresh faced actors for certain projects and it's worked out well. I'm sure with the supply and demand, there are a lot of good actors that haven't gotten much screen time.
  - NikolaNovak 4y ago
    In terms of established brands, I worry about the Dune Mini Series repeat. It was... fine. Felt scene by scene from the book, faithful, and unimaginative. I can't even remember if I watched it to end or not, let alone any additional detail.
  - TomSwirly 4y ago
    The Hobbit movies were some of the worst films ever made, which doesn't help your point.
- ankaAr 4y ago
  From an IT perspective, we know that the money is going to management and marketing department. And maybe a new pool for HHRR.
- Teever 4y ago
  theres a difference between hriing talent and hiring a name. many big actors are fabulous but theres a vast pool of actors to draw from who are equally fabulous but dont cost an obscene amount because their name isnt known. As a person who watches a lot of content it is nice to see some fresh faces and voices. that year where Benedict Cumberbatch played everything from a dragon in The Hobbit to Sherlock Holmes and even Khan in Star Trek sucked.
prepend 4y ago
I think that them going with directors they are happy with is precisely the problem. Amazon has cranked out a lot of mediocre tv shows that don’t have any significant greatness. What’s strange about these directors is that they haven’t directed anything I thought was good at all. The writers have uncredited writing credits on Flash Gordon and Star Trek Beyond [0]. I like those but it’s just strange that that’s all they have. Like that’s it. Not even a complete screenplay. I’d love to read the story of how they assembled this team that is free of PR. [0] https://www.imdb.com/filmosearch?role=nm4260438&job_type=writer https://www.imdb.com/filmosearch?role=nm4260438&job_type=wri...
- Emma_Goldman 4y ago
  >"They are happy with is precisely the problem. Amazon has cranked out a lot of mediocre tv shows that don’t have any significant greatness." This - the fact that this is an Amazon production already tells us a great deal about what to expect. I have a low expectations for TV, but the Amazon catalogue has really plumbed new depths. It is an artistic wasteland. Just reading the title of this thread I therefore thought, 'How is this going to work out?' If you add to that the concerns of the OP, it does not look good.
napkin 4y ago
OP was simply pointing out that by the looks of it, the new series will not be helmed by any Auteur. Peter Jackson was a modern auteur and people's expectations for LotR have been set by his distinct style.
karmasimida 4y ago
It is easier to have unknown actors/actress to sign up for longer contract I believe. Such high-profile show is unlikely to use super expensive and well known actors/actress for big roles, due to budget and commitment issue.

by cgeier 4y ago

oneoff786 4y ago

TV series are often bad though. You can often see drastic dips in episode quality. Do they really know what they’re doing with these directors?

Sebb767 4y ago

The budget-talent-ratio just seems off. Usually, movies spend a lot of money on hiring talent, which here clearly isn't the case here. So the question is where is that money going. Grandparent and I are afraid that we end with something graphically completely overproduced and no story. Also, if you provide a junior engineer with a few million, you can't expect perfect software, even with that budget. Same reservations apply here.

newsclues 4y ago
In Hollywood you don’t always hire people for talent but branding and audience awareness. If you have a brand like the Hobbit you don’t need brand name actors or directors to attract an audience.
- Sebb767 4y ago
  You're missing the point: We (GP and I) don't think you need known actors. There are great series with (then) unknown actors. It's just strange to have such a massive budget (which usually would go, in part, to known actors and directors) and then forgo them. Also, for directors, there's definitely a case to be made that you need someone who can handle such a large budget. That's why I made the example with the junior engineer.
  - Clubber 4y ago
    Yes, some of the best titles have none or just 1 top tier actor at the time: Star Wars (Alec Guinness), West World (Anthony Hopkins), Game of Thrones (Sean Bean), Breaking Bad, The Wire. I'm sure there's other's I can't remember. Some directors prefer fresh actors for some movies. It s not necessarily a red flag, but it could be. Time will tell.
    - verve_rat 4y ago
      But none of those had a budget this out of wack, that is the point being made here.
    - adventured 4y ago
      Not a great list for that premise. The Amazon Lord series not only lacks stars, it lacks famous mid-tiers as well. West World had Ed Harris, Evan Rachel Wood, James Marsden, Thandie Newton, among others. These are mid tier actors that are quite well known (even though they're not superstars). Breaking Bad had as its lead a very prominent television actor in Cranston. Malcolm in the Middle was a hit tv show that had a long run as far as TV shows go. He was already very TV-famous prior to Breaking Bad. Getting Cranston to carry Breaking Bad was them going with a TV heavy-weight with tons of experience and a deep familiarity for TV audiences.
      - Clubber 4y ago
        I forgot about Ed Harris, I think he's way higher than mid-tier; he's very good and has been around forever. West World was probably a bad example thinking about it. >a very prominent television actor in Cranston He wasn't very prominent (he certainly is now). The show was for a particular demographic (later GenX) but that's about it. I'd say it was on par with That 70's Show. He was in a few Seinfeld episodes too. Compare that with the cast of LoTR and it's a stark difference. Point being, some directors prefer fresh faced actors for certain projects and it's worked out well. I'm sure with the supply and demand, there are a lot of good actors that haven't gotten much screen time.
- NikolaNovak 4y ago
  In terms of established brands, I worry about the Dune Mini Series repeat. It was... fine. Felt scene by scene from the book, faithful, and unimaginative. I can't even remember if I watched it to end or not, let alone any additional detail.
- TomSwirly 4y ago
  The Hobbit movies were some of the worst films ever made, which doesn't help your point.
ankaAr 4y ago
From an IT perspective, we know that the money is going to management and marketing department. And maybe a new pool for HHRR.
Teever 4y ago
theres a difference between hriing talent and hiring a name. many big actors are fabulous but theres a vast pool of actors to draw from who are equally fabulous but dont cost an obscene amount because their name isnt known. As a person who watches a lot of content it is nice to see some fresh faces and voices. that year where Benedict Cumberbatch played everything from a dragon in The Hobbit to Sherlock Holmes and even Khan in Star Trek sucked.

prepend 4y ago

I think that them going with directors they are happy with is precisely the problem. Amazon has cranked out a lot of mediocre tv shows that don’t have any significant greatness. What’s strange about these directors is that they haven’t directed anything I thought was good at all. The writers have uncredited writing credits on Flash Gordon and Star Trek Beyond [0]. I like those but it’s just strange that that’s all they have. Like that’s it. Not even a complete screenplay. I’d love to read the story of how they assembled this team that is free of PR. [0] https://www.imdb.com/filmosearch?role=nm4260438&job_type=writer https://www.imdb.com/filmosearch?role=nm4260438&job_type=wri...

Emma_Goldman 4y ago
>"They are happy with is precisely the problem. Amazon has cranked out a lot of mediocre tv shows that don’t have any significant greatness." This - the fact that this is an Amazon production already tells us a great deal about what to expect. I have a low expectations for TV, but the Amazon catalogue has really plumbed new depths. It is an artistic wasteland. Just reading the title of this thread I therefore thought, 'How is this going to work out?' If you add to that the concerns of the OP, it does not look good.

napkin 4y ago

OP was simply pointing out that by the looks of it, the new series will not be helmed by any Auteur. Peter Jackson was a modern auteur and people's expectations for LotR have been set by his distinct style.

karmasimida 4y ago

It is easier to have unknown actors/actress to sign up for longer contract I believe. Such high-profile show is unlikely to use super expensive and well known actors/actress for big roles, due to budget and commitment issue.