15 ms·
Amazon studios
- slig 15y ago> Get your movie made. The goal of Amazon Studios is to work with Hollywood to turn the best projects into major feature films.
- jjb123 15y ago"Work with".. then render unnecessary?
- cosmic_shame 15y agolet's hope so
- vibrunazo 15y agoWe don't need to kill Hollywood necessarily. But more broadly, the Hollywood model. Instead of fighting new models, Hollywood could adapt. In a way "kill" itself. We only talk about killing Hollywood because they have historically refused to change. But if they embrace change, then startups should help them change instead of killing it.
- pdenya 15y agoCrazy timing. Could be a first step towards the things mentioned in http://ycombinator.com/rfs9.html http://ycombinator.com/rfs9.html
- inconditus 15y agoAmazon Studios has been out for at least 4 months previous to the writing.
- nevster 15y agoThere was a small mention of it by Bezos in the December Wired http://www.wired.com/magazine/2011/11/ff_bezos/all/1 http://www.wired.com/magazine/2011/11/ff_bezos/all/1
- braco_alva 15y agoThanks for clearing that up, just before I read your comment I was thinkg "Wow, that was fast."
- pdenya 15y agoThanks for the info, I hadn't heard about it. Apparently a lot of other people didn't either if it's on the front page right now. Still, I can see them needing more time to ramp up before making any strategic changes angled at displacing the studios.
- absconditus 15y agoIt was launched in the fall of 2010.
- inconditus 15y agoThanks for correcting me. Also, we have similar usernames. ;)
- BryanB55 15y agoI haven't heard about it before either. I thought the same thing when I saw this.
- ja27 15y agoI stumbled on it last month and was surprised that I'd never heard of it before.
- nreece 15y agoCould be, but for now their official stand is: The goal of Amazon Studios is to work with Hollywood to turn the best projects into major feature films.
- chancho 15y ago"Some of the best ideas may initially look like they're serving the movie and TV industries. Microsoft seemed like a technology supplier to IBM before eating their lunch, and Google did the same thing to Yahoo."
- mediaman 15y agoI agree, and this would be a very typical long-term move by Amazon: they systematically partner with existing incumbents, and then develop a business model that renders them redundant. Book publishing was the first example.
- robryan 15y agoI would say also, with the YC rfs, I think any startup going down that path would be better of not being anti-hollywood as an official line.
- freshhawk 15y agoI agree that just because they work with the studios doesn't mean they don't fit the bill. I think they don't fit because it's boring. It's scaling up and updating of "I'll help you sell your screenplay" newspaper ads. Open to everyone but with predatory terms. Another middleman to the studios. It's not innovative and it's not killing anything.
- kayhi 15y agoThe goal of Amazon is to work with publishers to turn the best books into bestsellers.
- sliverstorm 15y agoThey got to learn the business from the inside first... ;)
- shorttime 15y agoI thought the same thing until I read "The goal of Amazon Studios is to work with Hollywood to turn the best projects into major feature films"
- oron 15y agoAmazon has got it's fingers in so many pies ... and they all taste so good,
- milkmiruku 15y agoAmazon's monopsony in the e-book market scares me. http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/2011/11/cutting-their-own-throats.html http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/2011/11/cutting-...
- techgeek42 15y agoWhat? After the price fixing conspiracy from Apple and the Big Six, publishers set eBook prices (via the agency model). That is why eBooks can cost more than paper backs: http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/12/01/20/amended_class_action_complaint_alleges_apple_publishers_engaged_in_price_fixing_conspiracy.html http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/12/01/20/amended_class_...
- EGF 15y agoCreation (via this studios play) and distribution (via Prime) are making Amazon well positioned in the content wars.
- trobertson 15y ago> What is a test movie? > An Amazon Studios test movie should be an inexpensive, full-length movie > that tells the whole story of the script in a compelling way, with very > good acting and sound. Somehow, I don't think this will work. "Make a movie, to make a movie" doesn't seem like an attractive offer. I'm not a filmmaker, but from what I understand, it is much more convenient to send out a script than it is to produce and edit a movie, and then send that out. Going by what's presented in Jordan Mechner's "The Making of Prince of Persia" [1], sending out a script sounds very easy, and very common, and it sounds like the people who receive scripts will actually read them to determine if they're good. It sounds like there is a lot of professional feedback. I don't see how Amazon Studios is going to improve on that, or even match it. Getting feedback from professionals is very different from getting feedback from Youtube junkies. [1] http://jordanmechner.com/category/prince-of-persia/ http://jordanmechner.com/category/prince-of-persia/
- easp 15y agoThere is a lot of romance surrounding the movie business. That romance is a lot of the reason there are so many good looking and or talented waiters and waitresses in LA. It may be less visible, but you can be damn sure there are lots of aspiring writers and directors who are attracted by the same romantic notions. With such a vast oversupply, I would not be surprised if there are plenty of people who are willing to make a movie for the chance to make a Hollywood movie (indeed, a lot of indie shorts and full-length flicks are already attempts at just that). Or, just look at it through the lens of the tech startup industry. You think people aren't doing small projects on the side, for free, with friends, in the hopes of scoring something bigger?
- alanfalcon 15y agoWatch "I think my Facebook Friend Is Dead". I was skeptical about test movies too, but that one is watchable and entertaining enough that you can see how a little production values and more professional actors could make a good movie. It's all about mindset while watching.
- ashleyw 15y agoSo they'll pay you $200,000 for a theatrical release (but regardless of if your movie is chosen, you can't sell your work anywhere else for 18 months because they've got exclusive rights to buy it…all without giving you a penny), and you only get an extra $400,000 if it makes $60,000,000 at the box office? It sounds like a cool concept, but sounds like a very lousy deal. Or am I missing something?
- zacharycohn 15y agoNo, it's a pretty lousy deal. The upside is there's at least a chance your script will get picked, versus Hollywood where there is virtually no chance. So it's a "shitty deal vs no deal" situation.
- jonnathanson 15y agoIt's basically a tradeoff. You have a higher chance of getting picked, but a much lousier payday if you do. Nevertheless, it might actually be a decent bet for newbies to the screenwriting trade. As you've mentioned, and as I concur, your odds of getting discovered in Hollywood are somewhere just shy of your odds of getting beamed aboard the Enterprise. So Amazon's system represents a slightly better way to get a calling-card film made out of your script. Nevertheless, it's a much shittier deal for anyone who's had a script sold or made. So this seems like a one-and-done sort of deal. Get discovered on Amazon, then go get an agent in Hollywood, and eventually, make lots more money than through this system. Amazon's system needs some way to scale up as the writer's career does. Or else it's always going to be stuck as a AAA farm team for Hollywood. That might not be a bad thing; at least it's a toehold in the business. But it's not going to bring down the system anytime soon. Unless, of course, the entire cost structure of the film industry changes, and Hollywood stops being able to afford higher-end writers' paydays. Which may indeed happen, sooner or later. Hollywood has a cost-side crash on its hands eventually. It's anyone's guess as to when, but it will happen. Revenues can't keep declining, year over year, while talent costs and budgets keep climbing.
- zacharycohn 15y ago
- paul9290 15y agoI've always wanted to write the following exposition and climax story. Two strangers separately receive a note in the mail detailing how the other will die. The notes details the day and date of the strangers' deaths, an approximate location and a vague notion how it will happen. The notes provides small clues of their identities and thus both set out to id each other and prevent their deaths. Ultimately, though, their quests to save one another ends in tragedy, as they mistakenly kill each other. Sorta you can't fight "Fate," type story. Well if that sounds like a good idea for a movie or short-film I'd love to see it made Edit: Offering script ideas (crowd-sourcing scripts) could possibly be a good "kill Hollywood," idea. Where the most popular crowd-sourced scripts get funded thru either KickStarter or Amazon Studios.
- gee_totes 15y agoYou might be interested in this book: http://machineofdeath.net/ http://machineofdeath.net/
- deleted 15y ago[deleted]
- FreakLegion 15y agoI'm disappointed in the shallow look people are giving this. You can't just read the marketing copy and take it at face value. Amazon Studios is actually pretty terrible for creatives, as many successful screenwriters et al. have been pointing out for over a year now: http://artfulwriter.com/?p=1103 http://artfulwriter.com/?p=1103 http://www.hitfix.com/blogs/motion-captured/posts/the-morning-read-why-amazon-studios-is-a-very-bad-idea-for-writers http://www.hitfix.com/blogs/motion-captured/posts/the-mornin... Since those were written things have improved slightly, but anyone thinking about participating should still have serious reservations: http://johnaugust.com/2011/amazon-studios-now-slightly-less-terrible http://johnaugust.com/2011/amazon-studios-now-slightly-less-...
- Firebrand 15y agoI'm not sure how I feel about all this spec work that is appearing in writing communities. It's one thing in fields like design or development where the IP could potentially be reused. With work like this that takes months to create, you risk never being able to use this work again once you post it up.
- waterlesscloud 15y agoSpec work has been part and parcel of the screenwriting world forever. As have free options. Something everyone tells you not to do and most people end up doing anyway.
- melvinram 15y agoAs a designer, I protest. It's always okay for other industries but when it hits home, people cry foul. Spec work is spec work.
- waterlesscloud 15y agoMazin's argument is that if you were good enough to write a script that grosses over $60 million you could get a better deal than $600,000 for the script. But I don't know if that's true. First time spec sales over $600k are very, very rare. A number of things have to come together in a way the resembles luck more than anything else for that to happen. For an established screenwriter, sure, they could do better. For a first timer...I'm not so sure.
- deleted 15y ago[deleted]
- ultimatewarrior 15y agoThis stinks.
- easp 15y agoThis is an interesting experiement. It's been a long time since I really paid close attention to the movie industry, but I remember that one way money was raised, and risks shared, was in the divvying up of distribution rights (and or options on those rights) between domestic theatrical release, DVD sales, cable TV rights, and rights for same in overseas markets. Amazon is in an interesting position in this regard, they are positioned to make money on physical and digital distribution to consumers through both individual sales and amazon prime subscriptions. They also make money on the home theater systems people use to consume this stuff. And, of course, they are getting into the eBook publishing business. Controlling the film rights to books gives them even more leverage over holywood. It wasn't until now that I made the connection between the squeeze Amazon is putting on book publishers, and how much leverage that gives them over Hollywood. Good for amazon, but good for Apple too. I also note that IMDB is an Amazon property, and that IMDB is both a way for consumers to discover media, but also it has made some headway in helpingsource the skills needed to make movies.
- DrJokepu 15y agoI am a little concerned that such a democratic creative process will lead to the redditification of motion picture; only kumbaya-style movies that make you warm inside, approved by the hive mind will ever be made, while controversial pieces of works that ask questions or raise issues most people are not prepared to listen to yet will never be realised. Which would be a shame because that's one of the important roles of contemporary art in our society.
- firefoxman1 15y agoWell, I'm not a Redditor, but I've seen some of the most controversial topics make it to the top page. Heck, even the whole SOPA debate, which hardly got any traditional media coverage, was king of HN and Reddit these past few weeks. And yesterday I read a great AMA from a former prostitute. Let's see that subject get any traditional media time.
- baddox 15y agoThe SOPA thing is certainly an instance of "hive mind" behavior, albeit toward a worthy end.
- GuiA 15y agoThe SOPA debate was hardly a controversial topic for HN/Reddit. Websites like Reddit definitely have great content, but as parent commenter pointed out, this content is necessarily the kind of content that appeals to the average user, and there is no room for outliers.
- firefoxman1 15y agoI suppose that's true, but they have liberated topics that would have otherwise been ignored by larger media companies. I think the Amazon model for deciding is still a better sample of an audience than a bunch of grey-haired men sitting around a board-room table whose first question is "will this be profitable?"
- TylerE 15y ago
- nicklovescode 15y agoAmazon's product introductions are like a mixture of Apple's product videos and Sesame Street
- ryanjmo 15y agoThe most innovation and the largest growth in distribution for video in the modern world has been in the many professional YouTube channels that exist. EpicMealTime, FreddieW, RealAnnoyingOrange, have literally millions or fans that watch every single one of their videos and they are currently making millions of dollars. In fact FreddieW has raised over $270K on kick-starter for to create a movie, all donated from his fans. Now, beyond just the individual YouTube channel owners, there are currently (start-up) studios that professionally manage and assist YouTube channels (for a cut of course). Some of these start-ups are http://machinima.com/ http://machinima.com/, http://makerstudios.com/ http://makerstudios.com/, cloudmedia, http://fullscreen.net/ http://fullscreen.net/ http://www.thecollective-la.com/ http://www.thecollective-la.com/ http://break.com/ http://break.com/ All of these companies, either have millions of dollars or have raised millions of dollars. Now they are currently in a land grab for all the top YouTube channels, because if you control the top YouTube channels you control distribution. And currently top YouTubers are some of the only people on the web, that can effectively and consistently distribute to millions of fans. My point is this, innovative people are already challenging hollywood and are off to a great start. In my opinion, if someone is serious about killing Hollywood they need to first study whats already out there and figure out how to work with the people who have already made some serious progress!
- geuis 15y agoInteresting until one reads to this part: "To that end, we have established a first-look development deal with Warner Bros., the biggest movie studio in Hollywood." I'll pass. No one should be making any deals with Hollywood anymore. If this was Amazon's attempt to fund movies for its own distribution, that would be awesome. But it's not.
- robertp 15y agoDoes anyone in the comments actually have experience in working with agencies like CAA & William Morris besides watching Entourage? It is hard to tell the full details & long term prospectives with Amazon studios but Hollywood is about 100x harder to work into compared to any online app or service. An online service you can build & market anywhere and it doesn't matter who you know. Hollywood is exact opposite, you can write it from anywhere but you need to be working in LA and be friends with plenty connected people and work with good agents, lawyers, management, etc.
- aditya 15y agoI'm not sure if Amazon Studios represents real democratization of movie-making, or if Primer: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primer_(film) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primer_(film) does. Of course cult classics like Primer are few and far between, just like successful startups.
- marquis 15y agoHow was Primer democratic? It was made the same way every other great low-budget film was made: a talented, single-minded and dedicated director.
- jenius 15y agoI can't believe there hasn't been a single comment on how ridiculously horrible the introduction video is. I honest to god cannot figure out if this is some absurd conspiracy or joke, but that video looks like it was produced by a middle schooler with an istockphoto account using imovie. Am I retarded? Is this really a joke? I don't get it...
- colinm 15y agoHmm, concentrate power into a single company? And you thought Holywood was bad?
- richcollins 15y agoSounds like its designed to feed into the existing system