3 ms·

I’ve often wondered if the sheer volume of TV and films being produced has led to a drop in writing standards. Then, it isn’t comparatively worse than anything

I’ve often wondered if the sheer volume of TV and films being produced has led to a drop in writing standards. Then, it isn’t comparatively worse than anything else being churned out. But probably this also means more opportunities overall, even if there isn’t as much harsh selection at the top end?

kranke155 3y ago
No, I’ve studied cinema history and the vast majority of films have always been bad. The idea older movies were better is just selection bias. Pauline Kael said: “If you love movies you must love trash because most movies are trash” (I’m paraphrasing). There are “golden times” when a lot of good directors and writers were allowed to make great work - often because their work was profitable - and then times where the corporate machine took over. But that’s geofenced. Hollywood was creatively strong in the 70s and oppressive in the 80s, but Honk Kong was killing it in the 1980s.
- wharvle 3y ago
  Folks also complain about modern movies being bad while only being aware of like 1% of fairly major ones that came out in the most recent year. There are so many likely-to-be-good movies every year that I can’t keep up, personally. Or they have very narrow tastes, and it’s like… ok yes since you dismiss 95% of all film for one reason or another (“I don’t like subtitles”, “I don’t like horror”, “this is too artsy”, et c), that only left a couple good movies for you this year.
  - kranke155 3y ago
    Yes the general public often complains about lack of diversity then refuses to watch anything that doesn’t have a Hollywood star-actor. It is what it is. People will watch 1960s French movies and praise them “How wonderful etc”, “they don’t make movies like that anymore!” but if you tell them to watch French movies of the 2020s or more famously Korean movies and TV shows a lot of people won’t budge, even though Korea is clearly the alternative powerhouse in the industry right now and the “equivalent” let’s say to the French New Wave.

kranke155 3y ago

No, I’ve studied cinema history and the vast majority of films have always been bad. The idea older movies were better is just selection bias. Pauline Kael said: “If you love movies you must love trash because most movies are trash” (I’m paraphrasing). There are “golden times” when a lot of good directors and writers were allowed to make great work - often because their work was profitable - and then times where the corporate machine took over. But that’s geofenced. Hollywood was creatively strong in the 70s and oppressive in the 80s, but Honk Kong was killing it in the 1980s.

wharvle 3y ago
Folks also complain about modern movies being bad while only being aware of like 1% of fairly major ones that came out in the most recent year. There are so many likely-to-be-good movies every year that I can’t keep up, personally. Or they have very narrow tastes, and it’s like… ok yes since you dismiss 95% of all film for one reason or another (“I don’t like subtitles”, “I don’t like horror”, “this is too artsy”, et c), that only left a couple good movies for you this year.
- kranke155 3y ago
  Yes the general public often complains about lack of diversity then refuses to watch anything that doesn’t have a Hollywood star-actor. It is what it is. People will watch 1960s French movies and praise them “How wonderful etc”, “they don’t make movies like that anymore!” but if you tell them to watch French movies of the 2020s or more famously Korean movies and TV shows a lot of people won’t budge, even though Korea is clearly the alternative powerhouse in the industry right now and the “equivalent” let’s say to the French New Wave.