Nodus Tollens: n. the realisation that the plot of your life doesn’t make sense to you anymore—that although you thought you were following the arc of the story, you keep finding yourself immersed in passages you don’t understand, that don’t even seem to belong in the same genre…
Probably something akin to crowdfunding and Kickstarter. Each season is prefunded by those with the interest in seeing it continue. I'd also probably keep the shorter 12 to 13 episode per season format to reduce filler and pay for 12 episodes at a time. Then have the stats regarding backers be publicly available so we have a clear metric that can determine interest relative to past seasons. Maybe include a way for fans and contributors to have direct impact on the show itself regarding direction and termination.
Sometimes fans just really love the characters and stay watching even after the show degrades. It doesn't really solve the incentive structures you described though. For that to happen the very nature of the film industry might need to change. For instance, in this prepaying model, the actors could be regarded as a troupe that continues to work together, and only the stories they tell together changes; which to some degree could be determined by what stories get funded. That might solve the continuity of work issue, by allowing the bidding of multiple stories to be put forth for funding after the end of a show.
Aug 7, 2022·edited Aug 7, 2022Liked by Nathan Glass
My rambled response......
First thought .. art and money. It is an art to let things come to a natural end. There is a Chinese saying.. 点到为止 （to conclude a fight with an opponent by a touch - without killing)
Like in comedy, painting, calligraphy and ceramics... there comes to a point where the making has to be done.
To overdo it... the clay will crumble, the calligraphy will just look wrong and the joke falls flat.
Can Art and Earnings be a homogeneous mixture of harmony?
Perhaps a great TV show isn't art.. it is also psychology.
Which hooks us with nuanced human conditions.
The characters we "ride alongside them vicariously", are the very characters we fantasize about, we have in our lives or dwell deep, deep, deeper within us.
Sometimes we keep watching because we want to know what becomes of us. (oh wait, i mean what becomes of the characters.)
That seems to intertwine.
That keeps the labyrinth going.
Oh wait. So perhaps it is an art too? An art of psychology to keep the labyrinth going that is still crazy but also relatable. That is a fine line to tread.
(Back to Earth with practical suggestions)
Maybe technology of blockchain and NFT is the way to keep the artists paid, which can keep the integrity going. Royalties when someone watches it or transfers it etc.
I was also thinking of an Emotional Platform version of Netflix where categories are "Are you missing your Ex?" --> Here are Suggested TV shows to satisfy your craving to feel or transform your lust to hate. (This could help bring back good shows that was lost in the ocean of Shows.)
(I do almost hate it that price and artistic integrity has to be in the same sentence.
So many things in this world that should not be "in the same sentence" exist in the same sentence.)
I have thought about this, too! I just binge watched a TV show and started thinking: What makes this show so good?
One of the main actors said in an interview: „You never know what makes a show successful. If you could identify the ingredients and separate them, then you‘d be a genius, but nobody knows, it‘s a combination of factors.“
This particular show felt whole. It was like the writer/producers had the story figured out before they even started the casting. Like they knew from the beginning where the story is going to end and just followed the path.
I like to think that TV shows should be more like books. Every author who starts writing a story knows probably where it‘s going to end. Otherwise, you are just floating in the story, grasping possible storylines and hope they are going to help you - of course that‘s one way to write a story. But what makes a story brilliant is forshadowing, leaving little cues and so on.
To come to an end: I think it would benefit, if you, as a writer/producer know, where your story is finished. To know that this story requires one season or five seasons.
And maybe not listen to the fans? It‘s contradicting what you said but if the writer thinks the character would do this and that, then they are probably right, even when the fans disagree. I think, it‘s the real portrayal of complex characters and sticking to them, that makes shows brilliant (but not necessarily successful). And not changing the characters to fit them in the next overly dramatic issue, that just repeats itself over and over again.
But, of course, you can‘t just keep producing if nobody wants to watch your story or when you don‘t have a budget.
I don‘t know, I can‘t form a conclusion. The arts are complex. I really don‘t think that there is a solution that exists. Producers are just going to produce what resonates most - and in a sense that‘s good, because - obviously - that‘s what most people watch and want, even though it may not be the most deep or life-changing show.
One last thing: But there are „different“ shows, that have smaller audiences. And maybe the reason, why those shows seem subjectively better to those smaller audiences, is because they are being watched by smaller audiences.
Probably something akin to crowdfunding and Kickstarter. Each season is prefunded by those with the interest in seeing it continue. I'd also probably keep the shorter 12 to 13 episode per season format to reduce filler and pay for 12 episodes at a time. Then have the stats regarding backers be publicly available so we have a clear metric that can determine interest relative to past seasons. Maybe include a way for fans and contributors to have direct impact on the show itself regarding direction and termination.
Sometimes fans just really love the characters and stay watching even after the show degrades. It doesn't really solve the incentive structures you described though. For that to happen the very nature of the film industry might need to change. For instance, in this prepaying model, the actors could be regarded as a troupe that continues to work together, and only the stories they tell together changes; which to some degree could be determined by what stories get funded. That might solve the continuity of work issue, by allowing the bidding of multiple stories to be put forth for funding after the end of a show.
My rambled response......
First thought .. art and money. It is an art to let things come to a natural end. There is a Chinese saying.. 点到为止 （to conclude a fight with an opponent by a touch - without killing)
Like in comedy, painting, calligraphy and ceramics... there comes to a point where the making has to be done.
To overdo it... the clay will crumble, the calligraphy will just look wrong and the joke falls flat.
Can Art and Earnings be a homogeneous mixture of harmony?
Perhaps a great TV show isn't art.. it is also psychology.
Which hooks us with nuanced human conditions.
The characters we "ride alongside them vicariously", are the very characters we fantasize about, we have in our lives or dwell deep, deep, deeper within us.
Sometimes we keep watching because we want to know what becomes of us. (oh wait, i mean what becomes of the characters.)
That seems to intertwine.
That keeps the labyrinth going.
Oh wait. So perhaps it is an art too? An art of psychology to keep the labyrinth going that is still crazy but also relatable. That is a fine line to tread.
(Back to Earth with practical suggestions)
Maybe technology of blockchain and NFT is the way to keep the artists paid, which can keep the integrity going. Royalties when someone watches it or transfers it etc.
I was also thinking of an Emotional Platform version of Netflix where categories are "Are you missing your Ex?" --> Here are Suggested TV shows to satisfy your craving to feel or transform your lust to hate. (This could help bring back good shows that was lost in the ocean of Shows.)
(I do almost hate it that price and artistic integrity has to be in the same sentence.
So many things in this world that should not be "in the same sentence" exist in the same sentence.)
Argh. This is where I think my comment shall end.
Why did I find this allegorically amusing? Representative of a prenuptial agreement v. alimony....
I have thought about this, too! I just binge watched a TV show and started thinking: What makes this show so good?
One of the main actors said in an interview: „You never know what makes a show successful. If you could identify the ingredients and separate them, then you‘d be a genius, but nobody knows, it‘s a combination of factors.“
This particular show felt whole. It was like the writer/producers had the story figured out before they even started the casting. Like they knew from the beginning where the story is going to end and just followed the path.
I like to think that TV shows should be more like books. Every author who starts writing a story knows probably where it‘s going to end. Otherwise, you are just floating in the story, grasping possible storylines and hope they are going to help you - of course that‘s one way to write a story. But what makes a story brilliant is forshadowing, leaving little cues and so on.
To come to an end: I think it would benefit, if you, as a writer/producer know, where your story is finished. To know that this story requires one season or five seasons.
And maybe not listen to the fans? It‘s contradicting what you said but if the writer thinks the character would do this and that, then they are probably right, even when the fans disagree. I think, it‘s the real portrayal of complex characters and sticking to them, that makes shows brilliant (but not necessarily successful). And not changing the characters to fit them in the next overly dramatic issue, that just repeats itself over and over again.
But, of course, you can‘t just keep producing if nobody wants to watch your story or when you don‘t have a budget.
I don‘t know, I can‘t form a conclusion. The arts are complex. I really don‘t think that there is a solution that exists. Producers are just going to produce what resonates most - and in a sense that‘s good, because - obviously - that‘s what most people watch and want, even though it may not be the most deep or life-changing show.
One last thing: But there are „different“ shows, that have smaller audiences. And maybe the reason, why those shows seem subjectively better to those smaller audiences, is because they are being watched by smaller audiences.
(Sorry, english is not my native language, haha.)