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Request for Startups: Kill Hollywood.

ycombinator.com

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Re: Request for Startups: Kill Hollywood.

#471

Post by Natsu »

TomOfTTB wrote: post #461
Natsu wrote: post #449

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They're working to kill Netflix, though. First by restricting just how early it could get videos, then by making them pay for streaming on every user, not just those who stream. I understood that to be the whole point of the ill-fated attempt at splitting the company, in fact.

Follow the logic here. Denying Netflix content for a little longer might hurt Netflix because people will come to Netflix during that time, look for the content, and not find it. So if that's true wouldn't it just be easier to never give Netflix the content. I mean, if they're trying to kill Netflix that would seem the way to go. The truth is they aren't trying to kill Netflix they're trying to maximize profit which…

> Having said that I've always believed media should be treated as a monopoly and regulated accordingly.

I believe there are compulsory licenses for sound recordings. It could be interesting to make all copyrighted works subject to something like that, but I can't imagine the details required to make it workable. Larry Ellison would probably have a heart attack...

Re: Request for Startups: Kill Hollywood.

#472

Post by ramblerman »

TomOfTTB wrote: post #410
mustpax wrote: post #405

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Whatever gave you the idea that 7000+ karma entitles you to anything on HN?

Point count is the equivalent of contribution. It means you perhaps said something that opened someone else's eyes or led the conversation in a positive direction. Guidelines are to prevent people who don't contribute valuable ideas (e.g. trolls) from bringing the conversation down. So, if someone has proven them self not to be a troll, I think they're entitled to lose their temper every once in a while provided they…

Well that or you could have just make 7000 mediocre posts. Just by your post count in this thread alone, that doesn't seem unlikely.

Re: Request for Startups: Kill Hollywood.

#473

Post by bambax »

dageshi wrote: post #76

If you define killing hollywood by not actually consuming any of its products either legally or illegally then video game playthoughs are doing it for me. http://www.youtube.com/user/SSoHPKC/videos He uploads between 6-10 ten to fifteen minute video's per day on most major releases. Plus multiplayer games like killing floor, pay day the heist, minecraft e.t.c. A weird mix between talk radio, motion picture and realit…

Thanks for this comment; this is news to me, I had no idea these things existed.

I just watched one video and it's just like you said: a combination of talk radio, motion picture and reality TV (sort of like Jackass meets NPR...)

Who would have thought watching someone else play a game could be entertaining, but if the player has funny comments and insights, it sure is. That could become big (or is it already...?)

Re: Request for Startups: Kill Hollywood.

#474

Post by MetallicCloud »

ohyes wrote: post #269
skb_ wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Did you guys consider video games? I think that's already a viable alternative form of entertainment. I would argue video games already killed Hollywood, they just never pulled the sword out. $50 for 100+ hours of content vs $10 for roughly 2 hours? No contest.

Video game industry is nearly as bad as Hollywood.

I think the indie scene is shaking up the status quo, so hopefully that is also changing.

Maybe an easier way to distribute indie movies to a wide audience?

Re: Request for Startups: Kill Hollywood.

#475

Post by ctwk »

anactofgod wrote: post #417
pg wrote: post #9

Incidentally, Paul Buchheit deserves all the credit for this idea. The YC partners were having lunch yesterday and he suggested posting this RFS. Whereupon we all turned to Jessica, who is usually the one who talks us out of doing crazy things. I was kind of surprised she didn't try to talk us out of it.

The original post ends by asking the wrong - and an extremely limiting - question. Technological innovations of camera/film/projectors (and later broadcast & receivers) made motion pictures possible . These came first. The current "Hollywood" production-distribution-revenue model came after, as a result of the economics of what it took to make motion pictures profitable . So, "Hollywood" is less the entertainment, an…

I agree that the question is limiting, but not necessarily wrong. By creating a new form of entertainment, one can take over a portion of Hollywood's revenue pie and that in a way will create havoc for Hollywood, but not necessarily killing Hollywood since there will be bound to be people who likes Hollywood productions (especially since Hollywood has the finance to fund multi-million dollar productions in a whim).

What Hollywood fails to do is to listen to the voices of common people like me and you. Over and over again, Hollywood has produced films that fail to deliver and blame it on piracy. The point is that there will still be people who wants to reward quality content (or at least this is what I believe) and there needs to be a way for current technology to show this. We need to create a technical platform to reward quality content and show Hollywood the light! I have proposed a startup idea somewhere on this page on how to do this, as well as a way to entertain people like you and me. I would love to hear your input =).

Re: Request for Startups: Kill Hollywood.

#476

Post by bambax »

What about a Youtube Recommendation Engine That Works?

I've been on Netflix for about 6 months now, and I'm flabbergasted at the quality of their recommendation engine (which maybe owes much to their Netflix Challenge -- I don't know how efficient it was before).

For every show listed, they predict how much I will like it, and their prediction is almost always right.

On the other hand, Amazon is almost always wrong, and so is Youtube; my guess is Amazon bases its recommendations on what I buy instead of what I like, and Youtube does the same (what I watch instead of what I actually like).

A recommendation engine for Youtube (or all video sites) that would actually work would have a lot of value for users.

There's a chicken-and-egg problem: how do you get enough ratings to be able to make recommendations; this can be addressed by starting in a small niche of specific content: start with a small community of people passionate about a subject.

My two cents.

Re: Request for Startups: Kill Hollywood.

#478

Post by fchollet »

Well, this might be the solution : http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?t=1028109

When a few students can do Pixar quality animation, you know where the world is headed, right? Sotfware makes the barrier to entry to creation lower and lower, while the Internet makes the barrier to entry to distribution lower and lower.

Entertainement startups will take-over the old giants.

Re: Request for Startups: Kill Hollywood.

#479

Post by waterlesscloud »

tlrobinson wrote: post #383
sambeau wrote: post #214

Here's my suggestion: Trailer Pitch This is a simple design for a site and business where filmakers can crowdsource investment. It uses a simple mechanism to sell tickets and shares in advance based on the popularity of premade movie trailers. It uses a mechanism based on ideas tried by Pinboard, Kickstarter, YouTube, Vimeo, Betfair and Louis CK. One: filmakers make compelling trailers for films they would like to be…

I actually recently read somewhere that about 6 films at Sundance Film Festival this year were funded on Kickstarter.

14 films, including short films, at this year's Sundance received some portion of their funding via Kickstarter.
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