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Request for Startups: Kill Hollywood.

ycombinator.com

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Re: Request for Startups: Kill Hollywood.

#691

Post by alanfalcon »

thebrokencube wrote: post #378
alanfalcon wrote: post #216

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It also gets boring to watch my wife play her 20th hour of Assasin's Creed Revelations. Video games aren't good entertainment for those not holding the controller.

It depends on the game. The e-sports community is making headways, with things such as the "starcraft bars" and stuff. It's not the same, but there is effort being made in the field.

I could watch competitive Starcraft with a good shoutcaster for weeks. And I don't simply say that as a former Blizzard employee, though BlizzCon helped me see how fun progamers can be to watch at their peaks.

Re: Request for Startups: Kill Hollywood.

#692

Post by chrischen »

I think Hollywood's (and also the Music industry) problem is that the talent and artists are commoditized, instead of the financiers. Compared to the tech startup industry, there are only a few major studios that finance most of the films people watch. This concentrates too much power in too few entities and that's ultimately what has created this Hollywood problem. I don't think movies and tv shows are going away anytime as a form of entertainment.

Killing Hollywood is going to require some way to reverse balance of power and commoditize the financiers just like in the tech industry. Then tv shows, movie franchises will more resemble startup companies and hopefully become more forward thinking as well.

Re: Request for Startups: Kill Hollywood.

#693

Post by mickdarling »

foxit wrote: post #644
foxit wrote: post #468

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This post nails it. You're talking about disrupting two things, neither of which are entertainment: distribution of finished goods (external), and the system within that's been in place since the fall of the studio system in the '60s (internal). Neither of these things have that much to do with entertainment. Technology has made being a filmmaker far, far cheaper than it used to be even in the heyday of indie film in…

I have two general ideas. Steal them. I don't have time to implement. 1) Find innovative ways to reduce production costs. Production is expensive. Unimaginably so. This can be things like: a) Redesign physical set equipment. Ex: Set lights are expensive; a single light can cost tens of thousands of dollars. Design a new light that takes advantage of modern LEDs or something, or that can be deconstructed to serve mult…

I read halfway through point number 1 and I thought "robotize the studio." Think of a new studio that is infinitely configurable with lights and cameras, and all controlled by software. Kind of a Holodeck but in reverse, or a blackbox theatre where the point is to record everything that goes on in the studio and configure that recording, maybe even something similar to a 3D scanner but with full motion cameras. 3D Models and location overlays could be inserted more easily because all the details of the original shots are already recorded, and can be adjusted after shooting.

What this is would be a standardized studio room, that would only require the director and actors on set. Every other specialty could be done in post, and thus allow them to work on more projects at once. Better skilled people, doing more work, drives quality up and lower costs. Win:Win

Re: Request for Startups: Kill Hollywood.

#694

Post by sampsonjs »

Graham's Randian techno triumphalism(teh haxxors shall inherit the earth!) is becoming increasingly asinine I see. Movie studios are in decline? I thought their profits and share prices were public record, once you get past any creative accounting, but what do I know: http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/12/13/movie-executives-see-r.... If anything a switch to streaming would throw the ball back into their court. In fact someone already created what Graham is asking for, you can see it at www.youtube.com. What's that? Youtube was built on copyrighted content? You say creating footage and promoting it ain't cheap? That the advent of digital video didn't kill Hollywood with a flood of indie films about ugly looking people and their depressing lives (which don't involve vampires and werewolves)? Oh...

Re: Request for Startups: Kill Hollywood.

#695

Post by sampsonjs »

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.

LOL @ Jessia not "talking you out of doing something crazy." You didn't do anything crazy, you put up a web page that says "I think Hollywood is doomed!". And that says you possibly might be willing to bet a few grand on someone who agrees with you, maybe. Oh Paul, you daredevil you!

Re: Request for Startups: Kill Hollywood.

#696

Post by mcartyem »

sambeau wrote: post #501
mcartyem wrote: post #357

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How will you get users?

We'd clearly have to spend money at first and advertise, perhaps even commission some trailers. My first port of call would be film schools and private production companies. The secret is to keep our word and make the first movies according to the rules even if they aren fairly amateur. As soon as the professionals see stuff being funded that they can better, the trailers would pour in.

Film schools would make a good first port of call indeed. They may not give the largest number of users to spread the idea though.

A lot of people want to be part of a movie. They also want to have their own reality show. Since in a sense everyone's personal reality is already shooting, why not allow for that?

http://thereality.is

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