November

 

                                    The future ain't what it used to be.

The latest offerings from Steve Jacob's excellent Agent on the Loose Substack  -- Part One and Part Two -- discuss the troubles Hollywood is currently enduring and how the situation might be remedied. What's clear is that the production bonanza Hollywood enjoyed during the streaming boom will likely never return, for a lot of reasons. There are still a few shows going on in town, and the level of production will gradually increase as the shakeout from the streaming wars resolves, but the go-go days of full employment for everyone -- including many who flocked to the film and television industry over the past ten years -- are probably gone for good.

Things are very bad in Hollywood these days, where the future just ain't what it used to be.

I recently had a phone conversation with a former co-worker, a dimmer-op who was smart enough to get out of on-set production a few years ago and move with his wife to a more affordable region of the country where he now focuses on digital services supporting the film industry wherever production is happening. His analysis of the current situation echoed what Steve Jacob and others have said: competition for movie-making dollars is no longer just between Hollywood and other tax-subsidy states in the US, but has gone totally global.  Modern technology and increasingly widespread digital know-how allow production to happen just about anywhere -- there's no longer a compelling reason for many projects to film in Hollywood -- so producers go wherever they get the most bang for their buck. If that means filming in Canada, Spain, England, Hungary, or any other country offering financial incentives and/or lower barriers to production, so be it. 

When I moved to LA in 1977, the rent for my two bedroom apartment was $250/month. That would be around $1300 in modern dollars, which might rent a bare bones studio apartment in a sketchy part of LA these days, but a newbie hoping to get started in the film industry on PA wages still has to pay for utilities, food, auto insurance, cell phone, internet service, and all the other basics of modern life.  The relatively low cost of living back in the day allowed me to work for free on my first job -- a micro-budget feature that kick-started my career -- but without a significant bankroll, I don't see how a newbie fresh off the bus in Hollywood could go that route today.  Without solid professional experience or gold-plated connections in the film industry, young people will be hard pressed to land a paying job, so how can they afford to get started?  

More to the point, with the industry  -- and opportunities -- contracting as they are, why come to Hollywood at all?

As Jacobs points out, Hollywood's production drought could be eased by a massive increase in California's tax-subsidy incentive program -- currently capped at $330 million a year -- and federal tariffs on projects filmed in other countries for release or broadcast here.  In comparison, our incentive program lags far behind the $750 million dangled by New York, and Georgia boasts an unlimited program that offers financial perks not available in California.  Although Governor Newsom recently proposed boosting California's incentive program to match that of New York, I have to wonder if the legislature will support spending an additional $400-plus million dollars of taxpayer money at a time when the state's deficit has already slashed social programs to meet the constitutional mandate of a balanced budget.  Their political opposition would gleefully run a blizzard of ads in the next election cycle trumpeting this as "Robbing the poor to pay Hollywood fat cats!" -- a battle cry that would doubtless resonate with many in our fractious socio-cultural landscape.  The idea of federal tariffs makes a certain sense: if a producer decides to shoot a production film out of the country to save money, then make him pay for the privilige of releasing or broadcasting that show here.  Protecting domestic industries are what tarifffs are all about, provided those tariffs are carefully designed to even the playing field rather than stomp to death any and all competition.  

Newsome can lead his legistlative horses to water, but it remains to be seen if can he make them drink. As for tariffs ... I dunno.  Those will probably depend on the winner of Tuesdays electoral contest.  Trump seems to hate California in general and Hollywood in particular, so he'd be unlikely to help, and although a President Harris would be more willing to throw a lifeline to the film industry, she'll have her hands full for a while dealing with bigger issues than the plight of Tinsel Town.  But if enhanced incentives don't take effect. and tariffs -- or some kind of economic braking mechanism to slow the pace of offshore production -- are not enacted, Hollywood will continue to bleed out, forcing older workers into early retirement, driving younger workers and their families to other states or out of the industry altogether, and drastically shrinking the local workforce as Hollywood decays to a shadow of its former self: a tourist destination theme park much like the Universal Studios Tour. There will always be some level of television and film production here, but nothing like the industry I broke into nearly fifty years ago.

Fingers crossed.

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On a brighter note, I was recently pointed to a wonderful podcast on John Ford, who many consider to be the most influential director in Hollywood history. I've tuned in the first few episodes thus far, and they're terrific. This is not some dry-as-dust lecture or recitation of dates and film titles, but a fascinating dive into the man himself, what made him tick, and how he managed to become one of Hollywood's true legends. The story is told in part by people who knew and worked with him, and it's a good one.  Do yourself a favor and check it out.

On the subject of directors, here's an interesting piece in which James Gunn explains how and why any reshoots on his latest Superman movie will probably not be necessary.  Whether he can hold to that remains to be seen -- there are a lot of reasons reshoots can be needed for any film -- but the answer Gunn offered when asked how he approaches the task of directing a feature should be the manifesto of every director in Hollywood.

1) I over prepare.

2) Don't start shooting until I have a finished script my whole team is happy with.

 3) Hire actors and department heads I know can do their jobs.

4) Surround myself with people who will challenge me and not just yes-sir everything.

5) Ask myself daily -- are there any small imperfections in the script or what we're shooting that might end up feeling like huge imperfections when we cut the film together?

6) 1 and 2 again.

I've never seen a Superman movie (or anything by him other than a few clips from Guardians of the Galaxy), and thus have no idea if James Gunn is a good director, but I'm dead certain ours would be a  better industry if more directors followed his lead. 

I did one movie with a director who came to set prepared like this, a TV movie version of Neil Simon's Jake's Women starring Alan Alda, Anne Archer, Lolita Davidovitch, Julie Kavner, and Mira Sorvino, among others.  Our director, Glenn Jordan, did three weeks of rehearsals with the actors prior to filming, then walked on set every single morning knowing exactly what he wanted to shoot. His hard work allowed the crew to put in ten hour days on set, week after week, rather than the twelve-hour+ daily grind typical of features.  It was the easiest, least stressful, and most civilized movie-making experience I ever had, and all because the director was diligent in preparing properly.  I wish more were like him.

Appropos of nothing in particular, here's a terrific piece by Justin Chang on William Friedkin from the archives of the LA Times that I stumbled across while searching for something else. Chang is one of the smartest, most perceptive, and articulate film critics working these days, and always worth reading. If it's hidden behind a paywall where you can't see it ... well, sorry about that.

Sean Baker, who made Take Out, Starlet, Tangerine, Red Rocket, and The Florida Project, is doing interesting work.  I've seen Tangerine -- filmed on an iPhone -- and The Florida Project, both of which I liked, and will be interested to see his latest feature, Anora, which sounds like a good one. Definitely worth your time is this ten minute interview with Baker that recently ran on NPR.

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KCRW's The Business ran a two part interview with Gabriel Sherman, director of The Apprentice, a drama about the malignant influence Roy Cohn had on the then-young Donald Trump long before the latter entered politics. The interviews included a conversation with Tom Ortenberg, founder of Briarcliff Entertainment, which is distributing the move. After receiving a rapturous reception at Cannes,  The Apprentice got ... bupkis.  Nobody wanted to touch it, thanks a threatened lawsuit by Trump. After a prolonged perioud of silence, Ortenberg saw the film and decided to stand tall among the legion of  cowards to distribute the film.  True to form, Trump -- like most blustering bullies -- backed down when challenged, and Briarcliff has yet to be sued.  That could change, of course, if the election goes horribly wrong and Trump wins ... so think about that before you cast your ballot on Tuesday.

Part One and Part Two are around ten minutes each, and worth a listen.

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Another director of note is back in the news: Clint Eastwood, at age 94, has released a movie called Juror No. 2, which sounds like a good one.  This review, from the SF Chronicle's Mick LaSalle, is likely tucked behind a paywall, but if you can't read it, just know that Mick -- who can be a lethally snarky  critic -- loved the film.  His review closed with this appreciation of the director:

"Eastwood has used his longevity better than anyone else in the history of American cinema.  If he'd retired or died at 70, we couldn't say this, but by now we have to acknowledge that this is one of the greatest film careers imaginable.  Think about a legendary actor like John Wayne -- enormous, iconic, indelible.  Then a director like John Ford -- monumental, untouchable, profound.  Now imagine if John Wayne and John Ford were the same guy.  That's Clint Eastwood, two towering talents in one person.  Enjoy him while he's here. We've never seen anyone like him, and we'll never see anyone like him again."

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A pair of directors made the news this month, but not in a good way.  Paul Morrissey died after an up and down career that started with quirky 16 mm indendent films shot in New York, then moved on to collaberations with Andy Warhol in such memorable films as Trash and Heat -- both of which entertained me and my fellow film freaks in college -- before finally making a few more-or-less mainstream movies.  He was a strange guy who never managed to carve out a big career, but made an impact on the film scene in his own unique way.

Speaking of "unique," the one and only Dennis Woodruff has passed away after decades of trying to break into Hollywood as an actor, during which he made a low-profile name for himself producing and directing many of his own distinctive films.  Woodruff was a fixture in Hollywood -- I often saw him on the street selling video cassettes of his films or driving by in one of his astonishing automotive creations.  Late in my Hollywood journey, I ran into him at a laundromat one day, where he put me on film (well, digital chip, I guess) for a brief snippet that ran in one of his movies.  I posted this a couple of years ago to tell that story and showcase a few of his cars, because he deserved a little recognition beyond that which he'd generated for himself.  At this point I haven't found an obituary -- just this FB post notifying the world of his passing.  Dennis was quite a character, but had a good sense of humor and a real passion for movies.  Hollywood won't see the likes of him again.

RIP, Dennis.  

Don't forget to vote, kiddos ... then hold your breath and pray.