Category: media

“In profound and permanent ways, the television business has changed since the writers declared pencils down. Network and media agency executives agree that the stoppage was the first line of an entirely new script for the television industry, one which, to borrow entertainment parlance, “reimagines” how TV has been developed, bought and sold for more 50 years.”

“Here is what we know of kids’ TV: it is bad and ruinous to health, it can lead to obesity, and is ultimately a poor substitute for what all our offspring really desire – the attention of their parents. There have been studies published to suggest that overexposure to television can have many detrimental effects, and can even hinder speech development in the very young. Here is something else we know of kids’ TV: that while it may prove temporarily diverting to our children, it is nothing less than torture for the rest of us.”

In Canada, “a single sentence in a 560-page tax bill has brought a procession of film stars and directors to the Senate, has started a national debate about censorship, and may even provoke a federal election.”

“The biggest problem facing us is the distribution of these pictures in America. The DVD business is flattening out; the theatrical business is becoming increasingly difficult for independent films. As the studios release more tentpole pictures, it really squeezes the independent films out of the marketplace and forces independent distributors to spend more money to get recognition in the marketplace.”

Great performances depend, in large part, on reverse projection. We often talk about an actor projecting this or that emotion, but that’s not the only way it works. Watch a movie star, especially during a close-up reaction shot, and you’re likely to see his or her face holding still, staying neutral so as not to give too much away. We’re the ones who are doing the projecting, and what we detect, bouncing back like radar returns from the actor’s face, is our own empathetic response — what we feel the character is feeling.

“With America supposedly on the brink of Great Depression II (like most sequels, its arrival has been hyped in advance), studio executives are closing their eyes and seeing dollar signs. The data seems to support the optimism.” After all, in four of the past five recessions, Hollywood’s box offic has increased.

“How will audiences of the future view art created with technologies of the past? To explore this and other delicate issues, more than 300 conservators, artists, curators and art historians gathered at the Getty Center for a three-day ‘Object in Transition’ conference earlier this year. Aimed at getting a grip on art in flux, attendees discussed new media.”

“In particular, the studios challenged a proposed restructuring of the formula for residual fees received by actors from DVD sales, which it said would double the current $500 million total that actors would receive over three years if the current formula was unchanged.”

“Authorities say the popular Indian programmes conflict with Afghanistan’s Islamic values. However, Tolo TV and Afghan TV say the ban is illegal. The Indian serials often show men and women together and feature what some Afghans consider to be immodestly-dressed women.”

“Were not fans of television’s favorite shows so feverish with pent-up desire to see new episodes that they planted themselves in front of their plasma screens at the appointed hours? Apparently not. Did the strike by Hollywood writers, which shut down production for 14 weeks, drive viewers away to other entertainment options? Maybe.”