In the lead-up to India’s current elections, a recent Modi biopic, a film about a 2016 military raid against Pakistan, and a high-profile trip of two dozen stars to take selfies with the PM all have critics wondering if India’s film industry is trying to campaign for the incumbent. Reporter Amrit Dhillon suggests that it’s not that simple — or, rather, that it’s simple in a different way. – The Guardian
Category: media
CEO Jack Dorsey On What He Would Do Differently If He Was Starting Twitter Now
“If I had to start the service again, I would not emphasize the follower count as much. I would not emphasize the ‘like’ count as much. I don’t think I would even create ‘like’ in the first place, because it doesn’t actually push what we believe now to be the most important thing, which is healthy contribution back to the network and conversation to the network, participation within conversation, learning something from the conversation.” – The New Yorker
Netflix’s “Woke” Tweets Versus Its Corporate Decisions
Netflix’s Twitter feed talks like it’s a person, making comments and observations, and trying to be your best friend. It’s a tough act to pull off… – Washington Post
You Can Take The ‘Society’ Right Out
The Film Society at Lincoln Center isn’t that anymore – it’s simply Film at Lincoln Center, a move that is intended to appeal to a younger, and broader, crowd. Society, so old-school. – The New York Times
Comcast Customers Are Using Way, Way More Data Than Ever Before
No, it’s not an issue, but it might be soon. Median usage is 200GB a month of streaming data (the Comcast limit is one terabyte a month, and then users have to pay). Sure, “200GB a month is still a good distance away from that 1TB limit, but it’s a considerable jump from just 60GB a month just a couple of years ago, and that likely means that even more customers are meeting or exceeding that data cap, although Comcast didn’t reveal that figure.” – The Verge
Just When You Thought Bundling Was Dead, The New Disney And Hulu Discussion Began
When every site, production company, and channel seem to be creating their own streaming services, and when Disney decides it might want to sell its own bundle, it’s time to acknowledge that murdering cable with streaming might only have created a Night King. – Bloomberg
Man Shouts Spoilers At Crowd Waiting To See Avengers: Endgame, And Then They Beat Him Up
Well, the directors did ask people not to spoil the movie. (Obviously, the answer is not violence, but it does indicate the seriousness with which audience members treat spoilers for movies like this one.) – Deadline
How Changes In Facebook’s Algorithm Disadvantaged The Arts
The algorithm discouraged sharing of news. “While every subject group saw major reductions, on a percentage basis arts and entertainment referrals from Facebook to news pieces took the greatest hit. Legal issues may have been down 25%, politics down 34% and education down 35%, but arts and entertainment referrals were driven down by 71% overall.” – The Stage
Subtitling Movies Is A Serious, Difficult Craft (And Studios And Filmmakers Need To Remember That)
An outcry over the quality of translation in the subtitles of Roma has received a frustrated response from top professional subtitlers. Yes, they say, subtitling is getting worse — because the industry wants it done on the cheap. “A film-maker wouldn’t outsource their colour correction or audio mix and just think: ‘I’ll leave them to it, I’m sure it’ll be fine.’… Subtitles are the conduit allowing you to communicate your film’s ideas around the globe.'” – The Guardian
Steven Spielberg Doesn’t Hate Netflix. Really!
“Recent reporting about the now-rejected proposal to bar movies produced by and for streaming services from Oscar contention has tended to portray Spielberg as a reactionary arch-enemy of Netflix. But insiders say that just isn’t true — his company actually helps Netflix produce some of its programming — and have taken pains to let the New York Times know it.” – The New York Times