Looking to the Future

For the past year I have been diligently working on acquiring my Masters degree in entertainment business. Today marks the final day of that journey as all of my classes come to a close and I look toward my graduation in the coming week. However, that doesn’t mean my time dwelling on the world of entertainment business is coming to a close. In fact, it means quite the opposite. As the door to my education closes, the door to my career is flung wide open. More of the film industry is being thrust upon the shoulders of the up and coming generations of filmmakers. While the great names still hold their own weight, the number of avenues for recognition is increasing and it’s becoming more available for new, young directors and writers to get their names out there. Between video on demand choices, digital platforms, and the multitude of contests and festivals around the world, there is a wide array of choices for the budding teams of filmmakers out there.

Despite the fact that several major studios have closed recently, the film industry is still managing to stay afloat. The price of tickets has been steadily increasing over the past few years, and numbers have managed to dip, but records are still being broke and revenue is still being generated. The key to success now though is keeping your options open. In the old days of Hollywood, the studio system held a tight grip. They become large umbrella corporations that dealt with the inception of a movie idea all the way through which theatres it would be shown at. But these days have long disbanded, and the studios we are seeing that have become defunct are the ones draining their budgets, putting their eggs into one basket for summer blockbusters, yet manage to fall short. Without being able to reap back all of the money spent, the studio has no other option but to cut their losses.

In today’s world it’s all about keeping your mind open and being receptive to fresh ideas. We live in an age where people want more digital content. They want the satisfaction of instantly being able to watch a film; they want it at their fingertips. Having the ability to stream or download films is a no brainer now, and the studios that are in tune with this are the ones who are managing to survive. They may have many small projects in circulation as compared to one behemoth hit, but their studio is still making money for itself. And in today’s world where, especially in the horror genre, the look of first person, hand held, or even cheap films are becoming increasingly popular and it helps keep budgets nicely in check.

Coming in the industry in its current state, I’m proud to have these responsibilities rest on my shoulders. It is the new, creative generations that will make things stand out and find even more ways to deliver content to audiences. It’s fresh and exciting, albeit somewhat scary, but if you want to keep the spirit of film alive through passion, not caring about being a multi-millionaire, it seems like quite an easy task to undertake. I’m ready to make a career out of the industry that I have fallen in love with, and despite these new market trends being a mystery to the generations of old, they are business models that I would be happy to sink my teeth into.