Category: The TV Biz

WHY HOLLYWOOD A-LISTERS ARE FLOCKING TO TV

The showbiz paradigm probably has changed more in the last year and a half than in the preceding decade. And we owe it all to the fact that TV isn’t merely TV anymore. Witnesseth:

true-detectiveby Christine Persaud

Flip on your television any given day, and you might think you tuned into a feature film. The once-held stigma about “real actors” appearing on the small screen has virtually vanished, and high-quality television programming has been attracting a swarm of A-list Hollywood talent. Christian Slater, Matthew McConaughey, and James Franco have all recently made the move to TV, and the shows in which they appear are doing very well. This begs the questions: What started this migration, and will the trend continue?

The rise in TV quality read article

Have TV & Film Already Merged?

Of course they have. You just have to be a member of the “VR Generation” to see it! Here’s what we mean:

vr download

For the VR generation, the differences between TV and movies may already be irrelevant
by Steven Zeitchik

The upcoming crime drama “The Night Of” would seem like a prototypical cable show — commissioned by HBO, airing for eight episodes, designed as summer appointment viewing.

Yet look beneath and a film beast stirs. “The Night Of” was co-written by Steven Zallian, an Oscar winner, and stars John Turturro; neither has ever been a key figure on a TV series. Every episode was directed by Zallian — highly atypical for a TV show. The scripts were also all finished before a single moment was shot  — unlike much of television, in which writers often stay just an episode or two ahead production. read article

Troy DeVolld: Pay Your Dues, But Get a Receipt

Okay, okay… this was just a sad little residual from an archived lecture. I don’t exactly have a huge stock library of me holding checks.
Okay, okay… this was just a sad little residual from an archived lecture. I don’t exactly have a huge stock library of me holding checks.

by Troy DeVolld

Let me tell you about an eight-year lesson I learned in reality television: Don’t chase checks.

The first three years of my career, I worked for Cris Abrego and Rick Telles nonstop. I started as a logger/transcriber, spent time as a story producer, logged a few weeks with the locations gang looking for spots to film episodes of FEAR, and they kept me working. Three straight years of employment, those guys gave me.

Then, after The Surreal Life, I moved on to Next Entertainment and did two seasons of The Bachelor and one of The Bachelorette. I wasn’t part of the in-crowd there, and I had to prove myself to a new bunch of people all over again. read article

What Pilots for the Upcoming 2016 Season are Still Breathing? What aren’t?

For those of us who eagerly – oh, all right, compulsively is probably the better word – track new series ideas throughout the seasons so we can enjoy as viewers and grow as creators, TV’s ins and outs can be especially heart-rending. And  when they aren’t giving us heart attacks, it’s usually because we just plain got lost and can’t follow the ins and outs.

Here, thanks to The Hollywood Reporter, is a scoresheet so we can see who and what are, and aren’t, still in the game:

pilot_gridby Lesley Goldberg

Following yet another development season that started late and featured a new round of reboots, the broadcast networks are again gearing up for a busy pilot season as they compete with not only one another, but with basic and premium cable as well as streaming services including Netflix, Amazon and Hulu — all of whom are making major scripted pushes. read article

Post Your Pro Video Creations on Amazon & Get Paid

A round of applause, please, for ;another new video/TV/whatev paradigm:

Amazon Video ConnectCaptureby Ron Amadeo

Amazon is launching a new video service called “Amazon Video Direct.” The new service entices professional video creators to upload their videos to Amazon, where they will be displayed on the Amazon Video site alongside studio-created TV shows and movies. The videos will be viewable by “all Amazon customers” via an ad-supported model, shown to Amazon Prime Video subscribers (presumably without ads) or available as a one-time rental or purchase. The service is launching in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Austria, and Japan.

It’s easy to see “Ad-supported video” and label Amazon Video Direct as “a YouTube competitor,” but Amazon is clearly only aiming for the “professional” end of the YouTube spectrum. Uploading a video requires that users first create an account (a regular Amazon account won’t work) with a “company” name. It’s also mandatory to connect a bank account and submit tax information so Amazon can distribute all the money you’ll be making. The paperwork required just to upload a video takes the service out of the running for the viral cat videos that pop up on YouTube—this service would be more for the Machinimas or Finebros of the world. read article