BvBPL
Pour Decision Maker
I watched this video where Kevin Spacey talks a bit about the pilot program of American television production and the changing landscape of media consumption now that Netflix has gotten into producing televisions shows.
For those of you who do not know, the pilot program in Hollywood involves TV studios producing first episodes as a means to determine which TV shows get made and get aired. Producing these pilots is very expensive.
For Netflix Spacey executively produced and starred in an American remake of the British TV show that was based on the best selling novel by Michael Dobbs, House of Cards. Instead of shooting a pilot and then shopping it around, Spacey & crew shopped around the idea of the show, got picked up by Netflix, shot the whole show, and then released it all at once on Netflix.
Spacey says in the video that this means of production is more cost effective and generally superior to the old school American pilot system and that House of Cards's critical success is demonstrative of this model's superiority.
I can't help but think that Spacey's not giving his audience the whole story. It is certainly true that House of Cards has been a roaring success. However, the same can't be said of the rest of Netflix's original offerings. Hemlock Grove was panned, Lilyhammer largely flew under the radio, people have complained about the new season of Arrested Development published by Netflix, and Bad Samaritans is so unremarkable that it doesn't even have a Metacritic page.
Netflix's defenders will hasten to cry that Orange is the New Black has achieved some critical success. Certainly, this is true, just as it was true of the book the show was based on. Which makes me ask whether the success of House of Cards and Orange is the New Black can be attributed to the production and distribution scheme pioneered by Netflix or if their success is a by-product of the original works being so successful and well-done themselves.
Looking over the "Netflix Originals" TV shows cited above, only two are not based on an existing book or TV series, Lilyhammer and Bad Samaritans. Which makes me wonder what is so original about their programing generally.
Certainly I think Spacey has some valid points. The distribution model where all episodes are released at once is something consumers will likely respond to in a big way. I'm not sure if it will change TV though as piecemeal distribution overtime also allows TV companies to keep producing their shows through the season, thereby reducing the time the product sits in the vaults before being released. It also permits TV channels to be flexible on what they air, allowing for midseason cancelations and replacements.
For those of you who do not know, the pilot program in Hollywood involves TV studios producing first episodes as a means to determine which TV shows get made and get aired. Producing these pilots is very expensive.
For Netflix Spacey executively produced and starred in an American remake of the British TV show that was based on the best selling novel by Michael Dobbs, House of Cards. Instead of shooting a pilot and then shopping it around, Spacey & crew shopped around the idea of the show, got picked up by Netflix, shot the whole show, and then released it all at once on Netflix.
Spacey says in the video that this means of production is more cost effective and generally superior to the old school American pilot system and that House of Cards's critical success is demonstrative of this model's superiority.
I can't help but think that Spacey's not giving his audience the whole story. It is certainly true that House of Cards has been a roaring success. However, the same can't be said of the rest of Netflix's original offerings. Hemlock Grove was panned, Lilyhammer largely flew under the radio, people have complained about the new season of Arrested Development published by Netflix, and Bad Samaritans is so unremarkable that it doesn't even have a Metacritic page.
Netflix's defenders will hasten to cry that Orange is the New Black has achieved some critical success. Certainly, this is true, just as it was true of the book the show was based on. Which makes me ask whether the success of House of Cards and Orange is the New Black can be attributed to the production and distribution scheme pioneered by Netflix or if their success is a by-product of the original works being so successful and well-done themselves.
Looking over the "Netflix Originals" TV shows cited above, only two are not based on an existing book or TV series, Lilyhammer and Bad Samaritans. Which makes me wonder what is so original about their programing generally.
Certainly I think Spacey has some valid points. The distribution model where all episodes are released at once is something consumers will likely respond to in a big way. I'm not sure if it will change TV though as piecemeal distribution overtime also allows TV companies to keep producing their shows through the season, thereby reducing the time the product sits in the vaults before being released. It also permits TV channels to be flexible on what they air, allowing for midseason cancelations and replacements.
