What changes do you foresee in the industry?
Alexander Rodnyansky First of all, the acceleration of the evolution of new technologies that have appeared in recent years. Coronavirus dramatically motivated the development of streaming platforms already since the advent of Netflix in 2008, has pulled a huge number of viewers. They radically changed the model of audience behavior, reducing the number of spectators in cinemas and chaining them to small screens. On small screens left and the genres that dominated in cinemas from dramas and melodramas to paintings espionage, adventure, historical. They changed – were transformed into an analogue book novels. The series is a modern novels. The situation with coronavirus made it clear that the theater will leave the genres to watch on the big screen does not make sense. There will be a movie attraction, close to the circus that when viewing a house loses much. Even the most advanced home screen does not compare with IMAX screen, which brings the viewer to the filmmakers invented worlds, inhabited by strange characters. The cinema halls will remain films, the cast of “universes” of Marvel, middle earth, Harry Potter his sorcerers, James bond, Star wars… Rides, created over hundreds of millions of dollars, attract a younger audience, and this audience will fill the halls.
Until recently, the segment on the screens kept and auteur cinema. But if you do futures, it will remain two forms of cinema in the halls. The first is the great hall, where, as in theaters, months will go blockbusters like “Avatar.” Movie theatres offering the public a special impression on the country would be a few dozen. And a ticket there will cost you – we do not wonder that in that theater ticket costs $ 200-250! The second form: there system centers for tastes, which will gather people who share interest in meaningful movies and not just wanting to see the film and to scatter, and to stay for a Cup of coffee, socialize, discuss the picture. As it was in our film clubs. For this kind of cinema, both new and classic, already have a large audience, a trend has emerged to return to the screens classics: go the premiere of the restored paintings of Fellini, Visconti, Kubrick… This, too, will not the cheapest pleasure, but I will answer the queries of the audience systematically to watch a movie in company, where people share a common emotion.
And, of course, streaming. It provides access to thousands of titles of all times and genres. Streaming platforms are multiplying quickly and will share its subject and purpose, fighting for the viewers attention. If the platform is created based on National Geographic, it’s clear what kind of content it collects. On the basis of educational History channel arose the series “Vikings”. Platform MUBI auteur cinema has every reason to become a universal method of delivery to the art-house cinephiles movies. That is there will be a system of different formats of screening, and the audience will be divided into different communities of interest, often far from each other. This has already happened with cable TV channels ran with the same interests. And the more narrowly focused will be one or the other platform, the wider the audience it will attract. As it happened with the most successful TV channels of pure music channel MTV turned into the lifestyle brand of a certain generation.
In the film business going “star wars” and arise a new Empire. Terrestrial TV stand?
Alexander Rodnyansky It will turn into a mixture of pay channels, online platforms, offering their content on the air and online as this is already happening: I watch what I want when it is convenient for us. Channels that have no original content, they are bound to disappear because of the cruel competition. Today Netflix forced to invest huge amounts of money – this year planned $ 20 billion! – on the production of original products. Compare: the income of the global theatrical market – 30 billion Netflix was forced to take this step: if he had used the products of the big studios, but now they created their own streaming platform. Disney, for example, has achieved leadership in all areas of movie – bought the world’s best animation Studio Pixar, and Marvel with the rights to its most popular franchise, the company Lucas produced “Star wars”. Got an incredible number of rights that will operate on all platforms – not by chance “Disney plus” opened the series “Mandalore” from the universe of “Star wars”. Warner Brothers at the end of may the platform launches HBO Max with content created for all years of HBO and all of its companies. It’s all gone from the platform Netflix, and he could create something his own.
But there is a feeling of a squirrel cage remakes: all, albeit with variations, but no endless repetitions, like in “Groundhog day”.
Alexander Rodnyansky Therefore, it aggravated the struggle for high quality content. He than unusual, the more popular the competing platforms. Today’s most successful showrunners – the producers-the authors of the famous series David Benioff and Daniel Weiss (“Game of thrones”), Ryan Murphy (“American horror story”), Peter Morgan (“Crown”) – to the contract with Netflix, which pays them a lot of money. There is a struggle for talent, for ideas, for law. The company Amazon bought for $ 200 million only the right to adaptation in serial format the universe of middle – earth and all that is connected to “Lord of the rings”.
Money invested Nemer, and the pandemic crisis has only fueled the pace of developedIya streaming platforms. They saw new opportunities for themselves and will try to keep these benefits when the crisis ends.
What are the prospects of international film festivals? They are now looking for a way to stay afloat, but felt panic the whole chain of closely connected links of a cinema collapsed.
Alexander Rodnyansky There are festivals, the key for the industry and the fate of produced films – there is not enough. And there are a lot of festivals as forms of hire, helping to draw the audience in to different types and genres of movies. The first group consists of Berlin, Venice, Toronto and the main of them – the Cannes. They played a very important role in the life of film-making. Participants and winners of the Cannes competitions immediately attracted the attention of cinephiles around the world. These festivals were a kind of navigation in the actual movie. And I think that such “places of power” as Cannes or Venice, will not disappear: the examination is always needed, and the streaming platform it can not provide. Another thing is that festivals need to adapt to the new reality and win the one who will understand it earlier than others. For example, it has long been clear that festivals should not miss the series – there is a lot of talented. Well than, tell, series Paolo Sorrentino worse his movies?
it Seems that the film markets react more flexibly.
Alexander Rodnyansky They are vital: making movies is always joint funding of projects by companies from different countries. The main problem will be the author’s cinema: it is difficult to convince them to hire with the streaming platforms – the majors. Netflix will not rush to take some radical author’s picture, and not every author wants to drown in the maelstrom of titles on the Netflix interface. Some may prefer a boutique platform. Long time key players in the delivery of auteur cinema was Sony Pictures Classic, and now have a company Neon and A24, which he was rolled in America. Moreover, such companies can evolve into distributors not only film, but TV. And returning to the festivals, it can be expected that their number will sharply be reduced, will survive only the main brands. Where, too, everything will depend on the flexibility of management. For example, Gangnam prevents conflict with Netflix who’s born old, not adapted to new times, French law does not allow to reduce the time interval between the release of the movie in theaters and its appearance online. The result of the Cannes film festival has already missed several important movies level Roma Cuaron.
As with the “Kinotavr”, what awaits him?
Alexander Rodnyansky This will depend not only on how flexibly we respond to what is happening, but also what will happen to ro��Russian movie. Clearly, this is a very small segment of the global film industry. In the international context there are few more movies of our Directors: Alexander Sokurov, Andrei Zvyagintsev, Andrey Konchalovsky, the young Cantemir Balagova. But Russian genre cinema for many decades, is not in wide release either in Europe or in America. And we have no strategy for the development of the cinema as it was, say, in South Korea. It is clear that this festival “Kinotavr”, our cinema needs – as a way to attract attention, assist in promotion. And if we are able to adapt to the inevitable changes in the consumption patterns of film spectator, the festival will live on. As for this year, are waiting for the situation with the pandemic. While the festival has been postponed until autumn but the exact date can not be called.
What’s your producer’s projects are stuck in production?
Alexander Rodnyansky several of Them – Russian and English. Finished strong the second picture Schoolgirls Sokurov, Kira Kovalenko, and there was every reason to hope for its premiere at a big festival, but will now have to wait a year for movies from this segment are no options besides the festival, no. Right in the middle of filming the movie stuck another young Director Vladimir bicakova, which won the prize at “Kinotavr” for the debut of “Deep river.” One of the festivals now pending anticipated premiere of “fisherman’s Daughters” of Safarali Ismail. Stopped work on “Hostage” Paul Chukhrai. Was the installation designed for the wide release of the film “Chernobyl” Danila Kozlovsky – premiere was planned for October, and now its prospects are unclear. Stopped English pattern. There is an interesting scenario in the book, the former CIA officer who led the interrogation of Saddam Hussein, is a psychological drama that puts the Oscar nominee Ziad Duari. But I started getting this sea of troubles, and all the films around the world pending. We must act, clearly mindful that the world really will never be the same.
don’t You think that due to the massive depression that will accompany humanity for many more years, is changing dramatically, and social demand for cinema?
Alexander Rodnyansky I’m sure. This request, sorry, “the dream factory”. Times are tough for dramas, for movies about the complexities of human psychology, for all that attracted interest during the heyday of the consumer society and the bourgeois values. All this can not be claimed, there will be a request to the police, on departure from a depressing reality, to history, to strengthen the will to live and faith in a better outcome. Maybe it is not as primitive as I am saying, but the vector, I think, is obvious.
