Producers find a new show idea that looks interesting and could be popular …
Writers: yeah we got this idea that could be turned into an hour and a half hour long film … it’s very interesting, great plot dialogue, and there’s a great twist
Producers, executives: Great idea! I love it! But it would give us more content if you could turn it into a series instead. Take the whole film and stretch it out across seven one hour episodes.
Writers: how?
Producers, executives: just cut it up into seven parts, slow everything down and make a dramatic cliff hanger at the end of every episode.
Opposite problem, too. Take what was supposed to be a series and shrink it down to a movie. The Section 31 movie comes to mind. It’s so much better if you view it as if it were the pilot for a new series, but that’s never going to happen.
I was so disappointed by the ready player one film and was absolutely flabbergasted when I learned the author was actually actively involved in the film.
It depends. I really like the ability to flesh something out into a longer format - especially book adaptations. Not that there isn’t space for 2 hours and under films, but the rise of high production TV series that aren’t meant to go on forever IMO has been net positive.
Conversely
Producers find a new show idea that looks interesting and could be popular …
Writers: yeah we got this idea that could be turned into an hour and a half hour long film … it’s very interesting, great plot dialogue, and there’s a great twist
Producers, executives: Great idea! I love it! But it would give us more content if you could turn it into a series instead. Take the whole film and stretch it out across seven one hour episodes.
Writers: how?
Producers, executives: just cut it up into seven parts, slow everything down and make a dramatic cliff hanger at the end of every episode.
And then, Kai Patterson comes in and cuts it back down into a pretty good standard length film which I see as a win.
Opposite problem, too. Take what was supposed to be a series and shrink it down to a movie. The Section 31 movie comes to mind. It’s so much better if you view it as if it were the pilot for a new series, but that’s never going to happen.
Also writers: We don’t give a shit about the source material the fans love. Fuck these nerds.
I was so disappointed by the ready player one film and was absolutely flabbergasted when I learned the author was actually actively involved in the film.
It depends. I really like the ability to flesh something out into a longer format - especially book adaptations. Not that there isn’t space for 2 hours and under films, but the rise of high production TV series that aren’t meant to go on forever IMO has been net positive.