Wes sent this one in, and it's a bit of a jaw-dropper: George Lucas is getting out of the movie business, and into TV.
The creator of "Star Wars," which stamped the template for the franchise-tentpole film, says many small films and Web distribution are the future.
TV being 'small films' of course. No news on any change to his massive videogaming empire;
"We don't want to make movies. We're about to get into television. As far as Lucasfilm is concerned, we've moved away from the feature film thing because it's too expensive and it's too risky.
"I think the secret to the future is quantity," Lucas said.
Quantity. Not quality, quantity. I think he's spot on. Audiences (that's us) these days are all niche, all specialist, all demanding. We also don't mind home-made stuff: see YouTube for proof. I think what we probably do mind is middle-ground: if it can't be top-dollar, make it home made. Authentic. Screw the middle ground. Who wants that? Who wants second-tier gear when you can have the uber, or some crappy import animation when you can have WoW machinima? Go Lucas.
Part of the change is the prevalence of HUUUGGEEE tv sets. Its difficult to have your awe inspired by 'the big screen' when it doesn't feel big by comparison. Combine the screen with a 5.1 home cinema audio system means you're getting the experience, without being hassled by chavs and having to pay £30 or so for a night at the flicks (include parking, popcorn drinks etc).
Posted by: Cooper | October 05, 2006 at 17:00