How HBO Resurrected the Hollywood Studio System
As with so many aspects of American society, the Studio System broke up in the 1960s. An anti-monopoly lawsuit by the Truman Justice Department in 1948 began its decline and fall. By the early Sixties, the loss of massive costumers to television and the refusal of the next generation of stars to sign long-term contracts ended the Studio System. Soon, everyone – producers, writers, directors, actors – was a “free agent,” able to choose whatever projects they liked.
While the new free agent system was fairer to the talent, the problem was getting the creative to work together on good movies. Ed Mitchell, who worked for nearly a decade at the William Morris Agency, comments that in modern Hollywood, “the deal is more important than the movie….it’s almost a miracle these days when a good film gets made.”
Oscar winning scriptwriter William Goldman (Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, All the President’s Men) wrote in his memoirs that most of the time, in looking for the right talent: “Well, you can’t get them… Just as you never get the director you want, you also don’t get the star.” Both Goldman and Mitchell are highly critical of the marketing departments of the studios that often interfere with film production to change scripts and endings, focusing on a film’s opening weekend box office numbers rather than its quality. (Did Orson Welles do a focus group on how to end Citizen Kane? Did the marketing department at MGM demand that Scarlett O’Hara and Rhett Butler live happily after in Gone With the Wind?)
On the other hand, HBO produces its content in a much different manner, a throwback to the old days when story meant more than marketing. HBO doesn’t have to worry about marketing their projects: their audience of paid subscribers is already there, so they can take more creative chances. They can hire a stable of writers whose only job is creating memorable stories and dialogue. The producers, directors, and special effects wizards they hire become cohesive teams that usually stay on for the life of a series. And the actors and actresses they hire — like James Gandolfini and Edie Falco of The Sopranos — are regular employees, albeit very well-paid. HBO uses a highly disciplined approach of using the same writers, directors, producers and actors to create consistent, coherent worlds that audiences apparently love.
After reading the blogs, especially here on PJ Media, I’m confused: am I supposed to hate HBO because it’s full of left-wing ideologues who smear conservatives with movies like Game Change – or am I supposed to laud them for creating quality content like The Sopranos, Deadwood, The Wire, and Game of Thrones?
In all seriousness, I think The Sopranos was a gamechanger for television. The quality of drama in general has gone way up, even on network television. The Sopranos proved there was an audience for intelligently written & challenging material that didn’t spoon feed the audience like it was full of brain dead halfwits – that an audience existed who could understand complicated plots that play out over the course of YEARS, complete with foreshadowing, symbolism, irony, and other literary devices that require the audience to think, rather than simply absorb.
For that, we all owe HBO a debt of gratitude.
“I’m confused: am I supposed to hate HBO because it’s full of left-wing ideologues who smear conservatives with movies like Game Change – or am I supposed to laud them for creating quality content like The Sopranos, Deadwood, The Wire, and Game of Thrones?”
Both.
Both.
HBO produce excellent series, along with some duds, but anything political is a landmine of toxic idiocy.
But you’re right, network television has definetly changed since The Sopranos. Walking Dead, FX series like Archer, Rescue Me, Justified, etc. Showtime’s Weeds, Homeland… There’s been some great television. If only they’d cancel this “reality” crap.
I was soooo close to cancelling over Bill Maher, but Game of Thrones is incredibly well done, the opening title alone is a masterpiece. I’m waiting for the season to end. And hopefully next year they’ll have an on demand where you don’t need to be a cable subscriber, because I really want to go to an all-streaming situation.
I looked through their comedy section on the xbox app and it’s the standard fare, with one noticable standout; Colin Quinn. Not a raving leftist.
Personally, I could wait for the blu rays, but my wife needs downtime and TV’s her thing.
I hardly watch TV but with series like Games of Thrones or Rome, I’m glued. I’d wish they stay away from politics (left or right).
I loved “ROME” and wished it was able to continue but I have the series on DVD and will watch it again when my memory of it has faded. It was very powerful and seemed to be historically accurate while providing substance and texture to the figures of history. Although, I didn’t realize all the people of Rome spoke with such posh English accents.
This is the first I’ve heard of Thrones, though I noticed the DVD’s at WALMART and wondered what that was all about. I don’t have cable or satellite TV..I just refuse to pay for it. I do, however, buy (and thus, collect) DVD’s of things that seem worth it. Maybe tomorrow I’ll pick this up in BluRay.
Good to know it’s worth a look.
Apart from the subtle insidious deceitful Left Wing and Green NAZI propaganda that Hollywood insists on inserting in even the most unlikely shows and cartoons they also propagandize for Muslims and for Blacks. Lets face it HOLLYWOOD has been punting BLACK PRESIDENTS, black Bosses, Black Chief Detectives, Black brilliant Scientists, Black computer EXPERTS, Blacks as the most moral men, always a Black as the hero’s bestest truest most longest friend ever, for decades now.
In Hollywoodland what the Black NEVER is the CRIMINAL or the villain or the Terrorist, or if he is he is ALWAYS misunderstood and INNOCENT of this particular crime or FORCED in to it by wicked whitey and his persecution. Those parts are reserved for ‘Whitey’ and in Hollywoodland preferably South American, Australian or European whiteys.
Now I am not saying some Blacks are not Chiefs of Police, Bosses, Scientists, or Computer experts. But in EVERY movie and TV show they ALWAYS are and that is NOT reality that is PROPAGANDA.
rik and rossi….
Gee whiz, I was kidding.
Loved the series “Rome” and the new takes on Cleo and Marc, especially the (possibly)illegitimate baby that Cleo had…due to a romp with Pullo. But tell me people back then weren’t as weak and subject to their faults as we are now.
The side-stories that gave depth to all levels of society of the time were well done and not soap-opera-ish. I have the series on my shelf and as I said, I will watch it again after the memory fades. I loved it, was glad when season 2 came in the mail and devoured every episode.
If you take your foot off the idiot pedal for two minutes and think…well, maybe a little late for that…black presidents in movie and TV was a shorthand for nonpartisanship.
The rest of your post doesn’t really dignify a response since it is 20 different kinds of stupid. But I will give it a go, anyway, if just briefly. God forbid blacks be in protagonistic roles. Why not? No, don’t answer. I sense a Derbyshire-esque reply and I’m not in the mood to punch my ‘puter. As for your assertion they never play the bad guys, that’s ludicrous. Can’t name one? A single one? I’m not gonna hold your hand and point them out for you. You’re gonna have to pull your head out of butt yourself.
Now kindly go back to VDare.
Although, I didn’t realize all the people of Rome spoke with such posh English accents
Would you rather they spoke in Latin? The first season of Rome had a sliver of historically, though only a sliver, it was still better than almost anything out there. The second season, however, was unwatchable. It descended into nonstop smut. Everything was seemed to be about degrading sex or rape. While, it went on in the first season, at least there was a serviceable plot, and I rather liked the actor who played Caesar, even if he had a full head of hair, unlike the historical namesake. I liked almost everyone in their roles, save Cato, who was obviously supposed to represent the stodgy old conservative. Problem was, Cato was younger than Caesar.
The accents weren’t too surprising, with Rome being a joint project between BBC and HBO. Ray Stevenson especially slipped into modern British colloquialisms.
Another great series ended before its time. Originally they were planning for 5 seasons, shifting more towards Egypt and Judea as the series went on. Unfortunately the studios decided it was too expensive and halfway through the second season decided that there would be no third season. That’s why the otherwise fairly accurate chronology became less so in the last few episodes.
The only thing AMERICAN in the HBO/BBC series Rome was HBO’s money and interference. ALL the actors and crew were BRITISH and it was filmed in the UK.
Am I the only one who thought Luck was brilliant television?
No, I thought it was brilliant too. I’d really started to love those characters. Alas.
I think there are a couple of factors in the quality and success of HBO series.
First, as the article mentions, the viewers are already there, paying subscription $$. HBO does not have to pander to get the viewers. A show can have a very niche subject area and take risks because HBO is not trying to grab broad viewer demographics. Cable ratings are puny compared to network shows but HBO has made their money up front already … they are not chasing advertisers by attempting to deliver up viewers in droves.
Second, most cable shows have shorter seasons. A 13-episode season has bcome pretty standard on cable as opposed to a 22-ep season on network. It appears that serialized storytelling (as opposed to procedurals) really flourishes with a shorter season because the writers & producers are not “padding” content just to stretch the season out & reach that episode quota. As it so happens the 22-ep network season is under a lot of criticism from industry professionals and viewers, and we may well see networks themselves adopt shorter-season models (13- or 15-eps) in the near future. This would end the current inane pattern of repeats & preemptions where you might have only 3 or 4 original eps of a show during the 12 weeks of December through March. The 22-ep season renders networks unable to deliver consistent weekly content, which means it’s harder to get viewers committed to & passionate about shows, which means what good material does get produced all too frequently dies on the vine and gets canceled. Huge moneywaster of a business model.
Also forgot to mention a third factor.
Cables currently have the luxury of not staring into a big black hole of 21 weekly hours of primetime that requires filling.
A particular cable network might put its original programming on only one night a week. AMC’s night is Sunday. Tues through Sat they don’t bother with (original programming).
Networks do not have that luxury, at least as currently arranged. 21 hours of primetime every week, 4 networks = a lot of crap is going to be served up because there is not enough money or time to deliver 84 hours of quality programming. (I actually think there *is* enough talent to deliver a lot more quality than we are seeing … but talent requires money and productions require production space, equipment, etc. It’s a nightmare trying to find a sound stage during pilot season. Now imagine that kind of scarcity going on all year.)
I actually wouldn’t mind the trade-off of a lot of “filler” reality shows (which are cheaper than scripted, and which can be huge moneymakers as we see with AI and DWTS) on the networks as each strives to fill its 21 hours … IF … the flip side were that we see a consistent percentage of quality scripted from them. Right now it is the worst of both worlds in the networks. Reality clutter everywhere, and entire landfills of crappy scripted. Bahhh.
The sad thing is, reality shows are never going to go away. As you said, the networks have a lot of time slots to fill. Reality shows are monumentally cheap to produce when compared to a top sitcom or drama; no high paid actors, writers, etc, and if one fails, just bring in the next one.
I still pray one day they will end.
I don’t know, I don’t hate all reality, and not all reality is the same either. Some are dumb game shows like “The Bachelor” or “Survivor” (though I do have a weakness for Top Shot) while others are more documentary as in “Dirty Jobs” and “Deadliest Catch” and then there are the informative ones like “MythBusters” or “Holmes Inspection”. Some are idiotic, others I think are pretty good.
You know it depends, R.R. Martin, Weiner, Milch, are very good writers, on the other hand, Halperin and Heileman, are errant hacks, and Danny Strong made it
worse, dialing it up eleven,
dont forget Rome, another masterpiece
Also Lexx.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EbJobFYjmvA
May His Shadow fall upon you, I thought the Lexx breed was extinct. UnCon 2001.
“While the Studio System mistreated the talent…”
That says it all. And the child stars got the worst of it.
I’ll give you that the ‘talent’ was mistreated, but I didn’t have their politics shoved up my @$$, either, and the more I know about the politics of today’s perfumed princes(ses) the more I stay away in droves.
The big name people were pretty limited, but my understanding is that the bit talent and technical people got pretty steady work. Or is that wrong?
Since I assume Game of Thrones will be around for several more seasons, I’m curious to see if HBO will continue giving the books the “one book, one season” treatment. I won’t give away any spoilers, but the book series is only awesome through book three. The story just goes absolutely nowhere in books four and five.
If I was HBO, I’d combine books four and five, get HBO’s writers to fix or cull out the boring/lame characters and plot lines, and pray that the books’ author, George R.R. Martin pulls his head out and finishes the series strong. However, HBO may be taking quite a gamble with Martin. Given his slooooooow rate of writing progress though, I wouldn’t hold my breath that he achieves a satisfactory conclusion to any of the major plot lines before the next decade rolls around.
@E2 – I disagree about Feast for Crows and Dance with Dragons. While the story certainly moves slower than it did in the first three books in the series, the pace that Martin took was necessary for the plot to move forward. Without giving away spoilers for those who may not have read them, books 1-3 involve spreading a large number of characters out geographically, and books 4-5 are necessary to bring them all back together (in different combinations) for the finale. Yes, the books are slower in that you don’t get as many large-scale battles and whatnot, but there are some great storylines. Theon’s story arc in Dance with Dragons in particular was some really excellant writing.
I really don’t mind that Martin takes his time with writing. It’s frustrating for the reader to have to wait years for the next book to come out, but I’d MUCH rather read something that’s two years late than the typical tripe that some authors churn out. Seriously, anyone who is able to produce multiple 500+ page novels in the same year probably isn’t putting that much effort into writing them. Just look at what has happened to Harry Turtledove, S.M. Stirling, David Weber, etc. in recent years.
strangely enough, back in the day, writers could wrap up a novel in one (that’s *1* novel). They didn’t often try to string out a novel into a triloy/quadrology/pentology (keep the money coming as long as possible without coming up with something original). Yes, Asimov’s robots strung out, but each one stood on it’s own.
Hey, I resemble that remark! I started out to write a single, stand-alone story about the founding of Fredericksburg, Texas, and the German immigrant colony established there … but the more I researched, the longer and more involved the whole story became. Eventually, I just wrote one long and complicated story (nearly 500,000 words total)and to take mercy on readers, I broke it into three separate and stand-alone novels. Sometimes, the story and the characters just take over!
And I disagree with you. George R.R. Martin’s characters are all strong in their own right, and have tales to tell, but he should not have tried to combine them all within the confines of one story arc. If anything, he could have told them all with separate books within the same universe, and still had his readership captivated, thus perhaps attracting even more readers.
A Dance With Dragons could have been cut down by at least a third by eliminating most of Tyrion’s endless, boring journey to wherever, and Arya’s endless boring “training” in that weird whatever, and the story could have advanced significantly with information on the fates of some of the other characters who were left out (to be covered in the next book). Sorry, but I’m beginning to think this is a cheat to squeeze another book or two out for the publishers, and the paycheck.
This is not to say that I don’t enjoy the Martin books, or the HBO series, but I sincerely hope they won’t follow the books very closely as they progress in the story. I already see shortcuts, and some extraneous storytelling that is encouraging. I only hope they can overcome George R.R. Martin’s proclivities (he is one of the screenwriters, as well), and get on with a rip-roaring epic tale.
He’s written some entertaining stuff in times past but he’s not on my upper tier radar like Asimov, Heinlein, Clarke and Pournelle.
The good thing about the ‘studio system’ was that the actors were controlled by the Studio and were prevented from making idiots of themselves in public. This is why we hear all about the deep thoughts of Gwyneth Peltrow and etc.
Amen! Preach on hmc!
LMAO can you say for SciFi Babylon 5 Five year story arc LMFAO
This is why conservatives are losing the culture (and media) war.
“Oh, never mind that HBO is the source of hard Left and anti-Republican propaganda, they make a few good shows, so I’ll keep handing them their money.”
Until people on the right develop a backbone, the media (and most corporations in general) will tack left, because they can get free government goodies, enjoy the popularity of being hip and trendy, and not suffer at all from alienating half the country.
I have this thing called a remote control. When a good HBO series comes on I watch. There have been many – The Wire, Rome, Band of Brothers, The Pacific, Generation Kill (uncomfortably close to my own experiences), Game of Thrones, Sopranos, and I even enjoyed Bored to Death.
When Bill Maher comes on, I change the channel or turn off my television.
Good for you. Your money still goes to pay for Bill Maher. Speaking of Rome. Are you familiar with “panem et circenses”
The same thing is starting to happen with AMC. They’ve had Mad Men, Breaking Bad, The Walking Dead, and a few other programs that have been big successes because they are really thinking out of the box in terms of storyline and talent. It’s much appreciated, because the networks seem to be dredging up the same old dramas year after year, along with stupid reality shows that should have die years ago. Good for AMC and HBO and even Showtime for trying new things and succeeding. Maybe the networks will learn something from them.
USA Network has several as well;
My specific favorite is Burn Notice, which sports a very Pro America theme.
I’m disappointed you didn’t mention Rome, which was a masterful retelling of the Julius Caesar story as seen through the eyes of two “little people” of the era: Lucius Vorenus and Titus Pullo, plus their families and acquaintances. HBO spent a lot of money on that series, which they didn’t recoup (allegedly), but it was worthwhile if only for a cinematic look at the last days of Republican Rome (yes, dramatized and not historically accurate) that centered on the lives of ordinary people, not necessarily on the patrician elite.
I’ve got my problems with HBO (Bill Maher, “Game Change”, the long string of anti-American war movies, the anti-American and anti-white comedy specials, etc) but they do produce works I want to see (for now), and I don’t think boycotts are all that effective. What’s effective is the pressure of public opinion expressed in comments, letters, and publicity via the New Media. Water wears away stone, and HBO does face alternative competition. If I get fed up, and decide I can wait for Game of Thrones on DVD or Netflix, HBO is history.
Umm, Patrick?
Bill Maher.
Hello? Cancel HBO. OK?
Hollywoodland disseminates Left Wing and green NAZI propaganda just as the Lame Stream EneMedia does. Sometimes it is devious and subtle and some times it is right in your face . But no matter how they do it they ALWAYS persist in doing it and have done so for decades now.
Netflix is getting into the production game as well.
While I don’t watch HBO because I don’t want to pay for it I have to agree with several here that the alternative channels have forced the networks to put out better stuff. I like some of the original programming on USA for example. Competition works wonders.
HBO has the absolute worst lineup on cable. It is unwatchable.
In this day and age why would ANYONE possess cable t.v. ?
I remember as a kid when HBO was part of the basic cable t.v. package in the 80′s. Fraggle Rock!
Game of Thrones books are very good. The series is surprisingly good as well.
Though I disagree with some folk’s sentiment regarding GoT books 4, 5 respectively. 4, 5′s pace is excellent for the direction it’s going.
Long, tedious, drawn out story lines you needn’t look any further than the-late Robert Jordan!
Mr. Jordan’s, ‘Wheel of Time’ series started out well though became cranial labor after a few books in the looong series.
As mentioned many enjoy(ed), ‘The Sopranos’.
My being a 2nd generation American with Sicilian roots I found the entire construct, series to be ridiculously cliched and grandiose, over-the-top fiction.
I watched but a few episodes.
How about a program where the Polish folks possess blue collar-only jobs, possess far too strong religious convictions and are stupid?
Or Kiwis, the Welsh are nothing but no-necked country bumpkins who shag sheep?
Let’s go with the Irish whereas they only wear grey clothing, ginger haired, love to fight and listen to the High Kings and Thin Lizzy songs when drinking and attend mass or refer to religion often.
Scandinavia: The Swedes depicted as an enlightened arrogant SOB with a strong regard for nature. The Dane’s a hedonist in most ‘respects’ and the Norwegian an uneducated country hick. welfare countries.
The Wheel of Time, better known as “never use a sentence when a entire chapter will do.”
I rather liked that series when it started out. Eye of the World was solid enough, with good characters and pacing. Had Jordan kept with that, it would have been a great 5-6 book story. Instead…
There was a point in the 4th book (I think) where yet another subplot was shoehorned in, about a queen and her nurse, and you realized that Jordan had no intention of actually wrapping up the series.
“But I’ve said nothing so far.
And I can keep it up for as long as it takes.”
Jordan’s 4th book in the ‘WoT’ series is EXACTLY where I too was thinking, ‘Oy vey’..!
Mr. Jordan had a great plot laid out up to that point.
BTW, ‘Rossignol’ or ‘Nightingale’ ski company is the 1st pair of skis and later 1st 2 snowboards I’d gotten when a kid in the 80′s-early 90′s.
The 2 boards sat in my garage for YEARS until I’d made them countertops for a minibar I’d salvaged, refinished!
Nice bit of recycling there.
Been using Rossignol as a handle here and there for quite a long time now, but it actually has nothing to do with skis, birds, or French cryptologists. Oddly enough, it was just a name in the liner notes of an old Blue Oyster Cult album. Not certain where I first used it, a game or a story, but for some reason it stuck. A few decades later, “Rossignol” is still going strong and exploring Skyrim. (And occasionally cursing at Bethesda for still not having a crash report generator in their games)
For any of you who claim to be conservatives or Republicans and watch HBO don’t EVER disparage a liberal when they say that think for themselves and then voted for Obamacare. You are what is known in the Secret Service as whores. Because you LIKE some of their shows you support their entire leftist Marxist company. Isn’t that like saying that the Nazis got the trains to run on time? Hedonists everyone.
I cancelled HBO a few years ago. The only programming I truly miss are the HBO Sports specials.
HBO rarely hits the mark – the only things that come to mind as good were Band of Brothers and John Adams. We got rid of our television hook-up years ago, instead hooking our computer to the tv; believe me, we haven’t regretted it once.
Still, I’m not so sure a return to the old studio system would make things any better. After all, look at the types who are runny these studios today – they’re not exactly the model of savvy businessmen. Ideally, conservatives would have their own studios and television channels. (The latter could be quickly dealt with by killing off channel-packaging. The former is more difficult.)
I have to agree. Dexter, Rome, even The Vampire Diaries are more fun, well written, well acted and well produced than anything else on TV or in the cinema.
On the other hand, HBO’s political “comedy” is vile and insulting beyond words.
One thing in the trefis.com article that I didn’t get was the claim that HBO only earns revenue through subscription fees. Nothing from DVD/Blu-Ray sales or streaming video?
Disney has been doing this for a very long time already.