Dan Stroble – Writer/Producer/Idea Guy

I’m at odds with Hollywood – sort of.

Don’t get me wrong. I enjoy much of what it has to offer – various stories, genres, experiences. My interest is so strong that I want to devote my entire life to sharing my own visions with the world.

But I look at the movie industry and am, at times, dumbfounded that it invests so much only to receive so little in return. My major case in point: the Transformers series.

Michael Bay has managed to turn a beloved ’80s cartoon into an overblown and overrated heap of CGI, product placement, and bad performances.

But don’t call me an expert. I have had only one experience with the franchise. I became so tired of seeing GM logos and LaBeouf’s Strokes t-shirt in the first hour of the first movie, that I shut down my TV and returned to writing my research paper (topic: product placement). Prior to renting the DVD, I had seen enough of the film from the Burger King commercials, anyways. So I wasn’t about to push it past the 60-minute mark.

I have no problem with CGI, special effects, and the like. However, my interest in these elements is fully dependent on the quality of the acting, writing, and directing. Had Bay, in some miraculous personal feat, acquired more experienced actors and writers and relinquished his directing role, I would have planted myself in a cushy stadium-style chair opening weekend.

But Bay is not the only one to blame. At the root of every business, is making money. Thus, industry execs are forced to gouge the price of theater tickets and DVDs sold to Americans. However, this is not the worst of the overcharging. Movie theaters make most of their revenue from popcorn, drinks, and other concessions sales. So while your wallet’s getting lighter, your waistline’s getting bigger, and your ability to actually afford more movies is lessened.

The need for a profit has greatly outweighed the overall quality of American films.

Instead of breaking theater patrons’ banks, studio execs need to make more out of the money they spend. In the list of the top domestic grosses adjusted for ticket price inflation, half of them were produced before the technological breakthrough of the original Star Wars. What does this mean? Hollywood can and should focus upon building a strong cast and crew and not just utilizing glitzy special effects. Moreover, Hollywood can and should learn that it CAN make money from the quality of its production, and not the quantity of its budget.

(Funny – I DID always think the transitions in the Star Wars series were monumental – monumentally ridiculous, that is.)