Doug Watson: Corona creates the new production standards
Producers, directors and writers need to jump aboard the new media. Get yourself a subject, celebrity and an iPhone and you can be Rupert Murdoch. So says Doug Watson, the former CEO of Mojo, from lockdown in Queenstown, NZ.
Last night I watched Bill Maher at his home talking to Seth McFarlane. In the previous segment he had interviewed Bernie Sanders and after that Willy Nelson. No big deal except Maher had apologised that it was all to be shot on an iPhone.
Half an hour earlier John Oliver did his entire show in limbo from home.
No big deal, every Tonight show or news panel is coming from remote cameras without the big studio audiences, big bands, tech crews and the myriad people that have always made up broadcast tv.
This technical innovation is of course due to the global pandemic. Suddenly a rush of virus has changed the way we will gain and absorb information and entertainment. I didn’t miss the Burbank flourishes as Bill interviewed Seth, I was more interested in their exchange.
I didn’t need graphics behind John Oliver, as always his points were made by the script with minimal cutaways, inserted remotely later.
If you make images you have been driven crazy by clients asking for cheap on-line productions. Now that the TV companies have abandoned their production values your clients are about to be even stingier. So forget about them and race ahead to the new frontier.
4 Comments
Doug is correct.
The worst thing anyone can do is believe in the Sleeping Beauty theory.
If you do, when you wake up, there’ll be no prince waiting for you.
Those days are gone.
So, prepare yourself for the brave new world and embrace it.
Its the only way to survive.
yeah we don’t need years of experience or talented crews or the very best in technology.
Just shoot it on an iPhone and make it look like every other video on youtube.
While we’re at it – movies are stupid. Let’s get rid of those.
Actors are stupid.
Lighting? Don’t need it.
Design?? Waste of time.
More than one angle on anything? Pointless
I saw a talk show format that worked briefly on a smaller budget so let’s apply that rule to all media.
When I log into netflix I’d like it to look more like a selection of amateur makeup tutorials than a choice of worlds to escape to.
@On the other hand I completely agree.
I remember when ads started to be shot on iphones when they were first released ( eg:Droga5’s grafitti bombing of Air Force One in 2006 for Ecko), and soon many followed suit.
This is all forced production values under forced conditions.
This too shall pass. As all things do.
Yes, without doubt it will be a different world when it does, but production value/design/craft and most importantly creativity will resume.
Stay safe.
Interesting point of view. “on the other hand” has a valid point. Crafting lovely ad work, based in strong ideas, executed with skill and a deft touch will engage and as the “the other hand” suggests a broad stroke option doesn’t really make sense. Let’s see what comes out of all this, whatever it is it, I’m fully sure it will be really exciting and might be very surprising too, so let’s hold on before making narrow predictions..