Shane Stanley, Filmmaker/Author/Instructor: I’m disappointed in Hollywood. I think there's a
safety factor (a lazy factor) that's come in. I’m not going to lie,
I don't disagree with what you're saying and what people are saying…
Film Courage:
Shane we're hoping to get your take on what might be the problem with Hollywood movies today.
Shane: I don't know if there's a what is the problem I think there's a lot of disgruntled
unemployed people b*tching about what's being made because they're not working.
I mean and that's that's part of why I did what I did I got tired of not working so went out and
created content I’m not knocking anybody who's not working I think the big complaint from everybody
is well it's all sequel prequel and remake and it's all you know spandex you know men
in capes and spandex and action hero movies and if that's what they're considering the problem
but there's still plenty of content I earned from a studio head about nine years ago when when these
superhero movies were really becoming a thing and and they told me you ain't seen nothing yet it's
going to get unbelievable with with different studios buying you know acquiring different
branches of different comic book companies whether it's DC or Marvel or different you know one-offs
in remaking movies that we've all heard of and I asked why why do you do it so well there's a
big audience for it and I get that but they said the the branding's already there you know when a
studio makes a movie people forget that there is a tremendous amount of P & A that goes into it you
know Prints & Advertising and pushing this thing and when you have a project I mean you can take
something like jungle cruise I mean you've got you know two of the biggest stars in the world in it
everybody knows what it is Disney's Jungle Cruise you know I mean 140,000 people go to Disneyland
every day when there's no pandemic so everybody should know that that's built in branding you know
it's about for studios you talk about mitigating the risk you talk about lessening the chances of
putting all this money into television commercials and billboards that are going to get covered
by another film next week and pushed aside and people people already have a knowledge of you know
what it is because we've seen it as you know Fantasy Island Adam's new tv show that's been
remade and is now on fox we all know what Fantasy Island is that's built in branding you know
they did it with dynasty they did it with Dallas [1978-1991] you know they reboot everything now it
I don't think it's as much about there aren't any new ideas I think it goes back to fear
I honestly think it goes back to fear with decision makers wanting to make shows that
were proven successful at one time or had built built-in branding that people are going to want to
watch for curiosity factor they're going to want to watch because they loved it at one time i'll
tell you a show that would blow it out right now that would do really well they would just remake
heart to heart can you imagine that show today that's a modern day mr mrs smith yeah you know
that show would be a great remake it's just one of those things though I think the remakes have
become a bit much for me art's nothing but opinion there is a hungry audience out there for content I
don't want to say anything's wrong with Hollywood but I think a lot of of disgruntled people in town
that have fresh ideas that they believe their scripts are really different and good and they
probably are are upset when they see airspace and screens filled with remakes that were done
20 30 years ago that's where the frustration comes from and again I'm not knocking people that
are not working I mean again I got tired of watching sequels prequels and remakes get made and
finally just said screw it I'm just going to find a way to make my own stuff because nobody else
wants to maybe my stuff is that bad but that's that's why I try to push people to really find
ways to partner with people that can get their stuff done god forbid somebody loves your little
indie project and says you should be directing the next Superman I mean it could happen you know and
I’m disappointed in Hollywood I think there's a safety factor a lazy factor that's come in
I'm not gonna lie I don't disagree with what you're saying and what people are saying
but you know the opportunity to to get a studio or a platform such as a Netflix to commit if you
have an original series idea it's going to cost them between 50 and 150 million dollars for 10
hours of content that's a big risk on something that hasn't been proven when everybody's afraid
to make a chance and you know when you're putting up 200 million dollars to put it on 4 000 screens
you're gonna tend to go for the tried and true and I think that's really what they've done
and it's really hurt the new writer it's really hurt the person that has honed their craft and has
written some great specs that are just not getting looked at because there isn't a home for it
so my my advice is don't be angry it hurts me when I see writers who are not working
blasting the things that are getting made it seems the writers do that more than anything
and and I understand the frustration I'm not saying you're wrong to feel that way
but I don't think you're doing anything good for yourself by by blasting what's getting made
go make something better or just go make something and show the world what you can do don't don't
talk about it be about it you know that's that's the advice I give to people that that have
aspirations again I keep repeating myself it's not coming to you you have to go on out and get it
and whether that's go work on a set you know a day or two a week for free or it's going out
and getting a DSLR and a couple of people from a local acting class and playing out scenes and
really doing a POC a proof of concept on your vision of what your script can be that's how
that's how it's going to get done for you you know that's that's my advice and that's my feeling on
it I think Hollywood has gotten quite lazy I think they've gotten complacent I think they
are content with the numbers that they get with their remakes of the same old same old I’m not
endorsing it at all that's why I go out in the dirt and do what I do I don't personally like
that stuff at all I understand the anger and the frustration but being angry about it and
and trying to get attention online or trying to pull down other people that are doing stuff that
you're not doing doesn't it doesn't help anybody just go show them what you can do sure I would
enjoy seeing a remake of Alice or Taxi oh Taxi [1978-1983] I don't know striking a car that's one
of my favorites I don't mean you know would people would be Uber you just call it Uber that's true or
Lyft or yeah just call it Lyft or Uber Alice would be great one of my favorite shows growing up with
Linda Lavin and Vic Tayback and yeah yeah that was a great show for those of you who don't know
what it is look at some great television all in the family can never be made again we know that
but there were some great shows that they haven't remade but they they do they do
find a way to keep remaking and rebranding stuff and that's all about built-in branding
well 2 Broke Girls was similar to Alice [1976-1985] in some ways but I realized
it was much you know raunchier and right you know push some boundaries it did yeah I don't think it
get made today oh you don't think so I don't know I didn't watch the show but I've heard that that
in some of the discussions that I've had with some of the writers that we do on some of the
platforms that we interact with you know aspiring screenwriters and they want to pitch and they talk
about different things and somebody was talking about 2 Broke Girls I’ve never seen an episode
of it and somebody had said do you think that that would get made today and a lot of people said no
they pushed some boundaries so I just that's one that's kind of like you know we obviously know
Blazing Saddles is the go-to that would never get made today
and you know you think about the content in that film but forgive me two year old girls was like
less than ten years ago right I think it was yeah so so we've we've changed that much where we can't
in that short of time we we it would be too much to push again I haven't seen it I just found
it interesting that you know it's funny whether it's an industry conversation or it's just people
the joke is always like well you know Blazing Saddles [1974] would never get made today
that's like the go-to for film and and it was just kind of weird that everybody was kind of on this
2 Broke Girls [2001-2017] bandwagon I could be wrong I've been wrong you know 100 times today
but I just found that odd that people thought so I thought it was a very successful sitcom
that looked endearing and fun and you know I'm afraid I'm a fan of Whitney [Cummings] I just
never got into the show but it just seemed to strike a chord with a few people on these
on these different you know webinars we were doing and they all seem kind of like yeah do you
think that would get made today did they push them maybe it was racial or sexual boundaries
since me too since some of the other things we've been through as a society did they push those
envelopes you would know you've seen it I haven't seen that many episodes but I know from the few
that I did yes there was definitely content on there I think that's probably what's not in it
which probably made the show which probably made the show good you know we have we have we went
through a time I'm probably going to really ruffle some feathers with this one so let's let's do it
we went through a time as a society we got so desensitized
you know when Natural-Born Killers [1994] came out the big fear was oh my god have we gotten to that
point in society where things are said and done and we don't even blink at it anymore we don't
care we're okay with that and then now we've gotten to a point where we really
really are trying not to offend certain people or push boundaries anymore and I think it's really
interesting how 50 when did when did natural born killers come out you know 25 years ago
how that really turned it into how desensitized we've become to now how sensitive we are
think about that I mean it's been a radical shift especially in the last four years
well it seems like with cinema and television but then everyone's okay pulling out cameras
if an incident happens in real life so it's like it's okay for us to do that and share some
horrific things that way and that's acceptable well it's real life that's what's happening
okay so then we don't want to see it in the cinema even though this is what's being apparently known
okay but I always thought already imitated live so okay you know I'm not disagreeing with you
I just but I see the difference yeah you know I knew the gentleman who put
the Rodney King [1991] beating on the air that was a much longer tape than we saw as a public
I think he acquired the tape for $300.00 from the gentleman who got the camcorder and
was filming outside his balcony and it was very disturbing there's nothing good about it I'm not
making light of what we didn't see but there was a lot that wasn't shared with the public
and that changed everything so it really when that Rodney King incident hit the airwaves
as a society we we woke up to a whole different animal in our in our you know the underbelly of
what was going on and obviously what we went through you know with George Floyd in the
last year you know and that being caught on camera and and it's just it's you know
you're right I mean the things that are shown that people are catching on live camera are just
there's no we didn't think twice about it it's shocking sometimes sure I don't know if you know
again we become desensitized to a lot of things we see but do we want it in the art that we go pay
to see and is is us as storytellers I think there are some filmmakers and I and I mean this with
the purists of heart please understand where this is coming from I think there are some storytellers
that have a a right and should be given the past to show and exploit certain things in their art
because I think there is so much that we see on a on a camera that's caught in 30 seconds
where so often when when the right artist tells that story they get into
the build up they they get into the aftermath you know we we are so used to seeing news
like that we'll look at you know somebody have a fit and a Walmart because they're not wearing a
mask we'll see somebody get choked out by a police officer and it just comes at us at the speed of
light and when somebody can take an hour and a half two hours and really break down the psyche
and the build up and what happened and then the aftermath you know we don't have when we see
something shocking on the news which is usually what you know news is now 50 somebody's camera
it feels like there's never a follow-up it's very rare you know they may say oh there was
there was sadly there was somebody killed in a street race they found the guy
but we don't get the aftermath that's a good point and that's that's what I don't like about the news
is you know obviously we did with George Floyd and some of the other situations that are similar that
we've been dealing with as a society because it's it's warranted that and it's it's it's attracted
that much attention and rightfully so but we watch stuff all the time on on social media that we just
went through it and we watched something crazy it goes on for 20 seconds we whipped over and see
something else we never know the outcome of that we don't know what caused it and I think there are
some artists that are sensitive enough they have a sensitivity and the ability
to really tell a story from beginning to end in aftermath you know beginning middle, end
of what happened and I think too many of us storytellers just feel what we're storytellers
we can do it and I think I think there's a very very select few who have the right to do it.
What is
Hollywood getting right and what are they getting wrong?