Brian Posen Details How the Movie Industry has Changed Over the Last 25 Years
Like everything, the film industry is not immune to change. In fact, the evolution of the movie industry in the last 25 years has been extremely fascinating, owing to the many advancements that have been made in technology. The devices on which movies are watched (smartphones, tablets, and laptops), the platforms that offer such movies for consumption (Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, etc.), and the technological innovations that have made techniques like CGI possible have all had major impacts on the movie industry in the past three decades. Brian Posen is the perfect person to speak to such changes owing to his prominent role in the industry. Through his long career in the entertainment industry, he has not only witnessed but lived through these changes firsthand.
Films Use Shorter Shots
According to Brian Posen, one significant way that movies have changed in the last 25 years pertains to the length of shots used in film. In the past decade alone, the average duration of a shot has become much shorter than it used to be. More specifically, the average length of a shot was 12 seconds in 1930 compared with just 2.5 seconds today. Posen asserts that this change has been influenced by the fact that many shots now involve fewer individuals as the length of the shot still increases by over a second for each extra character. Additionally, the shorter shots force the viewer’s mind not to wander as shots transition more frequently.
There is More Competition in the Industry
Brian Posen asserts that the movie industry has more competition than ever before. New films are released on a weekly basis, which means films are constantly competing for that top spot at the box office. In addition, movie theatres only show movies for a maximum of eight weeks and most movie-goers only intend to see the movie one time in theatres, if they see it at all. By comparison, movies of the past were shown for years, with many audience members seeing them multiple times during their run. In the first half of the twentieth century, films were not made nearly as quickly nor was the industry as large as it is today. These changes facilitated the fierce competition and fast pace with which movies are made, marketed, and released today.
Films Use Light in New Ways
Firstly, Brian Posen claims that the movie industry uses much less artificial light during the filming process than they did in the past. Filmmakers today prefer to take advantage of the natural light they have available, and so movies like Collateral for example, are almost entirely shot with natural light. This is possible due to improved film technology that allows scenes to be brightened or darkened in post-production. Further, films in the modern era have become much darker than their predecessors. Many dark colors used on screen have gotten even darker in recent decades, with only small points of light visible. This is largely employed as a method of controlling where the audience directs their attention on screen to maximize the impact of a scene.
Films are Increasingly Aimed at Older Audiences
In the past 25 years, there has been an effort by the film industry to make films that appeal to older viewers aged 45 and over (think 2011’s The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel or 2007’s The Bucket List). In the past, the industry has been notorious for not understanding this demographic and thus failing to supply films that relate to them. However, in recent years they have made a concerted effort to tap into this audience, shares Brian Posen. This turn towards older audiences has been informed by a variety of circumstances. First, there is a greater number of older people in the Western world. Second, life expectancy in most countries is on the rise. And third, many other forms of entertainment in the 21st century are technology-based (such as Netflix) and some older people who did not grow up with technology have a harder time embracing such new methods of consumption.
Brian Posen concludes that the movie industry has changed greatly over the past 25 years and it continues to change even now. With new technology such as virtual on the rise it is only a matter of time before it is implemented into filming techniques.
