American Entertainment Story: Film v. Television
While movies do have a large fandom behind it, there is a growing sense from audiences and critics that television has started to enter, if not already, into a “Golden Age.” With subscription based networks like HBO, Netflix, and Amazon, the popularity of television has skyrocketed. The sudden boom of watching more television shows has come from “binge-watching,” or watching a large portion of a series in one sitting. I personally do like television a lot, but I think that is mainly because television has more opportunities and time do take care of their product.
One of the biggest reasons why television is starting to have a leg up on films, is the fact that it has more time and opportunities to flesh out their stories. With the average film being in at around 120 minutes, the director, writer, and production company have to find a way to introduce and develop characters and story in that time frame without trying to put in too much or too little in a certain runtime that audiences won’t feel overwhelmed by. Television on the other hand has all the flexibility in the world. If you’re watching a show on HBO, Netflix, or Amazon, the shows usually last around a full hour with maybe 10 to 13 episodes. This allows the creators to flesh out and develop their characters and stories as much as they want. A good example of this is the Golden-Globe and Emmy winning show, Mr. Robot. Originally the show was going to be a feature film, but Mr. Robot creator Sam Esmail found that the film may work better as a television show.
Esmail says, “When I saw it as a movie I knew where I was going. I knew the ending. It was either I had just gotten too longwinded or the story just asked for more characters or more storylines to develop. When I got to Page 90 and I was still halfway through Act 1 that’s when I decided, “OK. This can be a television show.” Esmail could have gone through with his original plan and make a longer film, but then it might not have been as good as what the television show has brought us.
The same goes for miniseries like FX’s The People v. OJ Simpson: American Crime Story. The shows’ creators easily could have made a two and half to three-hour feature film on the trial of that engulfed our country, but instead by going the television route, they were able to delve into each character on what their mindset is while also addressing every detail and moment during the court case by creating ten episodes, each running for about a hour. Because of the thought out development of the story and the ability for the actors to portray their characters, the show one numerous awards for its cast and as a series.
The other point I thought of just recently on television catching up to film, is that the scale of a television’s production is greater than before. Two of HBO’s most popular shows, Game of Thrones and Westworld, both have high budgets for television shows, and because of this they are allowed to push the envelope a little further by creating more practical sets, pay more professional actors, and produce high quality visual effects.
According to Entertainment Weekly, “season six of Game of Thrones has a production cost of $10 million per episode.” With ten episodes in the shows sixth season, that means HBO spent $100 million for 10 hours of content. For the shows work, it has been one of the most watched programs on television and has one the past two Emmy Awards for Best Drama Series.
Another point on how television is eclipsing film is that audiences have the choice on when to start and stop a show or movie because they are in their own home. Since television is distributed mostly to people in their homes, viewers are able to pause and take a break while watching shows if they feel they have had enough. They then can return whenever and pick up wherever they left off. When seeing a movie in a movie theater, they won’t stop the film just so you miss can go to the bathroom or refill popcorn. You then potentially miss out on information that could be important to the story if you are a seeing a film for the first.
My friend and filmmaker, Marcus Aubin, had this to say about film and television. “I believe distributors/entertainment companies like Netflix are certainly on the rise towards surpassing film, if they have not already. Many people I know will wait to see a movie until it is released on outlets like Netflix instead of paying to go see it in the theater.”
One of the areas where I think film is able to beat out television, is that since movies have a shorter runtime to connect with audiences, there is that praise from them that they can do it so well in that short span. The biopic Sully, about the Miracle on the Hudson, has only a runtime of 96 minutes, and yet with that short time, many critics have claimed it as one of the best films of the year and that lead actor, Tom Hanks, deserves an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of Captain Sullenberger. Also since films do have higher budgets, they are able to create more visually stunning pictures that can capture audiences than television shows might. When Game of Thrones shows a CGI dragon or explosion, its good, but not great.
It’s tough for me to say which is better because I do praise both film and television, but also find some flaws in it. I would say overall that television has the opportunity to tell a better story, but films can do that just as well and leave a more lasting impression on us.
