“What we dreamed of doing was to make a studio that had all this history, the old stages built in the 1930s and the heritage since 1902, but also have the most modern facilities. … It needed to be absolutely fit for the 21st century.” - The Guardian (UK)
What in the heck is going on? Since the pandemic, “while audiences often say they want to see new stories, box office ticket sales show they gravitate toward sequels, reboots and other familiar fare.” - Los Angeles Times
“Once a Cold War-era powerhouse for U.S. diplomacy, the U.S. Agency for Global Media has been gutted under a Trump executive order — slashing ... 85% of its workforce — in a move Kari Lake calls a win for taxpayers and critics warn is a death knell for press freedom.” - Salon
“The industry treats reality stars like the animals in a nature documentary: They can be compelling as we observe them in their habitat, but the true talent must come from the people behind the camera.” - Vulture
The industry group argues that "$900 permits are not what is causing productions to flee L.A. That is just a drop in the bucket.” Unemployed workers feel differently. - Variety
Jaws has earned the “classic” epithet. It invokes certain nostalgia for cinephiles and original audiences, many of whom fondly remember their first viewing. Aside from any cultural wistfulness, however, feelings towards the film may very well be a harkening back to a pre-neoliberal era when the embers of baby-boomer optimism still smouldered. - The Conversation
Said co-producer Marsha Posner Williams, “When that red light was on, there were no more professional people than those women, but when the red light was off, those two couldn’t warm up to each other if they were cremated together.” (Arthur regularly used the c-word to refer to White.) - The Hollywood Reporter
“At the Shanghai International Film Festival on Thursday, a collection of Chinese studios revealed that they are turning to AI to re-imagine around 100 classics of the genre.” - The Hollywood Reporter
If it proves successful, Netflix and TF1’s partnership could unlock the door for more linear channels to air on streaming services, including in other parts of Europe and in the US. - Ars Technica
“Cambodia escalated its cold war with Thailand on Friday when it announced a ban on Thai movies and TV shows and a boycott of the neighboring country’s international internet links. Tensions between the Southeast Asian countries have soared since an armed confrontation in a border area on May 28.” - AP
“The 35-day figures for the 2024-25 season show that for series that originate on broadcast or cable networks, five weeks of streaming can grow a show’s audience by 40 to 50 percent — and in a few outlier cases, practically double it — from its linear total over the same time frame.” - The Hollywood Reporter
Even amid widespread vocal pushback against generative artificial intelligence, industry leaders say its use in film and TV is slowly becoming mainstream. More filmmakers are using evolving AI tools, and studios are partnering with AI companies to explore how they can use the technology in content creation. - NBC News
More than half (54%) of people get news from networks like Facebook, X and YouTube - overtaking TV (50%) and news sites and apps (48%), according to the Reuters Institute. - BBC
