Blog 10 minute read
Re: Cinema / Theatre / Movies
Entertainment Business / Opinion
My name is George Ohan.
I am a U.S. Army veteran.
I am an independent film producer in California.
I would like to discuss a few points please. . .
Who is the real voice of the international cinema / theatre industry?
Which large cinema organization has been innovative to keep up with the changes of 2020?
Which theatre owners have created a new way to keep their businesses open?
Has there been any leadership who has offered solutions and action for the suffering industry of cinema? Have a group of theatre and cinema owners created a new protocol for doing business? SAG-AFTRA has done this for most productions to proceed.
As a filmmaker, we are watching the cinema owners waiting to hear what the new rules will be. . . . from the government. This does not make any sense.
The entertainment industry is a driving force in the United States, and many other organizations outside of the film exhibition industry have figured out ways to move forward.
The owners of theatres and cinemas must step up, have a voice, and create the new standards.
Where are the really smart distribution people who work at the studios?
We need to re-think everything, be decisive, and move swiftly to stay up with the times. If not, this old business model of the “movies” will dwindle down to a very small group of places. Think about it. . .
Have you seen many marketing campaigns to keep movie theatres open?
I have not. People are being reactive to health information, as it is released. We should be the ones submitting a plan to re-open business, and have the government officials evaluate the plan that has been created by people in the industry.
The cinema and theatre industry have failed at creating their own voice, and their own brand. I believe that they have been riding the coattails of Hollywood promoting the films, and missed the point that the CINEMA going experience is what people are paying for.
This is a relationship that needs to be looked at with a fresh perspective.
WHY does a person want to watch a movie at the Cinema?
What does watching a movie at a cinema do for a me, as a spectator?
Could a cinema operate at a 20 percent capacity and still be considered safe, by all current health standards?
If cinema owners only brought in 20 percent of the staff to meet the service demands, would their businesses still be profitable?
Could cinema owners offer an online streaming version of their content by sending out emails to their previous guests?
Do filmmakers trust the person who is responsible to lobby for movie theatres in front of Congress, to represent the entertainment industry as a whole?
Who is lobbying in front of Congress for this cause?
What has been the outcome of any lobbying that has been done at Congress?
THANK YOU to all of the movie cinema owners and leadership who have been fighting this fight in 2020! On behalf of the filmmakers, we appreciate you.
We need to start bridging the gap between the experienced film distributors and exhibitors with the new talented tech-savvy generation of filmmakers to create something special.
The movie going experience needs to be saved and improved.
The cinema is a beautiful sanctuary of sound and light, that helps us go on mystical journeys, to far places with a group of humans who we end up being connected to because of that experience. This feeling is worth saving, and this experience is worth the energy to re-think and to make it better.
In times like this we need to start looking at the people who have been in this space for many years, with a track record of innovation and outside-of-the-box thinking. For me, one company comes to mind right now, Impact Releasing / VetFlicks with CEO Marcus T. Bovee ll.
They have been creating new ways to distribute content, and getting the filmmakers paid too. All hope is not lost, as long as we have Mr.Bovee standing his ground, and defending all the BIG SCEENS on the globe.
Somebody has to do it.
Stay safe. Be respectful. Let’s watch movies.
NEW release September 2020
Releasing online September 30th 2020
Amy Faithe
HIGHER - Music Video
The thoughts represented here do not any of George Ohan’s or Fulton Film Company clients, or business affiliates.
This blog is written by George Ohan, as a personal opinion entry.
