Media fragmentation is a pervasive topic in our industry. It crops up in several of this week’s Directors Series profiles, for instance, with such projects as viral spots, Web shorts, Internet events and targeted cable series bringing helmers into creative prominence. Fragmentation is also what prompted a two-year extension of the commercials contract for actors as the ad business and the actors’ unions plan to take that time via an independent study to figure out equitable compensation models in a brave new media world.
Yet while there’s constant corridor talk about new media and the splintering of audiences, rarely do I hear discussion in our corner of the biz about the ironically rampant antithesis of fragmentation: media ownership consolidation. It’s certainly being discussed in the entertainment sector. Earlier this month Hollywood producers and union representatives testified at a regional FCC hearing in Los Angeles, objecting to the relaxation of media ownership rules over the years, which they contend has resulted in the consolidation of power into far too few hands.
The impact compromises varied areas, perhaps most sadly journalism as evidenced on assorted fronts, a prime example being Tribune’s ownership of The Los Angeles Times, which has translated into significant staff cutbacks, prompting community leaders to protest, with some urging that Tribune divest itself of the newspaper.
However, most of what I hear and read from ad industry pundits regarding media ownership consolidation is centered on strategies, with savvy business moves by agency holding companies (acquiring additional shops, including media firms) and by the likes of Rupert Murdoch being lauded. In Murdoch’s case, there’s News Corp.’s high-profile acquisition of MySpace, adding to an empire that consists of assorted newspapers, the Fox stations spanning broadcast and cable and satellite holdings.
The most eloquent retort to such all encompassing ownership came from director Frank Capra in Mr. Smith Goes To Washington, which shows how a media mogul with power can influence opinion and the flow of information to the detriment of the public at large.
But perhaps I am the dinosaur, citing a 1939 movie. Next I’ll be babbling about the Sherman Antitrust Act, recalling when it actually meant something.
Nonetheless the potential for the abuse of power remains a relevant issue, particularly for those further down on the food chain. In our industry consider the slow payment problem that has compromised the financial health of production companies and other support services in recent years.
And the situation is worsening, the irony being that huge multinational corporations are asking small entrepreneurial shops to bankroll production for extended periods.
While fragmentation is a hot industry topic, so too should be what happens under the guise of consolidation.
Netflix Series “The Leopard” Spots Classic Italian Novel, Remakes It As A Sumptuous Period Drama
"The Leopard," a new Netflix series, takes the classic Italian novel by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa and transforms it into a sumptuous period piece showing the struggles of the aristocracy in 19th-century Sicily, during tumultuous social upheavals as their way of life is crumbling around them.
Tom Shankland, who directs four of the eight episodes, had the courage to attempt his own version of what is one of the most popular films in Italian history. The 1963 movie "The Leopard," directed by Luchino Visconti, starring Burt Lancaster, Alain Delon and Claudia Cardinale, won the Palme d'Or in Cannes.
One Italian critic said that it would be the equivalent of a director in the United States taking "Gone with the Wind" and turning it into a series, but Shankland wasn't the least bit intimidated.
He said that he didn't think of anything other than his own passion for the project, which grew out of his love of the book. His father was a university professor of Italian literature in England, and as a child, he loved the book and traveling to Sicily with his family.
The book tells the story of Don Fabrizio Corbera, the Prince of Salina, a tall, handsome, wealthy aristocrat who owns palaces and land across Sicily.
His comfortable world is shaken with the invasion of Sicily in 1860 by Giuseppe Garibaldi, who was to overthrow the Bourbon king in Naples and bring about the Unification of Italy.
The prince's family leads an opulent life in their magnificent palaces with servants and peasants kowtowing to their every need. They spend their time at opulent banquets and lavish balls with their fellow aristocrats.
Shankland has made the series into a visual feast with tables heaped with food, elaborate gardens and sensuous costumes.... Read More