The Future Of Steaming

Michael Schulman believes the massive market disruption by the streamers is still in its infancy. “Streaming is increasingly all there is.” Netflix has an advantage because he got an early start in the streaming landscape. They started as a DVD mail rental company that captured the technological capacity of the internet. They weren’t attached to a studio like many other streamers, and they have an greater global footprint.

Subscriber numbers don’t paint the full picture. At the time of posting, Netflix had 213 million subscribers, Amazon had 175 million and Disney + had 118 million. Apple TV+ only has around 19 million subscribers. Both Apple TV+ and Amazon are trillion dollar companies who’s core business is not video streaming. However, their market capitalizations ensure they have more resources than Netflix at their disposal. Boosting and maintaining their subscriber bases have a lesser impact on their business activities since their streaming services are often complimentary or an add on.

The illustrious studio system has been demoted to red-haired stepchild status living in the basement of the streamers. “Studios are almost afterthoughts in the entertainment world,” lamented Schulman.

Michael Schulman

The streamers have also disrupted the film and television distribution models. Previously, local distributors acquired territories to sell into. Although streamers have geographic access limitations, content is increasingly launched globally at the same time since audiences can quickly bypass geographic viewing restrictions.

The rapid proliferation of streaming services also raises the question of how the larger, all-encompassing ones brand themselves. Shudder (1 million subscribers) and Crunchyroll (120 million subscribers) position themselves as vehicles for low-budget horror and anime, respectively. It is unclear how Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu (43 million subscribers) differentiate themselves philosophically from a marketing viewpoint. “If they like it, they will buy the same kind of product as their competitors.”

Michael Schulman isn’t concerned about the generalist streamers being too broad in comparison to the narrow specialty ones. “They have business algorithms. They know exactly how many subscribers they need, what they are watching and for how long.” They are increasingly removing content that has too few views due to attrition or lack of interest.

Streamers are setting their sights on gaming and the meta verse to keep their subscriber base satiated and engaged. “There is a blurring of boundaries between genres and media. Things are getting bigger horizontally rather than vertically.”

Schulman doesn’t believe screenwriters need extensive business intelligence to advance their careers. “I think they need infinite creative intelligence and an ability to translate trends and the conceptual thoughts that are culturally relevant to the zeitgeist into compelling stories.”

Stories haven’t changed over time. Only the way they are told has.

Certain streamers have spread their reach into the physical theater space possibly signaling an industry consolidation. “In my perception, the more things consolidate, the more they end up breaking up over time due to sparring philosophies. The bigger and more homogenous something gets, the more likely it is to fracture over time.”

The Future Of Content

Schulman doesn’t believe screenwriters need to make any major conceptual changes in terms of what they write. The communal viewing experience is changing. The Family Friday Movie Night is waning in favor of more individual viewing. “There’s an intimacy to it. I think the way people consume their content affects the content itself.”

Large-scale epic pieces are increasingly focused on the internal personal struggles of the protagonists. “We’re seeing more flashbacks, memory sequences, and dreams through the subjective experience of the protagonist.”

Writers are also increasingly exploring contemporary issues that are on the news such as transgender and women’s issues. We’re also seeing more historical issues like social inequality told through a contemporary lens.

Streamers were once heralded as a boon for independent film producers as avenues to exhibit their work. This assumption held true for a time. This model has bifurcated with producers of micro-budget films competing for eyeballs with established blockbuster producers. “There is still a lot of interesting original talent supported… filmmaker driven, very personal and niche oriented films that wouldn’t have been theatrically released.”

Schulman cautions that the streamers aren’t talent scouts looking for the next big hit. They want others to find that gem for them. “Netflix will pay a premium for trusted production companies to do the legwork.”

Michael Schulman offers some advice to writers planning the next steps of their screenwriting careers. “Many writers can write a serviceable script.” Every creative executive has a roster of a dozen or so writers that can do exactly that with all the right story beats at the right places. “I don’t see enough writing with a signature quality, something that has some attitude and individual personality.” Writers should appreciate how difficult it is to write a script that is just serviceable. But the industry needs more.

Writers should focus on something that makes them distinguishable. “Write something quirky or idiosyncratic. Be the next Wes Anderson or M. Night Shyamalan. Do something differently and switch up the genre.” The screenwriting craft can be taught and learned. But innovation is more innate. The industry is interested in writers doing something that others aren’t doing. “They don’t want recycled dialogue that seems it’s come from every show they’ve ever seen.” There is too much derivative material out there not saying anything new. “It doesn’t have that special, ineffable quality of life that it needs.”

Sometimes a script is “almost there” and screenwriters should look at a more unconventional, less obvious approach to telling their story. “Maybe there’s a different way of entering the story or telling the story from a different character’s point of view? Maybe there’s a different way of structuring or framing a story?”

Schulman recalled the time he read a script called Groundhog Day. Despite its technical shortcomings (including misspellings) he saw a movie in it. “There was a concept that worked at the right moment in time.”

Writers should use their life experiences as a starting point. Even if you work in an office. There’s got to be something exciting or interesting about it. If there isn’t, make something up. It will seem real because you know how an office works to create an authentic world.