Ben Affleck says Netflix’s ‘assembly line’ approach to making quality films is ‘an impossible job’
CNN
–
Ben Affleck has been vocal about how movies are being made in today’s age of Netflix and other streaming platforms, which offer an ever-expanding array of content.
The actor, producer and director, who is starting his own new film studio with friend and colleague Matt Damon at Redbird Capital Partners, shared his opinion on Netflix’s approach to filmmaking, which he compared to an “assembly line.” done
Making movies “is something that requires focus and dedication and work and it’s opposed to the assembly line kind of process,” Affleck shared in reference to Netflix. The New York Times 2022 Dealbook Conference last week.
“[Netflix’s head of original films] Scott Stuber is a really talented, smart guy who I really like…but it’s an impossible task,” he added.
The “Argo” star also said that if you ask Netflix co-CEO and chairman Reed Hastings about his ambitious approach to making 50 great movies, “he’ll say, ‘Hey, we’ve taken the amount to establish a footprint. had gone.’ I’m sure there’s wisdom in that and I’m sure they had a great strategy, but I would have said, ‘How are we going to make 50 great movies a year? How is that possible?’ There’s no big committee. There aren’t enough – you can’t do it.
Affleck acknowledged that “(a) there is a bigger audience for action movies than short plays. I get that. Some genres play more broadly and you may not be conscious of it. But let’s do a good one, let’s surprise the audience, let’s make them care about it.
At Artists Equity, which is being branded as a creator-led studio, Affleck and company hope to reimagine the relationship between studios, artists and employees working in the industry.
Seen in diversity, Artist Equity already has a first project in production — an as-yet-untitled drama about the launch of Nike’s incredibly popular Air Jordan sneaker brand. Written and directed by Affleck, the film stars Damon as the executive who landed a shoe endorsement deal with Chicago Bulls superstar Michael Jordan.
