Ted Perkins: The way to world conquest (in film)
By Shellie Branco and Sonya Senkowsky
Ted Perkins
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Ted Perkins: The way to world conquest (in film)
Ideas, not technology, are still the major currency of the Hollywood film industry, said filmmaker and producer Ted Perkins. But that is not the case the world over, where cronyism and subsidies rule. He recommends filmmakers in other countries seeking to make successful films aspire to what he sees as a “beautiful” model: the Hollywood system.
In Hollywood, the best ideas always rise to the top, explained Perkins; those that are not culturally compelling wither on the vine. This is true, he notes, whether or not you agree with the Hollywood definition of “best.”
Though nonconformity in the Hollywood film industry can be “anguishing to finance,” it can also reap great rewards. But, in the rest of the world, more barriers than rewards greet nonconformists seeking to rise to the top.
From protectionism, to quotas, to government film subsidies, censorship and culture, numerous factors abroad hamper cinematic creativity, leading to poorly made movies. In countries with film subsidy systems, for example, a film commission decides what to green-light. Cronyism, conformity to stereotypes, and infighting among producers are common in such systems, since directors aren’t judged for low-grossing films and don’t have to pay back the government money.
Quotas, protectionism and censorship can also limit and penalize American producers. In Asia, for example, sexual situations are taboo. Europe, although it’s produced some heavily violent movies, finds excessive violence to be in bad taste. And then there’s the Muslim world, said Perkins: “Where it’s that, plus just about everything else, that they condemn as morally repugnant.”
Now, political films are hot in Latin America, but they do not follow the Hollywood model and won’t stand to make the same kind of money globally. “Why? Because these movies are made with a purpose, not for what the audience wants,” said Perkins.
In Colombia and Spain, tax incentives and state TV networks drive production. In Europe, several financial schemes, such as the involvement of the stock market in Germany, were failures.
Cooperation among countries will bring progress, Perkins concluded, and globalization will create exciting new film, TV and multimedia.
The free-market Asian market has fared better. The popular film “The Ring” originated overseas and was successfully exported to Hollywood. Such Asian horror movies, from a commercial point of view, are seen as exportable, and Asia is seen by studios as having a business-friendly atmosphere. Such films are a success because they “take a Hollywood genre, put it in a local context and ship it all over the world.”
“If I really want to learn about Latin American politics, I’ll read a book,” said Perkins. Successful commercial films elsewhere, he points out, have essentially just exported and exploited the Hollywood model: These include an Argentian cop movie, a Mexican “cheesy, kind of sex comedy” that was a huge runaway hit. a South African film “about animals pooping on each other.”
“If those people had …asked for a film subsidy, they would have been laughed out of the office.”
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