The puzzle called entertainment industry

 

I vividly remember a meeting I had a couple of weeks ago in which we talked and brainstormed about the entertainment industry. We looked at different aspects from different perspectives and the thoughts have been floating through my mind ever since.

 

If I have to explain my view on the entertainment industry in its simplest form, I always like to use a puzzle. A puzzle within the individual as well as a puzzle in the industry itself, which still very much depends on teamwork.

 

I’m going to be very straightforward with you and tell you that there is a distinction between the so called “trash” and “the rest”, which isn’t necessarily bad even though it might sound like that. Some content might be universally seen as “trash” and is consumed because of it (trash-tv for example), and sometimes it depends on the individual if something is seen as “trash” or if it isn’t.

 

 

“Trash” and the “rest”

You might think what in the world does this mean, and I don’t blame you. For there to be “trash” in every possible way, there has to be something else that isn’t considered “trash”, that is what I will call “the rest”. Especially in the entertainment industry there is a constant flow of new and recycled materials, often it’s a combination of both. Which furthermore makes clear that you might even be able to say that

nothing in today’s entertainment industry stays “trash” forever.

Subconsciously, every consumer debates what they like or dislike about a certain piece of content they consume. This internal debate is happening every single day, humans consume content on a daily basis and it is way more than they are aware of.

But what exactly is the “rest”? In short, it is everything else that exists as content and it can be different for every individual. It is what you personally see as quality content. There are several criteria by which one can determine what oneself thinks is quality. It could be the lyrics of a song or the musical part. It could be the narration of a production, the costs of a production which reflects on the look of said production, the actors, you name it.

 

The existence of “trash” in this is essential, because without the “trash” the “rest” wouldn’t even exist; there wouldn’t be a distinction. In this we will be focussing on what I called “the rest”, the quality content or however you like to call it.  

 

 

Oversaturation

Will there ever be an oversaturation of the entertainment industry? It is a question that often arises, and only time will give us the answer to that. But I can tell you my point of view. If you ask me, oversaturating the entertainment industry is extremely hard. Every individual has (slightly) different preferences in what they like to consume and different expectations. The industry can definitely be overwhelming though; I won’t fight you on that.

There is so much content and many parts are very transient, yet they will most likely never truly disappear.

Here is where the “puzzle” finds its way into the picture. With such a fast paced industry it can feel as if you have to be one step ahead every single time, which isn’t necessarily the case. However, I truly believe that you have to find many different perfect fits for yourself; you have to find the puzzle pieces that fit you. A task that is probably a never ending search; you find one piece that fits and you are already looking for the next. That is how the industry works, that is what makes it interesting and that is what many love about it! This is a process that often takes place behind closed doors, or at least it is a process that the normal consumer doesn’t always see. I’ll try to explain this with two examples later on; one with a fictional actor and one with a fictional musician in the hope, that it will be a bit more understandable.

 

Due to the large amount of content that is available, the easiness in which it can be spread all across the world nowadays because of all the technical innovations and the competition, exhaustion isn’t uncommon. It is important to “compete” for and to believe in yourself on the way towards whatever it is that you want to accomplish, but you also don’t want to be seen as too competitive, because that just makes you unattractive to work with (at least in my opinion).

If it’s not one of YOUR perfect fits or if it doesn’t feel “right”, you can almost be sure that someone else with a different team will work better or that they will get the job, because they fit better together. This goes for the fit of an individual and the content as well as an individual with the team they’re working with.

 

That being said obviously, there comes a point at which the success of something isn’t in your hands anymore. You can only do the best you can, but at some point, it’s the consumer who will determine the success of the product or content you’ve made.

Consumers often underestimate the power they have, in general, but also in the entertainment industry.

 

A puzzle with pieces you don’t see

If there was one thing, we all agreed on in the meeting that started this brain dump, it’s that there is so much more going on than you see. The entertainment industry is a two-sided street, for the individual as well as for the whole team. It goes without saying that it is way more complex than it looks from the outside. So, let’s take a look at the two fictional examples.

 

 

Musicians (a fictional example)

A musician for example might make twenty songs and only one will make it to a release. The public only sees that one song, while the other songs might never see the light of day; they still exist, they still were part of the process, they did take up energy and time.

 

You see artists who have an amazing time on stage while you are enjoying your time in the audience. Behind that works a whole team, every location has a team that makes sure a show goes smooth and the artist has a team as well to make sure everything goes as planned.

 

We haven’t even talked about the constant production of content that you need to have as an artist. Today’s society, which is permeated with (social) media, expects you to keep your content production on all the platforms up to date. A big thing here is balance; you have to know when to choose yourself and you have to know that it is okay to say no, otherwise you will get overwhelmed and exhausted by basically not even the main part of your job.

 

The same thing kind of applies to social gatherings. Obviously, they can be fun and really good networking opportunities, but at the same time they can be draining.

 

These are just some plain to see examples that are often overseen.

 

 

Actors (a fictional example)

You might see an actor on screen in a role you like, you might see press photos, photoshoots or interviews, you might see them attending different social gatherings and it might look like their life is all sunshine, rainbows and sprinkles. Here too, much more happens behind the scenes.

 

Twenty castings and self-tapes might lead you to one role. Your agent can recommend some roles they think are fitting while you also look for yourself; in the end you are the one making the decision for which roles you’ll attend the casting. Like with the songs, you might have twenty different tries to get one role.

 

Social gatherings are often used for networking and media presence, obviously they can be fun but they can also be exhausting.

 

If you’ve had a role in a production that did really well and let’s, say changed your life literally overnight you might get offers for roles that go into the same direction as the character you played in that lifechanging production. As great as it is that one production does incredibly well, and as great as it is that you are getting many offers, you don’t want to always be connected to that role up to the extent that it gets hard for you to play other characters. A classic example for this would be Miley Cyrus with the show “Hannah Montana”. So, while choosing the roles you are going to play you have to do both, listen to your heart and to what feels right along with thinking about how this can reflect on your career.

 

Another example would be Inger Nillson who played Pipi Longstocking (Pipi Långstrump), she was identified with Pipi and wasn’t asked for any other role until 30 years later because people couldn’t see anyone else in her expect for Pipi. As an actor you obviously don’t want this to happen, no matter how old you are; so smart picking is essential when it comes to the characters you play.

 

Here applies the same as with the musician, these are just some examples. Obviously, there is way more going on than this.

 

 

Two sides of the same coin

If you look into it, you will see that there are always different ways in which you can look at the same situation. This goes for life in general, but also for the entertainment industry.

 

 

Maybe the most important part, they are also still “just” people, they are human! People in the entertainment industry, especially the ones in the public eye, don’t have to justify themselves. They have the right to say no and they deserve their privacy just as much as anyone else. They are the once who have to take the negativity even if it’s often not even their fault.

They enrich the industry, they make amazing content and they are incredibly creative, talented and work hard (most of them ;)). The least you can do as a consumer is thinking twice before posting or saying something, cause it might be hurtful or full of presumptions (journalism industry is a whole other story). From a certain point on (which is early than many consumers think), you have to realise that their (private) life is none of your business.

 

 

Enjoy the content they make, everything they share and the love they spread, but let them be human too!