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[peder]

I'm not a movie-maker, nor did I stay at a Holiday Inn last night.

But for the last 20 years of my working life, I was a salesman, and was reasonably successful. You learn a couple of things real quick: where the money is and which customers are ready to spend it. To have any success at this, you must listen to your customers.

I would suggest to anyone about to make a movie, that you look at movies that were successful in the past and learn why folks went to see them.

Without customers, you have no business. None. You only exist to satisfy a need or a want that someone is willing to pay for.

This might sometimes be hard for Disney, because Disney is a company (like Amazon and others) that embraces being misunderstood for long periods of time, taking a bet on a creative direction. In a sense, Disney tells its customers what they want, not the other way around, and they've been very successful at that over the years. But when they drift from what customers want, it can require a significant cultural change to get back to being successful.

 

[wabbott]

In a sense, Disney tells its customers what they want, not the other way around, and they've been very successful at that over the years.

That's an accurate statement. I once saw a phrase that described the Madison Avenue advertising industry as "want makers." Think back to the TV show Mad Men.

 

[HokieRaven5]

TWDC (and let’s face it practically every other corporation) have bigger issues on their mind than the current state of the box office anyway.

Lots of uncertainty going forward for all in this economic climate.

 

[BrianL]

This might sometimes be hard for Disney, because Disney is a company (like Amazon and others) that embraces being misunderstood for long periods of time, taking a bet on a creative direction. In a sense, Disney tells its customers what they want, not the other way around, and they've been very successful at that over the years. But when they drift from what customers want, it can require a significant cultural change to get back to being successful.

This is a balancing act. The best companies, especially in a creative sector, should give fans something that they didn't know they wanted. So, you are giving them what they want, but you have to tap into that unexpected factor too. It's notorously hard to do, but that's the magic formula for greatness.

 

[peder]

The best companies, especially in a creative sector, should give fans something that they didn't know they wanted

That's a much more elegant way of saying what I was trying to say. Well put.

I think Disney has the people who have "it" but it's also got people who clearly don't have "it" + a very long creative process that involves a ton of rework / design by committee. They probably are too risk averse because their budgets are so high, but their budgets are so high because they have too many cooks in the kitchen. They need to figure out a way to greenlight more projects and let their creatives thrive or fail on their own, without so much bureaucracy. And once they find their winners, then they can give them more budget.

 

[BrianL]

That's a much more elegant way of saying what I was trying to say. Well put.

I think Disney has the people who have "it" but it's also got people who clearly don't have "it" + a very long creative process that involves a ton of rework / design by committee. They probably are too risk averse because their budgets are so high, but their budgets are so high because they have too many cooks in the kitchen. They need to figure out a way to greenlight more projects and let their creatives thrive or fail on their own, without so much bureaucracy. And once they find their winners, then they can give them more budget.

While that may be true, sometimes that design by comittee does work, so it's so hard to say that they should do this or should do that. The fact is, in a creative endeavor, it is hard to know. That said, a strong creative vision is usually the best starting point.

 

[Brian Noble]

“Nobody knows anything...... Not one person in the entire motion picture field knows for a certainty what's going to work. Every time out it's a guess and, if you're lucky, an educated one.”
--William Goldman