The Gist 28: Down with Content
Monetized Media and the Slow Death of Creatives
I hate ‘content’.
At the risk of sounding like an out-of-touch discontent, I seriously can’t stand the expectation that every creative who has a talent or a passion for a specific medium is expected to instantly master the plethora of self-promotion bullshit outlets that exist in the world. That’s a personal grievance as much as a concern for the creatives who, burnt out from years of toil to find the right channel to reach some sort of audience for their art, are too tired to actually…make their art. It reminds me of the quote originally conceptualized by Richard Serra and Carlota Fay Schoolman and refined by Andrew Lewis (Blue_Beetle):
“If you are not paying for it, you’re not the customer; you’re the product being sold.”
Maybe the media is evolving. There is a real art in the Short, Reel, YouTube space that is its own form of expression. But non-socially oriented artists renting ourselves out to billionaires to beg for crumbs from the marketplace feels like a fair vignette of the economy at large, which is more brutal than ever towards creatives and their livelihoods. And it steals from these artists who are in their own creative element.
That’s the way it is, though, right? Are we complaining here with no suggestions, no course of action? No.
Gestalt Media is a small company. At the height of production, we have around ten working members. In the slow times less than five. Most days, it feels like just me directing and planning and organizing and budgeting and editing and sending out paperwork, and… occasionally writing these updates. And I love that. I do, but the expectation that small creatives who are already stretched thin to also post on Instagram and manage a YouTube channel and check their branded Facebook page for comments pulls us away from our talents and dilutes the quality of that work.
Some smaller companies can afford a social media manager, but to be honest, with algorithms designed to reward certain behaviors and shifting with the political breeze, those returns, even in good times, are iffy. What about those who can’t? If Romero had to deal with follower counts well…he probably would have made a movie about what a nightmare that concept is.
All this to say: Gestalt Media is growing. We have a lot going on, but keeping up with making new ‘content’ every few days so people know we exist is not a priority at this moment. It’s not the right use of the incredible talent we have here. I prioritize weekly updates and, as often as possible, the Saturday film breakdowns because, by all accounts, you all are still reading them. Nearly at 100%, which is amazing, and I thank you SO MUCH for your continued engagement. I look forward to having more interactions and deeper discussions in the future.
If you’re enjoying what we’re doing in this space while prepping for the release of Self-Scare and the upcoming May shoot for Cryptid: A VR Experience, please…share a link. Let someone know about it. Leave a comment below. It helps the algorithm, but it also helps me get to know you and what you want to see here. How we can make this a better experience for you personally.
In the Lights
Self-Scare is very much moving along on our goal to have it reach streaming later this year. The turnaround window is tight, but I remain confident we will get it done. This past weekend, our talented DP, Josh Lively, stopped by and put me under the lights to re-film the narrator section of season one. I’ve never felt super comfortable being seen on camera, and his patience was incredible.
We have one more insert to complete in the coming weeks, but I think it’s going to be incredible. A Neolithic recreation highlighting the horror roots of humanity, filmed right here in the mountains of Western NC! Looking forward to it.
Cryptid
We’re ramping up pre-production for Cryptid, aiming for a mid-May film date. With cast, crew, and location all in place, things are getting very exciting for our second run at a full VR film short. Let me tell you, this will put the adrenaline back in your veins, no matter how seasoned in the horror field.
Reno Time!
For those who remember the studio space when we first got it, that renovation was an education in how filthy you can get without technically going outside. Now six years later, after swearing to never do it again, nature has dictated we will be completely ripping out the second floor and putting in a new one. So…here’s a quick flashback to what it looked like when we began in 2019.
The Gist:
Quality over quantity, even if no one knows it’s happening
Self-Scare is coming to the finish line in the next few weeks to a month.
Cryptid is on schedule for an early summer shoot
We’re gonna get dirty…like real dirty.
“The responsibility of the artist is to make work that’s real and that’s reflective of something that’s true. You have to be true to your own vision of the voice you’re trying to find.”
- Andrew Okpeaha MacLean (Iñupiaq filmmaker)
Agree wholeheartedly.