Getting into mainstream cinema was a big deal for an aspiring creative practitioner at one point in the past. It meant that either a production company, producer, a talent agent or a manager discovered you or you constantly had to go around and knock on their doors like some sort of an obsessed maniac until someone gave you the time of day or by some pure luck of the Irish to be discovered. However, the way things are headed in this day and age, be it all the cost cutting decathlons, I wouldn't hold my breath. Pretty soon, AI might be taking the place of a lot of the gatekeepers and this might make that even tougher for an aspiring creative practitioner to be discovered, given the fact that AI could be programmed to go through criteria that is often impossible to meet.
Overreliance on unqualified critics:
There is a lot of overreliance on critics who is by far more times than one, unqualified to make any credible criticisms of a creative practitioner's work from the get go. Granted that a producer or a show runner would want an ROI of the breakeven cost of a production + 30%, and considering the time and effort that is needed to develop an idea, a lot of them resort to taking the easy way out and a part of that would be to rely heavily on critics that do not have a background in film or TV production. A lot of times, these critics offer criticisms that sound smart, but in actuality, isn't. These critics are more about destructive criticism rather than being constructive. The only ones that are worth listening to or taking advice from are the established critics who do not have a god complex. If these so called 'critics' are supposed to take place of the average Joey to help decide whether an idea being developed is commercially viable or not, they aren't doing a very good job of it.
Sticking to a recycled formula:
The 'roll your eyes' kind of stick to the formula mentality applied to most of the movies produced through the decades and in recent years with all the book adaptations, the remakes and the reboots speaks volumes. Luckily, there are a handful of production companies and or producers or show runners that are taking the risk when a fresh idea comes across their eyes. The stick to the formula kind of movie production may also be a contributing factor for utilizing unqualified critics to safeguard the industry practice. At some point, we the average Joeys may be getting sick and tired of this type of movie production, leading to the gradual gravitation towards independent productions.
The ridiculous mantra and daily production schedule being followed:
When I was still in film school learning the filmmaking craft or fine tuning it, I quickly discovered that you are allowed to work a maximum of 12 hours a day in a production set and that there are productions that would easily take advantage of this. This leaves you little to no time for yourself or to unwind properly. You are expected to be on call at any time of the day no matter where you are or what you are doing at that time of the day the call comes through. I remember one perverted producer telling me (and I quote): "You can't have days off unless you are a hot girl", which was borderline disgusting and perverted. Also, the industry is infected with the saying: "If you're early, you're on time, and if you're on time, you're late." Personally, I found this to be not only ridiculous, it should have no impact on the quality of the work or the work itself that is produced that yields the finished product. You also sometimes get treated like you do not exist or verbal abuse is thrown at you for not trying hard enough. For this reason, independent productions are far better.
Do not be fooled by the celebrities and their facade of fame and fortune as what is happening behind the scenes suggests that the juice may not be worth the squeeze anymore for aspiring creative practitioners and screenwriters alike.
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