Paul Schrader on the Future of Film: ‘The Multiplex is Dead”
How storytelling is changing:
“The traditional three-act story is going to be in a way like Bruce Springsteen or YouTube – it’s going to be a specialized thing.”
Film criticism has changed:
Schrader, who started out his career as a film critic, said we are in an age of “crowdsourcing criticism.”
Theaters need to “eventize” cinema:
“If you want me to go to a theater, you need a pretty good reason,” said Schrader, who praised the Angelika, IFC and Lincoln Center where specialized screenings are “still alive and well…. These places with Q&As and a drink afterwards, it’s more of a reason to leave your home…The idea of the multiplex is dead. The multiplexes don’t have anything to offer.”
Technology is the future:
“If I were your age, I’d be
writing code,” said Schrader, who announced his plan to be a part of
the new wave of 4k filmmaking. “My idea is to create a program to design
a film for 4k.”
“If Fellini were alive, how would he tell ‘La Dolce Vita?'” Schrader asked rhetorically. As a film or “a 3-hour web series?”
