#safe bets

There tends to be that sentiment that studios don’t make anything original anymore.

But that’s not true; even if the ratio of originality to safe IP has tipped dramatically in the direction of the latter.

But I think we need to have less conversations about which IP is getting a new installment, and more conversations about marketing.

See, the problem isn’t simply that new ratio—it’s that only the safe IP gets the big marketing push. (Sometimes even safe IP doesn’t when it needs to of course, look at Transformers One).

But essentially, studios create a perception of which movies and shows and such they are making by which they make people aware of. If people are more aware of safe IP and less aware of original stories, it will feel like original stories aren’t getting made regardless of how many are actually out at the time. (Though again, it is a known factor that it is harder to get original stories green lit today than it used to be and that shouldn’t be dismissed).

And of course the frustrating part is that the safe IP needs that awareness far less. A smaller marketing budget can go a lot farther if the thing being marketed gets people excited by its mere existence.

All together this creates a cycle of original stories often experiencing less success, which then feeds studio exec data crunching with numbers that people prefer sequels and franchises and don’t want to give new movies a chance.