Hollywood Producers Say 'Intrusive' Apple Executives and 'Lack of Clarity' Impeding Original Content Efforts

[apolloa]

Oh come on. Millions think every Netflix show is great? Seriously? Nothing there that can be improved? No reputation for filler episodes that don’t move the plot along?

Just stop it.
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No, I mean positive buzz tells us nothing about whether the shows are any good. It does tell us something about their ability to spin PR.

Because millions upon millions of people will happily watch a show even if you don’t like it. I’ve heard Game Of Thrones fans complain about it, yet how many people watch it?
It’s personal taste and opinion if you think a show needs ‘filler’, and FYI Netflix are dropping some anyway.
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If you ignore the fact that, whether you like it or not, Carpool Karaoke was already a known success. It wasn't something Apple dreamt up, and flopped because it was crap.

These stories about being so hands on don't sound too encouraging though - it might be in Apple's DNA to control every aspect of things like hardware and software, but applying that to something like the creative arts, maybe not so much.

Carpool Karaoke was part of Thw Latw Show I believe?
But Apple turned it into a series.. and last I checked it wasn’t really an overall success anyway. I don’t know anyone including on here and social media who has watched it beyond 1 or 2 episodes.

 

[centauratlas]

Agreed. Seems like Apple has lost all sense of what it wants to be. Cook is clueless as what to do next and it shows.

They believe that it will lock people into the platform long term which will provide upgrade opportunities not to mention recurring service revenue. I'm not a fan of SAAS type stuff and would rather buy outright, but lots of people prefer to rent.

 

[apolloa]

Hard to tell anything yet, isn’t it?

HBO is the benchmark. Netflix has some good content and so does Prime. My guess is Apple will, too. They’re all drawing from pretty much the same pool of talent, though there are some exclusive tie-ups. As long as you can write checks, you can get good content. However, just having the money isn’t enough; the quality of the decision-making execs is just as (or more) important. Apple’s made some good hires and I’m sure more will follow.

But the idea that Cook would hire people who know what they’re doing but then micro-manage the effort with notes like “Don’t be so mean!” is laughable. Cook has shown a lot of patience with some (sometimes too much) and given them plenty of rope, but of course the Apple-hate crowd is quick to believe he’s now a tyrannical, note-passing micro-manager. Apple hiring/firing writers? Yeah, that’s not how it works.

No HBO is far from being the benchmark, because we are talking global market here, and HBO is NOT global with its streaming service, neither is Sony or the majority of other services.

The main ones are Amazon and Netflix, which is why they are the benchmark for what Apple is aiming for here.


What I do wonder is if Apples boats are busy meddling, micro managing these creators, just how long will these creators actually hang around and do Apples bidding? It’s not like Abrams can’t find other work....

 

[allapple]

WTF!! Ask WOZ to come back, shake things up! Make Apple fun again! Colors and easter eggs! Ipods with the old dial wheels......just for fun! Make the Mac Mini look like really small Colored IMac! fun stuff! Leave the movies and crap behind........it's not us!

 

[chilly willy]

Well, worrying about the truth of these rumors is a waste of time. The shows will stand or fall on their own merits. I have concerns, but bigger things to stress about. Including replacing my aging MBP.

 

[cmaier]

WTF!! Ask WOZ to come back, shake things up! Make Apple fun again! Colors and easter eggs! Ipods with the old dial wheels......just for fun! Make the Mac Mini look like really small Colored IMac! fun stuff! Leave the movies and crap behind........it's not us!

Um, when Woz is around we had beige boxes.

 

[Thresher]

They have to keep it PG because if they allow "adult content" on this platform they lose the legal argument for banning on the Apple Store. They would violate anti trust allowing for Apple to produce "pornographic material" but not the market place since they control distribution.

Yeah, no.

Their store, their rules. They don't have to be internally consistent when they own the store.

 

[cmaier]

They have to keep it PG because if they allow "adult content" on this platform they lose the legal argument for banning on the Apple Store. They would violate anti trust allowing for Apple to produce "pornographic material" but not the market place since they control distribution.

Antitrust law is not what you think it is.

 

[sofila]

Sounds to me Cook is aiming for a remake of Bambi

A parent dies in Bambi, not sure if this would get into Apple's target

 

[9081094]

A parent dies in Bambi, not sure if this would get into Apple's target

Oops, you’re right. Bambi is out of the race RIP Bambi and all light a candle

 

[bigchrisfgb]

More power to Apple. If they actually get us another "Breaking Bad", then do whatever it takes. If, on the other hand, they deliver us some whitewashed edgeless ********, i will do a 180 on this one.

Bottom line: Let's wait and see.

Apple isn’t going to create another Breaking Bad.
Sorry but after watershed programmes are the big ones and they are so because adult scenes (be it sex, swearing, violence, drug use etc) sells.

Apple want a family orientated platform so won’t have that. With that all they can offer is either Disney/Pixar type productions, or rubbish mundane talent shows.

 

[Baymowe335]

Should’ve been much greater. Mac still has only a fraction of pc market. No essential services. Less focus on software. Idiot self driving car crap. This video garbage. Pulling strings equals no clue. Disaster with speakers, Apple TV, and anything Home. Apple maps. Siri. Education market abandoned. Business support and sales abandoned.

Steve only gave the guy perhaps the most valuable iconic product in history. iPhone.

Tim is still trying to explain why iPhone. Even in ads. He still doesn’t know IMO.

Much greater? They are in uncharted territory of dominance. What precedent is there of any company earning $60B in profit in a year? Do you know how insane that is or how popular your product needs to be to put up that kind of numbers?

Hilarious take, again ignoring the facts.

Jobs sold one third as many iPhones as the current Apple, had almost no services, and refused to build a large screen iPhone. He was a genius, but he wasn't perfect. Apple has over $100B in non-iPhone revenue, growing at 20%.

The education market hasn't been abandoned, we know virtually nothing about the car besides speculation, and services are going to be the next growth engine, like it or not. Microsoft has done the same thing, minus the hardware dominance.

 

[9081094]

Apple isn’t going to create another Breaking Bad.
Sorry but after watershed programmes are the big ones and they are so because adult scenes (be it sex, swearing, violence, drug use etc) sells.

Apple want a family orientated platform so won’t have that. With that all they can offer is either Disney/Pixar type productions, or rubbish mundane talent shows.

Yawn, count me out even if I get free subscription

 

[entropys]

If Jony Ive sticks his minimalist mitts into the works, expect all the shows to be in black and white where everyone wears grey and speaks meaningless, airy “contextually durable and precision-focused” snippets in monotone.

I don’t think ‘The Giver” is the kind of message a modern California Fruit Company would wish to promote.

 

[entropys]

Yes if only we could go back to the days when every gay character depicted was either dealing with AIDS or coming out of the closet!
/sarcasm in case it’s not obvious enough.

Well any perusal of Netflix or prime and you would have to think the wonderfully cool gay friend, wise in the worlds of relationships and fashion, is an essential accessory for every teenage girl for any chance in life. It’s so prevalent it has become a meme.

I think you are misrepresenting what the poster originally said. Which was about overcompensation.

 

[willentrekin]

In terms of the launch, Apple's nitpicking over content and technology has caused numerous delays, and content partners are said to be slightly irritated about these delays.

It's hilarious to see the suits who always provide the sort of frustrating notes that make writers and directors tear their hear out express frustration about receiving notes that make them want to tear their hair out.

 

[Ubele]

Can you imagine Breaking Bad if Tim was in charge saying "don't be mean". It would be more family friendly than My Little Pony.

Breaking Bread

High-school biology teacher Walter Whitbread is diagnosed with cancer. Wanting to find a way to provide for his family before he dies, he remembers that people used to say how fabulous his grandmother's homemade bread was. Using his expert knowledge of yeasts, he improves upon her secret recipe and creates what everyone tells him is the best bread they've ever tasted. He teams up with former student Justin Pinkman and sets up a makeshift bakery in an old RV. Word spreads about Whitbread Wheat Bread, and the duo can barely keep up with demand. A national grocery chain expresses interest in carrying Whitbread Wheat Bread. The evil executives at the global processed baked-goods conglomerate CarbCo are afraid that this new competition will cut into sales of their own Whiter-than-White Bread, so they mount a dirty-tricks campaign, spreading a rumor that Walter and Justin are gay lovers. Fans of Whitbread Wheat Bread rally around them, saying, "So what if they are? What's wrong with that?" The story goes viral, and soon there's a nationwide boycott of CarbCo products. The evil executives realize how mean they've been, and they feel bad about it. Having learned a lesson in tolerance, they vow to change their ways. They hire Walter and Justin at seven-figure salaries, giving them the freedom to continue using their own recipe, and promise to switch to all-natural, non-GMO ingredients in all CarbCo products. In the series finale, Walter learns that his cancer has completely disappeared, apparently cured by something in the yeast. Everyone hugs. The end credits roll to the Beatles' "All You Need Is Love."

 

[Joe h]

The streaming video market is going to be more over saturated than the smart phone market ever was. Seems like anyone with a couple million lying around are starting one of these 2 bit services, either it being original content(Netflix/amazon), niche sports(Facebook/dazn/espn+), studio and/or tv libraries(hbo/Disney+), or an ott service of low value tv networks that can be bundled for pennies(Pluto/fubo/sling). Won’t be long and the bubble will burst on this market also. You would think a numbers guy who is clearly rattled by the sudden decrease in demand for smartphones, tablets, and laptops, can see there is no where for the streaming market to go other than implosion.

 

[9081094]

Breaking Bread

High-school biology teacher Walter Whitbread is diagnosed with cancer. Wanting to find a way to provide for his family before he dies, he remembers that people used to say how fabulous his grandmother's homemade bread was. Using his expert knowledge of yeasts, he improves upon her secret recipe and creates what everyone tells him is the best bread they've ever tasted. He teams up with former student Justin Pinkman and sets up a makeshift bakery in an old RV. Word spreads about Whitbread Wheat Bread, and the duo can barely keep up with demand. A national grocery chain expresses interest in carrying Whitbread Wheat Bread. The evil executives at the global processed baked-goods conglomerate CarbCo are afraid that this new competition will cut into sales of their own Whiter-than-White Bread, so they mount a dirty-tricks campaign, spreading a rumor that Walter and Justin are gay lovers. Fans of Whitbread Wheat Bread rally around them, saying, "So what if they are? What's wrong with that?" The story goes viral, and soon there's a nationwide boycott of CarbCo products. The evil executives realize how mean they've been, and they feel bad about it. Having learned a lesson in tolerance, they vow to change their ways. They hire Walter and Justin at seven-figure salaries, giving them the freedom to continue using their own recipe, and promise to switch to all-natural, non-GMO ingredients in all CarbCo products. In the series finale, Walter learns that his cancer has completely disappeared, apparently cured by something in the yeast. Everyone hugs. The end credits roll to the Beatles' "All You Need Is Love."

Really, no kidding, Timmy should hire you. You’ve a talent . For me you’re the next Bambi writer without killing or using guns or showing the reason how the parents of Bambi made Bambi.

Chapeau

 

[smashcutt]

Showrunners want to make shows about "real life" where "bad things happen". Meanies. They could have avoided all these problems if they'd just gone with Tim's first idea. An "all James Corden, all the time" SVOD platform would have been a hit, I tell you! A hit!

AppleFlix: It's like Netflix, but for soft Silicon Valley dads.

 

[ryanwarsaw]

I would be worried if Tim wasn't keeping things in check. He is betting a very large empire on this move.

 

[9081094]

Showrunners want to make shows about "real life" where "bad things happen". Meanies. They could have avoided all these problems if they'd just gone with Tim's first idea. An "all James Corden, all the time" SVOD platform would have been a hit, I tell you! A hit!

AppleFlix: It's like Netflix, but for soft Silicon Valley dads.

Or hire Ubele with his tear dropping ‘Breaking Bread’. This guy’s got talent
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I would be worried if Tim wasn't keeping things in check. He is betting a very large empire on this move.

He’s only investing a billion a year on this. Like Apple News, if it doesn’t deliver that 60% margin he’s gunning for, he will probably pull the plug after two years. Like the Mac, he’s telling everyone he’s all in and that it’s very important to Apple’s future. We all know by now how that went

 

[lec0rsaire]

This crap for years and the automotive self driving stuff (where Apple recently was ranked last) are the worst distractions under Tim Cook's leadership. Meanwhile the Mac has languished and hasn't seen updates in years, the iPhone has lost any kind of leadership it had and doesn't grow any more. I just don't see how competing with the big media companies and Netflix is somehow THE business model for Apple now.

There is a lot of money in streaming and for Apple it would be painful to be left in the dust when they had the infrastructure and distribution before Netflix shifted from DVD rentals to streaming.

Look at Netflix. About 5 years ago they were in serious trouble when their first contracts were expiring and studios realized that they had given Netflix their rights for chump change. During this time Netflix had nothing that mainstream Americans wanted to watch (lots of great independent films and foreign movies though) while they were hiking up prices to finance original content.

Today that seems like ages ago and Netflix is more powerful than ever. The roll of the dice worked and it paid off big time. Hit series after hit series and now even having success with original movies and having the most 4K Dolby Vision content included with a subscription. They even scored a Best Foreign Film Oscar and have a potential 2020 Oscar winner in Scorsese’s The Irishman releasing later in the fall.

Apple is just thinking big. They don’t just care about hardware anymore. They see the onslaught coming from Chinese tech which will always be able to undercut them significantly. The Mac and iPhone aren’t going anywhere but Apple is moving into areas where it would be much more difficult for anyone to compete with them.

 

[9081094]

There is a lot of money in streaming and for Apple it would be painful to be left in the dust when they had the infrastructure and distribution before Netflix shifted from DVD rentals to streaming.

Look at Netflix. About 5 years ago they were in serious trouble when their first contracts were expiring and studios realized that they had given Netflix their rights for chump change. During this time Netflix had nothing that mainstream Americans wanted to watch (lots of great independent films and foreign movies though) while they were hiking up prices to finance original content.

Today that seems like ages ago and Netflix is more powerful than ever. The roll of the dice worked and it paid off big time. Hit series after hit series and now even having success with original movies and having the most 4K Dolby Vision content included with a subscription. They even scored a Best Foreign Film Oscar and have a potential 2020 Oscar winner in Scorsese’s The Irishman releasing later in the fall.

Apple is just thinking big. They don’t just care about hardware anymore. They see the onslaught coming from Chinese tech which will always be able to undercut them significantly. The Mac and iPhone aren’t going anywhere but Apple is moving into areas where it would be much more difficult for anyone to compete with them.

Apple should have see this coming years ago and imo it’s already too late to the party. Those 60% margins won’t be there anymore by the time their streaming service is (a big if) getting some stronghold.

 

[Tozovac]

Breaking Bread

High-school biology teacher Walter Whitbread is diagnosed with cancer. Wanting to find a way to provide for his family before he dies, he remembers that people used to say how fabulous his grandmother's homemade bread was. Using his expert knowledge of yeasts, he improves upon her secret recipe and creates what everyone tells him is the best bread they've ever tasted. He teams up with former student Justin Pinkman and sets up a makeshift bakery in an old RV. Word spreads about Whitbread Wheat Bread, and the duo can barely keep up with demand. A national grocery chain expresses interest in carrying Whitbread Wheat Bread. The evil executives at the global processed baked-goods conglomerate CarbCo are afraid that this new competition will cut into sales of their own Whiter-than-White Bread, so they mount a dirty-tricks campaign, spreading a rumor that Walter and Justin are gay lovers. Fans of Whitbread Wheat Bread rally around them, saying, "So what if they are? What's wrong with that?" The story goes viral, and soon there's a nationwide boycott of CarbCo products. The evil executives realize how mean they've been, and they feel bad about it. Having learned a lesson in tolerance, they vow to change their ways. They hire Walter and Justin at seven-figure salaries, giving them the freedom to continue using their own recipe, and promise to switch to all-natural, non-GMO ingredients in all CarbCo products. In the series finale, Walter learns that his cancer has completely disappeared, apparently cured by something in the yeast. Everyone hugs. The end credits roll to the Beatles' "All You Need Is Love."

But what about the dark humor part where production slows after launch due to Jesse and Walt’s MBP keyboards failing from all the flour dust, and the loss in productivity from having to buy and keep track of dongles as production ramps, while CarbCo’s PC-based system with flexible hardware that more easily integrates into how the rest of the world connects via numerous USB ports and 1/8” audio ports saves the day?