The Take-Away From CinemaCon: Studios Demand More, More, More | The Wrap Movies

At every turn, exhibitors were told they were living through a "3D Renaissance," with the studios trotting out the Da Vinci's of the art form George Lucas, Jeffrey Katzenberg and James Cameron to laud the theater owners for building digital basilicas for their films.

But here's the problem: Box office is down. Nearly 20 percent.

Moreover, that conversion cost many attendees hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Instead of acknowledging the worrisome fault lines, studio chiefs and filmmakers are asking for more, more, more from theater owners.

I'd guess the conversion to digital is unavoidable, but is this the right time to be pushing for that kind of investment from theater owners?

Read the full article here.

"Big Content" [Movies & Music] Is Strangling American Innovation (Harvard Business Review)

One of the greatest threats to the US's ability to innovate lies within: specifically, with the music and movie business. These Big Content businesses are attempting to protect themselves from change so aggressively that they risk damaging America's position as a world leader in innovation. ...

Example after example abounds of this attitude; whether it was the VCR which was "to the American film producer and the American public as the Boston strangler is to the woman home alone" as famed movie industry lobbyist Jack Valenti put it at a congressional hearing, or MP3 technology, which they tried to sue out of existence.

Great piece on how our industry very well might be hurting the innovations we'll need to continue to prosper and succeed in this business.

Read the full article here.

Explaining the Google Books Case Saga (Time)

A federal court yesterday rejected a settlement between Google, authors and publishers, throwing into doubt the search company's plans to make every book ever published searchable online.

Acknowledging in his opinion that “the creation of a universal digital library would benefit many,” federal district court judge Denny Chin ultimately decided that the proposed agreement was “not fair, adequate and reasonable.” ...

Because it was a settlement to a class-action lawsuit, it meant that all authors who had ever published a book were bound. Google could scan any book without first asking for permission. If an author didn't want his book to be scanned or included in Google's database, he had to contact Google and opt-out. This would have turned copyright on its head.

This article offers a nice, easily understood round-up of the events around the Google Books case, the pros and cons, and what the next steps may be. A universal library would be amazing, but it also opens a huge can of worms for all other forms of media - something we all definitely need to pay attention to.

Read the full article here.

Why is online piracy considered socially acceptable? (Telegraph, UK)

But then something odd happened. It began with Lucy, a very Left-wing Oxford undergraduate, but soon it encompassed a venture capitalist, a graphic designer and even a solicitor. One by one, everyone else at the table admitted not just to downloading vast quantities of music illegally, but to thinking that there was absolutely nothing wrong with doing so.

Thought this article happens to be talking about people in London, it's the same here in the States. And the same even within our industry, which arguably has the most to lose if piracy isn't controlled. What do you think?

Read the full article here.

Holiday Gift Guide To eReaders (MediaBistro)

To help you navigate through all of the devices out there, we have compiled a Holiday Gift Guide To eReaders featuring the latest eReaders on the market. The below list includes eReaders that have come out over the last year and will be hot this season

Personally, the only eReader I'd consider is the iPad, but that's just me. I know lots of folks love their Kindles, especially since you can read scripts on them, but I want COLOR - that's the big thing for me. What about you guys? Do you have / want an eReader?

Read the full article here.

Small Change: Why the revolution will not be tweeted, by Malcolm Gladwell (New Yorker)

[Social media] shifts our energies from organizations that promote strategic and disciplined activity and toward those which promote resilience and adaptability. It makes it easier for activists to express themselves, and harder for that expression to have any impact. The instruments of social media are well suited to making the existing social order more efficient. They are not a natural enemy of the status quo. If you are of the opinion that all the world needs is a little buffing around the edges, this should not trouble you. But if you think that there are still lunch counters out there that need integrating it ought to give you pause.

As always, Malcolm Gladwell offers a fascinating viewpoint. Though a little off topic, definitely worth the read. Pretty sure it'll make you think, and that's what it's all about.

Read the full article here.

5 iPhone Apps to Boost Your Business Creativity (Amex OPEN Forum)

The Idea Generator is dirt simple to use. It’s basically three concentric roulette wheels with randomized words. You shake your phone, the wheels spin, and you get three different concepts meant to jolt your thinking pattern and get you off-road a bit. I’ll do three spins right now.

Spin 1: comedic/aquatic/prayer. Spin 2 scary/syrupy/furniture. Spin 3: pre fab/destructive/cellphone. (no kidding!)

So many of us (myself included) feel like creativity should just be something that happens, like the lightbulb going on over our heads, and that using "tools" is somehow cheating. Using the other half of our brains, we can determine that this idea is just plain silly, and that we are all better off using any and all resources available to us. Here are five that fit the bill.
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Media and Tech Confer in Sun Valley (Wall Street Journal)

Look for the media insiders to discuss what Comcast Corp. will do with NBC Universal and its chief executive, Jeff Zucker, if regulators bless its bid to control the company. (The deal was negotiated in part at the conference last year. Mr. Zucker, a regular attendee, is expected to be there this week.) The fate of ABC is also likely to be a topic of conversation. Disney denied rumors that it has considered selling ABC, but chatter persists. With more moguls putting their content behind a paywall, expect talk about the wisdom of a subscription model for newspapers and TV shows and the iPad.

The techies and their deal-makers are likely to be brainstorming more potential combinations and content-swapping deals between AOL Inc., Microsoft Corp. and Yahoo Inc., as all three plot ways to compete with ever-expanding Google. The escalating war between Google and Apple Inc. is another likely topic of conversation. Guests shouldn't expect an onsite showdown. While some Googlers are expected to attend, Apple CEO Steve Jobs isn't.

While I'm sure it would be great to attend this conference, I wonder about the wisdom of having basically the same group of highly elite media leaders year after year. If there's one thing many of us know, it's that the people at the top aren't exactly in touch with the real world. Discussing only amongst themselves just perpetuates that problem.
Read the full article here.

Publish or Perish - Can the iPad topple the Kindle, and save the book business? (The New Yorker)

According to Grandinetti, publishers are asking the wrong questions. “The real competition here is not, in our view, between the hardcover book and the e-book,” he says. “TV, movies, Web browsing, video games are all competing for people’s valuable time. And if the book doesn’t compete we think that over time the industry will suffer. Look at the price points of digital goods in other media. I read a newspaper this morning online, and it didn’t cost me anything. Look at the price of rental movies. Look at the price of music. In a lot of respects, teaching a customer to pay ten dollars for a digital book is a great accomplishment.”

I have shelves and shelves and shelves of books that I've read or want to read, and I don't think anything will ever replace the experience of having a tangible book in my hand. But I'm also dying for an iPad, and will most certainly buy e-books. Surely there's a happy medium - does one have to be mutually exclusive of the other?
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Supreme Court rules in favor of California police chief who read employee's texts (LA Times)

The Supreme Court on Thursday rejected a broad right of privacy for workers who send text messages on the job, ruling that supervisors may read through an employee's communications if they suspect rules are being violated.

No more drunken sexting on the work phones folks. But seriously, it's just like email - the boss can peek whenever he wants. Be careful out there!
Read the full article here.