CNN
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Ben Affleck talks about how movies are made in the age of Netflix and other streaming platforms today.
The actor, producer and director, who is launching a new film studio with friend and colleague Matt Damon, along with Redbird Capital Partners, likened Netflix’s approach to filmmaking to an “assembly line.”
Making a movie is “something that takes care, dedication and work, something that resists things like the assembly line process,” Affleck shared, referring to Netflix. The New York Times 2022 DealBook Conference last week.
“[Netflix’s head of original films] Scott Stuber is really talented and a smart guy that I really like…but it’s an impossible task,” he added.
The “Argo” star also asked Netflix co-CEO and chairman Reed Hastings about his ambitious approach to producing 50 great films, saying, “He said, ‘We’re going to put a lot of effort into building a footprint.’ I’m sure there was some wisdom there and I’m sure they had a great strategy, but I was like, ‘How can we make 50 great movies a year? There’s no such thing as a big enough committee, not enough – you can’t do it.
Affleck said, “There are more audiences for action movies than for small dramas. Okay. Certain genres are played more broadly, and you can’t help but care about that. But let’s make a good one.” Surprise your audience, get them interested.”
At Artists Equity, branded as a creator-driven studio, Affleck and company want to reimagine the relationships between studios, artists, and crews working in the industry.
as seen in variety, Artists Equity is already working on its first project. This is the yet-to-be-titled drama about the beginnings of Nike’s incredibly popular Air Jordan sneaker brand. Written and directed by Affleck, the film stars Damon as the executive who signed a shoe guarantee deal with Chicago Bulls superstar Michael Jordan.