Film, TV and literature is filled with dark visions of the future, full of oppressive state control and bad weather. Here are 10 of the most disturbing…
Why are we so drawn to dystopian visions of our future? There’s something compelling about these gritty, dirty, hopeless settings of oppressive state control that keeps us coming back to them time and time again in books, film and TV. If the appeal of fiction, especially speculative fiction, is meant to be escapism, then why would we want to escape to such an unpleasant scenario?
It’s probably schadenfreude. We see the poor downtrodden masses and think, “There but for the grace of random fluctuations in the space/time continuum go I”. It’s always fascinating to examine the dark side of human nature, and studying the effects of power’s corrupting influence on mankind is always particularly interesting.
Some of the societies...
Why are we so drawn to dystopian visions of our future? There’s something compelling about these gritty, dirty, hopeless settings of oppressive state control that keeps us coming back to them time and time again in books, film and TV. If the appeal of fiction, especially speculative fiction, is meant to be escapism, then why would we want to escape to such an unpleasant scenario?
It’s probably schadenfreude. We see the poor downtrodden masses and think, “There but for the grace of random fluctuations in the space/time continuum go I”. It’s always fascinating to examine the dark side of human nature, and studying the effects of power’s corrupting influence on mankind is always particularly interesting.
Some of the societies...
- 2/18/2011
- Den of Geek
Despite a credit crunch that has wealthy investors hiding cash under their mattresses rather than risking it on films and Wall Street retreating from financing studio slates, Hollywood isn't running out of money.
Witness James Janowitz of Pryor Cashman. The attorney is buttoning up a $250 million structured finance arrangement -- including money from hedge funds -- that will help pay for the production of a dozen films.
"The market isn't as strong as it once was, but there is activity, and the structures make sense as long as they don't unduly favor the studio or producer," Janowitz says.
In short, a film-finance bubble that pumped billions into Hollywood during the first few years of the new millennium has popped, but the show is going on with new -- and a few old -- players.
Foreign investors and government entities, including U.S. states and foreign territories offering incentives, have taken up some of the slack.
Witness James Janowitz of Pryor Cashman. The attorney is buttoning up a $250 million structured finance arrangement -- including money from hedge funds -- that will help pay for the production of a dozen films.
"The market isn't as strong as it once was, but there is activity, and the structures make sense as long as they don't unduly favor the studio or producer," Janowitz says.
In short, a film-finance bubble that pumped billions into Hollywood during the first few years of the new millennium has popped, but the show is going on with new -- and a few old -- players.
Foreign investors and government entities, including U.S. states and foreign territories offering incentives, have taken up some of the slack.
- 8/27/2009
- by By Georg Szalai and Paul Bond
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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