Advertising has a role in film and television content but producer Harvey Weinstein has told the industry it needs to be “nuanced” if it’s going to work.
Weinstein was speaking with Publicis CEO Maurice Lévy at the Cannes Lions about where he sees the future of content in the film and television industry, and the role advertising plays.
He says as a filmmaker, he is “not against product placement” but says there is a need to make sure it’s not overdone.
“We've done something with Lexus. It's a short film series and there are no cars, just young film makers and it blew up,” Weinstein says.
“But it’s nuanced. Sometimes when [brands] just hit so hard it’s a turn off.”
Weinstein also says the industry is going through “deep changes” as a result of digital, noting that one of the bigger shifts is the increase in content and movies watched on mobile devices.
“I see people watching Pulp Fiction on their phones and I just think why did I bother?,” Weinstein jokes.
But he expect it to push further if an Apple or Google emerges as a content player in the space.
“I think Google and Apple are not far behind - I think they’re going to be in the content business in the next second,” he says. “I think they’re already there. They have a pipeline and there is no reason why they’re not global players and as a result we’re going to see more content on this channel.”
“The [movie] model is going through deep deep changes. As somebody said, it used to be you could market a movie that maybe wasn’t perfect, but with social, people see a movie in the matinee; by evening performances the word is out. So you have to make them great or they’re not going to last.”
One thing that has been boon for the industry though, is the emergence of Netflix and Amazon as content players, Weinstein says. He pointed to his own Netflix program, Marco Polo, as an example of the scale that television now has, noting that there is more than 10 000 extras on set; something unheard of television in the past.
“Netflix and Amazon have improved the business greatly,” Weinstein says.
“They’re making series about transgender people and winning Golden Globes and Emmy. I can’t see NBC, CBS or ABC say ‘let’s go make a series about a transgender person’.”
“So now we have television that’s cool, that’s exciting, that’s interesting, that is innovative and is educating us. It’s ahead of the curve instead of behind the curve”.
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