The star-studded line up of Savannah College of Art and Design’s third annual television festival sent #aTVfest trending. But true to the tag line – Go Behind the Screen - the buzz was as much about the people who make television as it was about the people on it. In addition to the actors, directors, producers, editors, show runners and programmers shared invaluable insights on the state of the industry. Below are some of the recurring themes that emerged from the panels and screenings.
Shows serving up the foreign and the familiar are surging.
Digital is the answer to two seemingly incongruous trends of shows getting simultaneously more personal and unfamiliar. The reason is, unlocked from the vise of linear TV, content is free to speak to narrower audiences. At the same time, the proliferation of content spawned by digital distribution has audiences wanting to go deeper into immersive worlds where they can escape the “noise” and get lost in a rare environment. It’s why Travel Channel greenlit coming of age adventure, "Boy to Man" and why "Game of Thrones" and "Downton Abbey" are favorites.
"TV is a highly personal medium and that's why generic doesn't work." -@lindaong100#ATVFESTpic.twitter.com/WZsaA5tN1Z
— Tarana Harris Mayes (@taranamayes) February 5, 2015
New technologies complicate workflow but are making content better.
Helping to feed the appetite for more immersive worlds on the small screen is the increasing affordability of visual effects for television. While permitting show creators endless creative freedom, the explosion of new technologies and formats can hamper show delivery and are transforming workflows. This is true of the most sophisticated formats, like Ultra HD, and the most pedestrian, like the refurbished cell phones being used to shoot a show for BET. What is a headache for post supervisors and editors, however, is a bonus for those entering the industry. Easy access to these tools for aspiring producers and editors, and their mastery of them before they get hired, will make it easier for them to land jobs, even while they're still students.
#atvfest On Luck, the races were shot with 3 Alexas and a couple dozen consumer cameras bc they were damaged a lot. Fun to match them.
— Kylee Wall (@kyl33t) February 5, 2015
#atvfest post panel w/@SelmaMovie@beingmaryjane@TheGameBET producer Paul Garnes & @Rectify's Lori Slomka. pic.twitter.com/OnVDJsY7C3
— Tarana Harris Mayes (@taranamayes) February 5, 2015
Cord cutters, ‘cord nevers’ and superfans are overthrowing business as usual.
To capture audiences who have never watched or rarely watch linear TV, networks are pulling out all the stops: giving pre-releases to Netflix and Amazon and producing original digital content alongside show content. It’s not just about finding audiences who aren’t watching TV, but about keeping the ones who are in front of the tube longer. So there are new tools in programmers arsenals, like pods of fresh content in the middle of commercials, deep teases, super teases, cliff hangers and marathon viewing. Then there’s the superfans, like "Scandal's" ‘gladiators.’ In the process of using their personal social networks to over share their enthusiasm for certain shows, these viewers become the ultimate brand ambassadors. In return, they expect direct access to the writers, actors and glam squads. More than ratings, social media and word of mouth are so crucial to a show’s success that some networks have added cast member social media classes to their marketing playbooks.
#1 problem for networks: the way viewers get content is structured differently than their business models-Linda Ong @teamtruthco#ATVFEST
— Tarana Harris Mayes (@taranamayes) February 5, 2015
Authenticity is getting more authentic.
Technology like drones and HDR increasingly provide consumers an unrestricted and unfiltered view. Meanwhile, digital has heightened attention to diverse points of view. Both of these realties contribute to an appetite for real perspectives and an environment where TV can help you to truly connect instead of assimilate. So networks are moving away from creating situations to building shows around realities that already exist. This is easiest to see in unscripted programming like HGTV’s hit "Fixer Upper," which takes viewers into the marriage and renovation business of husband and wife team Chip and Joanna Gaines.
No green screen used on the set of Salem. Production likes to use real organic props and environments #scad#atvfest#salem
— Marc Casey (@1CreativThinker) February 6, 2015
This is not a #Hollywood project; this is a people project. - @lyriqbent@bookofnegroes@BETpic.twitter.com/5HoXBpyquY
— Tarana Harris Mayes (@taranamayes) February 5, 2015
