Can A Screenplay Algorithm Save Hollywood?

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To be perfectly honest, I don't think an algorithm could do any worse than Hollywood. Do you? While we are on the subject, what's up with all the algorithm stories today?

Hollywood may be full of focus groups and statistical analysts, but deciding which movie to back still comes down to the gut feeling of a cigar-chewing studio mogul. Now, a Belgian startup is hoping that its algorithmic script-reading software can know, with a far greater certainty, if a screenplay is going to be a success or not.
 
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Do we really need LITERALLY formulaic scripts to save Hollywood, when the figuratively formulaic ones are in large part responsible for a reduction in viewership?
 
so what education and experience is going to be required of the programmers?

Pretty sure it's easier to write a program to create engadget articles but with more useful information.
 
Can an algorithm write a character that is interesting because there's never been a character like that before?
 
Zarathustra[H];1042016791 said:
Do we really need LITERALLY formulaic scripts to save Hollywood, when the figuratively formulaic ones are in large part responsible for a reduction in viewership?
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Yeah I was going to say, it's like we're approaching sci-fi parody or something.
 
Zarathustra[H];1042016791 said:
Do we really need LITERALLY formulaic scripts to save Hollywood, when the figuratively formulaic ones are in large part responsible for a reduction in viewership?
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THIS IS EXACTLY what I have been saying for years.

I can usually predict what will happen next and how the movie will end with accuracy.
This to the dismay of those who don't realized most of these Hollywood bombs are based on a formula.
Hollywood is cranking out formula based movie one after another.
The characters are cliched, 1 dimensional, and utterly forgettable. They stories they are in are not worth retelling.
They are so completely bereft of talent; they have to tap comic books for subject matter.
It sucks.

Movie making is essentially story telling. If you story is a good one; the movie can be great. There have been a lot of inspirational lives lived and lots of tales worth telling. And these stories can be told WITHOUT wondering how it will register with brain dead teenagers.
 
ecmaster76 said:
Reminds me of an episode of South Park :)
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Was it the family guy one? Cause I'm thinking "plug in" plot devices.

Finally a movie for robots, by robots!

20121101_mystery-science-theater-3000_33.jpg
 
If Al Gore announces for the democratic nomination today, then you're on to something.
 
Great, even more shovel-ware movies without any creativity at all. Why can't they learn from TV and actually come up with something compelling?
 
westrock2000 said:
Was it the family guy one? Cause I'm thinking "plug in" plot devices.

Finally a movie for robots, by robots!

20121101_mystery-science-theater-3000_33.jpg
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It was the Awesome-O one where Cartman pretended to be a robot and came up with the plot of 1000 Admam Sandler movies or something like that.
 
If you combine all of the revenue streams that Hollywood generates (music, video, boxoffice, comics/books, theme parks, streaming, OTA and cable television, etc) they are worth hundreds of billions of dollar ... I am not sure what trouble they are in that a derivative software algorithm would make them better and more profitable
 
Quix said:
Great, even more shovel-ware movies without any creativity at all. Why can't they learn from TV and actually come up with something compelling?
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TV? Compelling?
About the only thing worse than what they put on the movie screen, is what they put in the TV screen.

FYI: What color are the unicorns where you live?
 
Just get an A.W.E.S.O.M.-O 4000 and prepare for a shit ton of ben affleck movies
 
nutzo said:
TV? Compelling?
About the only thing worse than what they put on the movie screen, is what they put in the TV screen.

FYI: What color are the unicorns where you live?
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Breaking Bad, Fargo (both film and TV series), True Detective Season 1... you sure you aren't missing out? While the rule that 95% of everything is crap should be increased to 99% or more for TV, there's still that little bit that isn't crap.
 
In a world where _______ Only have ________

One (Man/Woman) will take a stand and _____________________.
 
eh, ridiculous.

Algorithms will firstly have an inherent bias since I assume it's going to base its conditions on previous movie successes. So, that'll create an even more unimaginative hollywood.

Secondly, script is an important aspect but director and actors can go a long way to save a terrible script--see many of the recent hollywood blockbusters.
 
They have screenplay algorithms already, running with fuzzy logic on the mushy brains inside the heads of Hollywood hacks, but having a computer spit out the answers looks good to shareholders and is "scientific".
 
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