2) Make Movies, Not Release Dates
On small and mid-budget movies, it all starts with an idea, whether that’s from the writer, producer or director. Then, a script will start doing the rounds, it’ll pick up actors and crew, and the project will finally get greenlighted by a studio. It’s a simple process, and one that sounds like the best way to go: lay out the necessary plans and assemble the players BEFORE settling on a budget and getting down to work. Unfortunately, most blockbusters don’t happen this way.
It’s been a problem for a long time that the studios will announce a release date on a film before all the pieces are in place. This could mean setting a time frame before there’s a cast or director. There have even been films recently which have gone to shoot with no script at all.
This process of making a release date and not a movie has resulted in some truly woeful films of late. For the sake of the audience that has to pay to watch these things, more studios could learn from the Rogue One shoot: if it’s not ready, push the release back and make amends until it is.