CNN
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Ben Affleck talks about how movies are made in today's age of Netflix and other streaming platforms that offer an ever-increasing amount of content.
The actor, producer and director, who is starting his own new film studio with friend and colleague Matt Damon along with RedBird Capital Partners, likened Netflix's approach to filmmaking to an “assembly line.”
Making a movie “is something that takes care and dedication and hard work and resists a kind of assembly line process,” Affleck said of Netflix while attending the New York Times 2022 DealBook conference last week.
“[Netflix’s head of original films] Scott Stuber is a really talented and smart guy who I really like… “But it’s an impossible job,” he added.
The 'Argo' star also said that if you ask Netflix co-CEO and chairman Reed Hastings about his ambitious approach to making 50 great movies, “he'll say, 'We went for quantity to leave a footprint.' .” he said. I'm sure there was wisdom in it, and I'm sure there was great strategy, but I would have said, 'How can we make 50 great movies a year?' 'How is that possible?' There is no committee large enough. It's not enough. You can’t do it.”
“There’s a bigger audience for action movies than for smaller dramas,” Affleck admitted. I understand it. Certain genres are played more widely, so you may not be able to keep that in mind. But let’s do it well, let’s surprise the audience, let’s make them interested,” he said.
At Artists Equity, which is being branded as a creator-led studio, Affleck and company hope to reimagine the relationship between the studios, artists and crews that work in the industry.
As seen by Variety, Artists Equity is already producing its first project. The as-yet-untitled drama follows the beginnings of Nike's hugely popular Air Jordan sneaker brand. The film, written and directed by Affleck, stars Damon as an executive who signs a shoe endorsement deal with Chicago Bulls superstar Michael Jordan.