This go-round we’ve got a real winner for you, folks–one of the biggest clearinghouses of movie, tv and video game information out on the internet, Dark Horizons, has graciously sent honcho Garth Franklin out to talk with us about the state of the entertainment industry and where we’re going from here.  We asked five simple but really tough questions, and Franklin obliged in grand style.

1. Do you believe that the modern multiplex theatre can survive in its current state unaided, and if not, what upgrades do you believe are required for the industry to survive?

I don’t think it can survive as it is currently, but the idea of going  out to enjoy a shared movie experience will always remain. The model  does have to change but in what way is hard to say.

IMAX is a good step as it is an experience that simply can not be replicated in even the best home theater.  Other ways are to make it a more enjoyable experience - better food (and service during the film),  better facilities, tighter controls on those who disrupt (kids, people  on cell phones, etc.)

2. Recent studio announcements say that they’re closer than ever to seamless and believable insertion of deceased actors into modern film footage.  Do you believe that such a system would spell the end of the “star system” of Hollywood as we know it?  Why pay Jim Carrey twenty million when you can get all Three Stooges for much, much less, if you even  have to pay at all?

Not at all, it won’t have any effect.  People still want to watch people perform, a good performance comes from training and not technicians.  At best you may cut back on some supporting performance role costs.

3. Lions Gate recently announced that their video division turned a profit while their theatrical arm lost money.  Since Lions Gate is a major releaser of direct to video films, do you believe the independent film movement, a primary source of direct to video film, will play a bigger role in filmmaking as a result?

Not really, there’s always been a market for low-budget fare and in this case much of Lionsgate’s releases are exploitative genre titles rather than critically hailed film gems.  Sex and violence come cheap and always sell, that’s human nature.

People still want to see big movies.  Sure you have your low-budget hits that skim through, but no-one wants to see “The Dark Knight” done for $5 million.

4. What do you believe is the future of entertainment?  Some have posited services like YouTube and Netflix will take over, while others  say that the theatres will heavily revamp and offer a superior viewing  experience possibly through holography or similar techniques.  And  others say it will be some as-yet-unfounded technology–what’s YOUR  call on this point?

I agree with the ‘unfounded’ claim.  It’s always hard to guess what direction technology will head in.

5. This one’s for all the writers and artists in my audience–what would you say does it take to sell a film or a script to studios today?

A lot of time, patience, footwork, networking, a really good agent, an  excellent premise with a strong property, and where possible a marquee  name interested and potentially attached.

And so, that’s our interview with Garth Franklin of Dark Horizons–the theatres are doomed unless they can shape up, digital stars will never supplant the real thing, direct-to-video is probably just a sideshow forever, an as-yet-undiscovered technology is the future of film, and the key to success in Hollywood is blood, sweat, tears and a good agent, but not necessarily in that order.

But regardless of where Hollywood’s direction actually goes–and I’m surprised that Garth actually agrees with me on the dark future of the theatre unaided–we know there’ll always be sites like Dark Horizons giving us the latest skinny.

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