A year after the premiere of Stranger Things, the Duffer Brothers returned to their alma mater to give a masterclass talk to aspiring filmmakers based on their experiences as fresh-faced showrunners of one of Netflix's biggest hits. Ross and Matt Duffer graduated from Chapman University's Dodge College of Film and Media Arts in 2007. They made shorts and independent projects until they eventually landed spots as staff writers on Wayward Pines. Then came Stranger Things, and we're still enjoying adventures in Hawkins today.Though their talk is from 2017, there is still some great advice here, so let's dive in. - YouTube www.youtube.com Stop Chasing TrendsThe Duffer Brothers learned the hard way that trying to please the industry and follow the hot new thing isn't always the best approach."By thinking about the business aspect of it and what the marketplace needed—what was the hot new trend? What's selling? What's working? What's not?" Matt Duffer said. "And we didn't—I feel like that was kind of the—it was like a leash or something. It was preventing us from doing good work. And so it was only when I stopped thinking about the business—it can be really deadly, I think, looking at Variety and Hollywood Reporter and Deadline every day, even though I do it. I feel like there's something a little toxic about it."This advice means even more in today's industry. The pressure to chase trends has intensified, and now we have to deal with algorithms and analysts (ugh). But that approach usually...
Published By: NoFilmSchool - Tuesday, 9 December