Highbrow Magazine - zack snyder https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/zack-snyder en Studios Should Respect Filmmakers’ Vision and Not Restrict Their Artistic Efforts https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/12377-studios-should-respect-filmmakers-vision-and-not-restrict-their-artistic-efforts <div class="field field-name-field-cat field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/film-tv" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Film &amp; TV</a></div></div></div><span class="submitted-by">Submitted by tara on Fri, 07/02/2021 - 09:57</span><div class="field field-name-field-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="og:image rdfs:seeAlso" resource="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/field/image/1filmmakersvision.jpg?itok=a0VD3tKF"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/field/image/1filmmakersvision.jpg?itok=a0VD3tKF" width="480" height="270" alt="" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p> </p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif">March 2021 saw the release of Warner Bros.’ <em>Snyder Cut </em>and DC Comics’ <em>Justice League</em>. This newer version of the film, edited under the guidance of original director Zack Snyder, extended the original film's runtime of two hours to a lengthy four, in the process taking a mediocre superhero film, to an impressive epic. </span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif">For those who are unaware, <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/zack-snyder-steps-down-justice-league-deal-family-tragedy-1006455/" target="_blank">in May 2017, a family crisis pulled Snyder away from completing the film ahead of its then-November release date</a>. Joss Whedon stepped in to finish the film in his place, primarily overseeing post-production. </span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif"><span style="font-size:16px">Some have blamed Whedon for the failure of the original film. However, many of the fixes to the film's biggest issues come in the form of the two hours of additional footage. It seems unlikely that Warner Bros. would have approved sending out a four-hour film regardless of which director was behind it. The problem with <em>Justice League</em> was never Whedon or Snyder; the problem was with Warner Bros. itself. </span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif"><span style="font-size:16px">When the film hit the silver screen, it was met with middling reviews. The<a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/justice_league_2017" target="_blank"> Rotten Tomatoes rating for the original release</a> gives it a 40 percent rating from critics and a 69 percent audience score, a marked difference from the <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/zack_snyders_justice_league" target="_blank">Snyder Cut’s</a> 71 percent critic rating and 96 percent audience score. Disappointed fans began the call for Warner Bros. to release the original rough cut of the film Snyder had created before his departure -- this movement is arguably what brought us the extended cut four years after the film's original release. </span></span></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif"><span style="font-size:16px">When dealing with multimillion-dollar film budgets and high-dollar intellectual property, it makes sense that studios would want to control film production. However, when film or any art becomes more of an industry than an art form, the medium will inevitably suffer. In an interview with <a href="https://uproxx.com/movies/zack-snyder-army-of-the-dead-justice-league/" target="_blank">UPROXX</a>, Snyder described his time working with Warner Bros. on his cut of <em>Justice League</em> as torturous, <a href="https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/movies/amp35886906/zack-snyder-cut-justice-league-interview/" target="_blank">seemingly having a dispute with Warner Bros. over wanting to include Green Lantern in the epilogue for the film</a>. <a href="https://screenrant.com/zack-snyder-project-warner-bros-didnt-make-declined/" target="_blank">A recent Screen Rant article</a> compiles a list of Snyder’s projects that were altered or canceled entirely by Warner Bros. Several Snyder films have multiple released cuts; however, it seems few of these actually contain his true vision for the films. </span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><img alt="" src="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/2filmmakersvision.jpg" style="height:300px; width:600px" typeof="foaf:Image" /></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p><img alt="" src="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/3filmmakersvision.jpg" style="height:600px; width:409px" typeof="foaf:Image" /></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif"><span style="font-size:16px">Based on the extended edition of <em>Batman v. Superman</em>, which had an additional 30 minutes of content that drastically improved the story, as well as the two hours of improvement added to <em>Justice League</em>, it seems that trusting the artist -- or at least trusting Snyder with his own films --  results in a significantly better product. Art simply isn’t a commodity that can be mass-produced. However, one studio has just about done it. </span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif"><span style="font-size:16px">Disney’s Marvel films have transcended the label of film and become a cultural phenomenon. The release of Marvel’s <em>Avengers Endgame</em> in 2019 was a release like no other. The film was capping off nearly 10 years of interconnected Marvel films beginning all the way back in 2008 with the first <em>I</em><em>ron Man</em> film. Upon its release, <em>Endgame</em> even briefly snagged the record for the highest-grossing box-office release of all time, before a re-release in China returned that spot to <em>Avatar</em>. </span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><img alt="" src="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/4filmmakersvision.jpg" style="height:337px; width:600px" typeof="foaf:Image" /></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif"><span style="font-size:16px">The point is that the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been a massive success. <a href="https://www.marvel.com/movies" target="_blank">The franchise has 21 films to date with another 11 in the works</a>, not including the Marvel TV shows debuting on Disney Plus. Disney has consistently been churning out two to three Marvel films a year, with massive success. While critics of the franchise make fair complaints about predictability or the snarky quips every protagonist has seemingly contracted from Tony Stark, the films have an undeniable air of quality and charm to them. Disney has stumbled on the perfect combination of artistic trust and commercialism to create a multimedia cash cow rivaling the power and influence of the <em>Star Wars</em> franchise, a concerning prospect considering Disney now owns both of those properties. </span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif"><span style="font-size:16px">For a large corporation, Disney has a pretty good track record for studios producing consistently great work. Similar to the MCU, Pixar has continued creating tremendous films since its acquisition by Disney. While Disney’s monopolistic hold on childhood is arguably a bad thing, its  management seemingly has a good intuition as to whom to trust and how to manage massive properties.</span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><img alt="" src="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/5filmmakersvision.jpg" style="height:600px; width:405px" typeof="foaf:Image" /></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif"><span style="font-size:16px">The pursuit of a massive franchise of its own was likely the motivation for Warner Bros.’ decision to make the DC films like <em>Man Of Steel</em> and <em>Justice League</em>. However, simply having popular superheroes is not enough to make a franchise of the level of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The talent and collaboration of the artists and the smart management by Disney is what has created the entertainment behemoth.</span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif"><span style="font-size:16px">This desire to find one massive franchise a studio can milk to death is arguably making executives miss how lucrative it can be to just make one good movie. According to MarketWatch, Warner Bros.’ R-rated super-villain origin story, <a href="https://www.marketwatch.com/story/the-first-1-billion-r-rated-movie-heres-all-the-ways-joker-is-breaking-records-2019-11-06#:~:text=Another%20stunning%20figure%20for%20%E2%80%9CJoker,according%20to%20Box%20Office%20Mojo.&amp;text=With%20its%20comparatively%20pint%2Dsize,box%20office%2C%20which%20it%20has." target="_blank"><em>Joker</em>, was a film that executives didn’t anticipate to be a massive success. Made on a small (for films) 50-million dollar budget, <em>Joker</em> was not poised to be a blockbuster hit. However, when it was released, <em>Joker’s</em> global box-office topped $1 billion, making it the highest-grossing R-rated film ever released.</a> </span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><img alt="" src="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/6filmmakersvision.jpg" style="height:341px; width:600px" typeof="foaf:Image" /></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif"><span style="font-size:16px">20th Century Fox’s <em>Deadpool</em><em> was a </em>similar success story. <a href="https://www.boxofficemojo.com/showdown/sd3879466500/" target="_blank"><em>Deadpool</em> was another film made on a small budget that was a massive financial success</a>. <em>Joker </em>and <em>Deadpool</em> were massive risks that paid off. In a hyper-saturated comic-book-movie era, these films serve as an edgy and subversive reflection of the fun PG-13 romps of the <em>Avengers</em>.</span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif"><span style="font-size:16px">Taking risks and pushing boundaries is what creating art is all about. Instead of pumping millions into films that try to emulate the success of others, studios should consider funding more low-budget films, letting filmmakers take risks, and showing the studio executives what people really want. </span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><strong><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif"><span style="font-size:16px">Author Bio:</span></span></strong></p> <p><em><strong><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif"><span style="font-size:16px">Garrett Hartman is a contributing writer at Highbrow Magazine. He is a California State University, Chico student double-majoring in media arts design technology and Journalism/PR. A lover of pop culture, Garret enjoys a wide array of film, television, video games, and literature. However, as a drummer in a rock band and an alt-rock enthusiast, music holds a special place in his heart. </span></span></strong></em></p> <p> </p> <p><strong><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif"><span style="font-size:16px">For Highbrow Magazine</span></span></strong></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/snyder-cut" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">snyder cut</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/justice-league" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">justice league</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/zack-snyder" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">zack snyder</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/joss-whedon" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Joss Whedon</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/dc-comics" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">dc comics</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/warner-bros" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Warner Bros.</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/disney" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Disney</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/marvel-universe" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Marvel Universe</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/batman-v" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">batman v</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/superman" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">superman</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/superheroes" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">superheroes</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/blockbusters" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">blockbusters</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/film-studios" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">film studios</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/avengers-films" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">avengers films</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/avengers-endgame-0" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">avengers endgame</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/movies" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Movies</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/hollywood" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Hollywood</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/filmmakers" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">filmmakers</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-author field-type-text field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Garrett Hartman</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-pop field-type-list-boolean field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Popular:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">not popular</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-bot field-type-list-boolean field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Bottom Slider:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Out Slider</div></div></div> Fri, 02 Jul 2021 13:57:03 +0000 tara 10481 at https://www.highbrowmagazine.com https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/12377-studios-should-respect-filmmakers-vision-and-not-restrict-their-artistic-efforts#comments