The Netflix Effect: Why Big Name Directors Are Moving to the Small Screen

Either Netflix’s acquisitions team is literally impossible to say no to, or we’re experiencing an enormous cultural shift in how we consume media.

The renewal of David Fincher’s “Mindhunter”, a Netflix original, raises questions about the recent influx of filmmakers transitioning to the small screen, and more specifically online streaming services. Fincher is in good company: Spike Lee, the Wachowski sisters, and Baz Luhrmann, to name a few. While the move from the big to small screen used to be deemed a failure in the careers of great directors, the narrative has shifted in favour of this seismic shift.

It’s no secret that the digital television industry has become a media juggernaut, with streaming enterprises like Netflix, Hulu and Amazon monopolizing the contemporary media landscape. Netflix has without question produced some of the best television of the 21^st century, from “Stranger Things”, to “House of Cards”, to “Master of None”. Similarly, Amazon has received critical acclaim for its exploration of transgender subjects in “Transparent”. Online streaming platforms have ostensibly unlocked the long withheld secret for making television great again. And Hollywood royalty is starting to notice.

In addition to the longevity of the series format in contrast with film, wherein directors can establish a continuing audience, online streaming platforms offer a distinctively more appealing arrangement. According to The Guardian, the likes of Netflix are so appealing to auteur filmmakers because of their business strategies: bigger budgets and (virtually) unlimited creative control.

In contrast to shrinking budgets in Hollywood, more restraints and more people to answer to, it’s understandable that Netflix, Amazon, Hulu and others are blossoming into media institutions in their own right. In addition, according to Variety, the low-stakes nature of digital television distribution, which doesn’t rely as heavily on ratings like prime time television does, offers a more lenient filmmaking, or in this case, television making experience.

According to The Daily Mail, the digital shift will only continue in years to come: even more big name directors are moving towards online distribution platforms, reaching larger audiences, and letting their imaginations run wild. Digital media is a force to be reckoned with, and some speculate that it may someday render television, as we have known it, obsolete.

What do you think about this phenomenon? Let us know in the comments!

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