Will Tavlin

INDEPENDENT RESEARCH FOR SENSITIVE SUBJECTS

Selected writing

December 2024 n+1

“For a century, the business of running a Hollywood studio was straightforward. The more people watched films, the more money the studios made. With Netflix, however, audiences don’t pay for individual films. They pay a subscription to watch everything, and this has enabled a strange phenomenon to take root. Netflix’s movies don’t have to abide by any of the norms established over the history of cinema: they don’t have to be profitable, pretty, sexy, intelligent, funny, well-made, or anything else that pulls audiences into theater seats. Netflix’s audiences watch from their homes, on couches, in beds, on public transportation, and on toilets. Often they aren’t even watching.”

JULY 2025 Air Mail

Cinephilia, Italian-Style

“Every June, tens of thousands of hardcore film fans from around the world make a pilgrimage to Italy. Their destination is Il Cinema Ritrovato, a festival in Bologna dedicated to the history of movies.Interest in the festival has exploded in recent years, so much so that organizers now use a digital-ticketing system that has put an end to the long queues that wrapped around Bologna’s streets. As Hollywood executives continue to churn out bad films that lose money—box-office receipts are still well below pre-pandemic levels—Il Cinema Ritrovato has proved that certain audiences will not just pay to see good movies but travelthousands of miles for the privilege.”

MARCH 2022 n+1

Digital Rocks

““Eventually DCI scrubbed celluloid film almost entirely from the film industry, ushering in the most significant technological shift since the introduction of sound. The digital revolution transformed nearly every aspect of filmmaking for Hollywood and independent filmmakers alike. This revolution was invisible, and it was designed to be that way. Its success depended on audiences never noticing at all.”

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