Patton Oswalt: "The Control of the Gatekeepers is Slipping"

A post to the UK comedy site Chortle reports on comedian Patton Oswalt's July 26th, 2012 keynote speech to Montreal’s Just For Laughs Festival.

While Patton Oswalt's comments were directed at the traditional power-brokers in the comedy industry - they mirror what many filmmakers are thinking about the big media companies that have controlled film distribution for almost a century.

"Until this point, it has always been other people deciding [your career]. Not for much longer."

"The control of the gatekeepers is slipping. Now artists can say to them: 'If we work with you, it’s because we like you and your product and your ability to push the boundaries. You need to throw the old model away.'"

"If you try to control this wildness, then we’ll just walk away – no hard feelings. Just get out of our way while we do it."

What does Patton Oswalt say has empowered the artists?

"We don’t need you because we have these now [at this point Patton Oswalt held up a pocket-sized camera]. In my hand I have more film-making technology than Orson Welles did when he made Citizen Kane"

"Look at what’s on YouTube. There are sitcoms there now. Some are brilliant, some are “myeh” and some are sucky. But only in the same proportion as the shows on your networks."

Thanks to Mark Rabinowitz for the link.