I have been watching movies for as long as I can remember and I have been wondering why there aren't any movies being made for "Gen X" audiences? The closest movies that dealt with this particular generation were the movies written by John Hughes (The Breakfast Club, Pretty In Pink, Sixteen Candles, etc.) and the 1994 movie "Reality Bites" with Ethan Hawke and Janeane Garofalo (my favorite movie, by the way) and the only television show that dealt with "Generation X" was "Friends". I haven't seen very many "Gen X" movies or television shows since then and it makes me wonder if the "Generation X" society is truly the "forgotten generation". I am solving this because I have written a short film titled "The Forgotten Generation" and I have also written the first part of my analogy screenplay titled "Generation X: Volume 1". The second volume is being written as you read this. Also, I am working on a pilot for a sitcom titled "Tammy and Me" that deals with Generation X characters and situations. The short, the feature screenplays and the sitcom pilot are about members of the "Generation X" society. Speaking as a member of "Generation X" and a would be filmmaker, I think more movies and television about "Gen X" and the generation itself should be acknowledged. Millennials have their television shows and movies and get attention in the public eye and Baby Boomers have their movies, television and they get attention in the public eye, but members of "Generation X and movies and television about the society are deeply in short supply and are not acknowledged by either Millennials or Baby Boomers. I hope to put that stigma to bed with my short film and movie and sitcom pilot and any other future projects I may come up with. I hope any Generation X-ers here in Stage 32 take heed to this and represent our generation on film and television or any other form of entertainment.Â
Screenwriting : Lack of Entertainment For The "Generation X" Audience by Jon Griffin
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The entire entertainment business targets Gen x audiences.
Tv shows- Atlanta, Riverdale, Insecure, Stranger Things, The Chi, Pose, Snowfall. There’s actually too many Gen X projects.
what’s lost is the over 50 audiences with over 50 actors.
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Dan MaxXx I am talking about characters in their late 30s and early to mid-40s. I have seen these programs and there aren't any characters of that age. That is why I have written scripts with characters who are in that age bracket.. Have you seen "The Bucket List" with Morgan Freeman, Jack Nicholson and Alan Arkin? They were over 50 and wanted to do a lot of things before they died. So, I am not sure that the "Over 50" audiences are not acknowledged with that and other movies in that category. Sorry to disappoint you. Maybe members of Generation X created those shows, but I have not seen any other movie or television show that has dealt with the generation or issues that they face except the ones that I have mentioned in the post.
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Right now in theaters for 30s to 40s: A Star is Born, Crazy Rich Asians, Nobody’s Fool, Bohemian Rhapsody
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There needs to be more than that because the generation itself is totally ignored in society. And I still think there is not enough representation of Generation X" entertainment.
Hollywood movie making is, first and foremost, a profit driven industry - if and when a socially structured, film with a strong moral fiber falls out - it's a wonder. Hollywood is fueled by dollars, not by what you or I think it 'should' do. An you know somethin', it ain't about to change its ways for you or I. (Go start your own indie film company and run it however you want.)
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Jon: well...this year has been a great year for films with messages...films with a ton of morals....man...I can name 50 off the top of my head...maybe 75 if I spent a few minutes riffing them off....at least 50 tv shows, too, and I don't even watch tv....the 13 year-old boy who lives next door to me, and to whom I'm teaching creative writing....he could name 50 tv shows in a minute, I bet....what a great year for message movies and for message tv shows, bro...what a great year...
....but if you're talking Gen X....1960 - 1980....that's like a split demographic, from a cinema standpoint, and from other consumer standpoints. Movie audience groups are defined in age groups 25-39....then 40-49...then 50-59...so the Gen X group is kinda split there, bro....it really should be two groups...and almost three groups, and not one...at least in my opinion.
....after the age of 40....the movie-going audience decreases.....not as many films are marketed theatrically for a smaller segment of moviegoers in the 40-49 age group...but there are still a lot of great message films aimed at the broader group of adults that make up the bigger 30+ group....dozens of theatrically released films.
....if you have cable...you may have also noticed how many films and tv shows are now being aimed at GenXers in those specialized niches....like BET....Teleumundo....the Hallmark Channel.... ..Lifetime.. MTV...ABC Family....TNT...ScyFy...FX....and now...even carriers and providers are getting involved...like Netflix...Amazon....Hulu....Youtube...etc....
....i don't think there has ever been a better time in the history of the world to be a content creator, bro....never....but from a GenX standpoint for theatrical releases...that can be a tricky market...since it's kinda split to begin with....but there are a ton of other avenues and channels for films geared towards 25-40 year olds, bro.....
....FYI...here's a link to one of the last comprehensive reports that I'm aware of regarding movie-going audiences....it's very enlightening...and even inspiring....and is the MPAA's 2016 Theatrical Market Statistics....enjoy!
https://www.mpaa.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/MPAA-Theatrical-Market-S...
Dan MaxXx I don't think so since Hollywood is run by the over 50 crowd and they seem to have a lot of control as to how Hollywood is run and what types of movies they make. And I have a question for you: Do you know the actual ages of the characters in the films you have named?
Doug Nelson I will go indie. Because Hollywood won't even touch movies that have messages. They are fueled by the almighty dollar. It is all about profit as far as movies are concerned. They really don't care about message films. And trust me when I say: When I do make these indie films about "Gen X", I will start my own production company and make these movies that I want to see. And they will have characters from the "Generation X" society.
Bill Costantini Thanks. I am going to continue writing my "Generation X" films and have characters who fit the society and go the indie route. Because I don't think mainstream Hollywood cares about an indie film about a society that has been ignored in the real world. I will also make my own production company and make films specifically for the "Generation X" society and give my generation a voice; not only on screen but behind the scenes, as well.
Bill Costantini I never said mainstream Hollywood sucks. I just said that mainstream Hollywood has never made any movies about Generation X. I love movies, whether they are made for studios or independently, but you have to understand that most films that deal with a specific generation or the issues they face are mostly independent films..
Erik Jacobsen and Bill Costantini Maybe this video will help you understand what I mean.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUuwK22SAIs
Bill Costantini What do these websites have to do with "Generation X"?
Jon....I ditto what Erik said....but, bro....I hope you'll agree....
1. The whole concept of a "Generation X" is a dumb one, because it's not just one generation....it's like three generations....and the lazy media members who named it "Generation X" are wrong....and lazy.
2. The report I gave you the link to....the Motion Picture Association of America report...they recognize the validity of age-range demographics....generations are like every ten years of so....and you really should agree with that, too, Jon. You really should, and especially if you're writing a movie.
3. When I talk to people in their early 50's...they have very little in common....culturally...with people in their mid-40's...and with people in their mid-30's . They have different musical tastes...different clubbing tastes...different clothing tastes...different website tastes...different TV/movie style tastes...etc. etc.
That doesn't mean that one film can't reach across generations - like The Hate U Give...the example I gave above. But it certainly means that there is no one "generation" in the "Generation X" fallacy. It's wrong. And I hope you'll believe that, bro. I really hope you'll believe that. And if you worked in any of those areas that I mentioned above, bro, or in marketing or advertising, and if you had to appeal to an age-range demographic, you would believe that.
Good luck in your endeavors, and I hope your idea of a story or film sweeps across MPAA age-range demographics, too.
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Wasn't Singles a Gen X movie? Slacker? Freaks and Geeks was probably the most significant piece of television reflecting that generation (my generation) but sadly, it didn't last long. We have some influential artists (Tarantino, Linkletter being standouts) but we don;t have many artists reexamining the period.
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and with respect to literature it seems to me that The Beach speaks more to the time frame than the novel that gave Generation X its name... Alex Garland is clearly a Gen X voice.
the examples Jon give (Breakfast club, Sixteen Candles, Friends, Reality Bites) are for teenagers and 20s something audiences. How are they Gen X ?
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Well, I suppose he means that those films were made during that period and reflect those cultural concerns...
I'm in that last half of Gen-X'ers and I think there's plenty of media out there. Jon Griffin, those sites give info about the 2 production companies involved with "The Hate U Give." If you want to produce more media that you want to see, go for it. I write stories that I want to read and someday hope to see them on the big screen whether I've produced them myself or I've sold them.
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Dan MaxXx, Reality Bites was written by a Gen-X'er and she even stated she wrote about what she knew at the time (she was 19/20 when she wrote it). Breakfast Club & Sixteen Candles are timeless as John Hughes was so good at doing, I don't feel those were geared toward Gen-X, so it's valid to question how those are specifically Gen-X. Friends, I can't say. Didn't care for that show...
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The novel Generation X wasn't published until 1991 but I think it was speaking to the 80's era latchkey kid generation who were coping with the breakdown of the "traditional" family unit, supply side economics and the rise of the computer. I graduated high school in 1984 in a single parent home and was distinctly aware of shifting cultural norms... it was a weird time for a kid not interested in Reagan values...
Dan MaxXx The movies I mentioned were Generation X movies because Generation X-ers were watching those movies.
Bill Costantini I still believe that Generation X is still a forgotten generation because people of the generation before Generation X still think of them as slackers or cynics, but if you think about it, Generation X has a lot to be doubtful about because we grew up in a very tough time. That's why I posted the link to what Generation X went through as kids, why they are called Generation X and the things that Generation X went through as adults. I hope you understand that Generation X will always be around, just like the Baby Boomers and the Millennials. I hope you understand that, bro. And I am sorry you don't think that the term Generation X exists and you think it is a fallacy. I believe that Gen-X will always be around and it will exist whether anyone likes it or not.
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I was on the webinar here with Amy Baer of Gidden Media and RB. She mentioned Gen X films. It's a point of interest for them both with the contest here and in other material they pursue. Don't give up hope!
Dan MaxXx I agree about the >50 crowd.
Very few selections, except as indies. Or older films. And the older films tend to be back-handed swipes at age, in that age tends to be a conspicuous part of the plot; like Secondhand Lions, Cocoon, The Bucket List, Grumpy Old Men, etc.
The only reason I can think of is older people can watch younger actors but younger people only like a certain number of >50 actors (Depp, de Niro, etc). Ergo, Hollywood is just taking advantage of demographic acceptances.
I hope this is a false observation of mine but unfortunately I think it's true.
As for >50 actors;
Brad Pitt is not acting but producing.
Clooney has a mini-series
Colin Firth is doing Mary Poppins (I'll take my grand kids to that, but I don't want to see it).