I am the fail whale!!
Well movie lovers, it appears gaining details about upcoming flicks may be getting more difficult.
If you use such social networking sites as Twitter and Facebook, you’ll likely have noticed how they’re quickly turning into mediums for celebrities to share information with fans regarding releases and project specifics. While we fans love this aspect of the sites, Hollywood execs do not.
The news that leaks out to fans via Twitter is often information that studios would prefer to be kept confidential, or sometimes even negative remarks about the people involved in the production of a movie. Obviously, this is an issue the studios would be keen to stop.
Disney has been the first studio to grab hold of this matter, making changes to their contracts. Disney’s contracts now include a clause “forbidding confidentiality breaches via “interactive media such as Facebook, Twitter, or any other interactive social network or personal blog.”” DreamWorks has taken similar steps, creating writers’ contracts that advise not to reveal pertinent information until after studio press releases have been made.
As easily accessible as Twitter is to, well, everyone, it’s not really surprising that studios would want to crack down on what information is given through it. Production details can change easily, and revealing those details could potentially lead to conflicting information between sources. Likewise, a studio investing both time and money into a project would no doubt not be pleased to read a statement on a production member’s Twitter or personal site that in any way negatively reflects on the studio or its project.
On the flip side, production companies can’t ignore the positive aspects of using social networking sites to get the news out about what they have in the works.
We can’t hide from the fact that we live in a society that is becoming increasingly web-centered. The internet is a fast, convenient way of obtaining information, and we’ve all been guilty of spending hours perusing the web for whatever strikes our fancy.
Studios–be they for film, TV, or music– would be stupid not to realize the draw they can bring in through internet information, especially information provided by those close to the project. Luckily, they are aware of the buzz that can be generated through sites like Twitter, but are unfortunately faced with the task of trying to balance appealing to those who will be supporting the final product, and keeping things on an even keel on the business end.
The film industry has long used press releases as a way to present only the details they want to interested audiences. With the advent of social sites, studios are not only losing control over what the viewing audience is learning about films in the works, but are also facing the problem of having potentially damaging information–or misinformation, to be more accurate–leaked to business partners.
So what can we expect to happen with all this, from a legal standpoint?
Likely, studios are going to continue to try to maintain the balance between appealing to audiences and keeping good business relations, and will probably do so by creating contracts that specifically address the use of Twitter.
This, however, could lead to more issues, seeing as “Some legal eagles believe the new Twitter-targeted contract language isn’t necessary as existing standard confidentiality clauses are written so broadly that they were assumed to cover social media.”
These precautions “are not meant to ban social media outright,” but having contracts that would result in legal ramifications from Twitter use will at least force those involved in production to pay closer attention to what they are posting.
Until Hollywood studios and their lawyers work out the contract specifics for each studio, we can expect to see the same internet leaks that we have been. Just don’t be surprised if they suddenly decrease in quantity.
