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The future of entertainment

Netflix, Amazon, YouTube, Video on Demand and 4DX are at the forefront of the evolving entertainment scene and, as a stand-up comedian who loves the sound of a live clap, a hearty chuckle or for that matter, even a heckle, I often ask myself what will the future of entertainment and performing artists be.
It seems obvious that technology will determine the way movies and shows are "consumed". Movies that fall under the umbrella of sci-fi, action, horror, animation and other genres that utilise technology or fancy CGI effects will continue to make big bucks at the box office. Viewers are already getting a 4D experience in which their bodies are being engaged; current talks are about introducing elements that will engage the nose and how the movie scene would 'smell'. Last year, viewers were even given the choice to decide how a TV series episode could end.
While consumers will, no doubt, want an immersive and engaging experience, the flipside is that movies in the softer genre of rom-coms, autobiographies, drama, etc will probably get a lot more traction on Internet channels, while not even hitting cinemas in the long run.
As an artist, I have another take. Movies like Avatar and Avengers have created powerful characters like Thanos through CGI and effects. Long story short, the concepts of actors and fan bases will change drastically. I've asked several fans of House of Cards, which is nearly 50 hours of content, what the real name of the actress who plays Claire Underwood is and very few were able to identify Robin Wright. The point is consumers want good content, not necessarily a specific actor.
Here's another interesting fact: most people are consuming a lot more content than they used to five years ago. Sketch videos on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram stories are creating new channels for entertainment as well as new characters that people want to view and follow. These channels have a two-fold impact on the behaviour of the consumers, which, in turn, impacts the pattern for content creation. The first is that the content has to almost instantly appeal to the viewer; the "bandwidth" is about 15-30 seconds. If it fails, it is ignored. This means people's attention spans are getting shorter; they want entertainment from the word 'go'. The other aspect of this phenomenon is that if people like it, they instantly comment on it and share it, indicating that they want to be a part of the show and engage with it. It's exactly why musical concerts still do well. There is a high engagement value for the consumer: they can sing and dance along, use social media to flaunt their presence, and feel "one" with the experience. Together, I believe these factors will eventually take a toll and create challenges for live stand-up comedy shows.  
Comedy content is being churned out a lot more as social media has empowered people to think they are all comedians; in some ways, that is the biggest joke. Even Netflix and Amazon are constantly releasing comedy specials online, which further jeopardises the future of live shows. I believe that future will be  determined by two things: one, how much a comedian does besides comedy - for example, comedian Kevin Hart has his own production house that releases movies; he is constantly finding ways to keep his audience "hooked" - and two, enticing audiences with the same formula that musical concerts implement, including lights, music, dancing and maybe even getting the audience to use their social media. Going forward, entertainment - both on screen and live - will have to be a lot more indulgent of the audience. As we say in stand-up language, it will require improvisation and crowd work.
wknd@khaleejtimes.com