From the Past to the Present

Thirty years ago, when I was a student in a California film school, the attitudes of filmmakers at the time, were motivated by the potential for each one of us to create movies that had some intrinsic value to the world in which we lived.  Independent producers, directors and writers made some important films and opportunities for emerging talents and students like myself were numerous because the industry was producing films at record levels. Apprenticeships and other methods of learning were at an all time high and those of us who were fortunate enough to work with some of the best writers, actors, directors and cameraman in the business, learned our craft from the inside out as one opportunity lead to the next.

Over the years, it has been my privilege to work with incredible actors like Maggie Smith, Christopher Plummer, Rod Steiger, Max Von Sydow, Peter Falk and numerous others. Talented writers like Elaine May, with whom I did a picture, gifted cameraman like Sven Nykvist, who I worked with on his academy award nominated film “The Ox” in Sweden, and innovative, dynamic directors like Sam Raimi (Spiderman) who I was involved with on his film “Evil Dead 2”, were individuals whose body of work were typical of the very best in the industry. Of course there are other producers, directors, technicians, etc., who were also passionate, dedicated professionals in the true sense of the word and represented the collaborative artistic nature of our business.  As I reflect back on those projects and individuals I worked with, each person was totally dedicated to their craft, art and the industry.

In 1987, while I was on location in the Eastern Arctic and Greenland working on “Cook and Peary, the Race to the Pole” for CBS, it occurred to me that the traditional paradigm for creating content needed to be changed.  If independents did not have access to large funding entities (like the major film studios or networks), how can they succeed in creating good programming? Practices of the past have obviously produced some great movies, but if one cannot afford the budgets necessary to do these kinds of productions, how else can one make films given the expense involved?  I thought there must be another way to do this.  As an alternative to bringing the most talented filmmakers, actors, and technicians to various parts of the world, why not set out to develop a regional artistic television entity that could create original content and at the same time, develop a new generation of filmmakers that would assure quality programming in a constant state of development for the future.

Four years later, in 1991, I approached my local PBS station, WSKG-TV in Binghamton, New York, and asked if they would be interested in creating a regional dramatic series, which eventually became “Susquehanna Stories”.  Over the course of the next year, we produced five thirty minute programs, all having dramatic themes and settings that were unique to our area.  When we put out a call for writers, we got eighty interested individuals, sixty of which submitted treatments.  When we sought out directors, we found twelve, six of which were qualified.  Once the stories were chosen, we put the directors and writers together to develop each project and then had a casting call for parts.  To my amazement, four hundred and fifty actors and actresses responded in Oneonta and five hundred others in Binghamton for numerous roles in the five productions. The series went on to win seven state and national awards.

Into the Future

Flash forward to the late nineties and the advent of digital video, the revolution that everyone talked about had finally arrived and a transition in earnest, had theoretically, begun.   In 1997, it was believed that all one needed was a digital camera and a non-linear editing system to become another Spielberg, Coppola or Scorsese. This was only partly true. Access to the necessary tools is a first step, but to anyone who has ever been involved at any level in the film or television business, it is obvious that tools alone are not enough.   Colleges and universities are churning out record numbers of film and video graduates who are finding out that they are ill prepared for the realities of an industry that is employing less than ten per cent of those students.  In ten years, a full eighty per cent of them are working in other occupations.  In reality, the gap between the theoretical approach taught at colleges in media classes, and the actual practices of the industry are quite different. 

In the past ten years, the cable and satellite industry has been growing by leaps and bounds and the need to fill channels has led to a slew of essentially mindless forms of entertainment.  Make no mistake, there are good shows out there, but they certainly are in the minority.  What once stood as the vanguard of quality in America, PBS, is now being threatened by an assault that is aimed at undermining it because its social and cultural value might be deemed “too progressive” by those who control its purse strings. Additionally some of the corporate sponsors who have traditionally supported PBS are now spreading their media dollars to cable and satellite programming.   A handful of organizations like ITVS and others have created some incredible funding mechanisms, but only 2% of submissions, six projects from four hundred and fifty five submissions last year, got grants.  Unfortunately, a number of worthy projects will never get made, which is a loss to everyone.

What would happen if a whole new entity, like The Upper Catskill Television Network, created original, substantive content, which was motivated by a desire to produce valuable programming rather than a formula of attracting high ratings, with a complete disregard for quality?  If UCTN were to focus exclusively on achieving that goal, we would not only be producing content at less cost, but we'd also be creating economic opportunities for hundreds of people. These individuals as we see it, have the potential and talent to earn a viable living on a full time basis, but no means to help them develop their craft. UCTN will change that dynamic by developing new methods to train emerging talents and effectively begin
a process that will generate innovative and dynamic programming. We believe we can alter traditional methods of content creation and produce television and motion pictures that are superior in many way to what is being done presently.  Imagine the possibilities... they are endless!

The programming presently being developed at UCTN will be innovative, imaginative and worthwhile.  Over the course of the next several years as we grow and expand, you will see content emerging from our new network that will touch everyone’s lives.  Television as we know it, is being marginalized by factors that are driven by economics and ratings alone.  The latest incarnation of reality TV has very little to do with most people’s view of reality, and is often TV at its worst. But regardless of the present trends, we know that our mission of creating quality programming for the future is the correct path to embark on, and with this goal as our beacon, UCTN will be committed to that end and that end only.

Joseph C. Stillman
Chief Executive Officer/UCTN