[TML] 3I Media (was Killer instinct)

[Joseph Paul]

 >Jerry W Barrington jerry.barrington at gmail.com wrote:
 >>>
 >>> Ob Trav: How does media production work in the 3I? Is it all
 >local? How does
 >>> a company handle distribution across different tech levels and cultural
 >>> biases? Is it even desirable to try for sub-sector to sector
 >wide dominance
 >>> of media production?
 >>
 >>I can't imagine most media having great sale value outside it's
 >system.  The
 >>local stuff would pander more to the local tastes/prejudices/whatever.
 >
 >OK, there are really two types of media.  News, and
 >Entertainment.  I think that the first category will be very
 >Internet-like with leader clips and links.  The relevance of news
 >is not going to carry very far unless it is spectacular or
 >freakish.  All off-world news feeds are quite literally "Last
 >Weeks News". The TAS news feed will cover the important bits.
 >Local news services would be much more likely to simply redo a
 >news report rather than show the foreign news.

How far were papers like the New York Times and The Times of London
circulated in other countries? In a setting where there is no way to get
today's news today from out of system I think that people will still be
interested in what is going on in places that have a particular connection
(political, economic, religious, etc) to the world they are on.

I am not sure what you mean by 'show the foreign news'. Europe seems to
cover events in the US very well and sometimes with more interest than is
shown here.

 >
 >Entertainment media will be quite another animal.  The
 >entertainment providers will, without a doubt, find ways to make
 >content with wide market appeal.  It is their best interest to do so.
 >
 >Some types of shows will stand on their own.  Documentaries of
 >exotic and dangerous places will probably hold a fair share of
 >interest.  Travel shows (which might be nothing more than
 >infomercials) would encourage tourism.  Recordings of live
 >performances (music, dance, stand-up) will provide a draw for
 >later live appearances.  (Recording saturated cultures will
 >probably put a premium on live performances.)
 >
 >Some show formats will need a little extra work to go from planet
 >to planet.  With digital editing, it would be relatively easy to
 >"localize" many programs for a specific planet. A drama might be
 >scripted much like a mad-lib.  "Hero must go to <insert major
 >city> before <insert local holiday> to prevent the assassination
 >of <insert name of local VIP>".  Digital dubbing can already fool
 >most people.  The production might include "extra" scenes that
 >can be inserted depending on the local needs.  "Travel shot:
 >Flying low over the <grassy, forest, desert> terrain, Pan up to
 >show the <yellow, white, blue> sun.  Roll camera 90 degrees to
 >show <tower, dome, sprawling> city."
 >
 >Long programs (movies) and serials (TV shows) will likely be
 >packaged and sold on individual media just as we do today.
 >
 >A rerun is not a rerun if you have never seen it.  A traveler
 >might arrive on a planet an be surprised to see advertisements
 >for a "new" program on a "new" media/service that he watched when
 >he was a child.

I am haunted by the spectre of never being able to escape Gilligan's
Asteroid! It is everywhere!

I wonder if protectionist regulations might spring up to protect local
producers. Under that paradigm you get many different centers catering to
the locals. Off-world productions would need to have something extra to make
it worth paying the duties. 3d in a 2d market? Immersion experiences?

Joseph Paul