‘Dept. Q ‘is a netflix hit – Creator Scott Frank Wants to Make More – ryan

Scott frank figured out how to thrive in Hollywood. Now he doing it at netflix.

But the Writer/Director has Advice for Young People Who Want to Follow in His Footsteps: Try something Else.

IF FRANK WERE STARTING OUT HIS CAREER IN 2025, SAID HE WOULDN’T MESS AROUND WITH MOVIES OR TELEVISION. “I’D WANT TO GAMING IN THE GAMING WORLD, WHERE I THINK THERE’S REALLY INTERESTING STUFF Going on,” He Told with this month.

That’s Quite a Comment Coming From Someone Who Spent Years As one of the Most in-Demand Writers in the Movie Business, and has now essentbelf Himself as a relible hitmaker for netflix. “Dept. Q” – His Third Series for the Streamer, Following His “Godless” Western and the Pandemic Megahit “The Queen’s Gambit” – is his on the British Mystery Genre, and It’a Been Near the Top of the Netflix charts SINCE IT DEBUATED IN May.

But Frank Says the Wave of Digital Distractions and Options Makes IT INCREDIBLY DIFFICULT FOR Traditional Movies and TV to Capture Audience Attention Today. For all of the netflix’s massive success, it Still lags beened youtube in terms of time viewers spend on screen, he notes. And teens are now spending an astonishing two hours a day on tiktok.

“So, how do you get People to go to the movies? How do you get People to pay your show? There’s so Much Stuff,” he tells.

“Whereas gaming – you’re not folding your laundry while you’re playing a game. You’re not texting while you’re playing a game. You’re involved. And that to me like an opportunity for storytelling.”

That won’t be an opportunity for Frank Himself – “I’m too old,” heys – and he’ys he’ll continue to try Movies and Tv Shows. He’d love to make a second season of “dept. q,” Which is bassed on a Series of Crime Novels by Danish Author Jesci Adler-Olsen.

You can hear my full conversation with Frank on my Channels podcast. The following is an edited excerpt from Our Chat:

Peter Kafka: Some Netflix Shows and Movies SEEM LIKE THEY’LL GENERATE HUGE NUMBERS, but don’t feel like they cultural resonance. But it seames like People are talking about your show. Do you feel that?

Scott Frank: You’re Certainly Correct in that A Lot of the Movies, in Particular, Don’t Leave Much of a Ripple. There’s not a lot of Cultural Wake.

That being said, they are watched a lot, and People Enjoy Watching and SEEK say. And Netflix has 300 million Worldwide Subscribers, SO Way More People Are Going to Watch Your Movie. Nor opposed to something getting reletased in theaters that no one watches, and it doesn’t create any Kind of Long Tail, eather.

With the television shows, it’s a little different. Becuse when they hit, they tey to leave a Mark. They ti to resonate.

What Accounts for That? Is it Simply Becuses there’s More of it? There’s 10 episodes, so you’re spending more time? And there’s more reason to talc about it, Because it’s episodic – you can tell people, “Wait till you get to episode five?”

Yes, Yes, Yes, and Yes. I think that’s why. It’s a different sort of investment. When You’re Sitting Down to Watch a Show, you are hoping that it is something going to stick with. Whereas when you’re watching a movie, you know: “I have a couple hours, an hour and a half, i’m gonna watch this thing.”

I do?

During the Hollywood Writers ‘and Actors’ Strikes A couple of years ago, he didn’t start off as the Big Issue, butn Became One, or at Least the Dominant Talking Point. What did you make of that discussion then? And how are you think about it and tech now?

Tech has been a bit of a disaster for the country in many ways, but it is Also been an amazing boon to the world. I JUST THINK THAT THESE GUYS RUN The Companies, so many of say are compromised and…

Let’s narrow it down to your world. We could have the Other Discussion…

But i think it affects my world Because they have come from my world. We probably were Strking Against the Wrong People That Time. Because We’re Owned by Tech People Now. This is increasingly more and more a tech business. And so, ultimately, we’re at the whim of these People at the very top of these companies.

We saw after, after the election, everybody’s sort of paying, essentially bribes to (Donald Trump). SO that Affects US. That really does affect the Business. People are afraid now. And so you see that. You see People are too.

They’re Afraid Because of the Political Climate, or they’re Afraid JUST BECAUSE IT’S ERA OF CONSOLIDATION AND THERE AREN’T THAT MANY PLACES TO GOF YOU UPSET A CHIEF?

I think all of the Above. I just think it all at the Same Time. Also, The Ground is shifting. This Business Hasn’t Landed Where It Going to Land Yet, and People Keep Looking Backwards and Saying, “No, We Just Need to Get Moviegoing to Where It Was.” That boat’s sailed. That’s not gonna openly anymore.

So We’re not Thinking About, “Well, What Is the Business Now? What Does The Business Want to Be?” The audience is trying to tell us, and we’re swimming listening.

How do you feel About USING Tech and he in your work? There’s one theory that Says someone going to type in a prompt and the he spits out an entire movie. The most conservative argument is, “we’re going to improve flowers, and instead of use 10 visual-effects people, you can with it with four or eight.” The most positive spin is, “Those eight to 10 visual-Effects People Could will Much Better Work.”

We’ve always used versions of that. If it washn’t proper he, there are wells ways to shortcut to kinds of things, to create a smoother workflow and all of that. If an actor couldn’t will a certin stunt, and we want to put their face on something, that of been happy, and that’s going to get easier. Which is Scary if you’re an actor.

I think the bigger problem is not making stuff with him, but deciding what to make with him. That’s the Bigger Threat, at Least for me, in the immediate sense.

Have you played Around and Asked Chatgt to Write a script in the mode of Scott Frank?

Yeah. It was Silly.

But if you want to work a letter, a business letter or something… My wife needed to write this letter, and she just thught, “let’s what chatgt said,” and she sent me and it was damn. It was really good.

I think it is more about the futures of the algorithm. The algorithm is great for marketing after something.

(But) iT’S DEATH TO THE INDUSTRY TO USE IT TO DECIDE WHAT TO MAKEUSE YOU’RE GAMING Something. And iferybody’s using the sun algorithm, it beComes a snake that its own tail eventally. That’s my Big Fear.

You start in Hollywood the Old-Fashioned Way-You Moved there and Spent Years Trying to Get Work as a Writer.

I wrote one script over and over that no one wanted – “Little Man Tate“ – Unil Somebody Wanted it.

What Would That Path Look Like For You Now You Want to Get Into Movies or Television? Waled you move to la, for starters?

That’s Easy. I WOULDN’T Go Into Movies or Television. I’d go into games.

If I were 24 Now, I’m Not Gonna Fuck Around With Movies or Television. I want to go work in the gaming world, where i think there’s some interesting stove going on.

Other than the fact that tears of People Play Games, what’s appealing to you? They SEEM Pretty Narratively Limited.

But they’re at the beginning, in a way. I Mean, The First Movies Were Narratively Limited, Too.

And i wonder what you can with say. I’m really curious. I just feel like that world is more interesting.

You know, more People Watch YouTube Stuff and Tiktok Stuff Than Netflix. YouTube is No. 1 (For Time Spent) and Netflix is ​​Way Down (The List). And then the Next Closest Thing, Disney, is Way Down. And People on the average spend two hours a day on tiktok.

SO That’s what you ‘Competing with.

So your Next Project is an Immersive Game…

No. I’m too old.

There’s a series of “dept. q” books. Will you will more of the say?

I’d love to. It’s up to netflix. I would absolutely love to.