MovieChat Forums > The Affair (2014) Discussion > If I was an actor, producer, director, I...

If I was an actor, producer, director, I'd want these boards to stay

posted 8 years ago by stacy0912
17 replies | jump to latest

These boards are the heavy lifting of a celebrity's fan group. Social media sites like Twitter and Instagram are too prohibited to create any real base, Facebook is too personal.

I mean, seriously. Is an up arrow, or star, really informative on an Instagram picture? Is that what it comes down to these days, two or three words? How does that stir up any passion? I have liked celebrities who I couldn't stand before, just from reading someone's message here. Same with movies, television shows, hell, commercials, even.

IMDb is making a huge mistake.

~Keep some room in your heart for the unimaginable~

[–] LovesConfusingJoy 8 years ago

With the uproar I do think in the end they will go back on their word and keep it. Maybe I'm just being too optimistic but so many are very upset.

But I saw a comment on the FB page and someone thinks it's because studios don't want all the bad reviews/ discussions people leave on this site. I will admit the reviews usually are too low.

[–] speckmaus1 8 years ago

Like the poster above me I do think they will come back eventually but maybe in a different format and more data mining friendly. :)

If they boast 250 million user then those users do not come here just to see when a movie was shot or who was in it. I can get that info on wiki. I come here to read opinions and comment.
They shoot themselves in a foot because usage will go down.

[–] bridgetjones12002 8 years ago

"Avi, is that you?" 

Who else am I going to write that to who will understand????

NO!!!!!!!!!!! What will I do without seeing you (even though we've been so out of touch?????)

I'm reading about it all over the internet today.

This is from Variety:

http://variety.com/2017/digital/news/imdb-message-boards-shut-down-1201977581/

Blame the trolls: IMDb, the Amazon-owned website that provides movie, TV and celebrity content, has decided to shut down its message boards because they’re “no longer providing a positive, useful experience” for the vast majority of its users.

The website said part of the decision was driven by the fact that users have migrated to IMDb’s social-media accounts as the main forums for comments and communication with IMDb editors and other users. It currently has 6.9 million followers on its Facebook page and nearly 3 million for its official Twitter account.

According to IMDb, it plans to launch new features in 2017 to help users “communicate and express themselves in meaningful ways,” but it didn’t provide details on what those might be.

Read the comments. Apparently smaller movies feel the rating system is unfair and impacts their films. Others say it is impossible to moderate (and let's face it, there are some disgusting people on this site. They have rendered many boards like Game of Thrones useless.)

I don't tweet (I read it only to see comments from certain people), I loathe FB and barely go there. There is no place else like IMDB. It's unique.

I will miss you so much!!!!!!!

And to think how we fought for them not to take away the emoticons and won!

Remember us, for we too have lived, loved and laughed

[–] speckmaus1 8 years ago

According to IMDb, it plans to launch new features in 2017 to help users “communicate and express themselves in meaningful ways,” but it didn’t provide details on what those might be.

I wonder... The king is dead long live the King.

[–] becks3400 8 years ago

If they don't change their minds here, there is always Previously.tv.
I was hooked on TWOP for years and when that closed down, Previously came up. It's a very organized anonymous message board and there are no limits on post length. I enjoy it. Plus, it has a much more clarified way of seeing who is actually responding to whom. It also breaks up the episodes so the comments stay in context.
There are so many thought provoking writers on here. I'd like to think they aren't all going to just fall off the planet.

[–] stacy0912 8 years ago

The sad thing for me is, as well as for many here, is that these posts and conversations that date back through the years are memories. If I look back through my posting history, and even on boards where it's no longer reflected in my posting history but a particular conversation is still there, it's like flipping through a beloved photo album. There are certain boards, certain conversations, that I keep coming back to years later. It will all be gone. It's like setting the house on fire and losing everything with it. There are connections that will be lost, some important links, and to say you have two weeks to figure out is careless.

I don't know what I'll need in six months that would be archived here for me to go back to and grab now. Damn, I'm an intuitive person, but I'm not an out right fortune teller.

~Keep some room in your heart for the unimaginable~

[–] bridgetjones12002 8 years ago

I was hooked on TWOP for years

I LOVED that site. Never posted there but used to lurk every single day. Fantastic and funny recappers, and smart posters too.

Remember us, for we too have lived, loved and laughed

[–] skay_baltimore 8 years ago

I think IMDb is making a mistake, but I don't know that all producers are necessarily thrilled about what gets stated here. Sarah Treem has taken a lot of hits. And I do know that some people in the business frequent these boards. Once in a while a producer will identify him/herself as being associated with a show. It's rare but it's really cool to be able to interact directly with someone associated with a show. (I've only seen that happen once or twice but it's really cool.)

"Lettin' the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier 'n puttin' it back in." -- Will Rogers

[–] stacy0912 8 years ago

Some producers definitely do. I've had two in the last year send me a PM. Many actors/actresses do too, but they do what we all do, discuss a particular movie, one that they're not even in.

~Keep some room in your heart for the unimaginable~

[–] skay_baltimore 8 years ago

I just think there's less PR control here and that really negative comments, especially if they're reflected in a lot of posters, tends to not be a good thing for producers/writers/actors.

"Lettin' the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier 'n puttin' it back in." -- Will Rogers

[–] bridgetjones12002 8 years ago

But they could take those negatives and turn things around. I'm not one for pandering to fans, and if one is an artist and has a vision, then they should follow it. (Perfect example is Brody on Homeland. They wanted to kill him off after the first season (Showtime talked them out of it so they could milk it for all it was worth) but didn't have the nerve to kill him off, and then when they did, they had to make Carrie pregnant with Frannie so he could stay alive FOREVER so the fans wouldn't leave in droves--and they didn't.) They should have followed their hearts It would have been very brave and utterly compelling to kill him off before turning it into Romeo & Juliet.

Homeland has been a million times better since Brody and his horrible family the Brody Bunch are gone. So they probably gave him BILLIONS as the booby prize and what a mess that show is. Gave up on that after 3 episodes and half my family are hedge fund traders so I thought it would hold my interest. I was actually ready to give in the first five minutes when Paul Giamatti gets a cigarette stubbed out on his nipple by a dominatrix and then urinated on to cool it off!)).

And if it's for a TV show (the Affair)and your viewers are so confused and have no idea what the hell is going on, then maybe you should listen to them instead of slapping each others backs and telling each other how brilliant you are. What an over used word by the way.

But there is nothing wrong with hearing from the fans (and plenty of critics). Sarah Treem has heard plenty from "real" people aside from the a$$ ki$$ing sycophants (I swear they are plants) so I don't feel bad for her. You want to be a writer, creator, showrunner? You take the good with the bad.She had not posted in about 5 days since the finale and finally posted yesterday that she is reading all of the posts..the good and the bad. edit: She actually started posting on Twitter today about it and is starting to answer some questions (and of course, "Im sure they will be answered in season 4". And what if there wasn't a season 4? She got lucky they renewed at the last minute.

There is so much garbage out there that passes for entertainment. I have every single cable channel that Time Warner Cable (now Spectrum) has on their line-up. I won't even tell you how much I pay a month it is so disgusting, but there are times I put on my TV and there are 1000 channels of NOTHING. Movies that I don't even know how they got made (so much dreck, that if they invested all of that to cancer research there would probably be a cure by now)I don't even need to turn on my TV. I own thousands of DVDs, Boxed sets of TV and movies (both old and contemporary) Many I've never watched yet. Maybe I'll have to turn this lemon of IMDB shutting down the boards into lemonade by finally having some extra time to watch some of these shows.

I will miss the interaction with people. Unfortunately IMDB let this mess go on way too long when they should have nipped certain things in the bud a long, long time ago.

As I said, I would pay a fee to keep the boards going. I'm an Amazon Prime Member. Make that one of the perks. Or make it fee based. It's not a god-given right to have IMDB. It's a business. Let the hire some moderators. Maybe it will cause people to be a little kinder to each other instead of the troll infested sewer they have allowed.

(I'm probably one of the few people who don't post on my phone and actually like writing on my laptop or desktop. Can't do this on Twitter or FB
Remember us, for we too have lived, loved and laughed

[–] skay_baltimore 8 years ago

I think it all depends on the actor/producer/director/writer's ego. Some can take the criticism and process it, others...not so much. I got the feeling Sarah Treem was in the "not so much" category.

"Lettin' the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier 'n puttin' it back in." -- Will Rogers

[–] stacy0912 8 years ago

Well said, Bridge. And your signature couldn't be more true than it is right now, right here <3

~Keep some room in your heart for the unimaginable~

[–] Misha0809 8 years ago

I agree, I cannot believe this is happening.

With whom shall I discuss my opinion now?? I am sad.

[–] smc7431 8 years ago

I too will miss these message boards. I love the different opinions, different angles and questions answered. Does anyone know of a similar site that does same with tv shows as well as movies?

[–] Misha0809 8 years ago

a user named thebreez53 suggested this: http://previously.tv/

It will be hard to get used to someone else.
here on imdb, it was easier to keep track :)

[–] stacy0912 8 years ago

Definitely.

Frank says it best,

https://youtu.be/1t8kAbUg4t4

~Keep some room in your heart for the unimaginable~