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Great read, Matt. As a writer/director, this topic keeps me up at night. Streaming doesn't care about your feelings as long as you keep watching. But for a good story to sing the groundwork must be set to establish the world, the rules, the setup for the payoff, etc. A tale as old as time that BTTF and other classics have done so well. It's disheartening to think about but if streaming/home viewing is retraining audiences to experience stories differently, should we just adapt and find more compelling ways into our stories in order to meet the audience on their terms? It sucks because these dark thoughts loom as I develop a project when, really, I should just be concerned with character, plot, and telling the most emotionally impactful story possible.

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