The world has changed.
Specifically, the Entertainment world.
Movies, TV, Music, video games, and more.
Much of the creative world is dancing to a different tune. Ditching the Granular and dancing with the Modular now.
Modular means puzzle pieces. And puzzle pieces when put together, instantly form a bigger picture.
Granular means one grain of sand among billions. One note of a song, one step in a dance, one pixel in a picture/video. A grain of sand is the argument in a math problem. Or one line of code in the App that lets you troll someone on Instagram. They are the smallest part. Like all the fibers which make up a single puzzle piece.
But in this changed world, the Modular puzzle pieces can now be pieced together into an entirely different picture.
No need to understand all the details. You don't even have to learn how to make your own puzzle piece. They’re already made for you and the picture you're making doesn't have to be the same each time you put them together!
Today, something new can be created that nobody has seen, simply by putting Modular puzzle pieces together. And you can even get help putting them together from A.I. now.
Some freedom and novelty are lost with puzzle pieces, rather than starting from scratch. But there's also a positive side to the puzzle pieces, I think…
Any of us can do this now.
Be creators.
In Other Words…
If we aren't entertained by what's being sold to us, we're not out of luck. Au Contraire!
We can create our own stories, songs, pictures, videos, etc. The puzzle pieces and the A.I. have made that possible without the need for a professional studio or Hollywood's approval.
And not just for entertainment. Infotainment and education can benefit as well. Phone apps, computer programs, and websites can be designed using modular programming. Puzzle pieces with several lines of code already written and ready to do what you want to do.
Or maybe you're a beginner who wants to make a song?
You can!
Granular notes put together into chords (or puzzle pieces) can be used to make a song all without playing a real instrument. A.I. can also help make the lyrics or even come up with every word based on a theme you describe for it.
Wanna make your own short film?
Video production is getting to the point where A.I. is learning by examining existing video and then extrapolating how to make a new video with different objects in it that flow as if you filmed or animated the movement frame by frame yourself.
Decentralized Entertainment
There are creation tools available now where we can entertain ourselves or each other, more locally, instead of depending upon a centralized Hollywood coming out with something interesting or amusing to all of us.
Maybe it's unfair of me to say, but Movies and TV shows take a long time to make. So, Hollywood isn't cutting edge, or even at the forefront of culture anymore. A YouTuber can put something together quicker and be more relevant, more amusing, or more inspiring. Especially when Hollywood is predictably bogged down by uninspiring *DEI
*DEI
Hollywood: Diversity, Equality & Inclusion
The Truth: Division→Exclusion→Idiocracy
A.k.a. Didn't Earn It 😁
The Film industry, like the Titanic, is slowly turning to avoid an iceberg. A movie might make a lot of money, but that won't stop the movie/tv industry from sinking. Even the video game industry is already over 7x larger and it's in a downturn too. Check it out...
And things are still changing…
Even Music has its problems. Like how now basically ALL vocals are altered in an unnatural way. I'll share a video about that below. But changes aren't all bad!
In the not too distant future, any anonymous nobody will be able to get on a computer and make a short film (or perhaps a full length movie) without knowing how to direct. Or an entire Video Game without being an artist or knowing how to program. All they need is the time and tenacity to finish putting a puzzle together. Though the quality is dependent upon the effort put into it!
To test this out, I tried an A.I. program that generates music AND lyrics. It took me the most minimal of efforts. About 10 seconds to tell the AI what to make and about a minute later it created this:
I told the AI to "write a song about Gamergate 2 in the style of a Mozart opera."
The A.I. created all the music and the lyrics. I found it weirdly bad and strangely interesting.
So there are trade offs between granular and modular. No doubt! There are trade offs between professionals and novices. There are trade offs in quality based on how much time you put into it. Garbage in, garbage out definitely applies here of course. However…
The wizard is no longer hidden behind a curtain.
Today and for the foreseeable future, anyone can try to run their own Emerald City. Or perhaps you want a Ruby City instead? Or an Emerald Space Station? Put the puzzle together and see what you can come up with!
I can't yet say it will be an improvement over a classic 80s movie or a TV show like Fringe, Eureka, or Friends. And I definitely can't say it's better than Judy Garland singing Somewhere over the Rainbow, but it's here and that's what's happening.
The Modular changes aren't stopping anytime soon. And I bet you there's gonna be some real diamonds in the rough, if there aren't already. Why? Because…
Modular creativity has become ubiquitous.
With all the puzzle pieces there are now, what should we build next? What would you want to make? A song? An app? A short film? A funny satire clip or video game?
Sky's the limit! ...or close to.
And the options are only getting better, more plentiful, and more accessible by the day! If only I had more time to explore…