So, where will all of this supply and demand go? The prevailing argument is that this is exactly why Hollywood will never go away, but I find that painfully naive. In the fourteen-point-something billion years that the universe has existed, and the twenty-thousand years on top of that that civilization has existed, our modern world of electricity, motor vehicles, flying machines, and moving pictures on screens has existed for just a little over one hundred of them, rendering the previous world unrecognizable. Our certainty in its fortitude is only codified in our ignorance of the past and our familiarity with the present. In short, if you didn’t understand why grandpa complains about how things aren’t like they used to be, you’re about to now.
Steer the Ship
I’m no oracle. I believe that the future is tied to where we choose to steer the ship. If you believe that corporations will own everything and only bad things can happen, then that’s where you’re aiming, and that’s where you’ll go. My trade is in what can be, but you’re going to have to roll up your sleeves and work with the clay you’re given. The definition of optimism isn’t that things will naturally work out right, but that we as human beings have it within us to adapt and build the future we want to see.
If we choose it, I believe that the next few years will be a rebalancing of humanity and technology. Those who are engaging you through videos and articles on the internet are going to have to explore print and physical media, along with more real-world engagement, to ensure the integrity of their expressions, away from the algorithmically influenced grasp of others. Those things don’t change. They can’t be argued with, only considered.
“Yes, Hollywood is woefully behind the curve on this, hamstrung by its own above-the-line talent guilds and their greedy stupidity.”
Movies, shows, music, comic books, and novels will be produced in a more granular and independent way by small studios all around the world. Independent creators will find themselves able to create their own cottage industries that can be local or global, or a bit of both. Hollywood will reform itself to join the fray, but what it once was is now dead.
That’s the future. That’s what’s waiting for you, if you choose it, if you’re willing to stand against the tide for it. Yes, I think 2026 is going to be a good year. It’ll be terrifying for all of its unfamiliarity, for the people mindlessly screaming that it’s the end of the world, again and again, but for you, it’s all possibilities spread out before you. It can be anything.
I’ll say it again. It can be anything.
Christopher Moonlight is an animator, special effects artist, and the director of the ‘Award This’ winning movie, The Quantum Terror. His upcoming animated sci-fi adventure, Escape From Planet Omega-12, combines traditional film-making special effects with AI to create something never seen before in independent film. You can follow the behind-the-scenes, including tutorials, tips, and tricks, on his YouTube Channel and Substack.
