WHAT ARE YOU KNOWN FOR?

I've been, again, out of action for a while, due to more technical difficulties, and it gave me some time to think. I got out and saw movies like Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince and spent some time looking at the news of the industry, and I started to notice something. Everything that is, was. Do you get what I mean by that?

When it comes to the big stuff, the blockbusters, no one really sites down and creates anymore. They go searching for comics, novels, video games, TV shows, things that have something of a proven track record and they make that. Something like the 1977 Star Wars will never come out of that mentality. You have Transformers, G.I. Joe, Angels & Demons, Harry Potter, The Last Airbender and apparently even a new He-Man and a Smurfs movie coming up.

Now am I saying this is a bad thing? Not this time. It is. I'm just not saying it this time. ;) You see, Hollywood is playing it safe. There is a better chance of success creating something based on a property with a proven track record and a built in audience. I see this in other markets as well, not just Hollywood. If you're trying to maximize the dollars to be made, building on something that has gone before can be a good way to do that.

This doesn't just apply to digging up properties that already exist. For example, a vampire, zombie or werewolf movie already has a built in audience, and an original take on these subjects can be successful because of what has gone before. The same could be said for disaster movies lately. Superheroes have been doing so well that even an "original" concept like Hancock, assuming it didn't come from some comic I am unaware of, can be successful. SO there's something to be said for all this, and it brings me to a question.

As an indie, what is it that you have that you can build on? What is synonymous with your name? George Lucas, for example, immediately brings to mind Star Wars. It makes perfect sense when he sits down to do another project, that it be Star Wars. It doesn't matter if it's different characters, a different part of the universe, or even a different universe, but he is known for Star Wars. So what does your name bring to mind? How can you use that to build on your previous efforts to expand your success? This is something very much worth thinking about.