Man the lifeboats!

Here's another example of why it's hard to take Hollywood cost-cutting directives all that seriously. From The Wrap:

The little excesses once accepted as part of doing business in the land of show are no longer being tolerated. Even that most basic of Hollywood rights-- extravagant catering-- has been targeted. Consider what happened when one TV executive walked on to the set of a pilot last spring. "It was the most amazing spread I had ever seen," she recalls. "I called over the producer and said, 'You can't have this anymore.' They understood." It's not just talent that's being asked to rein in costs. Earlier this month, a network publicity department sent a memo to all of its executives asking them not to eat any of the food served to reporters at the network's portion of the TV Critics Assn. press tour.

Cutting back on the catering bills is not my idea of an industry in meltdown, as The Wrap's story (and others in the past few weeks) would suggest is happening. Driving much of the panic is a very disappointing upfront ad market, though some advertisers might only be holding off for the fall and winter spot markets. Not to totally dismiss what's going on...

In years past, networks tried to get tough on costs but were stymied because there always seemed to be another buyer willing to spend "crazy money" for a series, pilot or piece of talent. But now, "The 'idiots with money' don't exist," said one senior network executive.The same sense of realism holds in the actor, writer and producer markets.

But if you're worried about runaway production, there is a bright side:

Producers who stay in Los Angeles aren't bitching when they get a memo from the studio asking them to use a green screen instead of scheduling a location shoot. "When you leave the studio, your cost goes up $35,000 to $75,000 per day," one studio executive says. "We're encouraging shows to put more investment into art direction...and visual effects."