All Netflix series have the same appearance and the same photograph. And Netflix has proposed to solve it

It is a runrún in the audiovisual industry for years: all Netflix productions have the same finish. In the case of the most almighty fiction factory of the moment, it is a problem, and has won him abundant criticism. Netflix herself knows it and has got to work to solve it: a series of technical novelties that want to end what has been known for years as “Netflix aesthetics.”

What is Netflix aesthetics? It is about Visual finish of the series and platform filmsthat It draws attention For generating common features in products that, on paper, would not have to have them: romantic series, horror movies and even realities And documentaries end up receiving a very common distinctive bath with very recognizable characteristics:

• Excess shine and color; or, on the contrary, areas of the plane very dark or unnecessarily in gloom.
• Saturated lighting, especially in night images. Devotion to neons, in a kind of aesthetics inherited from the eighties (of what We believe that were the eighties, at least) and that is perceived in series like ‘Stranger Things‘.
• In terms of editing and assembly, little innovative decisions and Manido resourceseven sometimes overexpressive.
• The lighting highlights details of makeup and the costumes, which underlines how often Netflix productions have a little original or unnecessarily “studied” production design.

In general terms, all these decisions lead to a Netflix production being recognizable at a distance, even in series and films with large production values ​​(‘red alert’) or that should be characterized, precisely, by its distinctive touch (‘Sandman’).

But … why? This visual standardization is completely sought after, and there are several reasons for it. One is the standardization of the image due to the technical specifications that Netflix seeks. Among other things, A couple of years ago There was the obligation to use certain cameras, the minimum resolution requirements and what percentage of each production could use an unauthorized camera. These approved cameras began being just a couple, but the list has grown a lot since then.

As Some observers claimthat list is currently as long as it could be in an independent production shot in digital. That is, you can no longer blame everything to the limitations that Netflix put a few years ago, because that list of recommended material to roll has grown a lot.

What matters. The theoretical Haley Nahman It contributed a possible reason for this visual standardization of Netflix, when it began to detect it in productions outside the platform, such as the horror film ‘M3gan’, and which can basically be reduced to a search for “less conflict.” That is, scenarios with fewer elements, or less illuminated elements (more scarce characters, more sober decoration, more areas in gloom …). Thus costs are not only cheaper because you have to take care of less problematic aspects of a plane, but because it generates an “instruction book” to apply in every situation.

The algorithm culture. Of course, the Blind faith of Netflix in the designs of the algorithm It also has a lot to do with this replacement for constants: if something works, it is tried to repeat, and that not only applies to the themes and genres, which we have seen with the appearance of clones of ‘The squid game‘ either ‘Bridgerton‘. It also affects aesthetics, and in that sense, manufacturing visual rollers that coincide with the most popular is more than a technical issue. Even the most striking finishes, such as ‘Stranger Things’, find their immediate replica (in ‘Fear Street’, for example).

Below the risk. It is not necessary to influence it too much, but if Netflix has become the most popular and followed platform, it is to polish all kinds of stridency or aesthetics that leave the norm, in order to appeal to as many audience as possible. Again ‘red alert’ is the best example: a cast (The Rock, Ryan Reynolds, Gal Gadot) that seems elaborated by an AI, an aesthetic that is the common average term of all spy films, an argument that has been made with an Excel sheet of common places … Beyond the final quality, what matters is to appeal to the most, the better.

An improvement. Aware that this aesthetic can have its positive side in terms of effectiveness, but not so much if the belief is spread that everything that comes from the Netfllix factory is identical (and therefore, it is not worth approaching new proposals), the platform recently announced support for HDR10+ and Dolby Vision. They are formats that allow a much broader dynamic and color range, and better preserve the creative intention and offering richer and detailed images.

Specifically, the platform promises with this improvement more precise colors and greater detail in each frame, which will help mitigate one of the eternal complaints of the specyers: the darkest scenes of movies and series barely have details. It is a key movement for a future in which platforms are obliged to stand out in front of the competition. Or at least, it seems that each of its proposals has a distinctive and unique style.

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