Filmmakers like me already spend 70% of our time looking for permission (ie funds) to make our films from people perhaps not in the best position to be gatekeepers, and now that looks to be expanded to 90% or more. Our pay just went down, as if we were making enough to subsist on to begin with. Already, incomes in this country have been relatively stagnant for 30 years despite rapid growths in technology and productivity in most industries.
We're all expected to do more for less money. That seems exponential with independent film, and as I said, we're now going to have to figure out how to do that part of it we love even less often for less money.
How do we improve this? Your idea about helping each other is a start. I suppose if it weeds out the ones with fleeting delusions of grandeur and dreams of wealth, that will help. If it means less films are fast-tracked, more time is spent on each film, then each becomes that much more focused and worthwhile in terms of individuality and distinction, then there is something to be hopeful for.
How do we improve this? Your idea about helping each other is a start. I suppose if it weeds out the ones with fleeting delusions of grandeur and dreams of wealth, that will help. If it means less films are fast-tracked, more time is spent on each film, then each becomes that much more focused and worthwhile in terms of individuality and distinction, then there is something to be hopeful for.
6 comments:
Shouldn't producers do some of this stuff? Isn't it their film too?
Producers should definitely do some of this stuff. Producers and Directors, like Actors, Designers, Cinematographers, Crew, and Financiers are all filmmakers. Frankly, that's why I don't understand the singular "A Film By..." credit -- but that's another subject.
That said, Directors have the most to gain off of any film, particularly a personal film, which is what I think most non-Hollywood work aspires to be. Directors are expected to be the public face of the film and as a result will have to be the anchor for any greater outreach.
Nonetheless, they should seek out true collaborators, and a great deal can and will be done by third parties and other vested participants. A true fan wants an artists work appreciated by as wide an audience as possible and will work to do it.
The challenge is to figure out how to build some of what is being discussed on this blog into the process early and for the filmmaking team to accept the responsibility that filmmaking includes bringing the audience to the work.
I think you're right that a director should be the face of the film, but I also think that distributing a film by yourself would be better handled by someone with producer skills. Booking theaters requires phone calls, following up, badgering, negotiating the take, possibly guaranteeing some ads being taken out, chasing up the money, coordinating a print, more badgering, etc. Most of that seems more like producing than directing.
Having done all this as a director, it's a lot like sending a script out. It means so little when you send your film out and say, "look at my film. It's awesome." When there is someone else saying your film is awesome, it means so much more.
There has always been a shortage of producers and a glut of directors. In fact, when looking at someone's skill set and thought processes, it seems clear that many wanna-be directors have chosen the wrong field. Even when that is not the issue, many up and coming directors could gain a great deal by first producing the work of another director.
I do think a great deal of directing is casting, and casting of the crew as much as of the cast. With the crew, I think it starts with the producer. Making a film without a true collaborator as a producer strikes me as just plain foolish. But collaboration is a lot more than delegating tasks. Figuring out how to bring your film out and return revenue to your investors requires team work and no one should just throw up their hands and say "that's your job". Learning how to work together is part of the process, but you are 100% accurate in recognizing that no one should try this on their own.
I agree completely. It makes me think that this collaboration between producer and director, which is so important on a set, could really make this TFF thing that you're talking about work. It's really just extending the idea of the relationship beyond post-production. I think part (only part) of what Brent is saying is that he doesn't want to, and should not, deal with things that he's not very good at dealing with.
Besides, doing this stuff on your own is a very lonely thing to do, either as a producer or a director.
I agree with Anonymous that when someone else vouches for a work, it feels stronger. I recognize the need to know and control as much of the process as possible, but I always have it in the back of my mind that as long as I'm the only one speaking up for my work, it doesn't feel that strong of a recommendation and doesn't carry any urgency. It's impossible to control the entire process–you can't be a filmmaker without collaborating. But I believe just as much the things Ted is saying. I believe we should be as informed and involved as possibl–it's about choosing collaborators well, providing the spark and the initiative, and being a team leader. Yes, it's daunting.
Post a Comment