Is everyone's ultimate goal to direct Hollywood features?

hoofandmouf said:
hollywood = want nothing to do with it
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Smart move. You have heard the term, "nest of vipers"?

I have worked with some of the most successful directors in Hollywood and very few are nice, normal and well adjusted people. Most are self-centered delusional egomaniacs with a God complex mixed with a manic streak, although a select few of them are genuinely good compassionate people.

A REALLY successful one that I worked with thought nothing of letting a crew set up for an interview or commentary session with him, letting an entire crew drive halfway across LA, two hours of setup, then sending his assistant to just tell the crew, "sorry, something came up, can't make it". The crew would then have to deal with his agent, try to book him, wait another two months, then he would do it again, just a power play. What a total dick.

Too many of those running around the town. All of the supposed fictional depictions you have seen about BTS stuff in Hollywood, like The Player, Entourage, etc. They are fictional because they are way too conservative in their depiction of the ridiculousness and vindictiveness of the people involved. The reality can be much worse. Picture a sandbox with a bunch of snotty five year olds trying to take each others toys away. Lots of foot stamping, crying and hitting. Now imagine the five year olds with a crew of 200 nannies waiting on them hand and foot, a cadre of personal assistants and unlimited expense accounts. That is a description of about 70% of the director stable. The other 30% are really nice, considerate, consummate professionals that really care about other people around them.

The other rude awakening is that very little of the process is involved with the filmmaking and artistry anymore, it's more about accounting, focus groups, audience testing and accountants and executives making what used to be artistic decisions. Why anyone would make immersion into this mire their life's goal is beyond me.

But good luck to those who are. Maybe they can end up in the nice 30%.

Dan
 
I'm envisioning an existence on a studio shingle with independent financing where I have more control over the projects than I would have if I was filming a warner movie on the warner backlot.

I should have clarified.

I personally know of several directors that have a shingle setup at Sony where Sony pays for the films. You get assigned some handlers and someone is always looking at the books but there is a remarkable lack of creative control. These flicks are 3-5s budgetwise mainly.
 
I have been to Lynda Obst's office over at Sony, I know she has first look with them but her stuff is big bucks. She's a playa.

Dan
 
Whenya gonna call me, Dan? I'm thinking there should be a fourth part to illustrate the results....

Threadjack over!
 
Hey me too!

I want to end my life writing. In the end, I'd rather be sitting back kicking out scripts for other people after I've gotten some of my own word produced as opposed to directing and all that.

Good ol Final Draft, me, and a stack of donuts. Or at leat that's what I want right now.
 
puredrifting said:
Picture a sandbox with a bunch of snotty five year olds trying to take each others toys away. Lots of foot stamping, crying and hitting. Now imagine the five year olds with a crew of 200 nannies waiting on them hand and foot, a cadre of personal assistants and unlimited expense accounts. That is a description of about 70% of the director stable...Dan
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What a great description/analogy.
 
Zak Forsman said:
you want to know the unpleasant truth of being a new director in the Hollywood system now? your first Hollywood gigs are a total sham, and will be for a long time. you will have no say in the actors you work with, the screenplay you direct, the production design, the cinematography, nothing. and i mean NOTHING. you will even have the storyboards handed to you. you may think i'm joking but i have personally seen it happen on everything from the texas chainsaw massacre remake to die hard 4... storyboards given to the director and he's told, you will shoot THIS. doing what i do to pay the bills has given me the opportunity to see what it's really like.
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So that explains why so many big budget movies are such genericized pieces of plastic crap. Now, I've kind of figured that the studios have been taking more control over the last decade, but I never thought that it would be anything like this. So you're saying that the directors of these movies didn't even approve those boards. Who the hell created and approved them then? Why on earth would the studios even worry who was directing the films then? If some big whig from the studio decides what the storyboards, actors, and sets are, why hire a director at all?

Oh well, this endless stream of crap studio-controlled movies can't last forever. I may sound naive, but if this is the way that big Hollywood does things now, then they will fall eventually. The material that they release will become so weak and thin and made from various parts of rehashed movies that audiences will say, "no thanks, I'll just play Gears of War 7 or watch an old favorite on Blu-ray on my giant HDTV." And the reason I mentioned a video game is because that industry is on the rise while it seems that big budget Hollywood is beginning to crumble a little. Also, depending on the way the economy shakes out over the next year, Hollywood will probably have to start releasing some better material if they want to get the average moviegoer to fork over their cash.
 
puredrifting said:
Smart move. You have heard the term, "nest of vipers"?

I have worked with some of the most successful directors in Hollywood and very few are nice, normal and well adjusted people. Most are self-centered delusional egomaniacs with a God complex mixed with a manic streak, although a select few of them are genuinely good compassionate people.
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All this discussion of the evil side of Hollywood reminds me of the Kevin Spacey movie "Swimming with Sharks", and a Kevin Bacon film called "The Big Picture."
 
puredrifting said:
Hi Michael:

In my life, I have worked in retail, real estate, the restaurant business, publishing and construction besides this business and the only experience I ever had that was halfway as slimy as Hollywood was the car business.
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Hey Dan,

I want to produce and distribute movies, docs and t.v. content.

I own a car dealership, maybe I'm on to something big here? he he he

At least it's a start :)
 
Nektonic said:
Sometimes I feel the same way. Maybe you could get a job as a game tester?
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no way! ive known some people who did that. basically the worst job ever is what i hear. i think ill stick to what i already do. :) which is basically play video games all day. :T
 
If Hollowood snatches creative control from directors then what is the director's role? The whole Hollywood thing is a bit of a cunundrum. I would want to be a big time Hollywood director someday but not at the risk of selling my soul to tom cruise in a fat suit.
 
While, as a kid, my dream was to direct blockbusters for major studios, man now I'd like to just be left alone to make a movie my way.
lol
 
Zak Forsman said:
you want to know the unpleasant truth of being a new director in the Hollywood system now? your first Hollywood gigs are a total sham, and will be for a long time. you will have no say in the actors you work with, the screenplay you direct, the production design, the cinematography, nothing. and i mean NOTHING. you will even have the storyboards handed to you. you may think i'm joking but i have personally seen it happen on everything from the texas chainsaw massacre remake to die hard 4... storyboards given to the director and he's told, you will shoot THIS. doing what i do to pay the bills has given me the opportunity to see what it's really like.

i say this not to contradict your ambitions Adam, just to define why the "fiercely independent" path is so much more appealing to me.
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Whoa, you're saying Len Wiseman didnt get to even frame his movie?

So what then is the Director's job on such a set? Does he get to direct the actors?
 
filthrich said:
If Hollowood snatches creative control from directors then what is the director's role?
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It's called "blame boy". If the movie tanks, the suits can say, "hey, we hired this hot new director, guess he wasn't up to the task."

If the movie makes money, the suits can say, "hey, we nurture the best new talent. This guy is brilliant and has a great career ahead of him and guess who was genius enough to recognize his talent and give him his shot?"

It's a win, win for the suits at the studio because these days they are all terrfied of losing their jobs so no REAL risk is ever taken. New directors on studio fare are for the most part, a token position. They don't get any autonomy or power until the make the studio a LOT of money and they can threaten to go elsewhere. Then they have power. That's how the Ratners of this world climb the ladder.

Dan
 
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