jls4
Veteran
Forgive me for being impulsive, but the board is kind of slow today so I figured I'd get a Rant off my chest that I've been holding back for a while.
Why Do Bad Directors Who Make Bad Movies Have Huge Egos?
I mean I've seen so many indie movies made from $0 to $200K where the movie sucks. I mean it's more than bad. It's horrid. Everything from bad acting to bad lighting to bad camera work to bad editing to bad script to bad direction. You walk away and the only good thing you can say is that the movie only lasted 85 minutes. Is it just me?
I wouldn't be so upset with these people if they either.
A. Knew it was bad, but used it as motivation to get better
B. It was their first movie
C. Had monumental production problems
But what gets me is that once this bad movie is made, then all of a sudden they have this huge ego. Now they think their somebody and NO-one should tell them otherwise. They are God among Men. They complain that Hollywood is trying to keep them out - it's hard for the indie filmmaker - I can't get enough money - blah blah blah.
And while many of these statements are true, for them they are just excuses. I mean I just watched two trailers from a guy online (trust me not worth your time to look up). He's been doing movies for - Oh? 20 years. He just distributed his first movie in 1999 and it took him 7 years to get that. All of his movies look the same with the same bad acting (although different people) bad story and writing - horrid cinematography and you have to strain to hear what's being said.
Now in defense, my first movie was so bad my dad and sister wouldn't watch it. I was hurt, but it was a wakeup call. My second movie was watchable, but still had huge amounts of audio and lighting problems. My third is finally watchable and enjoyable. Sure it took me 3 movies well with some it only takes one. I didn't have the background in movies/shorts as others did.
But my point is after 2 movies I at least figured out 80% of what I was doing wrong. Some of these guys are on their 7th movie and it still has the same bad elements that the first one has. I mean does it take a College Degree to figure out that your work doesn't look anything like the work professonals do? I mean what does it take to get people to go out on the Internet and read a 3 point lighting tutorial. I mean look up "tutorial movie lighting" in google and you'll find all you want.
The equivalent to this mentaility is like driving a car and every time you're behind the wheel you get into an accident. I mean maybe not everyday, but let's say once every 6 months. Any smart insurance company would drop you because you can't drive - you need to learn how! I've been in 1 real accident, and bumped from behind by other drivers at least 3 times, but still in all my years of driving that gives me what .25 accidents a year! My wife's more like .1 accident a year!
I guess this is okay given the fact that when "the media" uses terms like 15,000 indie movies made in a year - fortunately for most of us, our competition are these indie filmmakers that can't drive and something in their brain function won't allow them to recognize it. If 90% of the movies are made this way - it's no wonder that most half-way watchable movies are sold, maybe not for what you want, but they get sold.
I consider myself a logical person, not too smart, but not too dumb either. But making the same mistake 10 times, 7 times, even 5 times in a row starts to border on lunacy. I mean how many times did you have to burn yourself on a hot pan that you pull out of the oven before you recognized that "Hey I need an oven mitt."
If someone is on their 5th movie and there has been absolutely no progress over the course of those movies. Each one has not sold, each one is no better than the last, each one has new actors (since the last set won't come back), each shot on the same camera, no new equipment or expertise has been added to the production, none of them look, sound, feel nothing like "Hollywood" - then I have to ask...
A. Why are you making movies?
B. Do you really think this profession is for you?
C. Are you lying to yourself saying you're just waiting for your 'Big Break'?
D. Why the **** can't you tell your stuff sucks?
E. Why have an ego, when your work is crap?
This rant isn't geared to anyone on DVXuser, the guy I speak of, I found him through an email message list which directed me to his myspace page. In the email, he was asking for a lead actress for his newest movie (I think his 5th or 6th). He said he's been looking for 3 months now and wondered was there no actress in the United States that wanted a lead role in an action movie. What he failed to recognize is that he has a huge track record of crappy movies - so what's in it for the actress?
Why Do Bad Directors Who Make Bad Movies Have Huge Egos?
I mean I've seen so many indie movies made from $0 to $200K where the movie sucks. I mean it's more than bad. It's horrid. Everything from bad acting to bad lighting to bad camera work to bad editing to bad script to bad direction. You walk away and the only good thing you can say is that the movie only lasted 85 minutes. Is it just me?
I wouldn't be so upset with these people if they either.
A. Knew it was bad, but used it as motivation to get better
B. It was their first movie
C. Had monumental production problems
But what gets me is that once this bad movie is made, then all of a sudden they have this huge ego. Now they think their somebody and NO-one should tell them otherwise. They are God among Men. They complain that Hollywood is trying to keep them out - it's hard for the indie filmmaker - I can't get enough money - blah blah blah.
And while many of these statements are true, for them they are just excuses. I mean I just watched two trailers from a guy online (trust me not worth your time to look up). He's been doing movies for - Oh? 20 years. He just distributed his first movie in 1999 and it took him 7 years to get that. All of his movies look the same with the same bad acting (although different people) bad story and writing - horrid cinematography and you have to strain to hear what's being said.
Now in defense, my first movie was so bad my dad and sister wouldn't watch it. I was hurt, but it was a wakeup call. My second movie was watchable, but still had huge amounts of audio and lighting problems. My third is finally watchable and enjoyable. Sure it took me 3 movies well with some it only takes one. I didn't have the background in movies/shorts as others did.
But my point is after 2 movies I at least figured out 80% of what I was doing wrong. Some of these guys are on their 7th movie and it still has the same bad elements that the first one has. I mean does it take a College Degree to figure out that your work doesn't look anything like the work professonals do? I mean what does it take to get people to go out on the Internet and read a 3 point lighting tutorial. I mean look up "tutorial movie lighting" in google and you'll find all you want.
The equivalent to this mentaility is like driving a car and every time you're behind the wheel you get into an accident. I mean maybe not everyday, but let's say once every 6 months. Any smart insurance company would drop you because you can't drive - you need to learn how! I've been in 1 real accident, and bumped from behind by other drivers at least 3 times, but still in all my years of driving that gives me what .25 accidents a year! My wife's more like .1 accident a year!
I guess this is okay given the fact that when "the media" uses terms like 15,000 indie movies made in a year - fortunately for most of us, our competition are these indie filmmakers that can't drive and something in their brain function won't allow them to recognize it. If 90% of the movies are made this way - it's no wonder that most half-way watchable movies are sold, maybe not for what you want, but they get sold.
I consider myself a logical person, not too smart, but not too dumb either. But making the same mistake 10 times, 7 times, even 5 times in a row starts to border on lunacy. I mean how many times did you have to burn yourself on a hot pan that you pull out of the oven before you recognized that "Hey I need an oven mitt."
If someone is on their 5th movie and there has been absolutely no progress over the course of those movies. Each one has not sold, each one is no better than the last, each one has new actors (since the last set won't come back), each shot on the same camera, no new equipment or expertise has been added to the production, none of them look, sound, feel nothing like "Hollywood" - then I have to ask...
A. Why are you making movies?
B. Do you really think this profession is for you?
C. Are you lying to yourself saying you're just waiting for your 'Big Break'?
D. Why the **** can't you tell your stuff sucks?
E. Why have an ego, when your work is crap?
This rant isn't geared to anyone on DVXuser, the guy I speak of, I found him through an email message list which directed me to his myspace page. In the email, he was asking for a lead actress for his newest movie (I think his 5th or 6th). He said he's been looking for 3 months now and wondered was there no actress in the United States that wanted a lead role in an action movie. What he failed to recognize is that he has a huge track record of crappy movies - so what's in it for the actress?
So I undestand that side of it, but jiminy-cricket to believe you're the next thing to sliced bread you need to at least be on the counter-top not in the garbage can. ;-P
