I Love It. Now Make Me Hate It.
I was walking by the set the other day, and I saw a friend in the art department painting a sign. He was doing a really bad job, which was kind of surprising, since I’ve seen him paint some nice signs in the past. I asked him about it, and he said it was supposed […]
Economics 101
Fodd responded to yesterday’s post with this comment: “They are going to do some serious creative accounting at Warner Brother to make it look like Speed Racer made any money.” But the box office is not the only way it’ll make money. After all the ancillary markets, it will break even, at least, but there’s […]
Nobody Loses Money
A little while ago, I said everyone has two businesses: their business and show business. This doesn’t mean they actually understand the business. Chris Nashawaty wrote in this week’s Entertainment Weekly, “Universal spent $137 million on Ang Lee’s Hulk movie and it grossed $132 million. If I were a bean counter at Universal, I wouldn’t […]
I Told You Already
Do you ever get this from your boss– “Did you do the this-and-that?” “This is the first I’ve heard about it.” “I told you to do it, already!” It’s surprising how often this happens. Now, I know I have a bad memory, but realistically, which is more likely? You told me to do something and […]
I’m Important
Everyone thinks their department is the most important. When I was a young loader, the first ACs would constantly tell me about how the film was gold. Everything everybody did that day came down to the canister of film in my hand. Without the camera, it’s not a movie, it’s a play. It’s like they […]
Open Minded
People often regard Hollywood as a liberal place. People are often right. When the California Supreme Court legalized gay marriage, approval was unanimous among people I know or know of in the business. On the other hand, nearly all of my friends disapproved of the way Eliott Spitzer was run out of office. So, you […]
Awkward…
Some people are shy. Actors, generally, are not. A certain actor, let’s call him “Mick Molte,” would regularly show up on set wearing nothing but a T-shirt and a pair of pajama pants with the crotch worn through. And when I write, “nothing but,” I’m including underwear. (I must admit that I didn’t witness this […]
Two Businesses
All you have to do is not pay attention.
I Agree With Michael Bay
I feel so dirty writing that, but it’s true. If you can get past his poor grammar, rambling sentences, and excessive use of exclamation points, Bay has a point: “The leaders of these guilds seem to like the limelight they get in the press, it becomes more about the ego in the room rather than […]
Do You Just Get Dumber As You Get Older, Or What?
It is an immutable fact of nature that everyone is smarter than their boss. Sure, there are exceptions, but not everyone can be Mr. Alley. I remember when Google Maps first unveiled its satellite view. I entered the address where I was working, then called my boss over. “Hey, look. That’s our office!” My boss […]
Location, Location, Location
Yesterday, I was more than a little surprised to find my readership had quintupled over night, and Monday’s post had more responses than all my previous posts combined. It’s thanks to the Polybloggimous blog, and Nathan’s little web 2.0 game. I’d like to continue the meme, but first I’ll have to come up with a […]
First Person Singular
Department heads often speak of themselves as if they are the entire department. I ACed for a DP once who was continually saying things like, “I’m going to put the crane over there,” or “I’m gonna set the camera here.” No, you’re not. You’re going to tell the grips and ACs, and they’ll do it. […]