Another rule on how not to be a filmmaking douche bag…

Still talking film festivals here.

I was down in Tampa for the world premiere of Color Me Obsessed at a festival where my own Friends (With Benefits) won best feature the year before. I was waiting in line like everyone else to get into the closing night film, talking to a friend and one of the volunteers. Suddenly the director of another doc that was playing the fest (a doc that also played HBO), interrupts, and rudely announces that she’s a filmmaker, and she wasn’t about to stand in this line. I’m not joking here, she was really rude.

The volunteer of course brought her into the theater, and as she walked away I said (a lot louder than I thought), “what a fucking cunt.” No one in line disagreed.

I hold to that sentiment. And actually wished I had found myself on a filmmaking panel with her, because I would have gladly told her to her face.

There’s no reason to behave as she behaved. It certainly won’t make anyone in line want to see your film. It certainly won’t make the fest organizers want you back. (Or course, she was dealing with a volunteer, whom I’m sure she felt was subhuman.)

There’s just no excuse. Treat people that you yourself would want to be treated. Seems like common sense. Doesn’t it? (Perhaps they should teach THAT in film schools. And remove “Entitlement 101” from the curriculum.)

Errol Morris on editing and pets

Reading a collection of interviews with documentary filmmaker Errol Morris, and as you might expect it’s riddled with great quotes. My favorites:

“A director who doesn’t edit what he shoots isn’t really a director.”

and

“It’s said that people have pets because they can’t have effective relationships with other people. I believe it’s the other way around: people have relationships with other people because they can’t have effective relationships with their pets.”