Remember The Customer (The Power of Fans 3)
So this is the flip side of my previous rants, where I must admit something: while I stand on my instincts as a filmmaker, I am dead if I stop listening to my audience. If I think a screenplay of mine is clear on a story point, and then a reader tells me they didn’t get it at all, whose fault is that? The reader? Nope. It’s up to me to rewrite that script until my reader fully understands the story. I can get frustrated that nobody caught the first version — my version — but the common man is the guy who is buying (or not buying) the tickets. My art is not only what I intend it to be. Ultimately, my art is also what my audience perceives it to be.
I have every intention of driving a project with the fuel of my personal vision, but I am not above tailoring that vision to be better received. Nobody wants a smaller audience for their films. Nobody. I don’t care how much of an indie autuer they claim to be, if they say they don’t care about getting a larger audience, they’re lying. Film is a popular medium. And as a filmmaker, my work will only thrive as my audience grows.
Filmmaking is a constant learning process. And the best way an artist can learn is to swallow his or her pride and fully absorb the audience’s honest reactions, good and bad. But it ain’t easy.
May 12th, 2008 at 11:18 pm
It’s definitely a terrific balancing act, isn’t it? With risks (choices of when to stand firm or to comply) all through the process.
The longer I’m in the biz, I continue to marvel at the poker game it is to see a filmmaker woo the studio & audience, all while keeping his self-respect (read: his vision somewhat intact) AND sanity.
I’ve seen you go through it a lot, but I reckon that these will be the steps we all have to dance as long as we want to remain a part of making movies that the masses will see.
Too grim of an outlook?
May 13th, 2008 at 2:55 am
I don’t see a post on this topic yet, so I might as well say this here: Congrats on getting Fraggle Rock!
May 13th, 2008 at 8:34 am
Fwaggles!!! That’s awesome, Cory- Congrats!!
http://www.aintitcool.com/node/36734
May 13th, 2008 at 8:37 am
You guys beat me to it! 🙂 You are perfect for the writing and directing of “Fraggle Rock.” Congratulations! I’m looking forward to seeing that project develop, also.
I discovered the news here:
“Weinsteins roll with ‘Fraggle Rock’:Edwards to write, direct live-action musical”
May 13th, 2008 at 12:38 pm
Ummm… just a warning- Not everyone is as excited about this as they should be:
http://defamer.com/389956/resolution-no-3-put-the-weinstein-company-to-death-for-forthcoming-fraggle-rock-film
May 13th, 2008 at 4:40 pm
Don’t get me depressed before I have a chance to get excited…..