Ode to a Filmmaker

So, I watched Project Greenlight last night and I have to say that this may go down as one of my favorite reality shows, and not because it's a whole lotta fun. Unlike the "trashier" reality series I love, there isn't much scheming or conniving. But this show is so multilayered and features artists and execs in all their complexities. That you can see someone like John Gulager, the director, with all his foibles, and walk away both liking and respecting him, is a credit to this program for portraying, well, reality.

Last night, John's dad, Clu, asked him what his mother would think if she could see him now (John's mom/Clu's wife died last year). John gruffly says that he doesn't know - he hasn't thought about it. At a quieter moment, he admits that he has thought about it, and that he thinks she'd be proud. (Yes, I teared up).

Wes Craven (who still has the English teacher aura from his younger days.... seriously, that guy is so cool) remarks that he is impressed with a man who can keep doing what he's passionate about (namely, filmmaking) for so many years with no payoff. He, and everyone else who really pulled for Gulager to get the job (including Matt Damon, who was adorable in this episode - I just wanted to pinch his face off) clearly "gets" this guy. Even if Gulager had never gotten a studio movie, he would have kept plugging away. But is sweet victory to see someone so deserving finally be rewarded.

And that's the best part of this show. It shows how filmmaking is an art, albeit a very expensive one. I walk away with so much respect for people who make a good movie because writers and directors in the field have so many people to answer to. And the editing process? Sweet Jesus! If you're on a low budget film and can't do reshoots, that's stressful. I could only liken it to writing a book and then being told that you could not add anything new, you could only move it around and delete stuff. That's rough.

So, that's it for me this week. Have a great weekend.

PS - Ben Affleck is such a tool.