Arrogance. I've met a lot of filmmakers in the local indie community over the last few years that reek of it. Once they get a camera and shoot something they think they are entitled to special treatment. Here's a news flash... they are not. Especially if that is the attitude they have chosen to put out to the world.
It's amazing sometimes when I get someone telling me how important they are and how much they have done and they look down upon you for not being as great as they are but when I look into what they have done it turns out that it's usually pretty poor. It's pretty poor with no intention of trying to get better on the next project due to the fact that they think they know it all and are creating gold from film.
There is an easy way to pick these folks out when wheeling and dealing in such a small film community like the one I work in. Nobody wants to work with them. Folks have jumped into that pool already and come out with no intention of jumping back in. And that's why those filmmakers never go anywhere. They burn every bridge they come to and think the reason they are having such difficulty in getting things made after that is due to the lack of professionalism and dedication to the craft. In reality it's because those people have moved on to help out others who put the film first and their ego last.
I met and worked with one guy who held himself so high it was borderline silly. He commented that the talent in Reno was rock bottom and that no one in this town would ever get anywhere. Yet here he is. In Reno. Not really getting anything done because he's a jerk and people don't want to spend their weekend busting their butts while some yahoo who thinks he's too awesome for words barks orders at them. I know I'll never work with him again. And if he's so great why is he here and not killing it in Hollywood? Cause he can't. People like that can't make it in the big bad world of Hollywood and so they come to a smaller pond and act like the big fish. I'm not saying that I'm better than them and that I could do better than they could. I know I'm not. But I also know I'm not the best in this small community. I'm just telling my stories. Hopefully I'm getting better with each time out.
I have a lot of names getting added to the list of folks I don't want to work with all the time. I don't harbor any ill fortune to these folks but I'm not going to shed any sweat helping them out on a project anytime soon. The great thing about this job is that for every person that alienates themselves due to inflated attitude there are seven more folks who are willing to put aside their ego and work along side you. In the end we are part of a level of film making that is supposed to be fun first and foremost. If you take away that aspect by working with jerks then you are basically giving up your free time to work for nothing and for someone who regards you as nothing more than a tool to get them what they want instead of treating you like a valuable part of the team.
Beware of becoming one of these people. It's very difficult to get back into the good graces of folks you may have burned in the past. This world moves fast and if you aren't careful you may get left behind.
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