
So it’s been a long shoot. And this is a technically particular director. His exacting demands have made it so that production is taking a long, long time. He berates and belittles the crew, he’s impatient, and he’s often cruel, even unethical in his pursuit to get the “perfect shot”. With the hardware now, he feels even more justified in being as unkind as he wants to be, because in his mind, art is often not compatible with compassion. Compassion was the problem when one of his leads, due to a physical ailment, relied on wardrobe to come up with a solution that would alleviate some of his pain. It was a relief to the actor and, for the most part, it wasn’t a big deal aesthetically, until a long shot was required, at which point the director noticed that an adjustment had been made to help with the actor’s discomfort.
The director went ballistic. He got right up in the actor’s face. They start screaming at each other. They decide to take their argument somewhere private, where they continue to yell at each other. It’s LOUD. It’s ugly. It’s level 15 on intensity. The director won’t forgive, the actor won’t apologise. Everyone can hear. And then…
Silence.
The actor exits. On his own.
The director?
Is found by the crew moments later. On the ground in his tent. One punch.
Actor:
Director:
Film: