I am shaking because I am so angry right now. If I don't put it down, I might actually punch something. I have never felt so disrespected or scared of someone I was working with in the film industry ever.
So, that doc I was so excited to work on?
Yeah. Not happening. I quit because the director was actually crazy and demanded something that, short of altering space-time, is impossible.
We first met up last Tuesday to look over the footage she had. She had no B-roll, none of the rights to the likenesses of the people in the film, none of the rights to the music she wanted, and basically no rough cut, wanted to edit in GODDAMN IMOVIE or had any idea what footage she wanted included in the film. (Even though she’s been sitting on this footage for a year now.)
But she wanted a full length, festival quality documentary to be due by,
get this,
and I’m not even kidding,
DECEMBER 13TH.
So I asked her how imperative it was that it be ready for festivals for this year. She said it HAD to be done by the 13th.
I told her that a festival-quality documentary (or any film, no matter what length) is not possible at this late in the game. So I asked her if she wanted to take a year to do it right.
She said “well, it doesn’t take a year to edit.”
I told her that, yes, it really can, if you want it to be something that distributors would be interested in buying. Editing doesn’t just mean putting the clips together; it means dialogue editing, sound designing, sound mixing, graphics, colour correction, online editing, to name just a few aspects.
So she says that she doesn’t want to do that, and arranges to pick up her hard drive from me.
SHE SOMEHOW GETS MY MOTHERS PHONE NUMBER AND LEAVES HER A RAMBLING MESSAGE ABOUT ME NOT DOING MY JOB AND TOLD HER SOME BULLSHIT STORY ABOUT HOW I NEVER GOT IN TOUCH WITH HER, EVEN THOUGH SHE HAS MY NUMBER AND COULD HAVE CONTACTED ME ANYTIME, AND SHE KNEW THAT I HAD A DOCTORS APPOINTMENT TODAY.
It goes beyond not understanding or having any respect for the process that is post-production, but when you go out of your way to get the PRIVATE numbers of my family members, who have never met you, and have nothing to do with this, because I am an adult and should be treated like an adult, that’s absolutely unacceptable. That is in the realm of psychotic. That fucking terrifies me.
Not to mention the fact that she was so beyond rude to my partner, who was gracious enough to let me use his industry standard software to do almost everything on, as well as access to sound suites and ADR rooms, and basically everything one would need during the entire post production workflow.
Or the fact that she didn't ever bother putting together A FUCKING SCRIPT.
Since she has somehow used crazy magic to get my mom's phone number, I'm wondering if she is going to find out where I work or where I live or where I am on social media or if she's going to keep bothering my family and spout bullshit about me to our family friends (which is how we got in touch.)
JFC.
If there is one thing keeping my smiley however, and it's that I got my mother and I Lady Gaga concert tickets for Christmas. She told me that she would love to see Gaga live one day, so I'm just imagining her face on the 25th when she finds out we're gonna go together.
Peace SGLAND. Thanks for letting me vent.
xoxo
Harajuku
