I recently saw a clip of Tina Fey describing the Met Gala as a “Jerk Parade.” Thank you Tina Fey. I feel like the years just get shorter and all of a sudden these images are shoved down our throats for days sensationalizing everything that is wrong with modern society. (Minus Jared Leto dressed as Karl Lagerfeld’s Cat, Choupette)
Fashion is cool and all. And I am absolutely NO ONE (hence the name of this newsletter) but aren’t you embarrassed for us? There’s this small group of people who look nice in clothes and are good at pretending in front of cameras and we all worship them.
Celebrities! They’re just like us! Or they were, before they got famous. Now they are nothing like us. They are inside and we are outside, watching their every move. Using them as a representation of human kind.
What is it the kids say? Cringe?
I know actors work hard as well as fashion designers and models. Heck! I’d love to make a real Hollywood movie, but unfortunately, Hollywood is Dead.
All I can say is the system is as antiquated as a chastity belt on an un-fuckable princess. It’s unattainable, archaic and only serves a few. I know I’m not discovering something new, but something’s gotta give, right?
I mean, WRITE.
Above the Line, Below the Line. A line of what? Cocaine? I wish lol. But for real. The studio system has been built on inequality since the start. White guys at big oak desks, smoking cigars and saying “ya see here” in that old tinsel town accent.
The money is made by few, and the rest of the crew almost kills themselves daily to make this “movie magic” and they get absolutely no glory.
Where are the famous Grips? Who’s the best PA ever? I know in their daily lives they must be appreciated by their crews, producers and peers. But they remain nameless and don’t make enough money. Working over 12 hours a day to barely see their families and for what? So we can kind-of watch the Film or TV they made while looking at our phones and then comment on how it could have been better.
It just seems super embarrassing that we all know who Nicole Kidman is, and if we saw her at Starbucks we’d tell people about it for years. But then also comment on if she’s had too much botox or whatever. Not even considering the crushing weight of aging in the public eye in a society that has no wiggle room for it.
Un-fuckable, old, no name grips. Where is their glory? I worked with one of the most amazing lighting techs I’ve ever met. She told me how she let Sam Raimi sleep on her couch in NY before a big meeting for Evil Dead. He promised to take her to the premier in a limo if they green-lit the project. But did he make good on his word?
N O P E
Once you cross that line, it’s hard to look back at the peasants.
The line from below to above.
As above, so below. No.
The sheer fact that those terms are still used are insane. I understand that certain people will always make more money than other departments, but the gaps are too big. Correct me if I’m wrong but so far the only actor I’ve heard of offering ownership and profit participation in a film is Zendaya. What a gem.
That’s the way it should be.
My dream studio is this. A giant compound that of course has all the filmmaking bells and whistles. But it also has FREE childcare, pet care, a hotel if you’re too tired to drive home, medical care, restaurants, bars, spas and pay equality. At my studio we don’t work more than 10 hours. We get call sheets before we leave, and people can actually have lives outside of set. We will glamorize the little people making the big moves. Have internships and fellowship programs. Fundraisers for good causes. Therapy will also be included.
They may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one.
This all coming from someone who never made it in Hollywood (yet) but is not ready to give up. But I refuse to do things the way they are.
We need change.
Stop worshiping image and start really opening your eyes.
RIP HOLLYWOOD