Wednesday, January 26, 2011 at 1:41PM Michael C. here from Serious Film to see if I can cover a media circus without joining it.
As most of you have no doubt read Kevin Smith followed the Sundance premiere of his film Red State – which reportedly received mixed/negative reaction - with a thirty minute diatribe against the bloated studio system. During the rambling speech Smith brandished Wayne Gretsky’s hockey stick, quoted Harvey Weinstein, and stated that because of the studio system if he were getting his start today he wouldn’t even bother. The main event was when he held a previously publicized auction for the film rights to Red State and then bought the rights himself for twenty bucks, declaring that he would distribute the film himself by personally taking it on the road around the country Gone With the Wind style.
It’s hard to see how this enterprise represents a genuine alternative for aspiring filmmakers since the traveling show is only financially feasible due to the massive cult following he’s grown with nine films released with the studios he’s rejecting. Still, he’s not crazy for being frustrated with a system that impersonally crams every movie into the same cookie cutter campaign in the hopes of grubbing a decent three-day opening before disappearing forever.
The only part of the event that gave me a visceral negative reaction was Smith’s announcement that he will retire from filmmaking after his next movie. Not that I’m crushed at the thought of losing Smith’s work - I’ve had a live-and-let-live attitude towards his movies for a long time. It's that even if Smith fulfills his admirable promised to become the patron saint of indies, you just don't push back from the table when you still have chips in play. If you can still get your films made, you get them made. Everything else comes second.
Amateur video of the whole event can be seen here. Smith has also been tweeting prodigiously ever since if you are curious for his reaction to the reaction.
