S04.E06: The Pivot

[radishcake]

Jason and the crew prepare for the film's most expensive scenes yet; the production team begins preparations for the last shoot of the film; Effie tries to find a way to stick with Jason's original vision of a car-crash scene.

A wedding-rehearsal dinner filmed at dusk is expected to be the most expensive shoot so far. Also: Len is skeptical of Jason's vision for a car-crash scene, but Effie works hard to find a way to make it happen.

[Quilt Fairy]

I finally have a little sympathy for Jason, because like him, I interpreted his conversation with Effie about the crash stunt as she was working to scrimp the money together so he could have the stunt the way he envisioned it. I don't know if it's typical of the motion picture industry, but Effie has a way of using a whole lot of words and yet not being clear about exactly what she is saying. That being said, if the HBO exec is there to talk about the stunt, you don't waste his time with a "he said/she said" of their conversation. It makes everybody look very unprofessional.

 

I have yet to see or hear about any part of Jason's movie that makes me the least bit interested in actually watching it. I thought that the ad-libbing that the 2 main actors were doing was pathetic, stupid and childish, and yet Jason and Pete seemed to think it was comedy gold. These guys wouldn't know comedy if it came up and bit them on the ass.

[SFoster21]

We'll soon know. The movie is on HBO in a couple of weeks.

Jason is hella passive-aggressive and so is Effie, so they are crashing into each other. But Jason is truly disingenuous to insist that he had never heard that the stunt might not be do-able at all; he was there when the head of studio explained it.

Still, Effie should have assured him after that call that he would have his stunt; she would figure it out. Uncertain why she thought she deserved praise for doing her job, but... But he seemed not to have understood that the entire accident might be out. He is odd, but effective: "That was decided?" How is the head of the studio going to answer?

Good show; self-involved clueless types are the stuff that reality TV is made of.

Edited October 19, 2015 by SFoster21

[lanter]

This episode is titled "Hot Ghetto Mess?" Really HBO? Really!

 

What happened to all of the diversity in front of the camera Matt Damon was going on about? I mean, having a black servant does count but....

[MiamiGuy]

Two odd things about that whole exchange regarding the black limo driver:

 

While Effie was complaining there were no black wedding-guest extras in that scene, there were two or three in the next shot. I didn't DVR it but I don't think I imagined them.

 

Maybe she thought there should have been more, which is fine, but the way that scene was put together made it seem as if she didn't know what she was talking about. (Or maybe the PG editors just don't like her?) I realize she has a lot on her plate, being caught between HBO and Daffleck on one hand and Jason Mann on the other, but it seems like she should have had a word with the casting director prior to the moment when they're ready to shoot the scene. Which brings me to...

 

What happens to the black actor who was set to play the limo driver and was replaced with a white guy? Does he get another walk-on part or does he get sent home without getting paid? If it's the latter, and I were that actor, I would be angry with Effie for taking food off my table.

[Paws]

I don't understand why Jason always acts like Effie is not in charge of anything. She says "we're not doing that" and he says "That was decided?" YES SHE JUST SAID SO. God he is enraging.

However...

HBO has definitely set this up for max drama. Neither of them ever asks for or receives anything written down so it's always endless talking about what they talked about. If everything went great, there would be no show. Marc Joubertalso plays into this...he just seems to absorb info without ever passing it on, and then talks to the camera about bad communication.

[Hootis]

I don't get this at all - since when does a line producer make casting decisions that don't involve money? Is this normal?

[biakbiak]

In the first episode Effie mentioned she was also a co-creative producer. Marc seems to be completely useless.

[WentMissing]

Two odd things about that whole exchange regarding the black limo driver:

 

While Effie was complaining there were no black wedding-guest extras in that scene, there were two or three in the next shot. I didn't DVR it but I don't think I imagined them.

 

What happens to the black actor who was set to play the limo driver and was replaced with a white guy? Does he get another walk-on part or does he get sent home without getting paid? If it's the latter, and I were that actor, I would be angry with Effie for taking food off my table.

 

You're right, I went back and looked and saw two. I understand her point in general but I would be mad if I were the limo driver if I lost my part whether I was paid for showing up or not. 

 

[Crewman Number 6]

You know, I really want to hate Jason the most.  I really do.  But Effie drives me freaking crazy.  So phony, so consumed with her own position and ego.  So very Hollywood.  

 

Eh, they're both awful.  Two things!

[mandigirl]

Seriously! What is up with the title of the episode??

 

 

Uncertain why she thought she [Effie] deserved praise for doing her job, but...

Not praise, but recognition. Either consciously or subconsciously, I think Effie resents Jason because he's just another 'entitled white guy' who never gets told no.  It's actually Effie's job to bend over backwards to get him whatever he wants, and I think it annoys her to be part of that cycle. When she told him she was working on getting his stunt, I think she was looking for some glimmer of appreciation that all the stuff he gets doesn't just come out of the ether. He's getting VIP treatment and not only does he not care,  but it's not 'good enough' for him. That must really grate.

 

Jason comes off as very ungrateful and entitled. But then again, maybe that's why he's actually getting everything he wants.  

 

I adore Bridget Regan and I've always been an Ed Weeks fan but the movie trailer... I dunno. 

Edited October 19, 2015 by mandigirl

[biakbiak]

It could be editing but there was complete silence to Effie saying that the she had always said the car flip was completely off the table. Even the stunt coordinator only said he had kept telling someone that the day of the lunch meeting was the last time they could install a roller cage, so he seemed to think it wasn't off the table. Jason is completely the worst but communication across the board is awful.

Also, am I the only one who wondered why they simply didn't shift the wedding reception indoors, it doesn't seem outdoors was necessary and they could have saved money for the stunt (which seems stupid and ridiculous) by cutting the number of background characters. Make it the cocktail hour not the full blown reception. Heck I have seen them use some of the very same interiors for large and lovely parties on a rewatching of Murder She Wrote or at least better than the hot mess that was shown in the previews for the movie.

Edited October 19, 2015 by biakbiak

[jenrising]

I can't decide which is more hilarious. Jason's constant bloviating about the artistic genius of his dick joke movie, or the movie itself.

 

Just kidding. This movie is going to be terrible. I see why they decided to go with a plotline of Jason v. Effie to keep from showing much of the actual material. 

[Julia]

My brain just seized up right there at the open when the crew that Effie hired were standing around nodding and cooing sympathetically while Jason Mann was whining that Effie was running out the clock to force him into making compromises. Um. Yeah. You'd have to be a thoroughly intolerable asshole to do something like that, wouldn't you, guys.

 

Also, that title. Jesus.

Edited October 19, 2015 by Julia

[blixie]

Marc Joubertalso plays into this...he just seems to absorb info without ever passing it on, and then talks to the camera about bad communication.

 

This, I assume that's why Effie says the relationship is now in "tatters".  What the fuck is his job again? Jesus.

[pasdetrois]

But Effie drives me freaking crazy.  So phony, so consumed with her own position and ego.

Me too. She's worked herself into a frenzy about the entire situation, always talking about it, always reacting angrily, so overwrought in many conversations. That's not editing - that's her personality. The industry may like her for her penny-pinching ways, but if they think she's too combative with her colleagues, then she's going to lose work. I think she puts a lot of spin on in her talking heads and in work conversations, trying to assert that Jason is the only one at fault, when she has also been part of the problem.

 

Things that caught my attention: I also spotted non-white actors in the crowds. Also, as they are racing to get every shot in very little time, she halts production to lecture people and force them to switch actors. And my impression from her conversation with Jason in the hallway was that the full stunt scene was still in. I understand his confusion.

[Julia]

Me too. She's worked herself into a frenzy about the entire situation, always talking about it, always reacting angrily, so overwrought in many conversations. That's not editing - that's her personality.

 

They had months to make a movie, and she has minutes of screen time they've cherrypicked from that period, most of which is her reacting to being undermined and her answering questions someone behind the camera is asking. I'm at a bit of a loss as to how that's not editing.

[MamaMax]

Seriously! What is up with the title of the episode??

 

Not praise, but recognition. Either consciously or subconsciously, I think Effie resents Jason because he's just another 'entitled white guy' who never gets told no.  It's actually Effie's job to bend over backwards to get him whatever he wants, and I think it annoys her to be part of that cycle. When she told him she was working on getting his stunt, I think she was looking for some glimmer of appreciation that all the stuff he gets doesn't just come out of the ether. He's getting VIP treatment and not only does he not care,  but it's not 'good enough' for him. That must really grate.

 

Jason comes off as very ungrateful and entitled. But then again, maybe that's why he's actually getting everything he wants.  

 

I adore Bridget Regan and I've always been an Ed Weeks fan but the movie trailer... I dunno. 

 

(Bolding mine)

 

I could not agree more.  While I agree that Effie did make it sound like the flip was still in, I do suspect that Jason's M.O. is to NEVER concede anything. People say "You can't" and he just replies with why he has to, why he will, why he must.  He refuses to take no for an answer, he refuses to accept it.  I can see being on the other side of that would be infuriating, and it would make you into a raving lunatic. I think THAT'S why Effie looks like an "angry black woman," because Jason forces her to say "No" and "You can't" 15 times instead of 1 or 2.  But to me, the problem is also that she does not seem to be the final word.  So how can she possibly have any authority over someone who refuses to accept her authority, and whose superiors refuse to empower her?

 

As annoyed as I am getting with her, I think she is a victim of this whole set up and I hope it doesn't hurt her career in the future.   

Edited October 19, 2015 by MamaMax

[Latverian Diplomat]

I don;t think one or two black faces in a large crowd scene undermines Effie's point, which is she's tired of images of rich white folks having black folks waiting on them and subservient to them. You can agree or disagree with that, but it was important to her, and she clearly thought it was in her purview to get it.

 

The limo driver, would have gotten more screen time than a couple faces in the crowd. So, it's a minor enough role that it's quite probable that neither Effie or Jason were involved in casting it, but it's still much more significant in terms of screen presence ("face time") as Effie said, than a couple of faces in a crowd.

 

Based on Van's comment that he didn't think the driver was a "servant" I see two possibilities:

1) There was an honest miscommunication. Casting really didn't see that as a servant role, or it was a late addition and the person that made the call didn't get the "servant memo" or something. Honest mistake.

 

2) The "not a servant" line was a planned fallback defense, and they cast a black person for it to fuck with Effie.

 

ETA: I'm not sure we'll ever know which of these it was, or if it was something else.

 

Moving on...

I'm not Miss Manners, but usually isn't the rehearsal dinner is a smaller affair with just the wedding party and close relatives, and hosted by the groom's family? This looked and sounded like a wedding reception instead. Even if it were shot at night I think that would still be confusing. I know these people are wealthy but they're also supposed to upper-crusty formal and worry about established protocol, aren't they?

 

So far, we've seen them shoot one daytime scene and one dusk scene, both of which seem very early in the story. I don't really get how this solves the problem.

 

ETA: In addition to never taking no for answer, Jason never takes responsibility for anything. The late location choice was entirely on him and was a direct cause of the shoot starting without nighttime permissions (or at least advance knowledge there was a problem). But according to him, he's being forced to shoot in daylight because "production doesn't care". Eff that noise.

Edited October 19, 2015 by Latverian Diplomat

[JyDanzig]

What happens to the black actor who was set to play the limo driver and was replaced with a white guy? Does he get another walk-on part or does he get sent home without getting paid? If it's the latter, and I were that actor, I would be angry with Effie for taking food off my table.

 

Marc mentioned making him a party guest, so presumably that happened.  I can't imagine it made much of a difference to the actor, moving from one background slot to another.  It's not like he lost a proper role with dialogue.  And, once on set, he would have been paid either way.

Van seems like he might be terrible at his job, though we don't see quite enough to know for sure.  His defense for putting a black man in that slot is that it's a "New York" driver?  He interpreted Effie's directive that there be no people of color in BG service positions to have an exception for servants from large urban centers?  OK.

 

Watching the Effie arc on this has been so frustrating, especially when I think of how wholeheartedly and enthusiastically supportive she was towards Jason at the beginning, when he made his first outrageous ask to swap out the script.  Effie's become a little more responsible for the problems on the shoot with each passing episode, but it's so understandable -- after weeks and months of dealing with someone as difficult and irresponsible as Jason is, who wouldn't get ground down?

 

It always fascinates me when I encounter a director or producer who sees their role as just endlessly demanding more and more of everyone, without ever engaging with the reality of their budgetary limitations.  These always become the worst work environments, and result in the worst finished projects, but they never manage to connect their terrible management style to these problems.  You can push your team to a certain extent, but once a crew realizes the only way to please the boss is to work literal miracles, which they cannot do because they are not magical -- this is the point where their effort drops to whatever their minimum professional standards are.  Even an easy shoot is a tough job... why push yourself even harder than usual when the range of possible responses only goes from "you are deliberately sabotaging me" to "you have failed at your job"?

Edited October 19, 2015 by JyDanzig

[cpcathy]

Week after week I keep thinking a) how much I hate Jason, and b) how much this movie is going to suck. Why on earth do they need a car chase and why does Jason think this is such high art that he needed it on film??

[MrWhyt]

I could not agree more.  While I agree that Effie did make it sound like the flip was still in, I do suspect that Jason's M.O. is to NEVER concede anything.

I don't think either of them came off that great last night. To quote from The AVClub's review of the episode

 

 

  Should he have been more specific and asked her exactly what she meant by “close”? Should she have explained that without being asked? I think the answer to both questions is yes, but unfortunately the conversation gets derailed by their oil-and-water personalities.

He didn't ask enough follow up questions and she didn't volunteer enough information, which of course leads to the meeting with Len from HBO where everyone looks like an idiot.

[Paws]

 

which of course leads to the meeting with Len from HBO where everyone looks like an idiot.

Except Marc Joubert, who DOES NOTHING yet manages to look like the most sane person there. 

[Maire]

For a very skinny person Jason doesn't miss many meals!

[Julia]

Except Marc Joubert, who DOES NOTHING yet manages to look like the most sane person there. 

 

Perhaps if Marc Joubert, whose job on paper is to do something, but who gets eyes on his production company's product if he doesn't, were a little more invested making the movie everyone else might be a little saner.

[Kippy]

This show is getting super annoying. I started watching because I thought it would show me what goes into making a movie. It has become all about personal drama and incredibly unlikable people. I think I find Jason and effie equally irritating.

Jason does not compromise and refuses to listen to reason and logic. He also has no ability to see future problems and try to fix them. When he was location scouting all he was seeing and thinking about was how the locations would fit into his vision. He was not thinking about prep and the time it would take to aquire night shooting permission. He compromises himself because he doesn't want to compromise. And then he takes no responsibility for these errors and instead blames effie for making decisions without him.

Effie, as least from the edit she is getting, is a horrible communicator. I feel like she tiptoes around the issues trying to make everyone happy with a smile and never clearly states what she wants until the explosion point. In this situation I put as much if not more blame on her. She is the expert here. She has made multiple movies and has worked in Hollywood for years. This is Jason first experience with this level of movie production.

He is a jerk and an unlikable human being but he is also new, learning this trade, and trying to assert himself as a good director. Effie is an expert and a professional film producer. She is already a success here and I expect more from her.

Edited October 19, 2015 by Kippy

[Primetimer]

They know what they want, but they just don't know / how to go about gettin' it.

Read the story

[Julia]

from the recap:

Again, I haaaaate having to defend Mann here, and his pulling a buttface and sighing loftily that production is "just backing us into a corner where we can't tell the story" is beyond disingenuous -- he a 100 did that to himself by not picking a location until 36 seconds before principal shooting started, like, the fuck did you think would happen when that intransigence cascaded down the producers' checklist? I also don't care for the assertion that "there's something almost fundamental" about a car crash in...a story about social discomfort amongst wealthy WASPs. He just wants to play with all the expensive directorial toys he can, but then of course he's acting like HBO Films ordered him to make Sonny Corleone a robot maid or some goddamn thing, which is why he's the worst. The production cares about the lighting continuity, guy. Your foot-dragging created the problem. Shut up forever.

I don't disagree that Effie's struggling to find a way to communicate with Jason and the rest of this group which works, and that given the structural hole she's in and the fact that it's Jason, she should probably just concentrate on her paper trail and give up trying to get through. But I wanted to see this again...

[MissJoy]

The thing that makes Jason so familiar & so frustrating to me is that he doesn't hear "no". Wait, doesn't WANT to hear no. He has willfull No-Deafness.

Even worse, when he hears "maybe but unlikely" he hears 'yes'. And since he doesn't interrogate what that ''maybe" entails & no-one seems to clarify for him what the "maybe" entails, he walks off thinking he has a Yes & tells his team that it's happening, Effie goes off thinking that Jason will understand that it's probably not going to happen but they'll try...and when it doesn't happen everyone ends up looking like assholes. And Jason looks like a double asshole because he has willful language comprehension issues & goddammit this show is crazymaking!!

[MamaMax]

I don't think either of them came off that great last night. To quote from The AVClub's review of the episode

 

He didn't ask enough follow up questions and she didn't volunteer enough information, which of course leads to the meeting with Len from HBO where everyone looks like an idiot.

 

 

I do suspect, however, that Jason is deliberate there. Don't ask too many follow up questions if you can interpret what has ALREADY been said as you getting what you want.  Then be ready to throw it into the other person's face: "YOU said…."

 

 

And do I remember it correctly that as soon as Effie finished her sentence, he was already onto asking for something else? As in: "Don't allow the other person to express the conditions of the deal. Stop them at 'You can have what you want,' and then redirect them."

Edited October 19, 2015 by MamaMax

[auntiemel]

It always fascinates me when I encounter a director or producer who sees their role as just endlessly demanding more and more of everyone, without ever engaging with the reality of their budgetary limitations.  These always become the worst work environments, and result in the worst finished projects, but they never manage to connect their terrible management style to these problems.  You can push your team to a certain extent, but once a crew realizes the only way to please the boss is to work literal miracles, which they cannot do because they are not magical -- this is the point where their effort drops to whatever their minimum professional standards are.  Even an easy shoot is a tough job... why push yourself even harder than usual when the range of possible responses only goes from "you are deliberately sabotaging me" to "you have failed at your job"?

 

WOW, have I dealt with clients/bosses/etc like this before. It's bringing back bad memories just to read about it! :D

[Julia]

It pains me to say this -- because I was wishing so hard for so long that the show would come back -- but this season really makes me feel like Project Greenlight shouldn't exist. It puts a wretched face on every aspect of filmmaking and production and the people who devote their lives to those endeavors, and I think it's achieving the exact opposite of its stated goal (to inspire new people to pursue filmmaking).

But boy, it's inspiring the hell out of a select group of people who already do pursue it. The comments at the AV Club and EW are packed with auteurs who swear up and down that they're experienced film makers and what the lumpenproletariat doesn't realize is that in order to make quality film you've got to be just like Jason, and suggesting that Jason not be a total tool on principle is a sacrifice on the altar of mammon.

Edited October 19, 2015 by Julia

[lidarose9]

The scene that baffled me was when Jason was standing around with the AD and crew bitching about how Effie (without using her name) waited until a problem reached the point-of-no-return before telling him about it, thus backing him into a corner and ensuring her decisions override his requests. They were all sympathetic. Why were they stabbing her in the back? Why would they blow smoke up Jason's ass by agreeing with his twisted version of reality? That AD seems really good at playing both ends against the middle. 

Edited October 19, 2015 by lidarose9

[Quilt Fairy]

I have had no experience with Project Greenlight before this, although I do remember the name. I had no idea it hadn't been done in 10 years. Anyhow, my perception of what it was about was basically a young director (with a script) trying to make a unique, independent film who didn't have the money. Matt and Ben come in and supply the money, we see the film being made. Whether it's a commercial success or not is irrelevant, it's going to play the independent film circuit and give the director some experience. Making a movie that's going to air on HBO is a whole other thing, although HBO has more latitude than a broadcast network about what it will show.  I think it's fair to say that Not Another Pretty Woman was not a movie that needed to be made and The Leisure Class is also not a movie that needed to be made. Although I do think that the setup that Jason had - here is a short I made and I have the ideas to turn it into a full-length feature - is much more what I thought PG would be about.

[SFoster21]

I have had no experience with Project Greenlight before this, although I do remember the name. I had no idea it hadn't been done in 10 years. Anyhow, my perception of what it was about was basically a young director (with a script) trying to make a unique, independent film who didn't have the money. Matt and Ben come in and supply the money, we see the film being made. Whether it's a commercial success or not is irrelevant, it's going to play the independent film circuit and give the director some experience. Making a movie that's going to air on HBO is a whole other thing, although HBO has more latitude than a broadcast network about what it will show. I think it's fair to say that Not Another Pretty Woman was not a movie that needed to be made and The Leisure Class is also not a movie that needed to be made. Although I do think that the setup that Jason had - here is a short I made and I have the ideas to turn it into a full-length feature - is much more what I thought PG would be about.

In the past, they made the director's script and even here, Pete and Jason were supposed to rewrite the Farrelly Brothers script. So, the "auteur" situation is exactly the same.

[RemoteControlFreak]

My god. Effie's got to stop making every little situation into a huge tornado of a drama with herself at the center.

 

Hint to Effie:  Try saying "we" and "us" more and "I" less.

 

I'm puzzled how she's lasted this long in her profession with that approach.  Maybe it only works in Hollywood.

 

Jason's a petulant spoiled child, but Effie does nothing to change the situation and her style just escalates everyone's worst tendencies, including her own.

Edited October 19, 2015 by RemoteControlFreak

[ApathyMonger]

This week's deleted scene has more on safety, and the episode title line:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qwgdmaHHiA

[radishcake]

And someone else saying "no you can't just keep shooting it's UNION RULES". See? It's not just Effie. ugh. Also another "oh this is just a standard thing" no no it's not Jason. ugh.

[Julia]

So the "Hot Ghetto Mess" comes from Effie's response to Jason trying to sidestep safety rules (after the guy from HBO said that they couldn't do that) with some makeshift, unsafe solution which was falling apart. Then they decided to use it without explanation as the title for an episode which left Jason's misadventures out and focused on how the men think Effie is emotionally unhinged?

No-one in a decision-making capacity on the production of the show saw the possibility of a perception issue there?

[calliope1975]

So the "Hot Ghetto Mess" comes from Effie's response to Jason trying to sidestep safety rules (after the guy from HBO said that they couldn't do that) with some makeshift, unsafe solution which was falling apart. Then they decided to use it without explanation as the title for an episode which left Jason's misadventures out and focused on how the men think Effie is emotionally unhinged?

No-one in a decision-making capacity on the production of the show saw the possibility of a perception issue there?

 

HBO is getting my side-eye on a whole host of things in PG. Sometimes I guess it's better to not see behind the curtain. 

[lidarose9]

http://themuse.jezebel.com/hbo-naming-project-greenlights-latest-episode-hot-ghet-1737438174

 

"A production mistake" 

[Paws]

This isn't the first time the union rules have come up with Jason. He really wants to push them over the line and waits for someone to stop him.

[RemoteControlFreak]

http://themuse.jezebel.com/hbo-naming-project-greenlights-latest-episode-hot-ghet-1737438174

 

"A production mistake" 

Ridiculous. Even if the scene were included in the final cut, the title would be problematic. By HBO's own admission in this article, it is no obvious that titles come from lines spoken in the episode and, in any case, an inflammatory title like this is never a good idea. 

Edited October 20, 2015 by RemoteControlFreak

[Julia]

This isn't the first time the union rules have come up with Jason. He really wants to push them over the line and waits for someone to stop him.

Yeah. Because craft unions are so scared of offending someone who's been in a total personal meeting with Ben Affleck and has the number to a Farrelly's burn phone.

[TVSallyS]

Jason is such a butt. But good grief, why the frit did Effie say she was scraping together money to get him what he wanted and then not clarify this was still NOT going to be a flip??? Has she not met Jason? He doesn't hear no when she says it plainly. She really thought he was going to hear "I'm trying to get you what you want after all", and understand the flip was still off the table? Sigh. Stop giving the dude ammunition.

[WentMissing]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_JwGHVo20E

 

I've missed these deleted scenes so I went back to watch all of them. I don't think this was posted before, it's from the second epi but I'm going to post it here because it adds to the "mess" of this season.

 

Effie says she will go to bat for Jason and Pete because they want to do a modified script - a "scriptment'. So she tells the guys she will call Len Amato and she will lead off with that suggestion and then they need to chime in and back her up when the time comes.  Len pushes back on the suggestion; she whispers to them it's time for them to chime in and...crickets; they never say anything. Needless to say, she was annoyed that they didn't say anything at all to fight for their own idea and left her hanging.

[mandigirl]

 

why the frit did Effie say she was scraping together money to get him what he wanted and then not clarify this was still NOT going to be a flip???

I think Effie is used to dealing with directors who, when they hear 'no', start working on alternatives, not consider that just the first step in a multi-stage negotiation. When they hear "I'm working on getting you what you want", they understand, given the tenor from HBO, that it won't be EXACTLY what they want, but as much of what they want as she can get them. This nuance is completely lost to Jason.

 

I have no problem with Jason not accepting 'no' for answer-- I borderline respect him for it. What I do hate (and find entitled) is how baffled and pissy he gets whenever someone isn't dancing round the maypole at the very thought of making his every dream come true. Just because someone isn't interested in running themselves into the ground so you can execute your 'perfect' vision, doesn't mean they're trying to sabotage you. 

[asha]

Let's check out this quote from Cary Fukunaga, who could easily demolish Jason Mann on the scale of talent in pretty much every category:

"Authorship is a tricky notion in filmmaking, in general. And it applies to the film and television making world. I will never for example, put a "film by" credit on my movies. Never have, never will. I don't think it's appropriate to say that when you have so many incredible people participating and putting not only their technical expertise in something, but also their own creative input, and oftentimes putting aside their personal lives to help your vision come to the screen. If you're saying it's your movie, what the fuck have they been doing this whole time?"

 

This is the guy who made Beasts of No Nation, made on digital, though Fukunaga usually shoots on film, because of limitations since he was filming in the jungle. Fukunaga got malaria just prior to shooting, his cinematographer bailed on him so he had to do double duty. Jason Mann would last exactly five seconds under such circumstances, mostly because his head would explode the first time he had to adjust his 'vision' to logistical barriers.

 

Effie is not a perfect human being, that is clear from this last episode, and she definitely tries to hang Mann out to dry at the end of this episode. Yes, she doesn't come out looking great but when you feel like nothing you do is appreciated, that you're not in a team environment, and that you are being set up to take a fall, it's certainly not motivating. But I think it's also very difficult to work with someone who is as dismissive of you as Mann is of Effie. From the beginning, he has not acknowledged her role in this process, made any attempt to relate to her. His approach to everything has been "mine, mine, mine!" and to make it seem like anyone who is not giving him exactly what he wants is not serving his artistic vision and therefore the enemy.

[terrymct]

I have yet to see or hear about any part of Jason's movie that makes me the least bit interested in actually watching it. I thought that the ad-libbing that the 2 main actors were doing was pathetic, stupid and childish, and yet Jason and Pete seemed to think it was comedy gold. These guys wouldn't know comedy if it came up and bit them on the ass.

 

Exactly.  I'm completely befuddled.  Why do they think this story is fresh or interesting?  OMG, it's been done and redone many times.  Why do they think those jokes are funny?   Are these guys emotionally stuck in junior high?    Ok, Jason is a narcissist.  Of course he believes he wrote something amazing.  But Pete?  Shouldn't he know better?

 

And speaking of "writing", I'm still confused about the amount of ad libbing on this movie.  What the heck were they writing for so many weeks?

What happens to the black actor who was set to play the limo driver and was replaced with a white guy? Does he get another walk-on part or does he get sent home without getting paid? If it's the latter, and I were that actor, I would be angry with Effie for taking food off my table.

 

I wondered the same thing.  Did Effie knock the guy out of work?   I was also curious about her statement about her crew, making sure she hires the most diverse people representing a wide range of groups.  I wish she added "who also happen to be GREAT at their jobs".  It feels like she's being a bit disrespectful to the people she hired.  They're professionals who happen to be black, female, etc.

Jason comes off as very ungrateful and entitled. But then again, maybe that's why he's actually getting everything he wants.  

 

I adore Bridget Regan and I've always been an Ed Weeks fan but the movie trailer... I dunno. 

 

Jason is inexperienced and profoundly spoiled/entitled.  He's using the same techniques to manipulate the people around him that a rotten little kid uses on his/her parents.  

 

The trailer is TERRIBLE.   If I was watching it cold without any preconceptions about Jason, there isn't a single thing about it that makes me want to watch the movie.

Week after week I keep thinking a) how much I hate Jason, and b) how much this movie is going to suck. Why on earth do they need a car chase and why does Jason think this is such high art that he needed it on film??

 

Because the film is about defecation, not simply pooping.  That alone deserves to be shot on film.

[pasdetrois]

It occurs to me that the film has already been done - Another Period.