S04.E06: The Pivot

[pbutler111]

Oh god, I just watched the Inside The Episode bit.  These quotes from Jason:

 

"It's unconsciounable how much neglect for the story was going on from the production side of it."

 

"Shorts are virtually the same thing as making a feature."

 

He is astonishingly awful.  To have someone this profoundly clueless and entitled as the director of a film... even watching the show, I can't imagine what a nightmare it must have been.  Effie and everyone else deserve medals simply for not walking off the set.

 

The thing is, Jason is a first time director, while Effie is -- according to what she keeps saying over and over and over again -- a very experienced professional.  I expect Effie to know what's what; I don't expect that of Jason.  Many years ago, I was going over the galleys of my first book, making corrections and reviewing the revisions suggested by the editor.   There were very few suggested revisions, but some of them still annoyed the shit out of me.  So, after I finished my review, I wrote ASSHOLE across the front of the galley and sent it back to the editor.  I think of that now and I go absolutely crimson with embarrassment over my behavior.  The editor had done NOTHING wrong.  I was just pissed because I thought the work I'd turned in had been handed down from the angels to my computer and I couldn't believe anyone would tweak a single word.  Jason's behavior over this movie takes me back to my behavior over my manuscript.  I never behaved that way again.  I know better now, because I've had more experience.  I imagine, several years from now, Jason will know better, too, and get at least a little pink around the cheeks looking back at this documentation of his first feature experience.  He just happens to have the misfortune of having his first time immortalized on video.

[Irlandesa]

I think a white male Producer would have been a better fit because Effie has certain principles that she wants to ensure the movie meets, and a story and Director like this just won't be able to meet them.

I don't think Effie's principles on this movie are tough to meet. She got the diverse crew she wanted.   It's not like she's expecting to recast the character Ed Weeks plays with an actor of color--she just didn't want one of the only black faces on screen to be in a service role. And it appears as if switching him out was pretty easy.

 

As for having a white male producer--guess what?  This film has one.  His name is Marc Joubert and it appears as if he is on set quite a bit essentially not doing much. He's not trying to smooth the conflict between Jason and Effie. He's not taking a stand or trying to improve the communication.  He's basically doing ish and the black chick is the problem?

 

I have very little sympathy for Effie.  Even when she's in the right she approaches things with such a snotty attitude and a HUGE chip on her shoulder that I find myself rooting for whatever she wants to be denied.

Not all the time.  There have been numerous times where she approaches Jason and tries to put on the nicest voice she possibly can.  The budget limited their ability to use film so she was firm on that.  Firm but honest.  However, she did patiently go with him to look at the difference between digital and film.  She tried to inject positivity into what she could do for him as a stunt.  She's irritated.  She doesn't hide it when she's not around Jason.  She has a tough time hiding it when she's with Jason.  But I have seen her try to build some kind of rapport with Jason.  I haven't really seen that effort from Jason.

 

There were very few suggested revisions, but some of them still annoyed the shit out of me.  So, after I finished my review, I wrote ASSHOLE across the front of the galley and sent it back to the editor.

In the end, did the editor get the changes they wanted?  And don't you think the editor may have had some choice words for you behind your back?

 

And I guess it's all perspective because I just don't understand how Jason got to that age with no sense of compromise. 

[MasalaCurry]

 

 

the movie is not right for Effie. She would do much better in a situation where there is more diversity, and the budget is kind of set.  Here her authority is questioned all the time, she is not able to partner with Jason and realize that certain things can be negotiated, and the story itself is too white for her. It just is not a good fit. I think a white male Producer would have been a better fit

I've been struggling with how to respond to this statement, and I think I'm just going to go with... wow.

 

My statement is being misunderstood. Let me rephrase. The reason Effie took on this job is that she wants to bring about more diversity and this is a good opportunity. I respect her for that. However, her authority is not being respected by her bosses. When Jason went to Matt and Ben for more money, they should have directed him to go through Effie and involved her in a discussion. Instead, they gave a different directive from what they gave Effie - her job was to stick with the budget, but her bosses allowed Jason to go above her without her involvement and gave him more money. Effie is frustrated and unable to get what she wants from this experience, hence I think she is not a good fit. Yes she has added more diverse people which is great, but she has a HUGE chip on her shoulder which is hard to overlook, and Jason's movie and story itself does not allow for diversity in characters. Behind the Scenes we are seeing diversity, but I think her goal was to get diversity on the screen which she is unable to do here. So her goals are not fully realized and clearly she doesn't have the authority she thought she did. While anybody can be a producer here and do a good job (white or color), given Effie's principles and goals clearly this is not a good fit. I take back my statement that a white male would have been a better fit - it was late when I was typing this - ANYONE else would have been a better fit who didn't have such strong goals that the story and Director didn't support.

[pbutler111]

I don't think Effie's principles on this movie are tough to meet. She got the diverse crew she wanted. It's not like she's expecting to recast the character Ed Weeks plays with an actor of color--she just didn't want one of the only black faces on screen to be in a service role. And it appears as if switching him out was pretty easy.

As for having a white male producer--guess what? This film has one. His name is Marc Joubert and it appears as if he is on set quite a bit essentially not doing much. He's not trying to smooth the conflict between Jason and Effie. He's not taking a stand or trying to improve the communication. He's basically doing ish and the black chick is the problem?

Not all the time. There have been numerous times where she approaches Jason and tries to put on the nicest voice she possibly can. The budget limited their ability to use film so she was firm on that. Firm but honest. However, she did patiently go with him to look at the difference between digital and film. She tried to inject positivity into what she could do for him as a stunt. She's irritated. She doesn't hide it when she's not around Jason. She has a tough time hiding it when she's with Jason. But I have seen her try to build some kind of rapport with Jason. I haven't really seen that effort from Jason.

In the end, did the editor get the changes they wanted? And don't you think the editor may have had some choice words for you behind your back?

And I guess it's all perspective because I just don't understand how Jason got to that age with no sense of compromise.

I actually got my way with everything. And I'm sure the editor thought I was a total bitch. In hindsight, I don't blame her; I was. But the editor was an experienced professional so, unlike me, she knew better than to let her irritation interfere with the process, and to only engage in fights when it's something really worth fighting for. But, again, I know that stuff now -- I didn't so much then.

[Julia]

However, her authority is not being respected by her bosses. When Jason went to Matt and Ben for more money, they should have directed him to go through Effie and involved her in a discussion... she has a HUGE chip on her shoulder which is hard to overlook

I'm not trying to gotcha you here. But look at what you just said and ask yourself: should women have been marginalized in business and jews been shut out of neighborhoods and Ivy League admissions and people of color been denied housing and college prep education because there are people out there who are going be assholes about it?

Edited October 21, 2015 by Julia

[Irlandesa]

 While anybody can be a producer here and do a good job (white or color), given Effie's principles and goals clearly this is not a good fit. I take back my statement that a white male would have been a better fit - it was late when I was typing this - ANYONE else would have been a better fit who didn't have such strong goals that the story and Director didn't support.

Except the main conflict between Effie and Jason isn't about Effie's principles regarding diversity.  In fact, I can't think of one discussion between them where that was a huge problem. They even agreed to dump the problematic script. Effie trying to increase diversity or representation hasn't seemed to affect the movie at all except for a recasting of an extra which seemed to be a small issue.

 

The conflict of Effie and Jason boils down to money--what Effie thinks she can do on their budget and what Jason wants to do regardless of money. 

 

The only way Effie's principles of diversity are an issue is if Jason would listen to a white man in a way he doesn't listen to Effie. 

[pbutler111]

I'm not trying to gotcha you here. But look at what you just said and ask yourself: should women have been marginalized in business and jews been shut out of neighborhoods and Ivy League admissions and people of color been denied housing and college prep education because there are people out there who are going be assholes about it?

 

This is Project Greenlight. I don't think the goal is to change the world, but just to produce a decent movie from a first-time director.  How much should the producer's personal goals and causes play into that? She didn't get the "diverse" couple she wanted to direct (who, it should be noted, were very happy to include in their movie a character that Effie, and every other director candidate, felt to be an offensive racial stereotype).  Is it really fair of her to try to make up for that loss by trying to mold Jason and his movie into her vision of a diverse Hollywood that has never yet existed?  This is supposed to be Jason's big chance, not Effie's.

Edited October 22, 2015 by pbutler111

[Irlandesa]

This is Project Greenlight. I don't think the goal is to change the world, but just to produce a decent movie from a first-time director.  How much should the producer's personal goals and causes play into that?

How much is it playing into it?  Really?  But producers do get things added in that they personally like all the time.

 

 

She didn't get the "diverse" couple she wanted to direct (who, it should be noted, were very happy to include in their movie a character that Effie, and every other director candidate, felt to be an offensive racial stereotype).

The script was the script at that point.  The couple actually did point out that they wanted to be careful wtih the character.  The main character may have judged her but they didn't want the movie to judge her.   

 

 

Is it really fair of her to try to make up for that loss by trying to mold Jason and his movie into her vision of a diverse Hollywood that has never yet existed?  This is supposed to be Jason's big chance, not Effie's.

How is she doing that?  How?  By hiring the diverse crew?  Do they not deserve their jobs?  Do you resent the fact that she hired people she may have worked with before?  That is often how people get jobs not only in Hollywood but everywhere. 

 

His main cast is white.  Effie helped him get that.  She didn't insist on making the father black.  That would have changed his story...although it is workable.  The only one to reference diversity in front of the camera was Matt. 

 

Project Greenlight has turned into Effie's story as well as Jason's.  But I'm still waiting to hear how Effie's goal of diversity is negatively affecting or even affecting the movie in any significant or mildly significant way.

Edited October 22, 2015 by Irlandesa

[calliope1975]

Project Greenlight has turned into Effie's story as well as Jason's.  But I'm still waiting to hear how Effie's goal of diversity is negatively effecting or even effecting the movie in any significant or mildly significant way.

 

Yep. HBO had who knows how many hours of footage to work with, and the Effie/Jason narrative is the one they chose. Frankly, the longer it goes on, the less any of these people look good to me, including HBO. (I already side eye HBO's treatment of women in the majority of their programming.) The little sympathy I do have is with Effie because I know the road she is walking is much tougher. 

 

It's dramatic, and it definitely has people talking so I guess they did their job.

[Julia]

I'm voting for Joubert as the founder of the feast, but I think HBO should have looked at the early returns and demanded a sitdown with their 800-lb monkeys when they saw what their buddy's production company was turning in.

Edited October 22, 2015 by Julia

[radishcake]

OK guys everyone's opinion is welcomed here. You can disagree but calling people out and asking them to prove their opinion is not on. Remember the golden rule here is Be Civil so no arguing back and forth or personal attacks.

[film noire]

.  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.

 

She did. She not only said,  but stressed,  the word "qualified" when describing how she handles diversity in hiring/put together this crew.  And the equation is not (at least according to Brown)  one where these professionals just happen to not-be-white, not-be-male, not-be-straight etc (which makes white, male and straight the default, and the work judged by that default).  Brown is saying that diversity of background actually informs the piece  -- It makes a difference to the work, not just the worker.  

Edited October 22, 2015 by film noire

[blixie]

He's basically doing ish and the black chick is the problem?

 

For realsies.

 

The only way Effie's principles of diversity are an issue is if Jason would listen to a white man in a way he doesn't listen to Effie.

 

Right? Her recent radio interview also mischaracterized all their conflicts as about diversity, and for all Jason's asshole tendencies, I haven't seen him clash with Effie over her diversity initiatives, except in as much as he showed out why she feels SOMEONE has to speak to those issues because otherwise the whole cast will be white except for non-speaking black servants, and the fundamental discomfort most white guys have taking any kind of feedback or directives from women of color, now matter how hard she turns herself in knots to protect their white man baby feelings (nothing but love is clearly an affectation she uses to avoid ABW syndrome). Like Affleck said, it's her JOB to say no, it's her job to pull on the reins. Len Amato and Ben are the only people who have consistently had Effie's back.

 

I just will never get how Jason thinks has an "outsiders" POV on rich white male privilege. Look in the mirror mofo. Listen to yourself TALK.

[Julia]

I just will never get how Jason thinks has an "outsiders" POV on rich white male privilege. Look in the mirror mofo. Listen to yourself TALK.

I'm gonna say for the same reason Joss Whedon does. He wasn't popular in rich kid school.

[MamaMax]

For realsies.

 

 

Right? Her recent radio interview also mischaracterized all their conflicts as about diversity, and for all Jason's asshole tendencies, I haven't seen him clash with Effie over her diversity initiatives, except in as much as he showed out why she feels SOMEONE has to speak to those issues because otherwise the whole cast will be white except for non-speaking black servants, and the fundamental discomfort most white guys have taking any kind of feedback or directives from women of color, now matter how hard she turns herself in knots to protect their white man baby feelings (nothing but love is clearly an affectation she uses to avoid ABW syndrome). Like Affleck said, it's her JOB to say no, it's her job to pull on the reins. Len Amato and Ben are the only people who have consistently had Effie's back.

 

I just will never get how Jason thinks has an "outsiders" POV on rich white male privilege. Look in the mirror mofo. Listen to yourself TALK.

 

That's EXACTLY what I thought!

 

And White Man Baby Feelings for the win.  New band name.

Edited October 22, 2015 by MamaMax

[Jesse]

My statement is being misunderstood. Let me rephrase. The reason Effie took on this job is that she wants to bring about more diversity and this is a good opportunity.

I'm pretty sure she took the job because she wanted to work for HBO, raise her profile, etc. I'm sure she works to build a diverse crew on every project she does.

 

Except the main conflict between Effie and Jason isn't about Effie's principles regarding diversity.  In fact, I can't think of one discussion between them where that was a huge problem. They even agreed to dump the problematic script. Effie trying to increase diversity or representation hasn't seemed to affect the movie at all except for a recasting of an extra which seemed to be a small issue.

 

The conflict of Effie and Jason boils down to money--what Effie thinks she can do on their budget and what Jason wants to do regardless of money. 

 

The only way Effie's principles of diversity are an issue is if Jason would listen to a white man in a way he doesn't listen to Effie. 

 This, exactly. It's not like we've seen any pushback from Jason about any of the staff/crew/whatever the right term is not being the right people for their jobs. It's all non-staff expense stuff -- film, stunts, etc.-- that doesn't fit into the actually low budget. 

 

And on the question of the driver, if we saw the whole role, it was literally putting the bags down and walking away. Not exactly the breakout role for whatever background actor got to wear the costume. Good for her for making them switch it out, because that would have been noticeable in the film.  

[pasdetrois]

I think a lot of Effie's rage is misdirected at Jason. I think her real rage is at the industry. It's simmering there, and then along comes a guy like Jason who pushes all her buttons and he becomes a target. (He's a pill, but I think a lot of her behavior is over-the-top.) Also, I don't think she respects the film's topic - rich white people's hijinks.

 

Interesting that this has become about Effie/Jason, with hardly anyone (in the online/news world) still talking about Matt Damon.

 

I think I said that I've been in Effie's shoes (producing and directing in the 80s, when all-male crews treated me as a secretary or were sexually aggressive - it was a VERY common thing and NOBODY cared). The rage is understandable, but it can derail your career. That's just the way it is. She's got to rein it in.

 

ETA: What's so aggravating about Effie's job (for everyone that has it) is that it's all about the details - the nuts and bolts of production - yet nobody cares about the details. It's like being responsible for feeding an army on time, while the soldiers are busy running around doing their thing and the generals just expect you to get it done. Or being a project manager on a big computer network job, where the buyer just expects results and the development team is doing a million different things. Being the person responsible for holding all that together, on time and within budget, with no one helping you is what builds the rage. That's what I mean when I say that Effie's rage is at the industry. For all its seeming glamour, her job is a crappy job.

Edited October 22, 2015 by pasdetrois

[blixie]

 

I think a lot of Effie's rage is misdirected at Jason.

 

Eh, Jason enrages me just watching him on TV, I can only imagine how punchable he is when you literally have to work with his entitled inexperienced ass. I seriously wanted a boxing glove on a retractable arm to come out from the side of the frame and punch him in the face when he said making a short was virtually the same as making a feature. But I agree that he's just a symbol of what she's dealt with for years and because he's a newbie, and because she's working for damn FREE on the tv show she's not about to put up with it from him in the same way she would if he A) respected her authority B) if he really heard her and listened to what she's saying. 

 

 

I don't think she respects the film's topic - rich white people's problems.

 

She championed the script precisely because it was better than the horrible (misogynistic-racist) one they started out with, and that it pilloried the 1%. Effie is not w/o blame in the communication breakdowns, but I still think Joubert's I don't know I just work here attitude has been what turnt things up, so they had a storyline for the show, at the probable expense of the final product.

Edited October 22, 2015 by blixie

[Julia]

I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that after they leave prep school, a surprisingly small percentage of rich white peoples' problems involve people shitting on their Bentleys and drawing dicks on their faces.

[pbutler111]

For realsies.

 

 

Right? Her recent radio interview also mischaracterized all their conflicts as about diversity, and for all Jason's asshole tendencies, I haven't seen him clash with Effie over her diversity initiatives, except in as much as he showed out why she feels SOMEONE has to speak to those issues because otherwise the whole cast will be white except for non-speaking black servants, and the fundamental discomfort most white guys have taking any kind of feedback or directives from women of color, now matter how hard she turns herself in knots to protect their white man baby feelings (nothing but love is clearly an affectation she uses to avoid ABW syndrome). Like Affleck said, it's her JOB to say no, it's her job to pull on the reins. Len Amato and Ben are the only people who have consistently had Effie's back.

 

I just will never get how Jason thinks has an "outsiders" POV on rich white male privilege. Look in the mirror mofo. Listen to yourself TALK.

He's white and he's male.  Is he rich?  I don't know anything about his background.  I'm white and I'm female, but the life of an old money rich white woman would be totally foreign to me, so I would certainly feel like an outsider if trying to tell a story set in that world.

[Julia]

The popular theory is that since Jason comes from an extremely affluent area, just finished getting his second degree at a school which costs almost six figures a year, lives in a large apartment in Manhattan and says that his parents have financially supported his film career up to this point, any distance Jason feels from affluent white privilege is probably social.

[film noire]

I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that after they leave prep school, a surprisingly small percentage of rich white peoples' problems involve people shitting on their Bentleys and drawing dicks on their faces.

 

LOL

 

and the fundamental discomfort most white guys have taking any kind of feedback or directives from women of color, now matter how hard she turns herself in knots to protect their white man baby feelings (nothing but love is clearly an affectation she uses to avoid ABW syndrome)

 

 

Just once, I'd love to hear some white dude say, "You hired a white guy? Jesus, I hope he's qualified!"

[MamaMax]

Im not ready yet to say the film sucks, after all, both Effie and Mark were ROLLING when they watched the short.  I have been thinking that it's going to have a British sensibility/humor ala Ricky Gervais.  I figured that was why they were letting the leads improv a lot of dialogue, since the writers are both American.

 

I dont think Effie would have a problem with the material per se, it seems like its poking fun at the rich white guy, and again, she seemed to enjoy the short.

Edited October 22, 2015 by MamaMax

[itainttippithebird]

Don't most actors want to not only get paid, but to get actual screen time?

 

Can't say for sure what happened in the end, but it appeared from the show the plucked him from the extras to be a chauffer, then moved him into a role of a party goer and pulled a different extra for chauffer, so he still did get screen time.

[Milburn Stone]

Also, while every actor would like to get more screen time than less, showing up and not getting in the shot (or getting in the shot but not the cut), while still getting paid for the day, is part of the gig. If you're a pro, you keep your grumbling inside, so that maybe someone will hire you the next time. (Which I'm sure this actor did.)

[PetuniaP]

I think a white male Producer would have been a better fit because Effie has certain principles that she wants to ensure the movie meets, and a story and Director like this just won't be able to meet them.

 

I don't think making things "more white" in the name of harmony is a good solution. That solution advances nothing except an entitled enfant terrible's sense of comfort. However, it also marginalizes people who are already marginalized, perpetuates a status quo that many, many people have already concluded is not a good one. Harmony at any cost is no longer an option..people can choose to accept that or not but those are the facts. People like Effie are leading the charge and taking the subsequent hits but more and more people are start to stand up for what's right over what's easy.

 

Effie has demonstrated her qualifications to HBO for bringing a movie in on time and on budget. That's what makes her right for this job, her race and gender should have no bearing on "fit". Anything else is discriminatory and illegal under Equal Employment Opportunity laws. 

Edited October 23, 2015 by PetuniaP

[clack]

Effie says that she made sure that the crew had a diversity of race, gender, and religion.

Religion? Is that more of Effie's usual bullshit, or did she actually hire people based on their religion? Isn't that illegal? And how would you go about determining someone's religion, other than asking them?

[Jesse]

Well, you can make a pretty good guess at the religion of Yitzhak Bernstein or Khadijah Mohammad, but anyway, having diversity in mind is not the same thing as hiring people based on their religion or other demographic group. When you have several equally qualified candidates, it's totally fair to pick the one who is not a white Christian man.  

[Julia]

It's the framing that's the problem, I think. If you assume that white guy is the default, the low-risk impulse is to go with the known. While I genuinely hope Matt's response was just an inapt gut reaction to not understanding what Effie was saying, what I got was that he thought he was being asked to settle to make a political point.

In reality, I suspect that he got a more skilled crew, because bluntly I think the first-rank white guys he wanted are already working, and aren't going to drop what they're doing to be a very public part of a clusterfuck like this. I'm pretty sure Effie had a much easier time finding qualified people her way, and that she wasn't going to undermine this showcase by hiring the second rate.

But even if they were only equally as qualified to the point where you'd need to toss a coin to choose, think about this: if a POC, or someone who regularly spent any time with a POC on their same professional level, had been 'cast' for the production company making this show, would they have spent the last week apologizing for 'Hot Ghetto Mess'? Forcing their network to apologize? Would Matt Damon have spent the publicity tour for his tentpole movie making excuses if there had been someone in a decision-making capacity who had a bit more perspective?

We're a hairsbreadth away from being a majority-minority country as it is, and the overseas market isn't even as white as that. It also has statistically less penis. If they make professional decisions based on the assumption that they're the man on the street, it's going to end up costing them real money in the end.

And, realistically, I don't know that a team who hired Jason and backed his play really have the judgment to discuss the least risky option anyway.

Edited October 24, 2015 by Julia

[Milburn Stone]

In reality, I suspect that he got a more skilled crew, because bluntly I think the first-rank white guys he wanted are already working, and aren't going to drop what they're doing to be a very public part of a clusterfuck like this. I'm pretty sure Effie had a much easier time finding qualified people her way...

 

Great point.

Edited October 24, 2015 by Milburn Stone

[film noire]

 Would Matt Damon have spent the publicity tour for his tentpole movie making excuses if there had been someone in a decision-making capacity who had a bit more perspective?

 

Exactly -- diversity (here and elsewhere) is a plus, not something to be "forgiven" ("You're as good as any man!")  or  ignored -- "Why, I don't even see you as black!" (one of my favorite dimwitted erasures. And I say that as a white woman, btw, so if *I* can see it, I can only imagine what that mindset must look like to POC). 

 

 

And, realistically, I don't know that a team who hired Jason and backed his play really have the judgment to discuss the least risky option anyway.

Ha:)

Edited October 25, 2015 by film noire

[Stinamaia]

I guess I might be able to get behind Jason's "artistic vision" if what I was seeing didn't involve a penis being drawn on a face in just the perfect way and adolescent bathroom humor, and done to death rich people comedy.

In "art" so many times the accidental and the compromise often lead to something better. Jason is fighting fighting lots of inconsequential things in my opinion, but the most important thing, I.e. The script, he is letting the actors improvise? Improvisation is pretty time consuming, but what the hell? I guess that's his vision.

Effie is not a perfect person and she has her insecurities, but she is at least a grown up trying to do her best in these circumstances. She could be a little less wordy and a little more direct, but some of it is just trying to placate egos. Also I do think she has told Jason over and over about budgets and compromise, but he has done little more than just reject everything presented to him rather than entering into a lets make it work state of mind. I Agee that much of the time Jason appears to be holding his breath to see if intrasigence will get him what he wants.

[Milburn Stone]

Effie is not a perfect person and she has her insecurities, but she is at least a grown up trying to do her best in these circumstances. 

 

In some ways, but in other ways I think the core of the problem is that she's behaving like a child. In her conversation with Jason in which she tells him she has worked out a way for him to get his car crash (or something like it), she seems to want his approval so badly. "Look, Daddy, look what I did!" Then, when she doesn't get his gratitude, her hurt is akin to that of a child denied a parent's love no matter how hard she tries.

[MamaMax]

In some ways, but in other ways I think the core of the problem is that she's behaving like a child. In her conversation with Jason in which she tells him she has worked out a way for him to get his car crash (or something like it), she seems to want his approval so badly. "Look, Daddy, look what I did!" Then, when she doesn't get his gratitude, her hurt is akin to that of a child denied a parent's love no matter how hard she tries.

Or, she was acting as a person who has been accused of not working to fufill the "vision" of the Enfant Terrible (thanks, PetuniaP),  as a person who has said "No" to someone so frequently, that she was very excited to say "yes" and to show him she really IS trying to help him get what he wants, and what she got in return was…. crickets.  I can see myself being totally deflated and upset about something like that as well.

 

I think it was totally predictable, though, because it seems to me that no matter what Jason is given, he feels entitled to it. He is ALWAYS looking past this thing, to see that he gets what he wants NEXT.

Edited October 26, 2015 by MamaMax

[Stinamaia]

I don't see Effie acting as a child. I think she is someone in a difficult situation where nothing she does will ever be seen as adequate. The relationship got off the rails when Jason wanted to shoot film and Effie said absolutely not. At that point she became if not the enemy the roadblock that had to be circumvented and was circumvented on that, to Jason, crucial issue. (Although I fail to get the point of shooting film for a program that is going to be shown on TV, I could be just ignorant.) From that point on, Jason had the idea that Effie was withholding and not on board with his vision. Maybe that led to his digging in his heels on every decision from houses to car wreck locations. Nothing was ever good enough for him, and more seriously, he sometimes saw it as sabatoge.

[tigersruledude]

Just recently watched this series. There were major issues from the get go.
1. Effie had an agenda from the jump. It wasn't to make the best movie. That's not her job.
2. They never should have picked Mann. He wasn't interested in their movie. They certainly should have changed course after he did what he did the night they announced him.
3. The ongoing problems were completely related to their being zero adult decision makers involved. There were zero deadlines or guidelines for Mann...and he in turn acted like it.
It should have been very clear:
- You are not shooting on film. The films budget and schedule won't allow it. This is not negotiable. It's done. If it's a deal breaker than leave.
- These are your location options. They must be selected by this date or we will select them for you. There are no other options. The budget won't allow it and these options are all fine.
- No you cannot have a large car crash. The schedule and budget will not allow it. Here is the size car crash you can have. Take it or leave it.
In the end these things fail because they give a directing novice a movie and then treat him like he isn't the directing novice that he is and this isn't the gifted opportunity that it is.
Give the opportunity and then provide guidelines and deadlines that allow that director to both make a decent product and learn to do it correctly at the same time. You will still get reality show drama because the director will still make mistakes and struggle and there will be drama in that.