Penelope Spheeris es una tipa desconocida pero que ha estado en el mundo del cine desde siempre. El caso es que en estas entrevistas bizarras que hace IMDB le hicieron una pregunta clave, que ella responde con algo obvio, pero bien dicho (lo pongo en inglés, sorry):
I met an editor who told me to swallow my ego in whatever part of film I work in. I just want to know how much does ego hurt productions.
–Thomas
What a great question!! You can probably apply that to every part of life, but here’s my answer when dealing with movies: A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT. People in both Above-the-Line and Below-the-line positions do so often let ego get in the way and the result can be disastrous.
In all phases of filmmaking, it is so important to remember that the movie itself should take priority, not the selfish ego needs of those making it. Let’s start with your editor friend who advises “swallow your ego whenever…”. My first thought is maybe he/she might not be an editor I would chose to work with because that comment tells me that he/she does the work begrudgingly. If a crew member has to swallow their ego, they should not be doing the job. As director, you have a responsibility to choose your crew carefully, people who are willing to contribute without ego to do what is the best for the film. It has been my experience that certain crew members do in fact have monster egos and take it personally or as an assault on their creative nature if I, as director want to do something different than they may have suggested. The director is hired because he/she is considered the best point person for the creative decisions on a film. Those who are the department heads should recognize that and respect it; otherwise chaos and mayhem result, and possibly a bad movie.
That is not to say that it is OK that the director have a big pushy ego and the rest of the crew does not. It is meant to point out that there is a hierarchy and that it should be maintained and respected. When any given crew member, producer or actor challenges the director because of an ego conflict, it is best to take the time to work it out in a reasonable way. Angry flare-ups don’t accomplish much. All involved will have great respect for the director and do a better job on the film if tension is avoided. When someone wants to do something one way and you, as director, disagree it is best to take the time to listen for the reasoning behind it and talk it though in an understanding way.
