Quoted from mcornetto Does that mean you're going to dress me up in a Star Wars costume now?

No.  You're too lame for one.


Phil

Mike,

"I think the whole sacrificing yourself for your art thing is a noble enough cause. But I also think with film there is a difference between art and craft.  Craft, to me anyway, implies mass production and these are the tools that are used to produce for the masses. Craft implies the audience while art implies, vainly, the artist."

I think your post was a good one, though I think you've made a rather erroneous differentiation between Art and Craft. You need Craft for both types of film.

I get what you are trying to say though. I should point out that his films whilst "Art", were not necessarily "Art Films". That implies to me something a bit different. They were Cinema, like the films of Bresson, or Goddard or whatever.

My point with this was not to make a judgement about films or to suggest that this is the way that you should do it, but to raise awareness of a talented and deep thinking filmmaker and to encourage people to think about their own work.

I think that even if you are looking to make a "genre" picture, then there is something to be learnt from Tarkovsky.

I just feel that sometimes the influences of writers, both professional and pre-professional can be somewhat limited for the reasons you mentioned. Their only experience of film and cinema is from a very closed box. There is a whole world out there for people to find inspiration from and I think that too often screenwriters only seem to find inspiration in very common films, which can tend to limit the imagination.

I agree there is always a mix between Art and Craft in a film but I think it's a pretty good way of making a distinction we can actually talk about - which is why I made it as black and white as I did.  

I don't disagree with you - there are some fine films that are well crafted and I would call Art.  I always have a problem when I watch a Fellini film because I can never follow it up with anything that would be as satisfying on an artistic level.  

And, of course, any filmmaker should know what films have come before them.  I think film history is essential for any serious filmmaker.    

But I think I know why we seem to be disagreeing even though we aren't.  I think you are looking at it from a directors view point and I am looking at it from a screenwriters.  A lot of the Art in Fellini's films comes from his direction - while the craft of his screenplays make his message approachable.