Ronald Fox :: Actor, author and voice actor in Orlando, Florida.

I absolutely agree with this. Learning how not to do things takes you one step closer to doing it right! It's a really useful tool.

Firstly, I just want to say, I admire any artist who's always looking to learn via the content they consume. That's an admirable trait that should always be applauded.

How we react to other people's efforts really says a lot about ourselves and, since being a speaker in a lot of webinars over the past few years and seeing writers from the other side, you start to see these red flags.

Something a lot of newer writers like to do is bash movies and sadly their "constructive criticism" tends to stem from ignorance, taste issues, and an inability to apply context. They don't understand how films are made, they can't separate the subjective from the objective, and don't appreciate the marketplace.

One of the most common forms of unfair criticism, which seems to apply exclusively to film, is knocking a production for simply being low budget - as if the producers had any choice. People don't tear into a band for having cheap equipment or a painter for working with rough tools but they will scoff at bad green-screen, low quality effects, budget sets, etc as if the filmmakers involved preferred to go with a less than ideal solution. This applies across the board from tight shooting schedules, to less desirable talent, to restrictive lens choices, to grading. The mockery also extends to films that go straight to DVD/streaming.

The other common one is that "Hollywood" doesn't know how to make good films anymore or doesn't care if films are any good anymore which simply isn't true and tends to be a result of looking at the entire film market through a very narrow lens with no regard for who the modern audience is.

At its most extreme, this all cumulates in this stereotype writer who thinks they are above low budget movies and so talented that they can correct the course of Hollywood itself. It's an incredibly arrogant position made even worse by the fact these individuals tend to have some of the most poorly developed craft skills out there because they spend most of their time criticising the superficialities of other people's efforts rather than working on their personal development.

Long story far too long, we all have to be careful we don't appear to be one of these people and tread carefully, especially in public, by showing tact, kindness, and respect to anybody who's out there making a go of things.

The weird thing is, so many people are worried about looking amateurish on the page yet don't care about how amateurish they can appear with their attitude. If you are at a networking event and you start tearing into films and/or "Hollywood", industry members are going to see that as potentially toxic and keep their distance.

I'm not calling anyone here toxic or trying to suggest they are necessarily arrogant and/or ignorant. I'm just trying to explain how a few choice words can easily create a bad perception that's best avoided. I hope that makes some sense.

It's not like I haven't put my foot in my mouth myself either. I once went on a rant about a studio head and a film they'd made to a producer who turned out to be a close friend and huge fan.

Well, being something of a cinephile for low budget, down and dirty features, I don't know about movies I've seen that made me feel this way.

But I have read a few scripts I walked out on... and they were all scripts that got produced into big budget features so go figure lol

Mary Mackay-Smith - you can click the Facebook icon on the right of the blog (where it says "Share the Love", or you can copy & paste the URL: you can click the Facebook icon on the right of the blog (where it says "Share the Love", or you can copy & paste the URL: https://www.stage32.com/blog/Coffee-and-Content-Heres-All-10-Oscar-Nomin...

This Is just awesome. Can never offer enough thanks for both unifying and informing a community, RB. Thanks you for your selflessness.

That's a really kind thing for you to say, Ronald. To me, a selfless, collaborative spirit plays a very big part in succeeding in this business. Appreciate your words.

Hi Luke, my schedule has been quite demanding but I'd be happy to look at the script. Thank you for your consideration. All the best to you and yours for the holidays. Ron

Great! Shoot me an email and we'll talk details! momisntproud@gmail.com

Nice, thanks for sharing!