May 24, 2012

Ben Stiller vs. Kurt Vonnegut: Respecting Your Audience of One

by Timothy Rhys | Published June 11, 2008

“Every successful creative person creates with an audience of one in mind.”
—Kurt Vonnegut

We had our first reading of the screenplay Saturday at the St. Lawrence Arts Center in Portland. I had put a call out for actor/readers and a great bunch of people replied. They sat on stage and we read through the entire script and then discussed it afterward. The whole process took three-and-a-half hours and the actors and audience members all had some good comments.

Despite the above quote by one of my favorite writers and the importance I always place on maintaining one’s personal artistic vision, I also realize that the input of other people I respect can only make that vision better. This isn’t about control. As the creator of a grassroots movie you will always maintain creative control (see earlier installment of this blog!). But being a strong director doesn’t mean you don’t listen to the advice of others, from actors and crew members to friends—sometimes their comments will give you a new angle on the material. It just means you’re confident enough to listen respectfully and filter that advice through your own lens—your “audience of one.”

In my other life as a journalist I’m busy writing up my recent interview with Ben Stiller for our next issue and it’s interesting to know that even the “third most powerful guy in Hollywood” struggles with these same questions. When I interviewed him, Ben had just tested Tropic Thunder before an audience for the third time and was lamenting that there was already feedback about the movie leaking out on the Web. We spoke about trusting your vision and he has full faith in the Hollywood way of doing things—having an audience help you see what works and what doesn’t. Kurt Vonnegut was familiar with the system and no doubt only had to hold his nose when he worked with moviemakers who forgot their “audience of one.” I’m sure that Ben and Kurt could have worked quite happily together, as long as each respected who that audience was on the project in question.

The thing to remember is that you can’t lose perspective just because someone tells you that X character should be killed off at the end (which was one comment we got at the reading), or that Y character should come in a little earlier (which was another) or that Z character should have the hots for the girl even more than he does already (still another). The only thing that’s important is that you don’t lose sight of that thing that got you excited about your material to begin with. You have to please the audience of one because he’s the guy holding the cards. He’s the only person in the world who has seen the entire movie in his mind’s eye, and therefore the only one who can be trusted with The Filter.

That said, I’m hard at work on Draft #3, which I’ll have ready next week.

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Comment by C.A.C. on 6/12/08 at 6:33 am: True. You need an audience to satisfy! Then again, you need to trust yourself with the material you create and intend to film! Great Blog, hope Draft #3 is the winner!
Comment by Marie Moren on 6/16/08 at 12:59 pm: Tim, I totally agree with what you’ve shared. As a filmmaker, I’ve had to learn not to be discouraged when things seem to take a long time. Robert Rodriquez’s article in issue 75, he talks about films that he was working on for 5 years, and in one day, a song or concept would just come to him and he could continue his story. It’s good to have a time schedule, but it’s also good to allow yourself room for the story to produce itself from what you put into it. Fundraising is a community event. Carole E. Dean has written an incredible book called Manifesting Your Future. She’s a personal friend and mentor. Your readers would do well to read it. I look forward to your next blog. Thanks for taking us on your journey !~ Marie Moren…
Comment by Chile Travel on 8/31/08 at 2:15 am: It’s hard to combine the “leasing to others ideas” attitude and the “being a strong director/CEO/whatever”. I think that is not as easy as it sounds.
Comment by Pasadena on 10/13/08 at 11:51 am: I fully believe in getting the feedback and advice from customers or movie viewers in this case. If you make a movie and lose sight of the audience you may not be captivating the audience as much as you good.