A couple days ago, I went to the “Not a Premiere Because You Can’t Call It a Premiere If You’re Sending It To Festivals, So Let’s All Dress Up And Call It a Cast, Crew and Industry Screening” of a film which two of my friends have been working on for quite a bit of time. It’s her first foray into producing, and his directing debut. The setting was pretty standard. Everyone showed up at the appointed time at the fabulous Rialto Theater, milled about the lobby making small talk, filed into the theater, watched, and then afterwards the cast and crew went up on stage for a short Q&A.

Things were going along nicely, with them discussing how they had to run and gun a lot of scenes (this was an ultra low budget, so luxuries like permits weren’t used), how they did the research for the bio-pic part of it, etc. Then some lady in the back stands up.

“Uhm, I just had a comment about the scene in the park. There are some modern cars driving behind you.”

Oh, yeah, did I mention that the filmmakers made a period piece? A no budget period piece? A no budget period piece set in the 1920s? Where the producer and director were also acting as m/u, hair, wardrobe, and countless other hats?

So, were did a couple of modern cars drive through the way background in one scene? Yes. But the point, I think, is much bigger than that.

Shut the f&*k up.

I have heard people make statements like this, and ask loaded questions to try to throw filmmakers at every level of screening. Why is it, that in a Q&A situation, people lose simple human kindness? It’s as if the schadenfreude of person asking the question can’t stand the fact that the people on stage completed a project, and has to find a way to tear them down. Up on the stage were six people who had put countless hours, their own money, and a ton of creative energy into a project that, overall, looked good. But, even if it HADN’T looked good, the time and place to bring up errors isn’t here. This was to celebrate their work.

Look, was the film perfect? no. Do the filmmakers think it’s perfect? no. But what good does pointing out that car do? The budget isn’t there to digitally take it out. It’s there, it’s in the background, it’s going to stay.

So, how about we all agree that if you need to tear someone down just to tear someone down, you stay out of the artistic community? We’re all fighting every day to create work we’re proud of, and that’s just not helping anyone.

By the way, rude lady, I don’t see you having a “Not a Premiere Because You Can’t Call It a Premiere If You’re Sending It To Festivals, So Let’s All Dress Up And Call It a Cast, Crew and Industry Screening” today. So enjoy this one.