Josh Becker's response

(Above: a complete copy of Josh Becker's If I Had a Hammer is available on youtube.)

Those of you who have been reading the blog know that I find Josh Becker an interesting character. He answers pretty much any directing question you care to ask on his site. Here's his response to my question, something I've wondered about for awhile.

Name: ron
E-mail:
Hi Josh,

Question: Looking back, how do you feel about your career as a writer/director? Do you tend to feel happy about what you've accomplished? Or are you more prone to feel like you should have accomplished more by now? Do you like your role as someone who exists (on purpose) on the outskirts of the film industry? Do you ever wish you had greater mainstream success or fame?

Thanks for all your work on the site.

Ron

Dear ron:

No, I'm not satisfied at all with my career. And yes, some success would be nice. I certainly don't feel like I've lived up to my potential. However, it's not just me, it's the entire film industry, which totally changed in the last 30 years. Basically, I was tricked. I grew up watching and studying great movies, and Hollywood doesn't make great movies anymore, nor are they even interested in attempting them. There isn't a single studio executive at this point who wouldn't be FAR happier making the 17th Batman movie instead of the 1st of anything. In 1977 with the release and enormous success of "Star Wars," Hollywood conciously decided that kids were more important than adults, as did our whole society, too. It's like a singing voice, if you don't use it you lose it. Hollywood CAN'T make good movies anymore because it's been so long since they've made one, there's nothing to base it on. I trained myself in classical storytelling and filmmaking, and that's no longer of any use at all. In 2001, after eight years of directing idiotic TV shows, and not the slightest interest by any distributor in my at least somewhat intelligent, reasonably original, independent feature, "If I Had a Hammer," I knew it was time to leave. I haven't yet given up -- I sent out two scripts this week -- but I no longer hold out much hope that anything of mine will ever get made, nor have I the slightest interest in raising money independently anymore. So, there it is.

Josh