Tuesday, July 28, 2020

Quote of the Day (Director John Singleton, on ‘Why Films Get Made’)


“This is not rocket science. The reason why films get made is that the filmmaker was persistent in their vision. I’ve seen many people second-guess themselves into nothingness. Your first impulse is usually your best impulse.”—American filmmaker John Singleton (1968-2019), quoted in Dave McNary, “Singleton to Filmmakers: Believe in Your Movie,” Variety, Oct. 20, 2012       

COVID-19 will test Mr. Singleton’s notion of a filmmaker’s persistence as perhaps no other trend or event in recent Hollywood history. Nobody knows what subject matter will interest audiences once a vaccine is developed and the state lockdowns are finally rolled back. Nobody even knows at this point to what extent audiences will come back.

It would be a shame if emerging filmmakers—not just African-Americans like the late Mr. Singleton, but also other minorities and women—are unable to find traction in the post-COVID Hollywood, just at the moment when some show signs of breaking through—and at the moment when America needs to hear these new perspectives.

(Photo of John Singleton taken during a USC football rally, Dec. 30, 2003, by Bobak Ha'Eri.)

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