Making movies is not a democracy Posted by Damp Cardigan on September 9, 2013 · 1 Comment

Recently the announcements regarding the casting choices in upcoming movies have caused something of a strange reaction from the public. I say strange, what I actually mean is deplorable and not in any way equal to the problem they’re presented with.

The public take an immeasurable level of ownership over the arts in general. To them, their opinions on all facets of whatever obsesses them are not only important but should be carefully considered during the creative process. This culture of complaining, that we now find ourselves navigating daily, peaks in the world of cinema. The sad thing is they think people are actually listening.

Take the recent news that Ben Affleck has been cast as Bruce Wayne/Batman by a team of high-powered dicks in the always inevitable Man of Steel sequel. I’m not going to argue the case for or against this for the simple reason that despite my wildest daydreams I will never be directing a superhero film. The reaction this caused has no place in a world that suffers from an extreme lack of interest in anything that could rightfully be described as ‘worthy of action’.

An online petition quickly did the rounds garnering a sizable amount of digital signatures requesting the removal of the man who they will all pay money to see dressed as a bat in a couple of years. This is a point that the filmmaker Kevin Smith, himself a polarising figure, made in a recent podcast. It wouldn’t matter who they put in the suit (even him), that film will make 2 billion dollars anyway.

What needs to be understood by anyone who was dumb enough to sign that petition is that not only do those in charge of the situation not care but they’re secretly pretty happy about it. Controversy breeds free advertising, the kind you can’t buy and if you can’t see yourself as an unwitting pawn in a game you’re losing then a revaluation of you’re life might be pertinent.

What they’ll probably find is that the role will have been written (or rewritten) with Affleck in mind and will therefore fit him perfectly leaving his critics more than a little bit bashful. Think about it, we all did it with Heath Ledger and his performance in The Dark Knight amounted to the biggest serving of humble pie ever achieved by anyone ever.

It seems that this level of indignation is reserved exclusively for movies. Would you take the time to campaign against your favourite band releasing a new album just in case it’s not as good as their last? Would you seek out something to sign if the new producer they’re working with is a dick and made something you previously hated? I didn’t think so. Why? It’s a good question but I would presume that you wouldn’t bother because it’s fucking stupid.

Movie bullshit aside, the real problem here is that this time spent devoted to a misplaced, democratic process is nothing more than wasted time. Involvement in it points to a vague understanding of the power of a collective voice. If used correctly it can at the very least set something in motion that could begin the process of change in a real and political sense. Participation in matters that for many are life changing/threatening could even give you a sense of personal satisfaction. You’re abundance of free time need not be squandered completely.

If making movies was a democracy then none would ever get made. In the western world we can’t make a proper decision about anything. I live in a country where David Cameron is an actual person and our friends across the pond, where the movies are made, managed to elect George Bush twice! If you’re involved in this weird practice of cine-protest then I’m sorry to say you’re doing it wrong. It would be like signing a petition calling for no military involvement in Syria, waiting for a couple of years while they do it anyway then paying someone to show you the gruesome outcome.

Would you do that? No I don’t think you would. You’re more likely to take umbrage with the casting of Syria as the villain because, you know, Iraq has already played that part previously and changing the formula forces you to accept how little control you have. But you won’t show an interest will you? It might be worth the governments of the world sending Batman into war-torn countries as a convoluted way of raising awareness. It’s a dream I know. They would probably send the wrong one in anyway, the dicks.

Phil Watson.