Re: Entry Fee Rereredux

From: db (email suppressed)
Date: Fri Mar 10 2006 - 16:36:40 PST


Seems like it is pretty easy to get your undies twisted in a knot,
Jarrod.

I happen to read Jason's comment about hobby a bit differently than
you--I'll get to that in a second, but I find your recent elevation
of free-market, lassez faire, "every one for themself" attitude
pretty shallow. Do you really expect Wal-Mart to be carrying anything
of interest to me? Well, Charmin, perhaps.

But as to how I read Jason's comment:
Years ago an acquaintance of mine published a little booklet called
Amateur. He would leave these "freebies" on subway seats and other
public places. I asked him why he titled the series Amateur. He
replied, because the source of the word is love, and I wanted to do
something just because I love to do it rather than for what it can
get me financially. Made me reconsider the concept of professionalism.

As a side comment, inserting specious points of reference to the
Sultan of Brunei and the effects of sniffing glue, while plausibly
funny (ha... ha), offer nothing but a tinge of crackpot to your
arguments.

db

On Mar 10, 2006, at 3:45 PM, jarrod whaley. wrote:

> Jason Halprin wrote:
>> One of the basic facts that exists for many A/G film and video makers
>> (in the US and elsewhere, though not everywhere) is that they will
>> never recoup the costs that are associated with their work, let alone
>> turn it into a full-time profession. As such it is more accuratley
>> described as a hobby, and hobbies are money-losing ventures.
>>
> Baloney. One might not accumulate riches on par with the Sultan of
> Brunei, but many "underground" or "avant-garde" filmmakers can and
> do scratch out a meager existence. It just takes a little
> creativity, and the willingness to realize that good work doesn't
> have to cost a penny, if necessary, to make.
>
> I find this "hobby" business of yours very insulting. Dedicating
> one's life and energy to an often financially unrewarding (but
> often financially "livable") form of creativity is not on the same
> level of engagement and/or social worth as collecting Star Wars
> action figures or building model planes. Be careful with that glue,
> it's dangerous stuff, you know.

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