Old Fogie Superstars and Other True Tall Tales

A heated debate rages over at Craig Mazin'sThe Artful Writer. Definitely worth reading Craig's thought-provoking article about why age might just matter a little bit in the screenwriting business (he's really just wondering whether the alleged Hollywood bias towards writers under 40 could even be somewhat justified). He makes some good, if contentious, points. Hey, the hallmark of a good blog post--and indeed of a good writer--is the ability to elicit a reaction, and Craig Mazin has certainly managed that. I'll let you decide whether he's right or not. But there's one thing most of the indignant comments on Artful Writer are forgetting: the biases and preconceptions of Hollywood are mitigated at least somewhat by the fact we now have unprecedented power to prove them wrong.

So you're a black girl. Or an old man. Fact is, if you really are the best writer and you're 60 but Hollywood wants the hack who's 25, then prove it. Write the script and shoot it. Or write the script and get it into the hands of an ambitious director who will shoot it, because there are more directors looking for stellar material than ever in history. Prejudice, where it truly exists, is wrong. Immoral. Abhorrent. And ever-present. We must be vigilant in our watch for it, but that shouldn't stop you from also proving them wrong by accomplishing the very thing everyone thought you couldn't do. No one should be excluded from money and power based on race, sex, sexuality or age...but obviously we are. I say fuck 'em and make your movie anyway!

My blog tends to re-hash the same philosophy, but I'll keep doing so until we're all on the same page: the digital revolution means that no matter who you are or where you're from, you don't need Hollywood to make your movie. And I for one really do believe that some little old lady somewhere is going to pick up a camera and deliver something astounding. It's just a matter of time. It will be rarer, however, for some of the reasons Craig Mazin points out: stamina, fearlessness and ambition often wane with age. But even if it's an often-accurate generality, it isn't a universal truth.

And hey, we all know that hype can be a powerful tool in the movie-making equation--the "mainstream media" loves to hype the latest 19-year old wunderkind. But haven't we heard that story enough times already? Don't you think the first super cool movie shot by some old lady residing in a seniors' home will make for even MORE sensational press? I do. Black lesbian senior citizen dwarves of the world take heed--I want to watch your awesome movie! Shoot it and make me proud!