Why I Care (But Not Really) About Writers (Or Directors Or Producers, etc)

We’re nearly at that magical moment in the summer, where the blockbusters are releasing their grip on summer movie screens and the “movies of substance” start to reenter the multiplexes. (And studios are valiantly trying to figure out how to get an invite to that big party Oscar throws in January, but that’s a whole ‘nother topic.) While I’m looking forward to quite a few of these movies (not the self-serving pretentious ones, but the other ones), I really don’t care about who wrote them, directed them or produced them.

Except that I do.

I do notice when a movie has been written or directed by a woman. Or if there is a woman’s name in the credits. It makes me happy that there are women in high(er) places in Hollywood who are putting out movies that I want to see and putting their names on them, preferably in the opening credits. I have heard enough stories about the old boys club that is the movie and entertainment industry that I want to support my female writers and directors, because I feel that they aren’t getting enough love. So I do care.

Except that I don’t.

Simply knowing that a woman has written or directed the movie doesn’t make me any more likely to see the movie or like the storyline. There are very few writers or directors that I can name off of the top of my head (and I don’t feel that I particularly need to.) I don’t need to know or care about who wrote or directed the movie that I’m watching. I don’t need to know, and usually don’t want to know, about their childhood or their life philosophy or what kind of car they drive or what movies they like. I just need to enjoy the movie that is in front of me on the screen. And it doesn’t matter who wrote it or directed it.

Except that it does.

Where I will give deference is that if there is a writer or director that I know (ie. I have taken the time to figure it out), it is because something about a movie they were a part of (usually the script, but sometime the story itself) really appealed to me and I want to see more movies of that quality and style. I use name recognition to assess quality before I go to the movies (which is really not right), but not for anything else.

So when studios use phrases like “From the creators of “Easy A”’ or “From the director of “blah blah blah”’, I kind of don’t care, unless it was a movie that I liked and what I liked from that movie is prominent in the new film. And usually it’s not. I’m a script and casting girl myself, and that’s not usually what the studios promote. Maybe if they did that, I would care.

But then again, maybe not.

-Sis