To Hack Or Not To Hack

Clarence here -- I'm a DULA alum from last year. Like Jim said, I'm here for any questions you might have, particularly if you're interested in applying for the Overbrook internship.

So I'm pretty sure you've all seen this guitar hero commercial:



But what most of you probably didn't know is that Brett Ratner directed it. In light of Jim's completely justified Ratner-does-Conan fears, I wanted your opinions. Everyday I read something calling Ratner a hack who takes paychecks and eschews any type of artistic integrity.

I think it's no secret that Ratner makes a large sum of money for movies that are usually entertaining, but relatively devoid of deep emotional resonance or auteurial prowess. But is that wrong? Aren't we all out to make money, in some respect? Are we right to judge Ratner for accepting uber-large paychecks for any job that comes his way? I'm sure lots of people are fine with "hack" behavior, despite its emotional and artistic perils (see Godard's Contempt).

Personally, I don't find anything wrong with taking a check for doing a commercial. Sure, Ratner's commercial doesn't hold a candle to Fincher's Nike spot, shot by Emmanuel Lubezki:



But I've always been a fan of finding a balance -- making money with more commercial works, and using that money/clout to make more personal projects. Nolan: shoots a smaller film between blockbusters (The Prestige), and even fills his larger ones with the same heart and attention to detail we expect from a non-hack.

But in days when directors jump back and forth between tv and film (Zack Snyder did a Circuit City commercial, Peter Berg did Christina Aguilera's last vid), should we expect anything else? And who knows, maybe Ratner's just stacking up clout so he can make his magnum opus. Still, Fincher's ad, much like his films, seems more personal and well, just better, than Ratner's.

Interested to hear your thoughts. Check out the videos, and e-mail/facebook me with any questions you have about internships. And don't see Changeling. Wait for Gran Torino, instead.