Rule 28: Make sure your preview is for the intended audience
With most movies, especially comedies, there are methods of pre-testing audience reaction. Previews are arranged by a market research...
Rule 27: If it hits, you get the credit. If it tanks, you get the blame
Reality television has taken off like wildfire. Broadcasting stories starring “real” people has become the staple of cable television....
Rule # 26: Avoid Development Hell
Having directed a summer release studio feature, I signed with an ethusiastic young agent at APA. He told me, “You’re the biggest client...
Rule # 25: Trust no one until proven otherwise.
My studio exec on Spy Hard and his boss, president of Disney’s Hollywood Pictures, came to the set while we were filming. I was...
Rule # 24: If you shoot in a foreign country, YOU are the foreigner.
I directed two successful TV commercial campaigns in Paris; shown on French TV and in theaters before the movies began. One was a spoof...
Rule 23: Treat your crew like family
I directed an ad campaign for AAMI Insurance in Australia. The company loved Chevy Chase and in the tradition of his Vacation movies,...
Rule # 22: Filmmaking isn't brain surgery but it sure requires brains.
Ageism in Hollywood is rampant. Actors, writers, and directors with lengthy lists of award-winning credits are never considered for work...
Rule # 21: Casting can be euphoric but oh so painful
Since Spy Hard was a James Bond spoof, we needed to cast a female Bondian spy. I wanted a slightly-over-the-hill ex-sexpot who was...
Rule 20: Studio Movie? Be careful what you wish for
What no one could be prepared for are the politics of getting a film “green lit.” The process is heart ripping—it has the potential to...
Rule # 19: Hollywood fat cats never use their own money
My agent, Jane Sindell, later producer of Seabiscuit, was in the process of seeking out opportunities for me to direct another film. She...