Overnight Success Alert
I’m sure we’ll be hearing lots more about this aspiring auteur, Eric Steel. He set out to make a documentary tribute to a great monument, the Golden Gate Bridge. He described his goals in his original film permit as “to capture the powerful, spectacular intersection of monument and nature that takes place every day at the Golden Gate Bridge.” Sounds great (er…maybe not). Except that he discovered a much more marketable story once he got his digicam on deck: people started jumping off the bridge to their deaths. He ended up with footage of nineteen, yes nineteen, jumpers and an assortment of bereaved parents, etc. His film is now a study of the ‘human spirit in crisis’. Now that oughtta play better at Cannes!
Needless to say, the bridge people who gave him the $65 permit are none too happy. They want the footage off the street, and they’re starting to threaten. He’s like, “You crazy? I had a lameass video postcard that wouldn’t have gotten picked up by the Incest, Mississippi Film Festival, and now I’ve got a ticket to Sundance. Think I’ll take my chances, thank you very much.”