Quentin Tarantino took notes from the accomplished horror director for the terrifying Reservoir Dogs

One of the hardest parts about working in the film industry is the fact that no matter how hard you work or how proud you are of your work, you can’t move forward until someone else passes judgment on it. thereto. The screenplay, which took months of creative energy, is now complete. Now you need to get notes from friends, agents, anyone interested in your work. It’s really terrible. And when it comes to showing parts of the movie, things get even more difficult. You’ve worked with your editor to create a compelling film, but all that hard work can be for naught after two hours in the screening room.

Once you’ve been through something like this and know what it feels like to be bombarded with constructive criticism, you tend to be very cautious when asked to take notes. Typically, you are being asked to do so because the person is a colleague, if not a friend, and so you feel the urge to encourage them. If a movie isn’t working, you need to focus on what’s working and nudge the filmmakers in ways that can improve their work. Typically this means recommending a cut. If you’ve only seen the movie once, it’s easy. If you’ve lived with a movie in the editing room for months, deleting an entire scene can feel like cutting off a limb.

It’s a brutal process, but if the director in question is serious about his art, they want you to be as brutal as possible (And if you are Antoine Fuqua in “Training Day,” you will encounter the music). It’s not unpleasant, but it’s challenging in a way that makes you consider your work in a new light. It will be helpful if you remember take But it’s also important to know that if you cut yourself off from all criticism, you’re wasting everyone’s time.

It doesn’t help if the other side of the equation is upsetting the director. But what if the movie really is? that good? What if you succeed on the first pass? “Phantasm” mastermind Don Coscarelli found himself in this predicament when Quentin Tarantino asked him to check out an early cut of “Reservoir Dogs,” and he’s still kicking himself for how he handled it.

How to Criticize a Genius

Miramax

According to his Hollywood memoir, “True Indie: The Life and Death of Filmmaking,” Coscarelli was once at a Los Angeles screening room to check out “Reservoir Dogs,” and was surprised to learn that the young filmmaker had accomplished the task. “Throughout the screening, I kept wondering how a new filmmaker could create such a complete and confident film,” said Coscarelli. “It was truly amazing,” he wrote.

Only about a dozen people attended (Tarantino’s friend and occasional collaborator Roger Avary, producer Lawrence Bender; and the late, much-missed editor Sally Menke.) So when it came time to take notes outside the theater hallway, Coscarelli found himself in an awkward position. How did he handle it?

For Coscarelli:

“As a friend, and as an experienced director there, I felt obligated to give him some kind of constructive criticism because he didn’t finish his cut. So I had the temerity to ask Quentin if he would consider cutting. You can also give tips and continue the story with the opening sequence dialogue about Madonna.

And what happened? that Skip over? “Quentin politely declined my advice,” Coscarelli wrote.

Coscarelli admitted his advice was wrong, but he learned a lesson from the experience. So when he was asked for advice after the screening (A film made in an almost entirely different format.), he told Tarantino it was great and left it at that. Later, Tarantino called and asked if he should cut a long scene with Julia Sweeney. Coscarelli told him how she felt, but didn’t say it at the time. Yes, it had to go away. Perhaps the most difficult thing in this industry is knowing how to criticize genius and how not to criticize them. Answer: When in doubt, tell yourself the precautions so you can figure it out yourself.