Project Greenlight on HBO; Matt Damon under fire for comments on diversity

[Dr. Narcisse]

Any brehs watching?

These were the top two choices.











Then each had direct a scene from the script

 

[Dr. Narcisse]

If you check twitter...

Project Greenlight is why Matt Damon is trending

 

[Poetical Poltergeist]

I remember when this show first came out years ago, Affleck and Damon would pick the worst scripts and directors. I loved the show but their picks were pathetic.

 

[Dr. Narcisse]

I remember when this show first came out years ago, Affleck and Damon would pick the worst scripts and directors. I loved the show but their picks were pathetic.

Its on HBO now.
I thought they got it right when they did "Feast" though.
The dude they picked this time wasnt even sure he wanted to direct the movie and wanted the writer fired seconds after being named the winner

 

[Dr. Narcisse]

By now, news of Matt Damon’s whitesplaining the importance of racial diversity to Hollywood producer Effie Brown has earned him the ire of social media. His gesture generated a lot of criticism for for being rude, which he deserves. More interesting may be the fact that he’s not just rude – he’s wrong. Or at least short-sighted.



Let’s back up. Damon, who has a liberal reputation largely from his environmental work, runs, along with Ben Affleck, “Project Greenlight,” a recently revived HBO show in which an aspiring filmmaker is chosen to make a feature film. Thousands submit short films; from the evidence of the sampling shown in episode one, the technical quality is often better than the acting and writing. despite Affleck crowing about a “quality jump” that’s supposed to be “amazing.”

Assisting Affleck and Damon this time around are the Farrelly Brothers and Effie Brown, an indie producer (who is also African American) who’s had a hand in “Real Women Have Curves,” “Dear White People,” and more than a dozen other films. It’s near the end of the episode, where the show’s regulars are trying to figure out which filmmakers to pick, where things go wrong. Jezebel sums it up nicely:

During a discussion about one of the films, Brown helpfully points out that she’s worried that the only black person in the entire movie is a prostitute who is slapped by her white pimp. All she’s saying is that perhaps this roomful of white people should be cognizant of who they hire to direct a character like that—AKA hire some people of color so they can treat the role with some dignity and prevent it from descending into a racist trope.

“You’re looking at this group right here and who you’re picking and the story that you’re doing,” she says calmly. Luckily, Matt Damon is there to swoop in with this Smart White Man cape and interrupts Brown in order to explain diversity to her and this room full of white people. He argues that actually, the less diverse directing teams brought up the same issue about the prostitute character that Effie is raising.

As Brown tries to describe her position, Damon jumps in again and interrupts her: “When we’re talking about diversity you do it in the casting of the film, not in the casting of the show.”

Brown expresses something like “Ooof! Wow, okay.” She’s clearly not convinced by the idea that the casting room, or the actors — which is what Damon seems to mean — is more important than who’s behind the camera.

Now, maybe the weirdest part of this is the way Damon left this awkward encounter in the episode of “Project Greenlight”; it would have been easy for him to just edit it out. As it is, he let Peter Farrelly, who says something about liking the complex perspective of a white female/ Asian male filmmaking team, look more enlightened than he was.


@MartyMcFly @satam55

 

[Dr. Narcisse]

I SORT of understood what Damon was saying while watching it.

The competition was about the best director......not who is the most diverse director. It's an edited show, but he did say that other directors (who happened to be white) raised the same issue about the characters in the upcoming movie.

But the comments still look funny in the light

That diversity only matters with the cast, but not behind the scenes is still not a good look.

 

[The_King_of_Everything]

That jigsaw video has me in tears that shyt needs to be a show

 

[Dr. Narcisse]

That jigsaw video has me in tears that shyt needs to be a show

"Or you'll be late for the 4th time this week"

 

[MartyMcFly]

I SORT of understood what Damon was saying while watching it.

The competition was about the best director......not who is the most diverse director. It's an edited show, but he did say that other directors (who happened to be white) raised the same issue about the characters in the upcoming movie.

But the comments still look funny in the light

That diversity only matters with the cast, but not behind the scenes is still not a good look.

Don't watch the show but I get his point but he's still not entirely right. He's looking at it like if we show a diverse world then that's what matters. The audience only sees who's in front of the camera so that's what's important. I get that point but who's behind the camera matters also when it comes to how those minoriries are portrayed. If you have someone behind the camera who may not understand a race or a culture then it shows

 

[Dr. Narcisse]

Don't watch the show but I get his point but he's still not entirely right. He's looking at it like if we show a diverse world then that's what matters. The audience only sees who's in front of the camera so that's what's important. I get that point but who's behind the camera matters also when it comes to how those minoriries are portrayed. If you have someone behind the camera who may not understand a race or a culture then it shows

Well said
He should have articulated it better. If thats how he felt, then just say it. Say "a white male who cares about diversity on film can properly display it" Him talking around it made it worse.

I know they have weigh everything. Like if the director butchers this character...but gets everything else right....is that enough

Or instead should you hire someone who gets the characters but is going to make a bland ass movie


I'm not sure he should be killed for his comments, but the critique is valid. He saved himself a bit by saying other directors pointed out how important it was, but he forgot the camera's were rolling for a sec..


You should check out the show. My new HBO Sunday night show

 

[MartyMcFly]

Well said
He should have articulated it better. If thats how he felt, then just say it. Say "a white male who cares about diversity on film can properly display it" Him talking around it made it worse.

I know they have weigh everything. Like if the director butchers this character...but gets everything else right....is that enough

Or instead should you hire someone who gets the characters but is going to make a bland ass movie


I'm not sure he should be killed for his comments, but the critique is valid. He saved himself a bit by saying other directors pointed out how important it was, but he forgot the camera's were rolling for a sec..


You should check out the show. My new HBO Sunday night show

It's tough when it's going against football breh lol. I'll try to make time for it after the fact I guess but football rules my Sunday's from now until February. Oh and of course the Simpsons and Brooklyn 99

 

[Poetical Poltergeist]

Its on HBO now.
I thought they got it right when they did "Feast" though.
The dude they picked this time wasnt even sure he wanted to direct the movie and wanted the writer fired seconds after being named the winner

Yeah feast was campy and they didn't want to repeat the boredom of the prior two movies. The one with Shia, those two directors they picked
So horrible. Smh... they passed up on the DP like they were some big shots. Wonder if they ever directed again.

 

[Sensitive Blake Griffin]

I'M SO UPSET AT MATT DAMON, AS A WHITE MAN WHOM SPEAKS FOR ALL WHITE PEOPLE, WE ARE APPALLED AND DISTURBED BY SUCH INSENSITIVE COMMENTS.

 

[Dr. Narcisse]

Yeah feast was campy and they didn't want to repeat the boredom of the prior two movies. The one with Shia, those two directors they picked
So horrible. Smh... they passed up on the DP like they were some big shots. Wonder if they ever directed again.

The guy from the first one is actually the writer in this one. However, the new director wants him fired

This my new Sunday show. The fukkery is going to be wild this season

 

[satam55]

By now, news of Matt Damon’s whitesplaining the importance of racial diversity to Hollywood producer Effie Brown has earned him the ire of social media. His gesture generated a lot of criticism for for being rude, which he deserves. More interesting may be the fact that he’s not just rude – he’s wrong. Or at least short-sighted.



Let’s back up. Damon, who has a liberal reputation largely from his environmental work, runs, along with Ben Affleck, “Project Greenlight,” a recently revived HBO show in which an aspiring filmmaker is chosen to make a feature film. Thousands submit short films; from the evidence of the sampling shown in episode one, the technical quality is often better than the acting and writing. despite Affleck crowing about a “quality jump” that’s supposed to be “amazing.”

Assisting Affleck and Damon this time around are the Farrelly Brothers and Effie Brown, an indie producer (who is also African American) who’s had a hand in “Real Women Have Curves,” “Dear White People,” and more than a dozen other films. It’s near the end of the episode, where the show’s regulars are trying to figure out which filmmakers to pick, where things go wrong. Jezebel sums it up nicely:

During a discussion about one of the films, Brown helpfully points out that she’s worried that the only black person in the entire movie is a prostitute who is slapped by her white pimp. All she’s saying is that perhaps this roomful of white people should be cognizant of who they hire to direct a character like that—AKA hire some people of color so they can treat the role with some dignity and prevent it from descending into a racist trope.

“You’re looking at this group right here and who you’re picking and the story that you’re doing,” she says calmly. Luckily, Matt Damon is there to swoop in with this Smart White Man cape and interrupts Brown in order to explain diversity to her and this room full of white people. He argues that actually, the less diverse directing teams brought up the same issue about the prostitute character that Effie is raising.

As Brown tries to describe her position, Damon jumps in again and interrupts her: “When we’re talking about diversity you do it in the casting of the film, not in the casting of the show.”

Brown expresses something like “Ooof! Wow, okay.” She’s clearly not convinced by the idea that the casting room, or the actors — which is what Damon seems to mean — is more important than who’s behind the camera.

Now, maybe the weirdest part of this is the way Damon left this awkward encounter in the episode of “Project Greenlight”; it would have been easy for him to just edit it out. As it is, he let Peter Farrelly, who says something about liking the complex perspective of a white female/ Asian male filmmaking team, look more enlightened than he was.


@MartyMcFly @satam55

I SORT of understood what Damon was saying while watching it.

The competition was about the best director......not who is the most diverse director. It's an edited show, but he did say that other directors (who happened to be white) raised the same issue about the characters in the upcoming movie.

But the comments still look funny in the light

That diversity only matters with the cast, but not behind the scenes is still not a good look.

Don't watch the show but I get his point but he's still not entirely right. He's looking at it like if we show a diverse world then that's what matters. The audience only sees who's in front of the camera so that's what's important. I get that point but who's behind the camera matters also when it comes to how those minoriries are portrayed. If you have someone behind the camera who may not understand a race or a culture then it shows

Well said
He should have articulated it better. If thats how he felt, then just say it. Say "a white male who cares about diversity on film can properly display it" Him talking around it made it worse.

I know they have weigh everything. Like if the director butchers this character...but gets everything else right....is that enough

Or instead should you hire someone who gets the characters but is going to make a bland ass movie


I'm not sure he should be killed for his comments, but the critique is valid. He saved himself a bit by saying other directors pointed out how important it was, but he forgot the camera's were rolling for a sec..


You should check out the show. My new HBO Sunday night show

I'M SO UPSET AT MATT DAMON, AS A WHITE MAN WHOM SPEAKS FOR ALL WHITE PEOPLE, WE ARE APPALLED AND DISTURBED BY SUCH INSENSITIVE COMMENTS.

Here's the video clip: