Vanity Fair: After reviewing his career highlights, in depth, the British Academy Award winner said, “One of the things I love about Americans is you do massive ego trips incredibly well. Blimey. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many photographs of myself. I didn’t even know they existed.” Mendes also noted that while tributes are wonderful, they are backward looking, and then decided to share what he’s learned along the way. “If there are any directors out there in the audience, or anyone who’s interested in directing, I’ve written 25 steps towards becoming a happier director.
4 comments:
Number 25 is possibly the best one on this entire list. We in the theatre should be happy that we get to do something that we love for a job instead of being stuck in some dead-end, boring, sit-in-a-cubicle all day job. I think these guidelines apply to more than just actors though. They can be broadened to apply to every group ever formed to complete a task. He should publish this somewhere. It can replace the 7 Habits of an Effective Adult because that stuff is trash.
People just need to remember that theatre is a group effort. Everyone there loves what they do, otherwise they wouldn't be there. Everyone there will have ideas and different methods that are probably different and maybe even better than the ones that you have. There is nothing wrong with asking someone for their opinion because you can always not take their advice. It isn't like you will lose some kind of claim to the project if you ask an actor how he thinks the character is feeling at a certain moment of the show.
I am trying to think of something clever to write in response to Sam Mendes’ 25 Rules for Directors, but my gut reaction is simply, “Yes!” Both an entertaining and inspiring article. As I was reading the list, I kept thinking “this one is great” and “this one is even better!” Much of what Mendes encourages with his 25 Rules highlights the different facets of theater and film to show them both as truly collaborative mediums. The only one I do not completely agree with is number fourteen. I believe superior art is transcendent, and for me, many films and live performances have fallen into that category.
I need to print these out and hang them up on my ceiling over my bed. These rules are so accurate and hit us where it makes sense. I can't get over how each and every one on this is something I'm going to take with me. Yes, these focus on theater and film, but they're also life lessons. SO many articles on the green page advise you on jobs, interviews, design and the like. But this is the first article that has really make me stop and think about what I'm doing pursuing this art form. Number 25 is also the best on the list, by far.
This is a pretty great list. Overall, I really liked how his rules found the balance between getting over yourself and also not capitulating entirely to what other people want. I also appreciated his distinctions between theater and film, where theater is the writer's and the actors' medium, and film is much more the directors. However, I think that my favorite "rule" is number 24. I function significantly better when I feel as though I have options, even if those options are outrageous, like becoming a Peruvian fire-dancer or starting a commune in Wyoming (two thoughts I've actively had in the past month).
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