"Four be the things I'd have been better without: love, curiosity, freckles and doubt."
- Dorothy Parker
Today, I received the latest DVD front and back cover from IFC Films. I wrote a rather petulant letter demanding to know why my previous input had been ignored. I received the following email from Ryan Werner:
"Caveh - i really think you are wrong in this instance. you have one of the biggest video companies working on your release. i think that they know what sells dvds, and i would really listen to them. video marketing is very different than theatrical. However if you insist, we can discuss this further."
I wasn't sure what to do after that. Is he right? Do they know better than me what the cover of my DVD should look like? And even if they do know better than me what sells DVD's, is selling as many DVD's as possible the only goal? What about accurately representing the film?
When I was in film school, I noticed that the students who were most sure of themselves usually made the worst films, and those (like me) who doubted their every decision tended to make better ones. But self-doubt is both a gift and a curse, and finding the right balance between confidence (which is, I think, essential to art) and self-doubt (which is also, I think, essential to art) is a tricky process.
In this case, I'm not sure if I should fight for what my gut tells me (which is to say no to this DVD cover) or if I should be humble and accept that I don't always know what's best. I'm open to feedback on this.
posted by Caveh Zahedi at
11:52 PM
