Erin Broadley: A Plague Called Complacency: Guerilla Filmmaker Burke Roberts Talks Film and Fanaticism

ERIN BROADLEY: A Plague Called Complacency: Guerilla Filmmaker Burke Roberts Talks Film and Fanaticism

The first time I visited the set of a Burke Roberts film he stuffed me in the trunk of a car in downtown Los Angeles, quite literally, and told me to keep my head down. He was filming a scene that involved a traffic accident and there I was, trying to take mental notes on his process while crammed up against film equipment and props, hidden from the camera beneath a sheet of foam core, when suddenly I smelled smoke. The car was overheating with me stuck inside. It was my first lesson in the unpredictable...

lol @ "Dillon."

Finally, someone who shares my opinions on indie film. There is no such thing as indie film anymore, because the film that Hollywood qualifies as "indie" is actually produced by major studios (Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Little Miss Sunshine, those horrible Zach Braff self-promotions). So the true independent film has absolutely no outlet other than college exhibitions and other shit that no one knows about unless they're in on it.

I don't give a shit about weither it's "indie" or "mainstream" or "hollywood" or not, people are beginning to lose sight of whats really important, and that is "is the movie good or not?"

I thought "Sunshine" sucked. Sorry, it just didn't speak to me at all. I don't care if it's supposed to be special because it's deemed indie. Does that make it draw attention from a different type of audience who would of never even glanced at it had it of been totally hollywood hyped?


Hmmm...

Oh, I loved that intro Erin, you've got some good shit there.

I do declare Erin you have a good knack at asking good questions. It is time these lines that dear Mr. Roberts and yourself talk about quit suffocating me as a consumer of visual and audial expression. I do appreciate this interview and would love it if, despite the premature-juxtaposition to Antonioni, Burke keeps the antagonizing and innovation alive. I will help.

Thanks for the comment. I know we got off on the proverbial wrong foot - so it's appreciated.
...for the record. it's both. I find that Truth tends to be synonymous with Controversy these days. And pretentiousness has always been synonymous with rebellion.

Cheers.
-B

I admire the effort of Burke,and agree on his opinions of what film making is today and what it once was a long time ago. I just dont think there is any point in rebelling against Hollywood any more.I might have felt that once,when I was really in Fassbinder,his films still ignite a passion inside me,but I also think if he were still around that he wold have eventually broke into the mainstream media of film.The main point of films are to entertain.That is the basic credo behind the Hollywood sign on the hill,"larger than life." A passionate filmmaker can make something for the crowds and use that finance to make something for himself.I find nothing wrong with using one means to get the other.True art will always be regulated to a small crowd,and only history will say if it is remembered,or Youtube if you prefer.