LOS ANGELES (The Wrap) ? The weekend's Film Independent Forum began with a keynote Q&A in which the special guest speaker said that independent film doesn't exist, and then slammed one of the forum's chief sponsors.
That's what they get for inviting Werner Herzog.
The passionate and prolific German director was typically colorful and outspoken on Saturday morning, in a Q&A that launched the two-day series of discussions on the art and business of independent film -- just as Film Independent no doubt knew he would be when they invited him to their seventh annual event.
One of his main points was that truly independent film is a myth -- that once a movie gets beyond the level of a backyard home video, it's "dependent on money, on distribution systems."
But he still had lots of advice for the aspiring filmmakers in attendance, from the type of jobs they should take (he suggested working at a maximum security prison or a sex club) to the speed at which they should shoot and edit (fast and faster).
Herzog often narrates his own films and occasionally takes acting jobs, recently finishing a role as the bad guy in "One Shot," a movie directed by Christopher McQuarrie and starring Tom Cruise. At one point in his talk, he took aim at the Screen Actors Guild, saying that he'd like to launch his own acting union as an alternative to what he said are SAG's draconian rules.
To illustrate the problem, he said that a friend of his is making a film, and Herzog planned to do a couple of lines of voiceover for free, as a favor. But those plans prompted a nasty letter from SAG -- which pointed out that as a member of the guild, he's not allowed to perform without being paid.
"I'm thinking of starting my own acting union," he said, after criticizing the guild whose SAGIndie division was one of the chief sponsors of the Film Independent Forum. "If any of you know how to do that, let me know."
Later, when the floor was opened up to questions from the audience, the first person to speak responded to the filmmaker's request, telling Herzog that he's a lawyer who could help out with the fine points of union formation.
"Well, I'm not going to do it right now," demurred Herzog. "But if it ever comes up again ..."
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