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Hits | Director David Cross

Hits

Attention, our audience’s and our own — it’s a valued commodity these days. We struggle to command our audience’s attention, for them to discover our work and then, once they’ve discovered it, to actually focus on it. Meanwhile, we struggle to focus our own attention, to fight our society’s weapons of mass distraction so we can not just see our work to completion but fully discover the meanings within it. What role does attention play in your work? Can you discuss an instance where you thought about some aspect of attention when it came to your film? 

I’m sorry but your question doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to me. I don’t want to be difficult but I don’t know how to answer, “what role does attention play in your work?” “None”, I suppose would be the truthful answer. Also as to “whether I thought about some aspect of attention when it came to my film?” Nope, not ever.

I guess I never thought about it. In the truest sense of that sentence.

I never thought for a second, “how do I get someone’s attention that’s already in the theater?” Ostensibly there for the sole purpose of watching the movie. Maybe hire a clown at each venue to toot a horn every five minutes and say “pay attention everybody!”?  Nah, that’s not very practical.

I guess the answer is to make a compelling film about a compelling story acted in a compelling way? After that, I can’t really affect the response.

Maybe I’m not understanding the question as you intend it.

Sorry about that.

 

[PREMIERE SCREENING: January 21 at 6:45 pm – Eccles Theatre, Park City]

Sundance 2014 Responses

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