Gotta Give the Movie Business SOME Credit

In the midst of economic catastrophe, perhaps those of us in the movie business can shed some light on the psychological state of a nation insecure in its economic prospects. While many in the country are worried about losing their jobs or lost their jobs and possess little hope for finding a new one, those of in movie business think "so what's new?"

In Hollywood, the threat of job loss is a permanent state of mind. Money can dry up real fast...one day, you've got $4 million and you're off to shoot a feature, the next day, it's gone and the producer you're working with has left the business. Insecurity is the norm and guess what? You get used to it.

Or at least you're prepared for it. I think most people in Hollywood half expect they're about to be fired, their deal won't be renewed, their show will be dumped, their budget will disappear, or their company will dry up. It's just the way things are. And guess what - people get by. Or they leave the business.

On the bright side, the wackiness of the Hollywood business model seems to make a whole lot more sense today, especially in comparison to the car industry, the financial services industry, or even the publishing industry. Hollywood isn't asking for a bailout. Can you picture that happening?

What does America make better than the rest of the world? Movies for sure. What else? Computers and software. Not cars, hardly any manufacturing. We have much better institutions of learning. But there isn't much. And as shitty as Hollywood movies are this year - and they are shitty - we're doing a whole lot better than most industries out there.