By Ray Pride Pride@moviecitynews.com
Sunderance: "It's not really germane to this document"
I’ve posted a review and want to get another one done in ten minutes. Deadlines are a fine pressure. The man beside me in the lounge outside festival headquarters press/filmmakers lodge, loudly conducts business on a cell phone, insisting he has to “helm” the “elements” for DVD extras, and says the project’s music he “got for a steal.” A man is throwing a baby in the air while its mother shakes a pair of large maracas loudly. The child squeals. Usually, there’s only a low hum of voices here. The man continues his checklist aloud. I have no idea who he is or who he thinks he is. He’s not wearing the small sandwich board of name and face that is the festival I.D. I catch his eye. He looks away, speaks louder. The baby and the man are equally unaware of their surroundings. It makes it almost impossible to type any words except the stream he’s letting: “There are a couple of non-integral clips that my attorney advised me and even wrote an opinion that passed E&O muster. If you guys want to take them out, we can talk about that. It’s Jane Pauley and some audio. We could always just re-track it.
People do that. As far as the headlines go, we could pay for them.” Several other people look toward his voice. “As for the Jane Pauley show, I would be really bummed if it had to go, but I think we could make a very good Fair Use argument. An argument could be made that it’s integral to the story, but between you and me, we could pull it out. Just so you guys don’t freak out, like, we didn’t clear ’60 Minutes’ or something.” The baby burbbbbbbles. “Of course, the television/airline materials are the same.” Time for coffee. Time for quiet. “It’s not really germane to this document,” he says, and I try to remember the review I was trying to write as I pour cream into the cup.