I just finished watching Operation Filmmaker on SBS - local Australian TV channel - and it fascinated me. I saw the ad for it, and though I’m not into film, thought the premise of watching what happens when an Iraqi filmmaker gets the chance to work with a US production would be an interesting look at how artists work. (Read the synopsis on the website)

While most people would probably fixate on the Iraqi/American themes and the relationship between the documentarian Nina and Muthana, the subject, given the current climate about the war, the most obvious issue is: who is at fault? Was Muthana taken advantage of, or was he simply trying to find a way out of his life in Iraq?

I can see both sides of the argument. The producers simply wanted to try and do a good thing, and perhaps, like the director at the film school in NY in the doco, were touched by his story more than being completely able to offer a realistic solution, gave him a chance. Misguided? Naive, more likely.

On Muthana’s side of things, the producers were somewhat correct in saying that you have to show dedication to get on in the artistic world.

Personally though, I side more with Muthana. The producers paid for him to go to Prague, and work on their movie. And when he got there, he got to mix fruit and nuts and do photocopying. Now, I know: he was an intern, and that’s what interns do. But that’s just my point. If you’re so damn inspired by his story to invite him to work on your film, surely you would give him more of an active role. Ok, don’t let him operate the cameras, but at least allow him to be on set. I know the film is edited, and it’s quite likely that Muthana worked on set more than we saw, but you don’t get that feeling from the editing. (I must point out that I do feel that the editing, and the observative aspects of the film, weren’t biased - although there was no doubt a personal tone, I think it showed an honest depiction of what happened)

I take this point of view, because I’ve been in similar situations. You make an effort, as an emerging artist, to be noticed and to be included. When the people around you, who are professionals, detach themselves or make you feel disconnected (whether in the way you are treated, or by giving you tasks that make you disconnect from the ‘action’ of the project), then you begin to question why you are involved and how you can accomplish your goals. How can you learn when you’re in the trailers? How can you be a filmmaker when you’re being instructed on legal forms?

In that sense, I do think the ‘Americans’ failed him.

And from there, he fails himself. If the only reward - not knowledge or useful experience - is contacts, money and a visa, is given to Muthana, then naturally that’s all he will expect. And the conflicting feelings he has about his own country just make it harder for him to make the right decision. To be honest, I thought he would make a better filmmaker if he returned home, if only because he would be documenting something that meant something to him. Perhaps it is this reason that Muthana doesn’t actively ‘make himself invaluable’ - because the films he works on don’t interest him. ("I haven’t read the script [Doom]. I read five pages")

Why this doco touches me so much is because it speaks more about the nature of the film/TV and arts industry in general than it does anything else. Although the producers are more than happy to give this young man a chance, they seem to expect him to understand the ‘work your way up from the bottom’ ethic that is so prevalent in the arts. I’ve spent many days defending myself for telling other people to do their research, that no one can give you a leg up in theatre - and that is true in certain respects. But if you offer a person a leg up, you can’t also expect them to understand that: we’ll bring you and you can work on our movie = you get to be a basic intern and do grunt work. To me, that doesn’t add up.

But more than that, it’s the concept - seemingly so prevalent in the American industry - that in order to succeed you really do have to just make coffees and be ‘invaluable’ to the director. I’m sorry, but how does making your latte just right equate invaluable? To me, invaluable is learning how to operate a camera in five days… or something. There is such an expectation that emerging artists will simply be so hungry for the opportunity to participate that they’ll somehow magically understand all and do all.

I say this many times to other people: when I was starting out in theatre, the people I liked the most, the people I wanted to work with, were the people who showed me how to do things. If you’ve ever worked in theatre you know what I mean. There are those people who will ask you if you know how to do something, and if you reply ‘no’, they’ll simply say, ‘never mind, I’ll do it myself’. Granted, I know these people are usually considering time and effort, and just want to get the job done - but even that attitude of ‘getting it done’ annoys me.

And then there are the people who, when you reply ‘no’, will sit down and show you even 1/10th of what they know: for me, it was the techie who showed me how to fade the lights up and down using a computer program (basic CAD stuff, but it was something); or the techie who showed me how to instal gobos in moving lights… those people I will always remember and respect, because they didn’t have to show me - but did anyway. Because they saw it as a way of passing down the information to the next generation, rather than a time-wasting experience. Even the smallest grain of knowledge was seen by me as a great learning experience, and I was thankful for it. And I came back to work the next day excited. Leave me with the I’ll-do-it-myself guy, and I would be frustrated, annoyed, and regretful.

Do I think the producers in Operation Filmmaker were all to blame? No. Ultimately they were trying to do something generous and inviting. But I think where they failed was in not going far enough. I have a feeling that if they’d handed a camera to Muthana from day one, and said ‘film this shot’, he would have been ten times more enthusiastic and engaged. Sticking him in the trailer with the blooper reel… not exactly where the action is.

And sadly, this is all too indicative of an arts industry which is infinitely more closed off than any member of the general public would believe. You think acting is tough? Being a tech is just as bad.

Luckily for me, I have found that overall, the puppetry industry is far from being like this. For the most part, every puppeteer or builder I’ve met has been more than happy to share information, tricks and tips, or just share in general. I don’t know why, but they seem like a much happier lot… Perhaps puppeteers should figure out a way of sending out good vibes so everyone else in the arts world can be the same… 

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