Any filmmakers want to discuss Christian Bale's on-set Tirade?

[Mike 03]

It's probably lounge material, but nobody seemed interested there, probably rightly so. But to me it seems worthy of commentary. At least, I would love to know the opinion of anyone else who is involved in filmmaking.

Having been on a number of movie sets in my lifetime, I have certainly seem some explosions and have a mixed reaction to this story.

1. If the press reports are correct, he didn't just blow up at a gopher or production assistant, but the Director of Photography. That is pretty amazing. The DOP is responsible for making the stars look good. A lot of them don't look all that great unless they are properly photographed and lit. (Makeup is not all that important, IMO)

That is something I have never seen.

Secondly, if the guy was the lighting gaffer, that is pretty shocking too (because it's unusual for the DOP to be changing lighting positions or moving lights at all). I have never seen the director of cinematography move a light. I've only seen them request that the gaffer shift a light.

2. But, if it is true that the DOP wandered into a shot while the director was rolling, that is equally odd too. That is also something I have never seen. How could the DOP not know that he is filming a scene? That sounds impossible. In my experience, everyone on set knows when a scene is being filmed.

3. Does anyone know if the DOP was actually fired just because Bale wanted him fired? I would find that to be pretty unlikely.

4. Everyone has their bad days, so I'm not shocked or horrified that Bale blew up, but yes, it is a bit shocking. That is the worst "blow up" I've seen on a set since Klaus Kinski was alive and making films with Herzog.

ON EDIT:

I'm writing specifically of actors blowing up, not directors. I do know of directors who have blown up big time.

[Oregone]

1. I never heard about T4 until this happened. Now it is everywhere

Hey, what can I say, Id like to see this one.

But, this incident coupled with the release of all these clips and such, well, seems like a suspicious marketing blitz.

[Incitatus]

25. good point

The movie is getting a lot of free publicity now.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

2. You're serious?

You're actually paying attention to some rantings of some actor?

Seriously?

Go eat some ice cream. It's a much better way to waste your time.

[nxylas]

95. Too cold for ice cream

Dunno what the weather's like where you are, but here in South Carolina, it's Betty Crocker Warm Delights weather.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

96. Right now,

here in Northern Virginia, just across the river from PRESIDENT OBAMA'S White House, it's 22 degrees, and it is just right for ice cream.

It's always time for ice cream when the world starts closing in.

[KT2000]

3. Heard some of the tape

and I can't think of anyone who should be adressed in that manner. He is heading toward has-been status because he was never all that to begin with. The tape makes him look like a fool.

[xenussister]

19. Christian Bale a "has-been"?? I don't think so.

I'm not excusing Bale's behavior, and I'm not a Bale fangirl, but to say he's "never been all that" is not a majority opinion, and to say he is on his way to "has-been status" because of an emotional tirade is remarkably ignorant.

Bale is widely considered one of the finest actors working today. He has always been "all that" considering his 2nd film project was the lead in a big-budget Spielberg production (Empire of the Sun) at the age of 12, and he's been working steadily ever since. Bale will have the Batman franchise as long as he wants it, and now he has the Terminator franchise as long as he wants it. His next major role is as FBI agent Melvin Purvis in Michael Mann's Public Enemy, with Johnny Depp. Bale is loved and will never want for work.

He's never been known as a prima donna, or difficult to work with. From what I understand, this tirade happened in the same week that he supposedly blew up at his mother and sister, which was around the same time his marriage broke up and not that long after his good friend Heath Ledger died, something that reportedly knocked him flat with grief. Two emotional incidents in the same week out of an otherwise well-respected 22-year career is hardly enough to condemn him.

[progressivebydesign]

82. that's not an "emotional tirade" it's called verbal abuse. It's directed at someone else.

An emotional tirade is when you direct it at yourself, or a situation, attacking someone with such venom is not excusable. People like Bale end up being has-beens because people get tired of their shit, and no one wants to back a film with a loose cannon like that. If this is an isolated incident, then that bodes much better for his career. But the assault on his family, and this, is going to make insuring his films MUCH more expensive for producers. And will cost him some roles because, I've heard in said before in Hollywood, there are enough actors to go around and pretty soon they pass on someone because no one wants to deal with their shit.

[ContinentalOp]

23. You're crazy, Bale is brilliant.

Watch American Psycho or All the Little Animals. He's been picking some lame roles lately and I couldn't care less about Batman but the guy is one hell of an actor IMO.

[Reterr]

24. Very true.eom

[Ex Lurker]

30. Maybe he's brilliant, maybe not. As far as I know I've never seen

anything he's been in. I don't watch too many movies. This little incident tells me he's an asshole, though, and that's all I need to know about him.

[Darth_Kitten]

34. I'm bored shitless in my job, but I don't go batshit on my co-workers.

Poor widdle Chrissy.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

38. One hell of an asshole too.

[underpants]

4. Interesting

thanks for the insight

[Poll_Blind]

5. I thought the details from AICN were useful (link)

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/39984

Or

http://omg.yahoo.com/news/the-truth-behind-christian-bales-blow-up/18467

After listening to the entire thing it seems that the DP was doing a few things you just never do during a scene. I thought Bale was actually pretty clear explaining why he was pissed off and it wasn't over nothing.

I have no idea what it's like to be on a movie set, much less a movie set for a huge movie like this. But I can imagine you want everything to be perfect and when someone is going around walking around and especially turning off lights or moving them during the big scene it breaks the actors' concentration which is key.

PB

[NashVegas]

13. Thanks For Posting That Link

I'm not at all surprised:

The DP on TERMINATOR SALVATION, XXXXX XXXXXX, is a apparently a light tweaker. He's a fairly young DP and likes to fiddle with his lights on set during action, which is a big "NO NO" on most productions unless worked out in advance with performers. But apparently Shane was a pretty unrepentant light tweaker.

Bale had indeed warned the DP on multiple occasions about messing with lights while the cameras were rolling,

When a performer asks someone to modify behavior that's interfering with their ability to do their job and that person ignores it repeatedly, a well-pitched fit is the only tool you have.

[librechik]

20. thanks--someone who worked on the T4 set called in to Stephanie this a.m. and said the same

thing--the DP deserved a chewing out and everyone was grateful to Christian,, really, because none of the crew had the power to speak out about the dingbat.

Seems that the actor is getting a bad rap over an understandable blowup. Shame, if true.

[condoleeza]

6. I'm not a filmmaker, but I am crew

both my husband and I work in the industry and saw the video of this while eating dinner last night. We both had the same reaction.

Bale was at the end of his fix or whatever gets him through the day, we see it all the time.

[Marr]

42. I will bet you're right.

Hadn't even thought of that-- but that's exactly what he sounded like.

[MajorChode]

55. I suspected this during the shouting incident with his family

He'll probably be in rehab in the next year or two.

[John1956PA]

7. It was definitely the cinematographer (director of photography) who got chewed out.

Listen to Bale's four-minute rant (which can be easily found on the internet) and note the name of the cinematographer. Then check the www.IMDb.com page for "Terminator 4" which will lead you to the cinematographer's IMDb page where his resume' appears. The cinematographer is relatively young, but he certainly has more than enough experience to know that it is important to not distract an actor at work in a scene. In his tirade, Bale shouted a few times that the cinematographer had previously committed the same transgression. Bale's rage seemed to wax and wane. During a relatively calm interlude, Bale told the cinematographer that he was a "nice guy". However, Bale went on to declare that he was through with the cinematographer "professionally".

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

8. Bale deserved an ass beating, I'm sure he wouldn't talk like that to someone likely to give him one

[Ex Lurker]

29. Bingo n/t

[spanone]

9. i heard it and he sounded like a pissed off, high strung actor...the guy kept apologizing

[NashVegas]

10. Bale Was Over the Top, And Yet, Totally Justified

I work in radio and have had experiences in places where something like this is posted on the studio door:



And I have worked in places where everyone from the GM to visiting clients will just waltz right in, while you're on the microphone, because no one ever set an example for them or told them it's not cool.

IMO, this guy walked into the actor's line of sight because no one who could fire him ever took him aside and said, "this is what you do once film starts rolling" ... and because of that, the only way Bale could insure the guy would never do this again was to let it rip.

[misanthrope]

49. I worked in radio. People walked in on me all the time...

...and I continued with what I was doing, not breaking stride. Why? Because that's what you do when you act professionally AND because it's just radio. No one's life is at stake, the fate of western civilization is not hanging in the balance. It's...just...radio.

[NashVegas]

65. "Worked"

'nuff said.

[misanthrope]

72. The past tense is correct...

...but it wasn't because of anything I did in the booth or on the air.

And at the end of the day, it's still "just radio" just as most jobs don't have a whole lot of bearing on the world at large. People take themselves far too seriously.

[NashVegas]

87. I'm Sure

It wasn't because of anything you did or said. Just that it's apparent it wasn't working out for you. Places where there's so little concern for the jocks' concentration tend to not work out for a lot of people, is all.

This rant, posted below, points out something:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TLG_LtWhj4

Notice how he is just as upset at their total lack of consideration as the movement, itself.

[misanthrope]

90. His rant paled in comparison to Bale's...

...He didn't single one person out. There was no evidence he tried to physically go after someone as the sound on the Bale recording indicates. And Berman's fit didn't hold up production since he finished his spot and waited until commercial to air his grievance.

All of us can be replaced. All of us.

[NashVegas]

94. Yup. Absolutely

But if Bale had to be replaced, it would have meant several million dollars down the toilet.

And that's why the DP needed to stop screwing with Bale's ability to concentrate and start cooperating with him.

[Darth_Kitten]

64. More justification for grown men acting like petulant widdle babies.

:eyes:

[nickyt]

11. I'm a crew person, and was pretty amazed at Bale's never (never) ending

rant...I got the impression from one account I read that they'd already called "cut" when this happened (but, who knows).
What I found REALLY amazing was that he kept saying "We're going again" - this is Bale DIRECTING the scene now, and he was seriously stepping on the toes of the actual director - I mean, "it's simply not done"!
I think he's got some "issues", eh? I LOVED him in "American Psycho", but I sure don't want him turning INTO one!

[mitchum]

12. That little hissyfit was nothing compared to tirades from the great Klaus Kinski

[cemaphonic]

100. To be fair, these mostly involved Herzog

who would probably make anyone insane.

[mitchum]

101. True conversation I had with ms mitchum when this story broke...

me: Can you imagine going off like that while making trash like a fucking Terminator movie? It's not as if this was a Herzog film.

ms mitchum: I don't think Werner would put up with that.

me: Uh...think about what you just said for a second.

ms mitchum: Oh...I see what you mean. But the difference is that Bale is just a talented actor...while Kinski was an insane genius.

me: And you're right.

[Rosco T.]

14. Full details from AICN...

Hey folks, Harry here... I'm getting slammed with assloads of people angry at me for not posting the Bale explosion from the set of McG's TERMINATOR: SALVATION. Well, first off - there's a real simple reason. It isn't news. And it certainly isn't cool news. It is a moment in a man's life taken completely out of context and most likely leaked to personally embarrass Christian Bale.

Now, I know what a lot of you are thinking... There's no excuse for a temper tantrum like that to ever occur and if you are going to act that way, you deserve to be embarrassed by your own actions.

Except, you want to hear the REALITY behind that clip?

I know this because I happen to be somewhere where someone that was there that day and for the shoot is. And this person isn't a publicist, nor are they invested in Bale's career. They're just someone that thinks it is absolute bullshit that this moment in Bale's life is being aired and that the real story should get out there.

The DP on TERMINATOR SALVATION, Shane Hurlbut, is a apparently a light tweaker. He's a fairly young DP and likes to fiddle with his lights on set during action, which is a big "NO NO" on most productions unless worked out in advance with performers. But apparently Shane was a pretty unrepentant light tweaker.

The scene in question, was a very emotional and tough scene between Christian Bale and Bryce Howard. A scene that required soul bearing and a deep level of immersive concentration. The sort of scene where everyone on set knows not to get in anyone's eye lines, and definitely not to move lights around while FILMING. You lock that shit down before the scene starts.

Bale had indeed warned the DP on multiple occasions about messing with lights while the cameras were rolling, and Bale was in the midst of a painful scene with Bryce, what was described to me as being the emotional center of the film and his character for the film.

Now, the reason I know all of this is because the person that was there, felt that it should be made perfectly clear that Christian Bale was the utmost gentleman and cool guy on set. And the DP really was doing something that professional DPs with experience just don't do. Not during a performance.

You don't need me to give you a link, it's all over the internet, I just felt that you should know what really went down - and that this particular outburst did indeed modify the DP's behavior - and for future DPs. Fuck with the lights before and after your actors are acting. Not during.

[mitchum]

18. "Soul bearing" in a fucking Terminator movie???!!!

Bale is a talented actor, but he needs some perspective.
He went all sensitive high strung artiste while shooting...a fucking Terminator movie. Good god.

[Stephanie]

35. Um, yeah.

You think a bad script justifies bad acting, not trying? He should just blow it off, take the money and run? The work is HARDER when the script is bad, just to make it work. I feel bad for guy, if he was in a moment and lost his shit. It happens. Whoever released it is a real prick.

[mitchum]

69. Well, you can't make a silk purse out of a cyborg's ear

trash is trash

[Starbucks Anarchist]

41. And one "directed" by McG.

[Ignis]

85. "Okay, this time, blow it up EVEN LOUDER!"

Direction, hmph.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

"Bale was the utmost gentleman" yeah and he makes fun of retarded kids in his off time.

Give me a break.

David

[MajorChode]

56. Not to mention...

That going on a 4 minute obscenity filled rant while accusing someone else of not being "professional" kind of pegs the irony meter.

[progressivebydesign]

83. lol - no kidding, because berating the DP is so professional.

People need to stop enabling these people, and tell them they're an asshole or fire their ass when they do this.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

39. "Bale was the utmost gentleman" yeah and he makes fun of retarded kids in his off time.

Give me a break.

David

[Beaverhausen]

97. thanks for posting this. It makes more sense now

this DP sounds like he needed to get reemed out and if McG- the director - didn't set him straight someone had to do it.

Disclaimer - I'm in the movie biz and hold no love for McG.

[wtbymark]

15. I would have said

"oh, I'm sorry Mr. Bale, I didn't realize...."

and then when the idiot wouldn't shut up, i would have walked up to him and said 'Fuck you' and broke his nose, and laughed as i walked from the set.

-senior broadcast engineer

[zagging]

17. And you'd never work in this town again,

[Ex Lurker]

22. and been better off for it. Fuck Hollywood n/t

[Scout]

62. yeah, right, sure you would have done that

:eyes:

:rofl:

big man behind your keyboard

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

16. I haven't watched the video.

But from the descriptions it sounds like Bale was justified.

[Ex Lurker]

21. I don't know anything about filmmaking but Bale sounds like an asshole...

and if went off on someone like that in the real world he'd most likely get his ass kicked.

[ContinentalOp]

26. Look at the DP's credits. He seems to be a total lightweight.

What is Bale doing messing around with these losers like McG anyway? If I were the director I would have had the DP leave the set immediately, let Bale finish the scene, get the take, then deal with everyone later.

[CitizenPatriot]

44. methinks the DP

has a friend at the studio or a producer who's a friend

otherwise, why would McG pretend to have not seen it twice?

edited to add: then again, if he wasn't on set, maybe he really didn't see it....where was the AD?

[ContinentalOp]

47. The AD is mentioned in the clip. McG is there too.

I'm assuming "Shut the fuck up Bruce, don't try to shut me up" is the AD Bruce Franklin.

[CitizenPatriot]

70. poor guy (Bruce) -- that had to suck

Yeah, I thought maybe McG wandered in from video village after it happened, so he may not have seen it - but just responding to the drama.

Who's in trouble now, though???I mean, how did this audio get out?

[Poiuyt]

98. He's a member of the American Society of Cinematographers

They don't invite lightweights into that society.

[CitizenPatriot]

27. this didn't shock me at all

I worked on a number of high profile sets and the big surprise to me was that the directors, dps, etc had no power in comparison to the stars (BO power). A change perhaps from the way things used to be. Mind you, none of these movies had a Scorcese directing, but they were name directors with BO hits. I worked with an academy award nominated DP who told me he never unpacked his bag through any movie, because he knows he can always be fired.

I had a friend fired because she looked at a young star when the star didn't know her lines and the star was feeling self conscious so she had my friend fired. A "memo" was later passed around that anyone caught looking at her when she was on set would be dismissed. Of course, my friend wasn't high up the food chain -- but I saw this with all positions. Stars yelling at producers, directors, anyone really. No one ever yelled back. One time, an actress I adore (funny lady!) mocked a director and told him he didn't know what the fuck he was doing in front of the whole set.

I have no idea what the DP was doing walking into the shot, but it was interesting that McG acted like he didn't see it either time. Come on. He's sitting there watching on the monitor and he didn't see it? that makes me wonder-- Did the guy walk into the shot, or was he just in the eye line? Neither is good...and he should have known better.

Not coming down on CB either (though he could have toned down the abuse), because I get the pressure he's under, but the general atmosphere of nerves gets old. nerves and CYOA.

In the end, it didn't surprise me at all.

Hollywood and DC share a lot in common:-) EGOs and DRAMA.

[ContinentalOp]

36. I'm sure he wasn't in the shot, he was in Bale's eyeline.

Of course the star has all of the power. Even the greatest of directors are replaceable. A DP is nobody. Try to replace an actor though and you're talking reshoots, millions of dollars lost, or realistically the movie just doesn't get made and the completion bond gets collected or whatever.

"Hollywood and DC share a lot in common :-) EGOs and DRAMA."

Haha, you say that like it's a bad thing. Drama is, after all, the entire point of the industry.

[CitizenPatriot]

43. LOL

I was surprised to see the number of people who were shocked by this -- thinking the DP had the power.

We're "going again!"

Oh, the sweet smell of fear in the afternoon.

[salguine]

28. With everything else going on, who could possibly give a shit about this?

[Darth_Kitten]

33. Why post here if you don't care and are so blase and disrespectful to the OP?

What's wrong with simple conversation? Yes, let's not talk about anything unless we are saving the world as we are doing it.

[salguine]

40. I thought it was actually a legitimate question. If you want to say,

"Well, I for one care deeply", then I'll say, "Oh, okay," and that'll be the end of it.

[Darth_Kitten]

63. Fine. What's wrong with just talking about something without so much drama?

:shrug:

[riverdale]

67. I don't care to hear that you don't care

How about you stay away from this thread, and that will be the end of it.

[Darth_Kitten]

31. classic case of workplace bullying......

Bale even levelled some threats.....if I was on the receiving end of that I would have gone batshit back.

So many people are making excuses for him, he's "intense", etc. Bull shite. If ANY of us did what he did at work, we would be written up and subject to disciplinary measures.

Bad days? How horrible is his life? Really?

[ContinentalOp]

37. You must work somewhere pretty nice.

A school? A government job? A big corporation that needs to cover their asses? This seems like pretty typical behavior for people in charge in my limited experience in the workplace. And make no mistake: the star is the one in charge on a set, in the sense of being the person on whom the entire financial operation is resting.

[Ex Lurker]

46. I've been in the workplace for well over 20 years

in a variety of jobs, from blue collar to professional/technical. I've NEVER had anything like that happen to me, nor have I ever witnessed it happening to anybody else.

[ContinentalOp]

48. I've witnessed LOTS of yelling, a phone being thrown and somebody pushing a coworker...

up against a wall! All with no repercussions. I guess maybe it's an L.A. thing! Hmm, maybe I can see why the rest of the country thinks we're crazy!

[MajorChode]

57. That type of behavior shouldn't be tolerated anywhere

I don't care if you work in a McDonalds or in an office building or in LA or in rural Mississippi.

If you threaten another employee you should be fired. If you assault another employee you should be criminally charged. Nobody should be expected to work under those conditions. Bale simply exhibits those behaviors because he's a natural asshole or he is on drugs and he knows he can get away with it. As such he's no better than Lohan or Spears or any other wired up batshit crazy Hollyweird type who thinks they are above everyone else.

[ContinentalOp]

58. I agree that people in power SHOULDN'T do this kind of stuff, I'm just not surprised when it happens

I mean, aren't military drill sargeants and the like essentially paid taxpayer money to act like this in the workplace? What about high school athletic coaches or hell, members of the U.S. Senate?

People shouldn't have to endure physical assault or threats of violence, but they do. Every day. To keep their jobs. This isn't a "Hollyweird" druggy thing, it's a power thing.

[MajorChode]

59. That behavior isn't tolerated by even drill instructors these days

...much less athletics coaches.

[Ex Lurker]

60. Coaches and military drill sergeants do it under controlled

circumstances within defined parameters, and it's done for a reason. There are limits to what they can do, and if they cross the line there are consequences. By and large the screaming is over after Basic Training.

[misanthrope]

74. Military are justified because lives are literally at stake**nm

**

[ContinentalOp]

79. OK, so some people are allowed to behave like this...

just not actors because everyone here hates them. Gotcha. My point was just that yes, Bale is an asshole but within the context of the industry, his career, what was going on that day, etc. he can get away with this behavior. You can't compare it to an employee at McDonalds behaving like that, just as you can't compare it to a screaming military general. When you have situations of intense pressure where lives are on the line, or even worse (to the corporate world) MONEY on the line, people in power occasionally tend to do stuff like this. And no, they don't get fired or "written up" or anything like that.

[NashVegas]

66. Okay, Let's Try It At McDonald's

Let's say you're a line cook, but you can't do your job because everytime you're about to about to put french fries into the deep fryer, the cashier turns around and pours a soda into the oil.

You keep telling or asking the cashier not to do that, but he ignores you. You ask the manager to get him to stop it, but he ignores you, too.

You'd love to quit and get away from these yahoos, but if you do, the restaurant will be shut down and you'll get sued.



Are you still in the mood to tell the cashier, "please stop, you're making me really angry and upset," or do you SHOW him?

If you think the answer is "tell him," I've got a Xanax prescription for you.

[misanthrope]

75. No McDonald's gets shut down because the line cook isn't there...

...and the onus for the cashier's behavior or any resulting mishap falls on the manager's head, not the line cook's.

[NashVegas]

86. No, the Line Cook Is There

Because if he left, he'd get sued.

[misanthrope]

88. Restaurant employees walk out in the middle of service all the time...

...What's more common is that they just don't show for shifts. No one files suit against them and it doesn't even really prevent them from going to another restaurant.

[NashVegas]

89. Not In Analogyland, They Don't

:)

[misanthrope]

91. LOL!**nm

**

[riverdale]

68. So have I

but I have witnessed such things. One such rant was against me. I stood up to the person, and guess what happened? Got my ass fired. NO offense intended. I'm glad your workplace experiences have been better than mine.

[Ex Lurker]

102. I'm sure it happens a lot, and I'm sorry it happened to you

what I'm saying is it's not the norm and shouldn't be accepted under any circumstances.

[Dreamer Tatum]

51. It's not at ALL "typical"

A rant like that with those threats would get you escorted out and fired, in that order, with the shit at your desk shipped to you.

Amazing how people here want the rich DEAD, but they'll do anything to defend the behavior of a spoiled movie star.

[Darth_Kitten]

61. Nice? Nice? You couldn't be more off the mark........

Would you like me to tell you about some of my experiences of being treated like a piece of garbage? Subject to tirades the bully's boss and buddies would witness but do nothing about? Don't tell me about my nice government job. :sarcasm:

Maybe you should spend more time in the workplace and THEN downplay other people's experiences. And then you would know what workplace bullying is.

[ContinentalOp]

78. Oh, I certainly know what workplace bullying is. You don't need to lecture me.

I just don't understand where you're coming from with the idea that behavior like this in the workplace would get you "written up" or some such nonsense. How do you "write up" the owner of a company (usually the kind of person acting like this)? I suppose you can pursue a lawsuit while you're collecting unemployment but good luck with that. Again, I'm not excusing the behavior, but just calling bullshit on all of the people who think this is some kind of special Hollywood druggy thing rather than just the typical behavior of assholes in positions of power.

[progressivebydesign]

84. Never heard that at work. Ever. However... my verbally abusive ex-husband....

..who has addiction problems, AND is wildly talented in the film industry so they put up with his bullshit, sounded JUST like that. And yes, he's gone apeshit on people like that, and they always forgive him because he's soo damn talented. And it seems to only make it worse because no one has ever told him he just can't work in the studios anymore if he berates people like that.

It's a combo of personality disorder and people revering your talent so much that you are not expected to behave like a civilized adult.

[kwassa]

32. Tweaking lights during a scene is OCD behavior, speaking as a lighting guy

and I don't blame Bale for blowing up, but the director should be handling this situation. Where was he?

I had a former career doing lighting in motion pictures. Tweaking during a scene is outrageous. I am surprised the cinematographer is not behind the lens. Who is shooting?

and it is referred to as DP, not DOP, just to keep the jargon straight.

and why in hell is this a major story? Bigger blowups happen on the most mundane jobs in the world.

[Cleita]

45. Catch a rerun of the Colbert show. He and Steve Martin did a send up of it.

It was hilarious.

[misanthrope]

50. Ah, yes, the movie biz...

...Listening to this prima donna feed his over-inflated sense of importance to the world took me back to the set of a movie on which I worked as a first unit set dresser for few weeks. It was a CBS film about the U.S.S. Indianapolis being shot in our neck of the woods.

The memories?

I watched cast member and television tough guy Stacy Keach physically mock a handicapped man, limping in an exaggerated gait across the set as the fellow hurriedly hobbled to his prop truck. Just as revolting was the laughter from a sycophantic crew at Keach’s puerile antics.

I did ponder how satisfying it would have been to stand, point and loudly remark: ‘Wow, that’s funny! Almost as funny as when you were on the stand in England after getting busted for coke and you cried like a little girl. ‘Please don’t put me in jail! Please don’t put me in jail!’”

I heard endless screaming, endured belligerence and tension from a combative, surly and uncommunicative director. In the midst of one of this jerk’s episodes, I remember considering one of my best friends deployed at that moment in Operation Desert Storm, likely in the thick of actual battle alongside his Marine unit, perhaps dead or dying.

I thought to myself, “If we completely fail at this, all that will happen is CBS runs a repeat episode of ‘Murder She Wrote’ that night. Go tell my friend’s parents how important this movie really is.”

Rather than gaining insight and perspective from the story they were telling and the experiences of the actual Indianapolis veterans, many of my colleagues used the film to heighten their own sense of self-importance.

One of our last days of filming, Maurice Bell showed up on set. Someone had discovered the Indianapolis veteran’s presence in town and invited him to attend. Bell would later be featured in documentarian Ken Burns’ The War.

The scene that day centered a hospital filled with survivors after their rescue.

As Bell wandered the room, he saw the actors and extras in their made-up wounds and sunburns. He just looked around and murmured, “They looked much worse than this. Much worse.”

Bell silently shook his head and shuffled away, seemingly in disbelief at the feebly attempted replication of genuine suffering and horror and the way some of our group seemed to feel as if they could in any way relate to what he endured.

I imagined he thought none could understand what it was like to offer yourself as grist, to willingly lose a portion of your soul and sanity for the welfare of others.

Pardon me if I don’t have much sympathy for Bale or those who enable this juvenile behavior but he seems to have little perspective on how lucky he truly is and what really matters in the world. Stars do this because it's allowed. Acquiescence is a form of approbation. It's enough to make one long for the old studio system.

I have to admit my perspective is tainted by my preexisting dislike for Bale. I’ve always thought he was a creep and his physical resemblance to George W. Bush only heightens that.

In common parlance, “somebody needs to beat his ass.” I’m glad I have yet another reason to ignore his "work."

However, this tirade is also on the director's head. He should have had the nerve to step in and extinguish something that went way too far--did you catch the sounds of what sounds like Bale physically going after the DP?--and wasted preciously expensive time during the shoot.

The director should have also noticed the lighting shifting as he watched through the monitor. Or was he even watching?

The line producer should've chewed McG's ass for this.

Though it happens far too much, in my book there's never an excuse for treating other people like this, especially when you are all supposed to be on "a team" together striving toward the same end.

All in all, it's just another part of the reason I prefer not to spend much money on the dreck that passes for movies these days. The entertainment business is far too full of itself.

[underseasurveyor]

52. I live with a retired DOP and his Producer wife

I'll just say that he has been retired since about the mid 90's so he's been in Hollywood a long, long time. He's still on the Motion Picture Academy Board of Governors though.

We were talking about this yesterday and both he and his wife said Bale would have gotten 30 seconds into his rant before either of them would have put him back in his place... or on his ass:evilgrin:

And these people are the sweetest most generous, easy going people I know. It is through these wonderful friends that I am now personal friends with Dennis and Elizabeth K. and even though I've been introduced to quite a few actors, last year at the rehearsal for the Oscars.. I got to meet Tom Hanks back stage:bounce: :woohoo: That was Too Cool:-)

[renate]

73. lucky you!

I'm totally envious that you know Dennis and Elizabeth, but you got to meet Tom Hanks too? :wow: From your bouncy guy and your woohoo, I'm guessing he was nice--which I'm happy to find out, because I've adored him for years.

[underseasurveyor]

77. Yes he is a completely real and total nice guy.

I keep asking my friends, since they have been friends with him for years, to have Tom and his wife over for dinner sometime. Either here at the house or on the boat and I'll do all the cooking and clean up. Which is part of what I do anyway in exchange for living here.

[Writer]

53. I think the DP should come out from hiding and get in front of the cameras, answer questions.

You know, show his face.

[Yavin4]

54. This Same Thing Happened To Chris Berman of ESPN -- VIDEO

Link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TLG_LtWhj4


Whenever you're working, doing whatever you do, you have to be focused. Anything that causes you to lose focus can also cause you to lose your cool. Sometimes being polite does not get your message across.

[misanthrope]

76. Did Berman try to come over the desk and go after someone?...

...That doesn't sound nearly as bad as what Bale did and Berman didn't hold up production with his fit.

[WI_DEM]

71. I'm not a filmmaker but have written four books on films and just think that Bale over-reacted and

has definite anger issues.

[Rob Gregory Browne]

80. I'm Sorry

But I won't judge a man based on a four minute snippet when I have no idea what happened, why it happened and just how bad it was. People lose their tempers. Did he go overboard? Probably. But maybe he was pushed to the limit and cracked. Maybe there were other factors involved.

The thing is WE DON'T KNOW.

So I think I'll judge him by his work and not worry about what he does on set. If you think movie sets are all happy smiley people, you live in a fantasy world.

rgb

[progressivebydesign]

81. Checking. in. Been on many movie sets and the DP is NOT someone you berate like that.

DPs are right up there with the directors. They can make or break a film (and make an actor look good or bad.) The DP would actually be filming the scene if the cameras ARE rolling, so I don't understand how the DP would be "wandering around" looking for a light while things are being shot (considering the DP is usually manning the main camera.) Sounds more to me, if the guy really was the DP, that Bale was rehearsing a scene when the person walked in his line of sight. I doubt the guy walked through the set while they were filming. I've been on set when they're filming and everyone gets so tense, and you're praying that you don't sneeze or even breathe. there is no one there that would not notice a scene being filmed. I heard in the tirade that the fellow said "I was looking for a light", which makes me wonder what the situation was, too.

I don't care how famous you are. I don't care if you're "very emotional in that scene", you don't treat people like that. Producers will find it more expensive to insure his films pretty soon, after the incident with the alleged assault against his mom and sister, and this outburst. You start getting a reputation and backers worry that you'll storm off a set, attack someone, or get thrown in jail. He needs to grow the fuck up.

IMHO, there are quite a few actors and musicians who have that personality type prone to huge outbursts like that, I've seen and heard about them in relation to many performers. It's usually attributable to personality disorders, addictions, and some are just that way because they've been groomed to be tyrants because they've been treated like royalty when inside they still hate themselves. Oh, and some are just complete assholes.

[NashVegas]

92. I Guess You

Haven't finished reading the whole thread, or other first-hand accounts. The DP was doing this during shooting, on more than one occasion, and ignored requests to stop doing it.

[misanthrope]

93. The fact he's been a "star" since he was a child...

...leads me to believe his environment has helped create this.

[Scout]

99. he was weird even before he was a star, when he was a child n/t