Last Wednesday, after a rather mediocre performance on my final, I was on the Metra, headed north to Columbia’s Film Row Cinema where I sat in on a Q&A session with director, Jason Reitman. Over the past several years, Reitman has received acclaim for his films which include “Thank You for Smoking”, “Juno”, and “Up in the Air”, the last two resulting in Oscar nominations for Reitman for Best Director.
On December 16, Reitman will be releasing another film, “Young Adult”, written by Diablo Cody who also wrote “Juno”. “Young Adult” stars Charlize Theron as a teen-lit author who is fixated on her teenage glory days and returns to her hometown to reconnect with her now-married high school sweetheart.
After a screening of the movie (which I was unable to attend due to aforementioned final, boo) Reitman joined the audience in a Q&A session and answered questions concerning the movie as well as those pertaining to directing and the film industry, in general. When asked why he tended to feature antiheros (a tobacco lobbyist, a pregnant teen, a man who fires other for a living), Reitman admitted that he is attracted to conflicted characters, jokingly stating that “nice people are boring”. He underscored his desire to tell a story that flowed naturally, ensuring the honesty of scenes whether they involved crying or cracking jokes. Reitman also casually mentioned some actor named George Clooney and how it was delightful working with him. Who Clooney is, no one knows.
(Extra, Extra: Pieces of information about his upcoming project, “Labor Day” were divulged. The film will feature Josh Brolin and Kate Winslet and will be a drama about the 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s. Who’s excited?!)
Since I am not a film major and know little about the technicalities of movie-making, some of the questions asked went completely over my head. Yet, listening to Reitman’s words about achieving success as a director, I quickly realized that his overall message was universally applicable. Reitman emphasized the importance of developing one’s own voice as a director, a lesson that is relevant to any career. The process of creating a unique perspective will often be riddled with mistakes, an obstacle he assured was not one that we should fear or discourage us. We shouldn’t be afraid of the voice “nagging in the back of our heads”.
In our college years, many of us are conflicted with the direction we will take during and after college. In order to succeed, we have to dampen outside influence and follow what we believe is right for us, molding a position that perfectly suits us as individuals. Getting solid life advice from the man who directed shots of flailing penes and hamburger phone conversations, who knew?
Thanks to Paramount Pictures for giving Her Campus this opportunity!