By Drew Dietsch
| Published
I was lucky to grow up in a time when home video releases happily featured in-depth documentaries about the making of movies. What made these so special is that they were often more candid looks behind the scenes than you’d expect. It would offer a glimpse into the real struggles, conflicts, and resolutions that are part of the artistic process.
As studios became more controlling with what audiences were allowed to see about movie production, these kinds of “warts and all” documentaries became fewer and further between. Instead, most making-of material now feels extensively canned and prepackaged in order to maintain a squeaky clean appearance for whatever the studio/brand may be.
Which is why I was so thankful to see this clip from the documentary “Adventures in Making Superman” in which a legitimate creative conflict was captured on camera between James Gunn and the Last Son of Krypton himself.
Actors and Directors
In the clip which you can view above, actor David Corenswet is giving the climactic speech of the entire film. After doing a few takes of the speech, Corenswet begins to doubt the validity of his performance. He questions why Clark would say something after getting a piece of emotional information from an earlier scene. James Gunn eventually has to get out of his director’s chair and confront Corenswet as they are conversing about this creative impediment.
I’m sure soulless online grifters in the entertainment space who care more about lying headlines than worthwhile content have framed this moment as, “James Gunn Fights With Superman Star In SHOCKING Clip From On Set!!!” What it actually is happens to be the kind of unfiltered creative moment I used to learn about when watching all those movie documentaries I mentioned at the beginning.
I’ve done both amateur and professional stage acting, I’ve been in a low-budget movie, and I’ve worked in other creative collectives. Like any profession, it comes with challenges and obstacles. People like to make fun of actors but what they do requires more than just talent. Acting is a craft and that process is an important one. It’s why you see actors who like working with certain directors over and over again because there is a respect for the craft being displayed both ways.
The Human Struggle Is Real and Important
It’s also nice to see this kind of moment because it’s a reminder that art is a human endeavor, and that means human struggles go into making a piece of art the best it can be. As more automated and inhuman elements poison the artistic landscape, seeing two actual artists have a confrontation in an effort to achieve a shared goal is inspiring in the extreme.
James Gunn and David Corenswet aren’t fighting in that clip, they are doing the work of humans. They are talking it out, sharing perspectives on ideas in order to reach a truth they both want to find. I hate to sound so mushy and overblown about a bit of workplace problem solving caught on camera, but it was reaffirming to see this kind of truth about creativity shown in a clip from the making of a movie about a guy that flies around in pajamas.
We need to be reminded of the human factor in art more than ever, and this little clip from Superman (available at home on PVOD and still in theaters) is the kind of thing I’d love to see more of from behind the scenes of modern movie productions.
