Several Issues

Okay, so we have a lot of ground to cover and not much time.
The first issue I want to discuss is professionalism in the work place. In general, I am trying to adapt a more coherent, professional attitude toward work, and that way, you know, becoming more American and more detached, and I think as result perhaps better at what I do, may it be filmmaking, may it be market research or teaching too... Because when you are not worrying all the time about how things are perceived, you just have to make sure you have got your shit together, in fact, it is much easier... But yesterday, following a focus group, one of the clients asked me a question regarding quantitative research, and I was in the midst of answering her question, when she just turned her face, and listened in on another conversation going on, now, it was funny in a way, because I was slowing down my talking, until finally, I stopped and just looked at her, a bit puzzled by such behavior... WTF... One might ask ones self... Now, in regards to professionalism, am I supposed to poke her in the arm, and continue what I was saying, am I supposed to say amen, am I supposed to not do anything? In American corporate land, what happens? What would they do at Walker Information? I was a bit bummed... I know I shouldn't but I still get offended when people act like shits... What is funny is that when I get upset, immediately, my allergies get into hyper drive... In other news, I hate Jerusalem, the group was in Jerusalem, and I hate that town!
Okay, second issue is copy rights laws... Now, apparently, after a whole big fight, directors of video clips in Israel can get royalties from channel 24 for the airing of their videos... sounds good, no? Well, allow me to address the issue, this is problematic for several reasons... The first is that in order to know how many times your video has actually aired, officially, you must be a member of ACUM, the music artists that is... ACUM, not ACME, it is the "union" for musicians... whatevs... We all know what I feel about unions... So basically, you cannot get access to that information from 24, the music channel... Now... I love all these people that have the "I am owed" attitude to life... the problem with all this is very simple... When I directed my video for my friends band... they did not belong to ACUM, and I did not belong to TALI (that is the "union" or cartel whatevs you want to call it for script writers and directors - entry fee 150 shekels student fee) basically my friends sent the video and did not ask for any money... I asked nothing of them, as it was done in friendship and free of charge... It had not been contractually grounded that we deserve money for each screening...

Of course I want money, don't get me wrong... Why, of course I would rather get rich then give my money to other people. But what is with this "I am a poor victim" attitude... it makes me sick... Like the 70 agurot per screening, for the 5 times that most videos are screened on this one channel is what is going to pay my rent, parents are still financing most of these directors anyways... So you know... Again, whatevs... Instead of reshuffling the cards and trying to create a situation where the middle man, meaning these cartels wont exist... People might actually try to negotiate things that are good for them. These fucking unions get in the way, they state that 70 agurot is the price, and those "bastards will pay or else they will suffer..." fuck them, they don't represent me, like maybe I would rather have the video screened 5 more times instead of being paid 3.5 shekels... Maybe I would like them to help finance my next project... The options are boundless, and they can be based on mutual interest... and I think this may be the most potent point I am making... In what way is it good for anybody? Getting 10 pence per screening... for them or for me? Let's be honest, people in the film industry have to have money to do their projects... but because people are stupid, and succumb to conventional forms of thinking, they don't understand that what happens in the end is that we get nothing... and we cannot even negotiate... So fuck that shit... The problem is that in order to thik this way, you in fact have to have an optimistic point of view and outlook on people and life, and believe that people are not evil, that if my ultimate goal is not to screw everybody over in the world, then perhaps others don't want to do that either...? And who is to promise me that there is less evil in governments than in individual people? If to paraphrase Mark Twain, he said something like the real bastards, the real criminals are not the ones in my books, but the ones sitting in congress and government. I think that our current president, or shall I call him, serial rapist, sodomiser mother fucker is just one of many asses in government... no pun intended... he he he...

Of course, I wont say no if I should happen to find 3.5 shekels in my bank account, but first I have to join TALI 150 shekels, the band have to join ACUM probably the same fee.., WANKERS

I have more issues to discuss regarding low self esteem but I will save it for next entry, as I am in a rush, and my nose is drizzling