The Franchise is the PERFECT guide to make low-budget cinema

From the moment the fever of adapting comics to the big screen developed, I have asked myself how it would be to make a movie like this one. I could even say I was tempted by the idea of directing one sometime—even though it sounds pretty distant now. But all this changed after watching Max's new series The Franchise, created by Jon Brown, who I sincerely didn't detect on my radar before. Actually, this series sparked two things in me. Firstly, my immediate thought was "okay, I'm going to keep wondering how these franchises are made instead of being part of them." Secondly, I reaffirmed my love for cinema… the less commercial one, at least.

I can spark off a debate about what's commercial cinema and what isn't, but I will leave it for another article. What's the goal of those who accept to participate in this business? I could say it's just fame and money, but there are also people who are really passionate about comics and would give everything they have to be on a set like this one. Where's the line between passion and wanting to be famous and escalate in Hollywood drawn? The story is told from Daniel Kumar's (Himesh Patel) point of view, the first assistant director in a superhero movie. He's an ambitious and dedicated man intending to show everything he knows so someone would notice him.

Eric Bouchard (played by polylingual actor Daniel Brühl) is above Daniel as a renowned director who believes he can fall off the cooperative wave he willingly decided to ride in a prostitution act that almost all directors with minimum talent decide to carry out nowadays. We also meet the diabolic producer Anita, whom he had a "romantic" relationship with a while ago. She tries to influence him and change his whole outlook when she steps in as Justin's replacement, Eric's reliable producer. In addition, we have Dag, his new assistant director with the voice of reason, and Adam, a naive—and egomaniac—actor lacking talent who only focuses on looking at the magazines he appears in.

The movie being produced is titled "Tecto" and is part of a franchise that's losing its power due to another movie titled "Centurios," which is being shot practically next door with apparently better budgetary decisions. Just like if Guardians of the Galaxy and Ant-Man were fighting to see who's got better sets, suits, etc. This situation makes almost everyone at the "Tecto" production jealous, especially Eric, triggering almost absurd and illogical decisions. The show has a pretty similar tone to one of my favorite shows of all-time, Barry. The inappropriate jokes, the pauses and the ridiculous mise-en-scène. HBO always stands out for its authorship and this isn't the exception.       

WHAT ARE THE FRANCHISE'S MOST IMPORTANT LESSONS?

1. NEVER STOP BELIEVING IN YOURSELF

It may sound cheesy and I say this even though I don't fully believe in the word. But regardless of whether we're talking about cinema or any other career, never give up. Despite its irreverent tone, the series ends with an amazing message presented in its last minutes, literally in the last ones. If you truly have a vision and completely believe in it, don't abandon it for other people's interests. Support your vision, believing in yourself doesn't make you a bad person. That push is what makes people who actually materialize their vision with their work stand out from those who solely believe they have a vision. 

2. HOLLYWOOD SUCKS (MOST OF THE TIMES)

This is very contradictory to the first lesson, but that doesn't mean it's less realistic. Yes, you probably already know it, but there still are many people who believe in fairy tales. We can be on top of the world today and be forgotten by Hollywood tomorrow. We've seen many actors and directors go from walking on red carpets and in dozens of movies to then ask "hey, do you remember…?" The journey is harder than it's supposed to be and if you have ever thought about going to Los Angeles with a camera to test your luck, you might want to give it a second thought. 

3. ALWAYS THINK ABOUT OTHERS

Chaos is always present on set, but more so when cooperative pressure consumes your brain for what longing to belong to Hollywood's money wheel requires. Daniel is overworked but he still manages to bring creative and efficient solutions to the table while Eric takes a nap and tries to make the project more "artistic." In a way, the series demonizes these pseudo-intellectual filmmakers who want to make movies deeper by incorporating personal stories in superhero films and don't understand no one wants to see that on screen. Deflating the ego is a healthy process in cinema, a collective art. Nonetheless, there's a scene in which we also see how a special effects artist decides to hurt himself when he isn't listened to, reminding us of the power words and treatment have in an environment marked by superficiality.
 

Posted on DECEMBER 17, 2024, 02:03 AM | UTC-GMT -3

If you liked this article remember to give it a 👉 LIKE, put it in your FAVORITES, COMMENT 🗣️ , and FOLLOW ME for more movie and series content 📽