Q & As
All over for Crude The Title?
Complete question
Hello all,
The lovely Al Duvernay accidentally suggested a new title for Crude mid-interview yesterday: The Age Of Stupid.
I think it may be better. And everyone we've tried it out on so far - "Are you more likely to go and see a film called 'Crude' or 'The Age of Stupid'", all went for it. Whaddyallreckon?
And the t-shirts would be great - "stupid" in great big letters and "the age of" much smaller, so people would be walking round calling themselves stupid, which, let's face it, we all are. (Just read that the average christmas family lunch travels 64,000 miles).
Any other ideas for the title?
Thanks,
Franny
sylvia,
25.05.07
It may be too late for a title change but here are my thoughts. I think people don't normally associate 'crude' with oil. However you could capitalise on 'An Inconvenient truth' eg. Inconveniently Crude, or The Crude Truth. Age of Stupid is quite a put down- people don't like being told they are stupid. Again mix the two eg Stupidy Crude- or Crude Stupidity. Or go right away from it all - eg The Oily Bird (catches the worm!)
For what it's worth I have always thought Crude is an excellent name. Ambiguous, catchy, assertive, layered with meaning. The age of stupid narrows the sense of the film and sounds preachy and superior (which you may justifiably feel - but it's not going to do anything for the cause).
Naser.
Hey Franny
I love both Crude and The Age of Stupid. The Age of Stupid is more compelling. It's also more judgemental, so might it put off people who aren't already fully awake? Just wondering. I think it's a great name.
And it doesn't have to be your last visit to New Orleans. I'm sure there's a way of travelling over land, across Russia on a train and then a boat ride across the Bering Strait and down through Alaska and Canada.
Best wishes
T
On the title - Valerie Sinason who works with multiply abused children/adults says the origin of the word stupid is from stupefied which has a link with extreme fear - a person can be so stupefied/in terror that they cannot think, hence stupid. It's another take on the age of terror bush-style because I think we are made stupefied/in terror/stupid by the enormity of the problem facing the globe and how we can impact on it when there is so little positive collective action with which to engage.
Love Sue xxxx
Actually, I prefer Crude.Short, aggressive, rude-sounding, ear-catching.
Jenny.
yep, love The Age of Stupid too. Crude was a great working title but TAOS is more compelling... hx
I have to agree with Robert about the main storyline and target. There are many agents at play in the climate change agenda, but none have done more to obscure the science and prevent progress than the oil industry. They effectively run US government, which says it all.
I think the double-entendre of CRUDE is absolutely excellent. It is sharp and simple - and defines the main problem in a word. But at the end of the day, what's in a name? If an alternative name is assessed as getting more bums on seats then so be it. I am not too keen on AOS, because it suggests that we are all stupid and hopeless. We're not. Well.... ok, I'm not entirely sure....! Maybe you could test the possible names further for bum-seatability.
Good luck - you're doing great stuff,
Jeremy
have them both....
CRUDE A film about The Age of STUPID
Chris
I don't know - letting "The Man" name the film?! Next thing he'll slap an injunction on you claiming royalties because you used his name! Are you going to get sponsorship from Shell too?
Seriously, I think I prefer Crude - it does exactly what it says on the tin. Is there a copyright or domain availability problem with it or something? Let the audience pay their money and sit in a seat before you start insulting them!
Maybe you could have a comp amongst crude insiders if you're not happy with the name Crude?
Rob
"Crude" has slight connotations that it might be a porn film! Age of Stupid is nicely intriguing
Similar theme came out in Jared Diamonds excellent book "Collapse" (Read it if you haven't!)
Anne
Hi there,
AOS is very nice. Crude was powerful but unaccurate, I felt.
Love,
Mark
Hi Franny and Lizzie,
A quick reaction to the name change:
1. I think people are starting to be wary/tired of the worthy documentary (viz the reviews of who killed the electric car), so the Age of Stupid title would put me and them off. It is too clever for its own good. Conversely, the double entendre of Crude should catch the attention of many roving eyes.
2. Is the film being reoriented to a general lament about climate change or what I was hoping for, a sharp edgy expose of the fossil-fuel companies who are killing the planet (like Tobacco companies kill smokers) set within the ever more apparent onset of catastrophic climate change?
3. Stick to your guns. It is the oil companies who are the real villains (drug pushers). They could stop investing in extracting more fossil fuel and put their vast resources into renewables. PLEASE make this film put them in the limelight and attack them for all you're worth. This is Crude's USP.
4. Don't be beguiled by your oil man - deflecting blame in the direction of everybody. Of course lots of oil company employees are lovely people. But as RH brings home, the situation has got far too serious to accept that status quo. As Monbiot says, we should all devote our lives to preventing climate change. That means all intelligent people involved in fossil-fuel use (well-to-wheel) should resign their jobs and do something more benign.
5. An Inconvenient Truth has done the soft sell on climate change and was palatable to the oil companies - BP sponsored the Al Gore lecture I went to in London this February, for God's sake. We have to start landing punches on the ultimate spreaders of climate change if there is to be any hope of stopping them (and it).
I could go on.... my vote is stick with Crude
All the best
Robert
I loved the name Crude from the beginning and don't think you should change it .... but you could still do the t-shirts!
Best wishes,
Jessie
I prefer Crude (particularly if accompanied by the right sort of graphic), but I'm not sure whether I would go to either.
Back to the drawing board?
With good wishes
Bill
Oh yes, I like it too. It ask lots of questions, and is rather intriguing, as well as somewhat startling. I always felt that Crude was a little, well, crude. AOS also fits the newer themes (i.e. not just about oil) better. The T-shirts idea reminds me of "I'm with stupid" T-shirts you used to see... Mark
At first I thought - yes good title - but then I worry that we have to get more people on board and it could be interpreted as, 'anyone who doesn't agree is stupid' ?? which could alienate people
Martin
Franny, Lizzie
How can you not enjoy the wall to wall luxury of your Holiday Inn muzak? You haven't got to think, work, do anything, or even digest much as pre-formed nutrition is fed to you - just think of the benefits.
The Age of Stupid is neat, and more catchy than Crude. Interesting to note how poorly Al Gore seems to have screened over here...
Andy
Franny
Be careful - you've been living with the title for months (years ?) - but most of us haven't - Crude is new to almost everyone - and it's good. Maybe it's a bit boring to you, a bit out-of-date - a new one is exciting and alluring - but don't let the glamour of a novelty kid you.
Crude is stark, brutal, short, catchy, neat, and sexy - it's got double and treble meanings - the word is surely going to be used in the course of the film many times ("stupid" may be too, I suppose). And it describes at least a chunk of the film very neatly.
The Age of Stupid is ok-ish - but it doesn't convey what the film is about nearly so well, and it doesn't have any of the attributes that Crude has.
As for T-shirts - well, they're not the film - it doesn't really matter whether they sell or not. I'd say Stick to Crude - or if you're dissatisfied with it, ask us all for new ideas - I'm sure we could do better than The Age of Stupid. Hope this is helpful (though I know it's not what you're wanting to hear).
Adrian