Dear Confluence Films,
Judging by your comment, your feelings were a little hurt when I published a less than flattering review of your latest DVD yesterday.
I’m sorry if this isn’t the kind of review you like to see, but I call it like I see it. I would’ve loved to have wrote a glowing review of your movie, but it would be a disservice to my readers to lie through my teeth. Ya see, if I told them it was decent, and then they went and bought it only to find out that it wasn’t, I’d lose all credibility.
You guys filmed at 6 of the premier locations in the western hemisphere and came back with a 70 minute guide/outfitter promo. Which isn’t surprising considering the fact that you- assuming I’m talking to producer Jim Klug- are the Founder and Director of Operations for Yellow Dog Flyfishing Adventures, L.L.C., and that you have worked in the fly fishing industry as a guide, sales rep, and travel coordinator.
I understand your desire to promote your best interests, as I work for the company who sent me that DVD free of charge. They love it when I write a good review cause it sends trillions of dollars- okay, maybe a couple hundred- in revenue their way every year. Fortunately, they also understand that by me giving an honest review, my readers will trust that I’m not feeding them a line of garbage, thus flocking to their storefront when I say a product is worth buying.
All these years, it has been the fly fishing magazine industry who has worked to serve it’s sponsors best interests, while sacrificing it’s own integrity by providing dishonesty to it’s readers; and now we open a new chapter in fly fishing media where we can’t even watch a movie without wondering if the film makers have an ulterior motive. How ironic that one of your partners, The Drake Magazine, broke the magazine mold of the past, but is helping you to bring back the BS- this time to our DVD players.
Tisk, tisk, tisk.
Thankfully, the fly fishing world now has plentiful choices when it comes to film makers. Beattie Outdoor Productions, Rollcast Productions, and Felt Soul Media immediately come to mind. I’m sure if you gave them a call, they’d be more than happy to show you how to make a good movie. Hey, I’m just trying to help.
Sincerely,
40 Rivers To Freedom
7 Responses
Boooyaaaaaaaaaaa. Nice.
Posted on November 24th, 2009 at 8:50 am
and boom goes the dynamite
Posted on November 24th, 2009 at 9:28 am
Maybe I am not the only one that has noticed that the Drake isn’t what it used to be?
Posted on November 24th, 2009 at 9:29 am
Thanks guys
Hatchless, I really can’t say as I’ve only been reading it for the past 3 or 4 years, but what I can say is as far as print mags go, it’s still the best out there. I imagine it’s gotta be tough to keep such a high level of content in 3 issues each year, compared to 1 or 2 the way it used to be.
Posted on November 24th, 2009 at 9:38 am
40 Rivers to Freedom:
For Fishermen With Cojones!
I enjoyed the honesty. We need more of that these days.
Posted on November 24th, 2009 at 10:09 am
It’s good to hear a real review – the only thing the major outlets give us is product “awareness”; they let us now what’s new but not what’s good. You never get an actual product review anymore.
Posted on November 28th, 2009 at 4:36 pm
It’s about effing time.
Drift stunk, Rise stunk, and chances are good that if Confluence Films doesn’t heed your criticism, its work will always stink. Also notably malodorous is Raising the Ghost, for the same reasons; the format for these and most fly fishing DVDs these days – filmed interviews of anglers who uncreatively rehash what is shown in the footage – went stale almost immediately after The Hatch came out.
We can’t really fault the filmakers’ abilities or intentions; their work is visually beautiful and many of them raise, if almost in a forced way, conservation issues that we should be aware of. I think, however, that as fish porn these films resemble real porn in the worst possible ways. Basically, we get a lot of formula, flat and boring dialogue as a set up to what we really want to see, which is hot and sweaty action (soundtrack required). If taken to the extreme as it is in fishing DVDs, this model leaves the viewer saying, “I didn’t pay to watch you talk.”
A more egregious similarity to real porn is these films’ transparent celebration of the genitalia of their makers, who also happen to be their “stars”. The locations, fish, skill requirements (won’t talk about expense though; just notice the Simms waders I’m wearing while playing basketball with my fellow guides)are eons beyond what the normal nonstudly angler can even handle. These characters would be loath to admit it, but it’s clear that they’re dying to be the Leftys, the Whitlocks, and Kriegers of their generation, and I’m tickled to no end by this. Over the past few years, I’ve actually heard plenty of insults from these “totally major sticks” leveled against our aging legends, the gist of which is that they are nothing more than shameless self-promoters.
OK, so I’m ranting. I’m just sick of this stuff from these janitors who do nothing more than sweep up after the guys who did all the work. From these wannabes who take themselves so incredibly seriously while pretending for all they’re worth that they’re not. From these hypocrites decrying hoity toity, whoop dee doo, private water elitist fly fishing, while keeping addresses in Aspen, Jackson Hole, Sun Valley, Telluride. It’s Confluence Films, AEG, Team Flyboy (are you kidding me?), and it has ALWAYS been Drake.
Fly fishing media is in big trouble if these are the torchbearers of the future.
Posted on December 9th, 2009 at 2:41 pm
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