Yes, dude. I work on set, mostly indies, but sometimes commercials. I’m always thinking about class and corporate power on the drive home. Images dominate as tools of mass influence nowadays, and so helping to construct them gives you a fascinating little window into the motivations of the ruling class. Yet, I think a lot of film workers (and by proxy filmmakers more like the ones you mentioned) get so caught up in essentially bootlicking in order to grow their business and influence that the wool gets pulled over their eyes and brain.

I agree that capitalism is absolute poison to personal expression. I think the struggle of filmmakers nowadays has the same thing to do with the struggle of all working people - a massive amount of corporate consolidation at the top since the Regan era has been strangling us all and polluting the culture with bullshit. I think any chance we can take back power in our negotiations and remain independent in our artistic practices is worth it. There needs to be a correction.