Film Director Stops Man From Proposing On The Movie Set, Now Accused Of Ruining The Relationship

"Some of the team felt bad and that we should just let the proposal happen"

Damjan

• Published in Interesting
• October 3, 2023

Family dynamics, life events, and the workplace are usually kept separate for a reason. But what happens when an occasion as special as a marriage proposal intersects with an academic project where time and money are at stake?

This is the story of a film student who found herself embroiled in a difficult situation when someone wanted to propose on her film set. A 22-year-old film undergrad was embarking on her final term project—a short film for which she served as both director and main writer.

Her team was granted permission to film at a busy local mall for just five hours, a time slot they couldn't exceed without facing a penalty that would blow their project's budget. On the day of filming, delays accumulated despite meticulous planning.

The team found themselves rushing to shoot their final scenes. They were down to their last 45 minutes when they encountered an unexpected obstacle: a group of people was standing in front of a wall of yellow balloons the team had set up for the final scene.

It turned out this group was waiting for their friend, who planned to propose to his girlfriend using the romantic backdrop the student film team had created. The film team was put in a difficult situation: allow the proposal to go forward and risk paying a hefty penalty or insist that the group leave so they could complete their project.

The director decided that her project's timeline couldn't accommodate the proposal. She even suggested that rushing through the event would spoil the moment for the couple.

Her request was met with loud arguments and shouting from the waiting friends. Eventually, mall security had to be called to resolve the situation.

Read the full story below:

OP writes:

A 22-year-old film undergrad was embarking on her final term project—a short film for which she served as both director and main writer.

On the day of filming, delays accumulated despite meticulous planning.

They were down to their last 45 minutes when they encountered an unexpected obstacle: a group of people was standing in front of a wall of yellow balloons the team had set up for the final scene.

The film team was put in a difficult situation: allow the proposal to go forward and risk paying a hefty penalty or insist that the group leave

Her request was met with loud arguments and shouting from the waiting friends.

OP has offered the following explanation for why they think they might be the asshole:

"Not his setup, not his time. Sounds like the type of guy to propose at a wedding."

He wanted a picture perfect background, but for free

"Some entitled randoms were trying to hijack everything."

OP should have called the mall security on them

Was OP supposed to count on this kind of interruption when allocating time?

This is not okay

It looks like OP did this girl a favor and showed her what boyfreind is really like

Given the stakes involved, the director's decision was entirely justified. Film projects, especially those of an academic nature, come with severe time constraints and budgets.

The student team had followed proper procedures and received the necessary permissions to use the space, making it their "territory," so to speak, for the duration of the filming.

Damjan