Christian Bale's angry tirade against the director of photography on the set of Terminator: Salvation has quickly become the hottest gossip item out there. The entire rant can be heard on YouTube along with a techno-remix. Interestingly enough, the story has people sharply divided on whether Bale had any business losing his temper with the guy in the first place. Just in case you haven't heard about it, Bale got upset because the DP was adjusting lights while they were filming a scene and was being distracting.

While I don't necessarily condone the extensive rant Bale went on, I completely understand why he did it. Though it may be hard to see justification in some of Bale's insults, they rang true to me. One of the most basic things I learned in film production was not to tinker with things while the camera is rolling. Wait until there is a cut. This was something you learn almost on Day 1. As parodied on the Colbert Report last night, this is the professional equivalent of walking in front of the camera. This guy was the director of photography, not a grip or production assistant. To get to that point, he must have worked for years in the business. To ignore this basic rule of on-set etiquette (numerous times if you believe some accounts) is extremely unprofessional and amateurish.

Bale didn't need to verbally destroy the guy like he did, but he most certainly had a good reason to upset with the man.