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  • Random Rep Questions

    Hi all,

    This is sort of an addendum to my last post regarding my manager.
    As I mentioned, she read one of my scripts that, admittedly, is different from anything I've ever done. I'd written it with the help/feedback of my former manager.

    Her response: "I like it a lot but I'm not sure what I can do with it." Ohhhhkay.

    She asked if I could make it a "bigger" story. Of course it's all about money, I get that. But the script is pretty tight. I'm struggling to come up with a solution to make it "bigger." Pyrotechnics? What? As it stands, it's a fantasy/love story.

    Have any of you received feedback like this? And if so, any suggestions other than to rewrite the whole damned thing? (I really don't want to do that.)

    Also, would you just ask your rep what the hell they think you should do?

    Second question: How often do you interact with your manager. I sometimes feel like I'm working in a vacuum and that if I don't hear from her, then I should just instinctively know that "nothing is happening."

    Should I hit her up weekly, ask, "Hey's who's reading? Who passed?" Etc.

    As usual, thanks for your help, guys. Have a great weekend.

  • #2
    Re: Random Rep Questions

    Originally posted by MargoChanning View Post
    Hi all,

    This is sort of an addendum to my last post regarding my manager.
    As I mentioned, she read one of my scripts that, admittedly, is different from anything I've ever done. I'd written it with the help/feedback of my former manager.

    Her response: "I like it a lot but I'm not sure what I can do with it." Ohhhhkay.

    She asked if I could make it a "bigger" story. Of course it's all about money, I get that. But the script is pretty tight. I'm struggling to come up with a solution to make it "bigger." Pyrotechnics? What? As it stands, it's a fantasy/love story.

    Have any of you received feedback like this? And if so, any suggestions other than to rewrite the whole damned thing? (I really don't want to do that.)

    Also, would you just ask your rep what the hell they think you should do?

    Second question: How often do you interact with your manager. I sometimes feel like I'm working in a vacuum and that if I don't hear from her, then I should just instinctively know that "nothing is happening."

    Should I hit her up weekly, ask, "Hey's who's reading? Who passed?" Etc.

    As usual, thanks for your help, guys. Have a great weekend.
    Sounds to me like her make it bigger note is a stakes issue. But tough to tell without knowing the script.

    As for contact with my manager, when we have a script out, it's almost daily. When we're developing, the gaps are longer; I usually don't talk to him unless we're doing a notes call or if some business popped up with something else. We have a good working relationship and get along on a personal level, so that helps. And right now, we have a few irons in the fire, so the most I don't hear from him (or him from me) is a few days.

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Random Rep Questions

      Originally posted by docgonzo View Post
      Sounds to me like her make it bigger note is a stakes issue. But tough to tell without knowing the script.

      As for contact with my manager, when we have a script out, it's almost daily. When we're developing, the gaps are longer; I usually don't talk to him unless we're doing a notes call or if some business popped up with something else. We have a good working relationship and get along on a personal level, so that helps. And right now, we have a few irons in the fire, so the most I don't hear from him (or him from me) is a few days.
      Good for you, docgonzo. Then I'm definitely out of the loop. Way out.

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Random Rep Questions

        I'd say at a minimum we text every other day. Probably 70/30 him reaching out versus me initiating. If we have something out we're probably on the phone every day.

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Random Rep Questions

          Originally posted by Satriales View Post
          I'd say at a minimum we text every other day. Probably 70/30 him reaching out versus me initiating. If we have something out we're probably on the phone every day.
          Thanks for the info.

          Now I'm wondering about the "viability" of this relationship, as I sit here on my posterior waiting for some word...of any kind.

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Random Rep Questions

            I interpret "bigger" to mean "more universal." I think sometimes we write something that's too specific to our life/experience, so it's not universal enough to appeal to an audience.

            But I suppose you should ask your manager to be sure.

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Random Rep Questions

              Originally posted by megablahblah View Post
              I interpret "bigger" to mean "more universal." I think sometimes we write something that's too specific to our life/experience, so it's not universal enough to appeal to an audience.

              But I suppose you should ask your manager to be sure.
              Well, being that this is a fantasy/love story that really has little to do with personal experience, you're right: I should ask her. Thank you.

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Random Rep Questions

                Personally, if I don't have anything specific to talk to my reps about, I am totally fine not hearing from them. By specific I mean in-house casting ideas, producer/financier meetings etc.

                My last jobs have been through my own contacts. My reps stepped in to negotiate the deals.

                I remember my first agent would bombard me with assignments and we would speak almost every day. Guess what? the pitch-to-success ratio of those gigs was horrific. I wasted SO much time. And yet by most accounts we were buds, hung out, texted etc.

                My new agent is all business: we barely shoot the ****. We get on the phone and don't waste any time with excruciating banter. I am mostly left alone. As soon as there's a spark with any of my projects he's immediately on the ball. And if I ask him to do something, 99% he'll just do it instead of getting into a dick-measuring contest about why he thinks it's a bad idea (unlike my first rep)

                Regarding your rep's note on scope/stakes... those are two big differences and you can't be expected to read his/her mind. Get her on the phone or better yet ask her over e-mail so she can send some semi-thoughtful ideas over.

                "I like it a lot but I don't know what I can do with it" is either "I don't think this will sell based on the current trends in the marketplace" or "I secretly don't love this and can't get behind it".

                So it sounds to me like you might have to do your own legwork on the project if you believe in it. Send it to people in the business you want to have look at it, Even something as silly as forwarding an e-mail from an exec who read and loved the script could change your rep's mind and sway them into throwing their weight around (assuming they have some).

                Or... get reviews on your own and figure out if the script is a gem or a turd. I know it's all subjective... but if you got a string of 8s and 9s from, say, The Black List, you'd know that you're sitting on something special. Same applies to a tsunami of negative criticism. If people universally poo on the script, perhaps your rep was ironically saving you from a much bigger ego bruising.

                I have not overcome my utter disdain for this process, and by Lawd do you have my sympathy.

                So in conclusion, my takeaways would be:

                1) Get at least 10 people to read it (not friends!!) and be honest with yourself about the reaction it generates.

                2) Keep your rep in check to ensure that "don't know what to do with it" isn't simply a dismissive and lazy way of saying he/she doesn't have time for you.

                3) Be prepared to pole vault over your rep if you TRULY think this script is worth risking your relationship over. Your voice > Your rep. You are not an employee of the management company, even though sometimes they make you feel like you are.

                I'll leave you with a final anecdote. Years ago I came up with a great 80s style horror film set in the New York City subway. I wanted it to feel like "The Thing" meets "The Descent". I had it all figured out.

                I pitched it to my manager at the time and was told that he "wouldn't know what to do with it". And that family films were all the rage. (I'm a noir/thriller guy. Family films?!?) I convinced myself that I could write a 21st century Goonies, that if I sold out JUST A LITTLE BIT I would open the doors to Noir Paradise and never look back.

                Conclusion: I spent 6 months working on what is undoubtedly the worst piece of **** I've ever written. Because I blindly followed my manager's 20 second critique, served between one conference call and the other, instead of listening to my instincts.

                I hope that helps.







                Originally posted by MargoChanning View Post
                Hi all,

                This is sort of an addendum to my last post regarding my manager.
                As I mentioned, she read one of my scripts that, admittedly, is different from anything I've ever done. I'd written it with the help/feedback of my former manager.

                Her response: "I like it a lot but I'm not sure what I can do with it." Ohhhhkay.

                She asked if I could make it a "bigger" story. Of course it's all about money, I get that. But the script is pretty tight. I'm struggling to come up with a solution to make it "bigger." Pyrotechnics? What? As it stands, it's a fantasy/love story.

                Have any of you received feedback like this? And if so, any suggestions other than to rewrite the whole damned thing? (I really don't want to do that.)

                Also, would you just ask your rep what the hell they think you should do?

                Second question: How often do you interact with your manager. I sometimes feel like I'm working in a vacuum and that if I don't hear from her, then I should just instinctively know that "nothing is happening."

                Should I hit her up weekly, ask, "Hey's who's reading? Who passed?" Etc.

                As usual, thanks for your help, guys. Have a great weekend.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Random Rep Questions

                  Thanks very much, TP. Very helpful advice.

                  Comment

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