Does going against your manager mean you should get a new manager?

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  • Does going against your manager mean you should get a new manager?

    I knew the kind of manager my manager was when I signed up with him. He doesn't produce but his company does. And they try to get their writers to write stuff that align with the stuff they want to make. Again, I'm fine with that and actually everything aligned quite nicely for my most recent script.

    That being said, for my next script I'm leaning towards something that's probably not very commercial (period piece, Asian lead). I feel like I know my manager is going to say write something else. But there's just something in me that's dying to write this script.

    My question is, if I decide to write it anyway, is this automatically a sign that a need a new manager? Do I spring it on him and see what he thinks and then re-evaluate? Do I write it on the side and come up with something my manager and I agree on?

  • #2
    Re: Does going against your manager mean you should get a new manager?

    Originally posted by slupo View Post
    I knew the kind of manager my manager was when I signed up with him. He doesn't produce but his company does. And they try to get their writers to write stuff that align with the stuff they want to make. Again, I'm fine with that and actually everything aligned quite nicely for my most recent script.

    That being said, for my next script I'm leaning towards something that's probably not very commercial (period piece, Asian lead). I feel like I know my manager is going to say write something else. But there's just something in me that's dying to write this script.

    My question is, if I decide to write it anyway, is this automatically a sign that a need a new manager? Do I spring it on him and see what he thinks and then re-evaluate? Do I write it on the side and come up with something my manager and I agree on?
    I think you should just tell him about the idea. Let him know it's something you're super passionate about, and you're going to write it one way or the other. See what he thinks. Maybe he'll surprise you and actually like it. Regardless, a good manager knows that you can only write a great script when it's something you want to write. And a good script, regardless of genre, can get you money (be it through an eventual sell, or meetings leading to assignment, etc.)

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    • #3
      Re: Does going against your manager mean you should get a new manager?

      What Cthulu said.

      If you have an idea you love, write it - it results in a better script than chasing someone else's wants. The script that did more for me than any other was one that had little chance of selling (period movie in Asia, coincidentally) and I thought my manager would nip the idea in the bud. But he didn't, he believed in my passion and was supportive. I poured my heart into it, and that script changed my whole career trajectory. Go for it. Hopefully your manager will see your passion, but make sure to impart it effectively in your talk.
      https://twitter.com/DavidCoggeshall
      http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1548597/

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      • #4
        Re: Does going against your manager mean you should get a new manager?

        Remember, your manager works for you, not the other way around. When you write what you love, it's the best of you and your craft.
        "Arguing that you don't care about the right to privacy b/c you have nothing to hide is no different than saying you don't care about free speech because you have nothing to say." -- Edward Snowden

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        • #5
          Re: Does going against your manager mean you should get a new manager?

          Write what you need to write. If you feel it in you trying to get out, those are usually the best scripts. This is also your opportunity to see where your manager stands on you as an artist versus him as a producer. He can be supportive of your passion and growth as a writer or he can think about what's best for HIS company. I hope he thinks about you. And kick ass on the script.

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          • #6
            Re: Does going against your manager mean you should get a new manager?

            Originally posted by slupo View Post
            for my next script I'm leaning towards something that's probably not very commercial (period piece, Asian lead)
            Sure thing, kiddo - you write the script you gotta write. I'm just gonna need you to go ahead and change the period to now, and the location to here, so that would be terrific, okay
            Know this: I'm a lazy amateur, so trust not a word what I write.
            "The ugly can be beautiful. The pretty, never." ~ Oscar Wilde

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            • #7
              Re: Does going against your manager mean you should get a new manager?

              Oh and if you wouldn't mind changing the race of the lead to something a little more I dunno white, that would be great...(sry could resist!)

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              • #8
                Re: Does going against your manager mean you should get a new manager?

                Thank you for all this encouraging advice. My passion has always been crime noir, particularly the '40s. Everytime when movies come out set in the '40s and '50s, I feel encouraged. Somebody believed in those stories and the time period didn't daunt the moviemakers. I know however I most likely will need to "break the ice" with a script set in current times, which I have also written, however I feel in my heart my "best" are my noir stories becuz they DO come from my heart and are what I would pay to see.
                Last edited by Nostalgialover; 08-13-2016, 09:03 AM. Reason: grammar

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                • #9
                  Re: Does going against your manager mean you should get a new manager?

                  Thanks all. Good advice as always.

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                  • #10
                    Re: Does going against your manager mean you should get a new manager?

                    Am I the only one confused here?

                    So does the OP's manager only try to produce scripts that come from his own stable of writers (i.e. he/she attaches talent and has the script, so goes to another production company and asks for a packaging fee and producer credit), or is the manager shopping around for gigs, showing off the OP's writing samples?

                    Or maybe this manager's doing both... in which case, I'd like an in.

                    Anyway, I'm asking because if the manager's only interested in scripts he/she thinks that he can pin a director and/or lead performer to, is that really a manager? Does the writer still get an option payment?
                    Cufk, Tish, Sips.

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                    • #11
                      Re: Does going against your manager mean you should get a new manager?

                      Originally posted by Grandmaster View Post
                      Am I the only one confused here?

                      So does the OP's manager only try to produce scripts that come from his own stable of writers (i.e. he/she attaches talent and has the script, so goes to another production company and asks for a packaging fee and producer credit), or is the manager shopping around for gigs, showing off the OP's writing samples?

                      Or maybe this manager's doing both... in which case, I'd like an in.

                      Anyway, I'm asking because if the manager's only interested in scripts he/she thinks that he can pin a director and/or lead performer to, is that really a manager? Does the writer still get an option payment?
                      It's both. The latest spec I wrote was a combination of an article he showed me for inspiration and an idea I already had boiling in my head. If the company likes it, they'll start trying to package it and send it out.

                      He also set up a meeting with a producer who liked my writing sample and gave me my first paid writing assignment.

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                      • #12
                        Re: Does going against your manager mean you should get a new manager?

                        Hey, all great stuff. I'd love to know who your rep is, if you would PM me?

                        I was repped before but he only seemed to want stuff that he could attach a director to. He said that they worked with "BIG European company" and "MEDIUM Hollywood company" and could get me paid gigs, but then he never showed my work around and nothing came of it. At the time, I didn't think much of it when he didn't suggest edits to the script that won him over nor went out with it, because I was too busy with other projects to pay it much mind. I was trying to focus on making his job easier.

                        Then, I made a post here about a mate of mine whose manager was asking for 15% and requesting the kind of things he could pin some actor or director that their firm repped to, so that he could go off to another company and ask for a packaging fee and producer credit.
                        Those more in the know told me that my mate was being "hip-pocketed" - a phrase I'd never even heard of... but then I started to wonder if I was too!

                        So yeah, I'm definitely looking for someone who can get me paid assignments and/or shop my work around. I don't mind if they try to package a small script with their existing connections as long as it builds up some buzz for me as a writer.

                        What I don't need though, is another person building my hopes up when they don't plan on working for me and taking their what's-due, but trying to get me to knock out scripts so that they can play producer.
                        I think, "SHOW ME THE MONEY!" sums it up.
                        Last edited by Grandmaster; 08-23-2016, 10:08 PM. Reason: Added a missed word for clarity.
                        Cufk, Tish, Sips.

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