My 2 cents on the DRESS CODE topic.

Collapse

Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • #31
    Re: Lord Thunderin' Jaysus...

    I once had a bet with my little brother:

    If I was the first one to finish one of our prospective literary productions, he'd have to wear a pair of assless chaps and buy a copy of Blueboy from our local newshop.

    If he won, I can't even tell you the horror of what I'd have to do.

    We decided on a draw.

    Comment


    • #32
      Re: Lord Thunderin' Jaysus...

      <!--EZCODE BOLD START--> WHEN<!--EZCODE BOLD END--> I write my breakthrough script, and
      <!--EZCODE BOLD START--> ONCE<!--EZCODE BOLD END--> I've re-written it, fixed it, polished it, and
      <!--EZCODE BOLD START--> AFTER<!--EZCODE BOLD END--> it's created an absolute storm of activity in LA, and
      <!--EZCODE BOLD START--> IF<!--EZCODE BOLD END--> an agent thinks it's so good they'll take a chance on an unknown, and
      <!--EZCODE BOLD START--> ASSUMING<!--EZCODE BOLD END--> said agent can get a studio interested, and
      <!--EZCODE BOLD START--> AFTER<!--EZCODE BOLD END--> I've flown across the world at the studio's expense to meet the "bigwigs"...

      ...well hell, I'll probably wear a loincloth and flog myself repeatedly across my back with a briar stick throughout the meeting.

      No promises, though. I might wear a suit... naaah.

      Comment


      • #33
        Re: Lord Thunderin' Jaysus...

        The floging thing has worked in the past. This is how Damon and Affleck got "Good Will Hunting" made.

        Comment


        • #34
          Well, flog me...

          You mean I'm on to something?

          :lol

          Comment


          • #35
            Re: Well, flog me...

            Daphne, wear the hiking boots... It'll strike a subconscious "This person cares about the earth" tone.

            And yech on the sweaters? CHEESE AND RICE it's been hot this weekend. In the 80s up here by Magic Mountain!

            Comment


            • #36
              Re: Well, flog me...

              Ye Gods. Eighties is August weather around these heah parts. My body's going to be in shock. They may be stuck with t-shirts.

              Comment


              • #37
                Re: Well, flog me...

                EDITED TO CLARIFY MY POINT (I admitted I was only running on one cup of coffee at the time).

                Think of every meeting as an audition, and every producer is a casting director, and when we walk in for the "part" of the writer, and we're dressed like a producer, their first reaction to us is going to be that we're not what they're looking for.

                It may even be defensive, as if we're competing for their part.
                And that makes them feel as though they would be constantly butting heads with us.

                If we come dressed like their expectation of a creative-minded person, we can get past the "look" and start getting into what matters for a writer.

                Now, if someone has it set in their mind that anything other than a business suit is dressing like a slob, and is degrading, then I guess you have to go with what you feel (what do I know, I live in PA and have never been near L.A.).

                But I can definitely see the psychology behind NOT dressing in business attire.

                Comment


                • #38
                  Re: Well, flog me...

                  kklstef, let's talk more about this over lunch.

                  I'll wear my Oscar Dela Renta...


                  Comment


                  • #39
                    Re: Well, flog me...

                    Oscar who?

                    never heard of him. (I like those JCPenney suits...)

                    Can I wear my favorite Penn State sweatshirt? There's a hole between the P and E, I think, if you get the right angle, you can see some cleavage.

                    Comment


                    • #40
                      Flog me, Baby

                      Kklstef -- so what you're saying, then, is that we need to "dress down" in order to fulfill the low expectations that producers and executives have for writers. Perfect, that's just the kind of empowering attitude a writer needs when he/she goes into a meeting. You go girl! Imagine if every salesman thought that he was selling only his product and not himself. What a world, what a world.

                      Comment


                      • #41
                        Re: Flog me, Baby

                        Low expectations, no....expectations, yes.

                        I'm saying that if you want the part, dress the part. They're not looking for a businessman, they're looking for a writer.

                        How do we dress like a writer? However we want, as long as we're not dressing like a businessman.

                        That's what I'm saying.

                        Now maybe some of us have been in the business world so long that we believe that the only "good" way to dress is businesslike. And that anything else is being a slob.

                        That's not what I see. I think business attire is just one choice, not any better or worse.

                        Comment


                        • #42
                          Re: Flog me, Baby

                          I think kklstef has a valid point here.

                          Remember, you're dealing with a bunch of people who deal with the business of ACTING every single day, every minute of the day.

                          The actor's gotta look like an archeologist. The director's gotta look like Cecil B. DeMille. The producer's gotta look like he's presenting to the board of directors.

                          You're not just the writer of a screenplay. You're a player in the industry, PLAYING THE ROLE of a writer -- auditioning for the part at every pitch.

                          You walk in to audtion for Shakespeare in a tux, yeah they might hear you if you, and you might get the part if you're Kenneth Branagh. You want to play Sandy in Grease but you're dressed like a lumberjack, folks might not give your performance the best score. But you dress the part, without being gaudy, and you audition the role of writer and you look the role of writer... by golly, maybe it's true that you'll have that much better a chance of getting the job of writer.

                          Comment


                          • #43
                            Re: Flog me, Baby

                            Thank you, dclary, that was exactly what I was trying to express.

                            Also to add: the suit is a wonderful look, shows you care. But I don't know the producers want the writers to care too much. They care too much, they may prove to be difficult while defending their "baby".

                            Comment


                            • #44
                              Re: psychological perspective

                              Actually kk is onto something here...

                              Everyone has preconceived notions of how others in the business are supposed to look. From executives, to agents, to actors, to writers - everyone has a kind of look that falls into a category.

                              Now, if you walk into a meeting and are dressed like an executive, you risk the possibility of people in that room thinking, on a subconscious level that maybe you cannot write - since you don't look like a writer.

                              Hollywood is all about perception. If you look and act the role, people will take you seriously. If not, well then....

                              Of course, These rules ONLY apply when one is starting out, like myself, and it is important on how others perceive you. After you've made it, whip out the Boss suits and dress however you want. They'll already KNOW you can write.

                              WJ

                              Comment


                              • #45
                                Re: psychological perspective

                                The original point was not whether or not you CAN wear a suit, but whether or not you HAVE to wear a suit.

                                The original poster, by all accounts a newbie who's never sold anything or been to a meeting, stated emphatically that, dude, you'd better dress up for the big wigs. This is OBVIOUSLY not the case, and anyone who's remotely familiar with Hollywood would know better. Bad advice from someone who shouldn't be giving it at all.

                                Personally, I would regard any new writer who went into a meeting wearing a suit as a rube, a woefully naive beginner who took lessons on what to wear from his mother. Not only would I not regard this person as confident or powerful, I would feel that I could pretty much take advantage of him on any kind of deal.

                                If your goal is to be judged on your writing and not on what you're wearing, then a suit is exactly the wrong answer. A suit will draw much more attention to your clothes than jeans and a t-shirt.

                                Comment

                                Working...
                                X