Done Deal Managers

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  • #46
    Re: Done Deal Managers

    I actually feel that the quality of conversation on this board has drastically improved, even if the quantity has fallen off.

    I appreciated the pros for being here, but they also brought out an army of noobs. People who would argue with the pros for the sake of trying take down a big-shot, or people who would cuddle up to the pros for the sake of cultivating an industry "in". The conversations just ended up running in circles.

    But since all of that quieted down, the remaining population has been the "middle class" of screenwriters. The semi-pros. There are a LOT of people asking about whether they should accept an offer, or sign with a particular manager. The proportion of repped (or previously repped) writers on this board seems very high. Most of the regular posters seem to have been writing and hustling for years, navigating the trenches.

    The overall tone has gotten much more supportive and informative.

    Comment


    • #47
      Re: Done Deal Managers

      Originally posted by Bunker View Post
      I actually feel that the quality of conversation on this board has drastically improved, even if the quantity has fallen off.

      I appreciated the pros for being here, but they also brought out an army of noobs. People who would argue with the pros for the sake of trying take down a big-shot, or people who would cuddle up to the pros for the sake of cultivating an industry "in". The conversations just ended up running in circles.

      But since all of that quieted down, the remaining population has been the "middle class" of screenwriters. The semi-pros. There are a LOT of people asking about whether they should accept an offer, or sign with a particular manager. The proportion of repped (or previously repped) writers on this board seems very high. Most of the regular posters seem to have been writing and hustling for years, navigating the trenches.

      The overall tone has gotten much more supportive and informative.
      +1

      Comment


      • #48
        Re: Done Deal Managers

        Originally posted by Bunker View Post
        The overall tone has gotten much more supportive and informative.
        There is absolutely no correlation between my lack of participation the last few months and the uptick in support and information on DDP. None.

        Maybe.

        <a tear trickles down his cheek 'cause he's one of those one tear guys>

        Comment


        • #49
          Re: Done Deal Managers

          Originally posted by Richmond Weems View Post
          <a tear trickles down his cheek 'cause he's one of those one tear guys>
          Ah, English - "A tear trickles down his cheek, as he fears she's about to tear him a new one."

          Comment


          • #50
            Re: Done Deal Managers

            If this five-page thread has done nothing but bring Richard Weems out of hibernation, then it has all been worthwhile. Was missing your priceless wit, RW!

            Late Night Writer

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            • #51
              Re: Done Deal Managers

              This place feels like a sports talk radio station where a lot of people listen but only about 2-3 percent actually call in

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              • #52
                Re: Done Deal Managers

                When I first found done deal, like many other writers I didn't have too much of a clue about the business and the mechanics of it all. I was a little further along than perhaps some were and had or was on the verge of signing with reps but these boards filled in so many blanks for me. DD showed me that there were lots of other writers in the same boat, with the same questions, trials and tribulations. I'm lucky enough to say I make my living full time as a writer these days but for every noob I come across this is and will always be one of the first places I suggest they visit. It's an incredibly resourceful tool and for some DD'ers there's a community to bounce ideas around with too. Hats off DDP.

                Mint

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                • #53
                  Re: Done Deal Managers

                  So funny how we are all different people from different backgrounds but you can't tell me that the first thing we all did was contact agents and managers about our first script attempt and also believe in our hearts that 'we had a shot'. There's a very high, very long obstacle that must be climbed before an agent or manager would even consider you and that is the craft. Remember there is no shortage of writers who want representation. What kind of product are you coming in with? If it can't stand up against what's on their desk you have zero shot.

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                  • #54
                    Re: Done Deal Managers

                    Originally posted by Cyfress View Post
                    So funny how we are all different people from different backgrounds but you can't tell me that the first thing we all did was contact agents and managers about our first script attempt and also believe in our hearts that 'we had a shot'. There's a very high, very long obstacle that must be climbed before an agent or manager would even consider you and that is the craft. Remember there is no shortage of writers who want representation. What kind of product are you coming in with? If it can't stand up against what's on their desk you have zero shot.
                    I can tell you that I did not do that

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                    • #55
                      Re: Done Deal Managers

                      ok

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                      • #56
                        Re: Done Deal Managers

                        Originally posted by Cyfress View Post
                        If it can't stand up against what's on their desk you have zero shot.
                        Is there a reason that every single one of your posts revolves around telling us DDPers that we don't realize how much we suck, and that 99.5% of us don't have a shot in hell of making it into the biz? Is it because it makes you feel better about your frequently referenced failure of a screenwriting career?

                        I know you want to be the voice of realism on here. But your constant gloom and doom honestly makes you a bit of a pain in the you-know-what. It's like you aspire to be the guy who always brings everything down at the party. Maybe you should take five seconds away from the pity party to stop and smell the roses (yes, I know those were both cliches). It'll do ya some good!
                        "I love being a writer. What I can't stand is the paperwork.-- Peter De Vries

                        Comment


                        • #57
                          Re: Done Deal Managers

                          You're taking it as doom and gloom. For some it may be an eye opener to work harder. I never said anyone sucks. I just gave notes on 7 scripts to 7 different writers on this board in a span of two weeks. Not once did I say that anyone 'sucked'.

                          I think people need to wake up to their real 'current' talent level. Cause once you do, you can improve, but if you feel you are already doing good enough work, where is the motivation to improve.

                          Anyone who sucks at writing does not write, why would they? They suck at it and they probably hate it. If you are drawn to write, you do not suck at it. Your skills may be lacking, but that can be changed if you wake up that they are lacking. If you don't see it, you will continue on doing the same things that do not work.

                          Comment


                          • #58
                            Re: Done Deal Managers

                            Originally posted by Cyfress View Post
                            You're taking it as doom and gloom. For some it may be an eye opener to work harder. I never said anyone sucks. I just gave notes on 7 scripts to 7 different writers on this board in a span of two weeks. Not once did I say that anyone 'sucked'.

                            I think people need to wake up to their real 'current' talent level. Cause once you do, you can improve, but if you feel you are already doing good enough work, where is the motivation to improve.

                            Anyone who sucks at writing does not write, why would they? They suck at it and they probably hate it. If you are drawn to write, you do not suck at it. Your skills may be lacking, but that can be changed if you wake up that they are lacking. If you don't see it, you will continue on doing the same things that do not work.
                            I didn't mean that you literally use the word "suck". I mean that practically every message you write is some variation of the idea that "most of you are probably not as good as you think you are." When you repeat the same idea over and over again, it makes you start to sound monotonous. Like a broken record. Not very original. (None of which are great qualities for a writer). And frankly, it starts to seem like consistently dumping on writers-at-large makes you feel better about yourself. Just a thought.
                            "I love being a writer. What I can't stand is the paperwork.-- Peter De Vries

                            Comment


                            • #59
                              Re: Done Deal Managers

                              Originally posted by Cyfress View Post
                              I think people need to wake up to their real 'current' talent level.
                              Well, that's just silly. First of all, what is a "real current talent level"?" There's a huge disparity among amateurs just as there is among pros. Talent is purely subjective; craft level might be able to be viewed objectively.

                              What good is "waking up"? And what does that even mean?

                              There always have been and always will be a bunch of amateur wannabes who think they are God's gift to screenwriting and nothing will sway them from believing that. So? That's the way it is. And it's the same way in every performing art, visual art, and probably in landscape gardening. Nothing you say is going to change this, or them.

                              Everyone makes the journey of self-discovery alone. We only learn our limitations by trying and not succeeding. (I don't use the word "fail" because anyone who tries does not fail; failure is never even trying.)

                              People "wake up" or, rather, come to the realization that they aren't going to make it when they do. It might be after a couple of months; it might be after fifty years of toil. It's an individual thing. It happens within. No amount of berating them with their lack of ability is going to startle them into some sort of epiphany.

                              Originally posted by Cyfress View Post
                              Cause once you do, you can improve, but if you feel you are already doing good enough work, where is the motivation to improve.
                              That's absolute rubbish and ridiculous to offer this as some kind of "truth".

                              Many (most?) writers/artists/professional athletes who are "already doing good work" continuously try to improve with their next work. There's HUGE motivation to improve, evolve, experiment, challenge yourself, ESPECIALLY when things are going well. I would argue that there's far greater motivation to improve when one is riding a wave of success. To the contrary, it's difficult for many to find the motivation to improve when they aren't doing well at all. To keep going down an endless and bleak road with no hope in sight -- now that requires motivation to keep going.

                              In my experience, nothing motivates like success.

                              Comment


                              • #60
                                Re: Done Deal Managers

                                UpandComing

                                I've been reading amateur scripts from writers on this board and I can tell you that pretty much all of them thought their script was a lot better than it really was. Just got done reading 7 scripts for people recently and I bet most of them thought they had their story together pretty well, but they didn't. For a long time I thought my material was a lot better than it really was too. I'm not here to entertain, I'm here to pass along my experiences. Originality is neither here nor there. All I can say is that if you don't like what I say, don't read it. Everyone is going to get their wish real soon. As of the end of June I will be gone from DD for a long while.

                                Cooper

                                Your real 'current' talent level is your screenwriting ability as of today. Why is that silly? There's no huge disparity among amateurs. How many amateur scripts have you read? I just read 7 scripts back to back and they all had the same problems. Talent is not subjective. No one will read a script from a talented writer and see bad exposition, conflictless scenes, a disjointed plot.

                                Literally speaking waking up means to open your eyes after sleep, figuratively speaking it means to see the truth in a situation.

                                I never dealt with an amateur that thought they were God's gift to screenwriting. What I've dealt with are writers who are unsure if what they have is good or crap. Let me worry about what I try to change and what I don't. You worry about writing a good script.

                                People make the journey alone? Really? What are we all doing here trading pages, seeking advice, asking business questions, talking about film. You are only alone if you choose to be.

                                This is a true statement: We only find our limitations in trying and not succeeding. The problem is, screenwriting is not so clear as to when you fail or when you succeed. Unless you mark selling a script the only marker for success. If an amateur writes a script and reaches fade out, how does he/she know if they succeeded or not? They need to be told and woken up to the truth.

                                I don't berate people. Ask any of the people I offered notes to and see if what I said was helpful or not and in fact did wake them up. Are you out there reading amateur script after amateur script offering pages and pages of notes on each one? If I wanted to stand on a soap box and do that I wouldn't have spent about 25 hours reading scripts and writing notes.

                                Saying once people wake up to the learning they need to do, they can start improving is rubbish why? Cause you say it is. I'll offer advice based on my experience, you offer advice based on yours.

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