The dumbest thing any movie exec has ever said to you?

[beerbeastredux]

For me, ( a 15 year professional animator who writes movies SPECIFICALLY FOR ANIMATION ) it was "This project doesn't really seem suited for animation."

*facepalm* Ughhh.

How about the rest of y'all?

[hscope]

"Pass."

[NotTheBard]

"Can't they wear crazy masks like in Point Break?"

[RGF]

After reading my charming "Field of Dreams" meets "Close Encounters" feel-good movie:

"The aliens should eat people, loud, so we can hear the bones crunching."

[Aspirant]

Originally Posted by beerbeastredux

For me, ( a 15 year professional animator who writes movies SPECIFICALLY FOR ANIMATION ) it was "This project doesn't really seem suited for animation."

*facepalm* Ughhh.

How about the rest of y'all?

I can see how this would be aggravating, but it doesn't seem objectively "dumb" to me. I mean, maybe I'm missing something, but I can at least imagine a situation in which a 15-year professional animator, who writes movies specifically for animation, comes up with an idea for an animated movie that, as laid out, doesn't really seem suited for animation. I'm not saying this was your situation, but without knowing what the idea was, it's kind of hard to say that the exec was clearly off-base. It sounds more like you're just saying that, due to your experience in animation, your opinion about what is suitable for animation is unassailable by an exec.

[Manchester]

Originally Posted by Aspirant

I can see how this would be aggravating, but it doesn't seem objectively "dumb" to me. I mean, maybe I'm missing something, but I can at least imagine a situation in which a 15-year professional animator, who writes movies specifically for animation, comes up with an idea for an animated movie that, as laid out, doesn't really seem suited for animation. I'm not saying this was your situation, but without knowing what the idea was, it's kind of hard to say that the exec was clearly off-base. It sounds more like you're just saying that, due to your experience in animation, your opinion about what is suitable for animation is unassailable by an exec.

Maybe. And yet... The facially dumb part could be: If an exec knows a writer is a pro in animation, isn't it dumb to give that as the reason? Don't smart execs commit to memory a look-up table of things to say/not say when passing on a script? Unless the exec wants to alienate the writer forever.

[beerbeastredux]

i write my films SPECIFICALLY for animation. fantastic settings/scenarios, and crazy characters/situations that are best served in animation, not mention are more plausibe. There are things you can do in animation that just don't work in live action. That's what I mean.

I also mean this from a 2D point of view. I'm a classically trained 2D animator also proficient in CG. A lot of people have weird perceptions of 3D animation, as if it's really any different than 2D. They're not. Unless you're talking "performance capture" which is not animation. They just call it animation because there's a frickin talking lizard onscreen.

[Bobby Dazzler]

Could fill a tome about dumb things this one particular producer has said to me while working with her.

Was co-writing an underdog sports movie for her. Based on a true story. A League of Their Own is a good reference.

Now, as with most sports movie, there are game scenes that are crucial to the story, especially the triumphant, feel-good, pump your fists cheering ending which this story has.

The producer noticed we had written captions into the script to appear on-screen to fill in the audience about dates, opponents, venues, scores, etc.

The producer was so taken by these captions, she wanted to cut all the game scenes out completely. And just flash up the score on-screen. Maybe having a spinning newspaper tell us what happened.

She also wanted to pretty much cut all scenes with the team. As the months turned into years, we went from A League of Their Own to a kitchen sink melodrama until myself and my co-writer had to leave the project.

Pity coz it's a great story...

[iknownuffin]

Originally Posted by RGF

"The aliens should eat people, loud, so we can hear the bones crunching."

That made my day. Thanks.

[Geoff Alexander]

"Would your client be willing to grant us a free option extension." Not the dumbest, but definitely one of the dumbest recent things I have heard from an executive.