Diary of an Indie Filmmaker: Part XIII

Part XIII: The Meeting

Well, I finally met with the production company. Two hours. We looked over all the paperwork and video of the cast. They were impressed by some of the cast but mostly by the base I'd created to actually shoot a movie. They want to climb on that base with some name actors and see if they can milk a profit from it.

But I didn't sell out.

I told them I will not wait. I told them in no uncertain terms that on Monday, October the 10th, I will lock my cast and crew. A "maybe" on 10/10 will be considered a "no." And any "name" who decides after the 10th will be too late. I won't break some actors heart whom I've committed to.

The other offer I made them is to come on board slowly with what I've got. Instead of writing checks and casting actors, they can help us logistically with the union contracts, cutting payroll checks, and writing contracts. The paperwork is daunting to someone like me but they're already set up for it. I told them this would be a foot in the door and after that they could decide how much they want to get involved as they watch us go. We would have to prove ourselves to them.

They didn't say no. I should know more this week. I hope they pick the lesser option.

The meeting was exhausting. I got home, promptly fell asleep, and didn't wake up for 12 hours. The people were very nice and encouraging, but the whole situation was stressful and because I have no idea what I'm doing I always feel in over my head. And that wears on you. A lot.

The reason I won't wait is because this town is set up so nothing ever gets done. People love to take you to lunch, meet, and express interest; but nothing ever gets done. Wasting your time and getting your hopes up is like an art form in this town. No one makes a decision. No one actually does anything.

Actually the only people who get anything done are writers. Writers write a lot. And they write a lot for free. Producers love to get 10 page treatments from writers for free and then you never hear from them again. But other than writers, no one gets anything done. So, I won't wait. And I knew that if I agreed to wait it wouldn't be because I thought they could take the movie to another level; it would be because I was chickening out. Agreeing to wait for this production company would've been nothing more than a way to kill the movie so I could rationalize that it wasn't my fault. So, I stared into the abyss and didn't blink... Yet.

And by the 10th I'll lock cast and crew. And by the 12th I actually know after I meet with the last big location I need if I'm going to make the movie.

The Green light remains in my hands... Well, and a couple of location owners...

Comments

[Sheldon Gilman]

You go, Dirty Harry! We're with you all the way!