There's no quick way to learn patience... but anyone involved in the screen industry needs a ton of it. In some other industries decisions are made in a nanosecond. But in the film world everyone is hedging their bets, looking over their shoulders, scared to decide in case the make the wrong choice.Currently I'm waiting for:
1. A New Zealand distributor to get back to me after reading the script (six weeks and counting).
2. An Australasian distributor to read the script (four weeks).
3. The NZ Film Commission to read the script (only two weeks).
4. Budget and schedule to be completed.
5. Recoupment template from NZ Film Commission.
6. Various documents from the UK producers.
7. The end of the world, which may well come first...
The frustrating thing (forgive me if I've mentioned this before) is that you're constantly waiting for and dependent upon the decisions of others. The upside is that filmmaking is a team effort. The downside is that very few films survive the process.
Did somebody say interminable?
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Good luck with the waiting Mike. Fingers crossed it all comes through for you!
ReplyDeleteCheers, Sean
Thanks Sean, it's a long haul...
ReplyDeleteMike
Amen to all that!!! Christ, the waiting is a science in itself. It's making me insane. I am not a patient person by nature. I am a get-it-done kinda person, never procrastinates. I feel like I'm running in quicksand. And the sad thing I'm realizing is that the quicksand will never get quicker. I will just get more and more out of breath if I don't pace myself more appropriately. I feel your pain, Mike! Perhaps it helps to know that there are others who are going through the same waiting game hell. But hang in. Apparently, it pays off for those who persevere.
ReplyDeleteLyse
Good luck with the wait! So many times in the filmmaking process I always wonder "why do I do this?" when I could be doing something else more straightforward and less precarious, but then we all know we'd never be the same without it!
ReplyDeleteYeah the hardest part about the business is the pissing around while you wait for someone else to do something you know you could do yourself in five minutes. But as Lyse says, it's the name of the game. Some people take longer to read a script than I take to write it! So... we all need to get a little more zen and chill out, or else do something else less masochistic. But then, as per Kirsten, who wants to do something else?
ReplyDeleteA couple of things I missed in my list of what I'm waiting for:
8. A NZ television broadcaster to read the script (only two weeks)
9. A UK finance company to read the script (3-4 weeks)
Just as well there's a few other things needing doing, like GST returns...