you know, when i started these latest projects i really didn’t know what to expect. will the people i am working with be complete jerks or cool and easy going? do they really have the money and are they really doing these projects or are they just jerking everyone around? all of it very pro / con like that with more on the con side.
when you have been around a little and done a few things, especially in an industry such as entertainment, you start to develop a pretty good bullshit detector. i have heard most every speech about how this or that things is going to happen and you just need to hang in there a little longer and it will all work out and blah, blah, blah.
the truth is, it sometimes does work out. most of the time, however, its complete bullshit. yes, i said it. most people in hollywood who work in the entertainment industry are full of it. that’s not to say that there are not great people who act and are professional and a pleasure to deal with. there are many of those. just not that many.
over the years i have met many great people and have had, and still have, great relationships with them. i have also met many people who i would love to club over the head. of course, as that is illegal, i would never do it. plus, its rather rude so doing it would pretty much drop me down to the level of the people i wanted to club. so that’s out.
what i do instead is just avoid those types of people and situations. during my initial meeting with a potential employer i can almost always tell in a few minutes if i want to work with them or not. many time, its in the not category. sometimes, i get a good feeling and i accept the job.
i am lucky in that i don’t have to accept any job that is offered to me. that alone gives me a great deal of power in the room when talking with a potential employer. i don’t care that much if i get the job or not. another one will be along soon enough. that also helps me when i get the inevitable question of “what’s your rate for this?†as in, how much are you going to charge us to do this job.
for my current projects, i didn’t have the best feeling and thought in many ways that the project would have a great deal of difficulty getting going and being completed within the stated guidelines. plus, i asked several questions that i normally ask and the answers were rather vague and in many cases, non existent. so, not a great start.
when the question came up as to my fee for these projects, i felt in a pretty good position to give a really high number. either they would accept and i would get a good salary for the next few months or they would decline and i could go about my business knowing that i probably didn’t loose out on anything except big pain in the ass. obviously, they decided to go for the money and i have been working since then.
i am happy to report that i seem to have stumbled on a patch of good people who are professional yet easy-going and fun to work with. perhaps its because the are english and like a good pint? could be. no matter the reason, i am having a great time and for the first time in several years, contemplating a return to a more active role in the industry.
plus, it looks like we got a movie lined up after this in july so that’s a good thing too. of course, that could also be complete bullshit. i’ll keep you posted.
