One More Wicket
I got my grade from the L.A. office of the network today (that's the second level of command, not the top.) I think it was an A-. It might have been an A. Hard to tell. But definitely above B+. I'm happy about that. I think I'm employable in the future on that network. There were, however, two performances they had a problem with.
One of them they're right about and I'm embarrassed by it: it was the first day of production and I let the heroine's angry, sad, abused, white trash mother run too hot--that is to say, she was picking splinters of scenery out of her teeth when she was done. We went back in today and played some of her lines off camera, found other takes, cut a few things. I think it'll work now.
The other performance they're wrong about. Universally, with only one exception--and you, a reader of this blog, know who you are--everybody thinks the sexy rich spoiled-yet-vulnerable sister of the hero steals the movie. That she lights up every scene she's in. That she's going to be a star. But one of the L.A. Executives has never been crazy about her, not from the first moment she was cast. This would be fine except that this Executive asked me to delete or trim my favorite moment in the movie, when the character improvises a country western song about her recently dumped country western singer husband. I think it's totally winning. It also happens not to be trimmable--the way it's shot you can't cut into it. In the email I just sent the executive listing all the changes we made and how WONDERFUL her notes are and how much BETTER the changed scenes are (true, actually, but you have to lay it on really thick in these cases) I snuck in a mention that the country western song moment wasn't trimmable. We'll see what the fallout is from that one.
So all's good. And now it goes to New York. To the Big Cheeses with whom there isn't, I don't think, much discussion. In fact I'll most likely never talk to them--I'll be talking to underlings who live in fear of them and need to come back to them with a great big YES to everything. Or that's where my mind's going right now. I'm probably wrong, as I am in most of my predictions. At this very moment--6 PM PST--the movie is being dropped at Fedex for the eastbound flight. They have, contractually, two business days to respond, so what with Columbus day and the weekend, I'll get the notes on Wednesday.
You'll be the first to hear what they say.
LATE BREAKING NEWS
This email just in from the Executive after she got my email about the changes we made today:
This looks fine... thanks for such a thoughtful, visually rich movie..your vision both in the adapting and directing of this book are really inventive and masterful..a pleasure.
One of them they're right about and I'm embarrassed by it: it was the first day of production and I let the heroine's angry, sad, abused, white trash mother run too hot--that is to say, she was picking splinters of scenery out of her teeth when she was done. We went back in today and played some of her lines off camera, found other takes, cut a few things. I think it'll work now.
The other performance they're wrong about. Universally, with only one exception--and you, a reader of this blog, know who you are--everybody thinks the sexy rich spoiled-yet-vulnerable sister of the hero steals the movie. That she lights up every scene she's in. That she's going to be a star. But one of the L.A. Executives has never been crazy about her, not from the first moment she was cast. This would be fine except that this Executive asked me to delete or trim my favorite moment in the movie, when the character improvises a country western song about her recently dumped country western singer husband. I think it's totally winning. It also happens not to be trimmable--the way it's shot you can't cut into it. In the email I just sent the executive listing all the changes we made and how WONDERFUL her notes are and how much BETTER the changed scenes are (true, actually, but you have to lay it on really thick in these cases) I snuck in a mention that the country western song moment wasn't trimmable. We'll see what the fallout is from that one.
So all's good. And now it goes to New York. To the Big Cheeses with whom there isn't, I don't think, much discussion. In fact I'll most likely never talk to them--I'll be talking to underlings who live in fear of them and need to come back to them with a great big YES to everything. Or that's where my mind's going right now. I'm probably wrong, as I am in most of my predictions. At this very moment--6 PM PST--the movie is being dropped at Fedex for the eastbound flight. They have, contractually, two business days to respond, so what with Columbus day and the weekend, I'll get the notes on Wednesday.
You'll be the first to hear what they say.
LATE BREAKING NEWS
This email just in from the Executive after she got my email about the changes we made today:
This looks fine... thanks for such a thoughtful, visually rich movie..your vision both in the adapting and directing of this book are really inventive and masterful..a pleasure.
posted by Tom at 5:55 PM
5 Comments:
Hopefully, you're very pleased with the positive comments/ approvals thus far. Great job!
Sweet words indeed Tom..Congrats!
I agree...I feel like the sexy rich sister stole her scenes and was quite good...Glad to hear things are going well :)
awesome update!
How exciting! Congratulations on your A something.
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