Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 88742 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 444(@200wpm)___ 355(@250wpm)___ 296(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88742 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 444(@200wpm)___ 355(@250wpm)___ 296(@300wpm)
A lot of posturing happens in front of me, so much that it doesn't even register half of the time. People think performing these mostly empty gestures will impress me, but gestures never do. What I appreciate is all of my employees who work hard. I respond to results, and Brick Productions is flourishing because of my employees’ dedication.
I take my seat at the head of the table, ready to start the meeting. I give a little opening speech because setting expectations is important. Mine are honestly quite low for this pitch, but I simply let the room know to be critical. Not everything that glitters is gold.
“The Yacht team should be here any moment. When listening to their pitch, note things like marketability and the potential for award season. We’re not looking for a passion project. Disregard feelings; I want logical decisions, okay? Hard numbers aren't a possibility right now, I know, but let's get as close as we can. We’ve already lost some money on a few films this year, and I don’t want to continue that trend.” Everyone nods. I’m not against passion projects, but since I basically have my own opinion formed already, I want to set a certain tone for the meeting ahead of time.
At the end of the meeting, I’m the one who is going to make the final decision. A lot of people in this room are a bunch of yes men. I really need to get some turnover. Robert is the only person who gives me any advice that is actually helpful.
If we're going to be a cutting-edge studio, there has to be more than two people contributing to the big decisions.
“Mr. Barrister, The Yacht team is here.”
“Let them in, Nancy.” Our secretary brings in the presenting team, two young-looking guys, before leaving. I can tell from their appearance that they rate themselves highly. At first glance, their clothes look casual, but with a little bit of examination, you can see that their wardrobe is all expensive designer stuff. They’re trying to create a contradictory image that is honestly played out. Maybe if they had debuted ten years ago, they would be seen as trendsetters, but these days, they just fade into the Hollywood scene, barely making a dent.
I wonder if their film ideas are just as played out as they are.
“Hello, everyone. We’re really excited to be here. We hope you like our presentation.”
I’m not sure who recruited these guys. I know it wasn’t Robert. He usually bats a thousand, and after reading this script last night, I’m already leaning to the side of no. But by then, it was too late to call off the pitch. I should have read the script a lot earlier, but it kept getting shoved to the side because it wasn't high on the list of things I wanted to do.
Now, because of my procrastination, I’m forced to keep the meeting. I may have a reputation for being a jerk, but I do actually consider people and situations before reacting. I don’t drop the hatchet willy-nilly. I mean, maybe they can convince me. Stranger things have happened after all.
“Go ahead,” I motion with my hand. I don’t need long introductions; I prefer if people just jump right into the pitch. I’ll give these guys at least half of a chance.
“Right.” The two of them take out their materials and start talking about their project.
“We were hoping to do something new and different with our story. Yes, there are many movies about being lost at sea, but The Yacht is here to add something different.”
I start to zone out because my attention has not been captured quickly enough. They haven't even given their logline yet, which is a rookie mistake. I didn’t care about the project coming into this meeting, and that was already causing my mind to turn off. Then their first line just didn’t grab me. With my thoughts already in the negative regarding their script, it would have taken a hell of a hook to grab my interest, and they didn’t have one.
Instead, my thoughts immediately go to Tammy. I can’t believe what happened last night. I’m still trying to wrap my head around it. I mean, I caught her filming herself nude. And not just nude, but fucking masturbating! Jesus Christ. Like...what the hell? Who does that? It was one of the boldest moves I’ve ever seen. I’m sure she never expected anyone to walk in on her. I mean, I guess I have no idea what she was actually expecting. It would take a lot of leaps for me to get into her exact headspace. Either way, life had other plans because I was able to witness glory. Thank God my need to know what was happening on that sound stage had outweighed the common sense idea of calling the police.