From March 9, 2007... just another day in my life.
I need to develop an ego.
It seems I didn’t just have two films released on DVD on the same day, according to the big rental chart over at Video Business Magazine, I wrote the #4 and #10 original DVD titles last week. That’s in the USA. The whole USA. Now, the #4 movie kind of makes sense - I walk into my local Blockbuster and there are 20 copies on the shelf... but they have ZERO copies of the #10 movie (CROOKED) - I did find 2 copies at my local Hollywood Video. The funny thing about CROOKED is that the star’s face isn’t on the DVD box - from looking at the box you would think no one stars in the movie. So why did so many people rent it?
Anyway, here I am with these two films on the top ten rental chart... and I go to my usual Thursday night drinking group and listen to an unproduced writer friend pontificate for a couple of hours. I listen. Eventually I get into a conversation with some of the actors about how there are no manly male actors and very few character leads. We’re talking about guys like Lee Marvin and Bronson and Karl Malden and Ernie Borgnine. Today it seems like everyone is a pretty boy like DiCaprio... even the sidekicks are pretty boys. Anyway, I go through the night mostly listening or talking about subjects of interest to everyone... and never mention my two movies placement on the big charts. I *do* invite everyone in the group to come see the films when I screen them - but I don’t give it a hard sell. People are either going to come or they aren’t.
On my way from one Starbucks to another I stop in at Frys Electronics to buy a DVD for an upcoming tip... and notice they have 4 copies of one of the films and 3 of the other on the shelf. That’s nice.
I get to Starbucks and talk to some fellow writers about *their* scripts, then go online and avoid work by answering some questions on message boards. Some posters give me abuse - but who cares. And somewhere along the line it hits me that all across the grand and glorious country of ours, people are watching a couple of really crappy movies I wrote. Man, I should do something with that!
So I sent a mass e-mail to some people and post it on a couple of message boards and then think about how I need to do laundry.
I know so many blow hard writers - guys who can talk on and on about themselves. Between last night and today at Starbucks I listened to a bunch of ego-talk. But I’m just not good at doing that. Whenever I realize I should maybe mention something, I either just casually mention it - and no one hears, or I blurt it out in some weird too-loud boast. I’m just not good at tooting my own horn. And that might be why the blow hards have three letter agents while I have... well, nothing.
Except the #4 and #10 movies on the Video Business Rental Charts.
- Bill
10 comments:
Congratulations! That's great news!
The video box cover might have simply been what Blockbuster liked, and what they choose pretty much goes -- as far as North American DVD covers are concerned (as far as I know).
Also, if the actors aren't going to sell the film & they know it, they leave it to curiosity, so people pick it up & read the back as ooposed to thinking .. tuh I'm not watching a film with Blah Blah in it.
When you say you should do something, this sound like a film idea in itself, the story of a writer who gets slack for making 'rubbish' & his struggle to prove that there are many influences that taint a good product. After all sales is a much higher concern on a producers mind than quality.
See we have the hero, the villain & how an uproar from the whole of society in some V for Vendetta type fashion needs to occur for a change to actually happen - alas this latter part sounds far less real to relate to.
Congrats. I surfed up the site and found your stuff on the:
TOP Non-Theatrical Renters TITLES FOR WEEK ENDED 3/4/2007
Good way to kick-off the weekend.
OK HW
Good for you, man! Congrats!
I like you better without an ego. I despise vanity. Because everyone should recognize that I am the greatest that ever was.
Hehehe...
JUST KIDDING.
I'm SO watching Crooked this weekend.
-MM
You suffer blowhards better than most.
I bet most of us would not only remember to mention that we had such success, but would use it as ammunition.
Writer offers no refunds!
- Bill
Hmmmmmm...
What's worse: non-ego and getting paid or huge-ego and not getting work?
Choices, choices.
Congrats on the DVD releases.
Bill -
if anybody deserves triple letter agency affiliations it's you. I'm thinking:
CIA
FBI
NSA
Congratulations!
forgive my ignorance, but with having written so many films, and having films on that list, what do you need an agent for?
Why I need an agent or manager: so far, all of my sales and all of my studio meetings have been by accident - I'd rather try to get some deals *on purpose*.
- Bill
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