Actress Declined

So I got the decline email from the actress today. So, it's a good day to really think about my other options very thoroughly.

Very much how actors should not obsess over auditions whether good or bad, my best plan here is to just let it go and move on.

So - either I should send off to another actress I think could do the role or commit to another project. I have a lunch meeting with a Producer with a deal at a studio on Thursday - maybe something will come of that. But I think my gut is telling me... to figure out everything that slowed this project down or made it seem problematic and then create a new one which would avoid these issues.

For the record, here is what the decline said:

"Unfortunately at this time [Actress] is going to have to pass on the
project. She has a lot coming up in the near future and doesn't feel she
can give it the time and attention it would deserve."

Actress Has Script

The Agent's Assistant responded. The Actress has the script and so we are just waiting on her to read and respond. They did want to confirm that the financing was in place. Fair question. I assured them it was. Quite often people are trying to attach actors before there is even money to make the movie. In these cases, you have to make a "pay or play" offer OR have some pretty serious credentials and/or attachments.

Emailed The Agent

I emailied the Agent's Assistant to prod for a response. Not big news, but just keeping record of everything.

Actress Has Scheduling Conflict

The Agent's Assistant contacted me today to inform me that the actress had just accepted an offer for another movie which shoots at the same time as mine. I said "We can push if she's interested in doing my film. Has anyone read it?" She declined to answer the question by saying "I just called to give you this information." At which point I reiterated that the date was mostly chosen because it's hiatus for TV season, but if I knew within a week or so if she was going to be interested, I could schedule around it.

I'm not totally sure what this means because on the one hand, I'm on the radar enough to be called. On the other hand, my suspicion is that no one has read it. Pushing six weeks is fine by me as long as it's a lock. If she locked in next week, I wouldn't mind the extra six weeks of delay - I'll just get the FX started early and have more prep time. But if it will be a decline - then I'd like to know sooner rather than later.

In the meantime, I'm still writing.

No News is No News

It's Tuesday. I called the Agent's Assistant and asked if they had any more questions for me and they said if they did - they would email me. I should have then said "So, I assume it's being reviewed now?" - but I don't know if that was necessary.

So... Next post will be next Tuesday when I email them to find out what might be going on and ask something a little more specific. By then, it's feasible that they should have read it.

Next Tuesday

I am going to call the Agent's Assistant next Tuesday to follow up. I figure they'll have had two weekends at that point though I suspect they did nothing with it the first weekend. And I'm giving Monday for them to contact me first just in case. I don't actually expect to hear anything, but I think it is an appropriate time to try.

Another Follow Up Question

Well, they haven't said no yet. Just got another question from the Actor's Agent's Assistant. It was answered on the offer, but the email gave me a chance to expand on the question - When are we shooting.

I've not figured out yet what my back up project will be. I'm torn between doing something very small and "indie" which is almost totally written or writing something new which is very stated, "loud," and nichefully unusual.

Follow Up Questions

The Actor's Agent's Assistant sent me back an email with some follow up questions asking:

Who is directing (that was already clear in my first email)? Who is Producing? What is the budget? Is it already financed? Is there anyone else attached?

My only strong card is that it is financed - albeit low budget. The irony is that the next actor I want to approach is also represented by this same agency - so I asked for a contact name for the agent (because my source imdbpro.com doesn't have a specific name). Now, this is a hugely convenient and good thing in that - they are now looking at one project for two clients. Agents like that sort of thing - you can imagine, it's like half the work - especially in the beginning. Agents will often suggest other clients if a project is a "go." That is one of the advantages of being a client at an agency which packages deals.

So - basically - that's that! Could take two weeks, could take a month. If anything more than 2 weeks I will need to push my shoot date for sure.

Do I Send Out the Second Offer?

This is the question now. It has been suggested that I should send out now to the male lead because... Well, mostly if they are going to take a while, then I need to be ready with both. I think I probably will.

Emailed the Offer!

Okay - it's off! We shall see what the response is. I will contact them next Wednesday if I do not hear from them before then.

So - now... it's time to focus on a back up plan. I think the back up plan should be infallible. Something that requires nothing... no contingencies. No actor requirements, no one thing that could bring down the possibility of doing it.

I think it should ideally be bold and different - but certainly should be non-standard in some way.

Phoned the Agent

Okay - so it took me like 2 hours to get up the courage to call... and then the phone call lasted about 30 seconds... after I phoned and reached the receptionist.

ME
Hello may I speak to [agent].

RECEPTION
Please hold.

AGENT'S ASSITANT
[agent's name] office.

ME
Hello. I have an independent film called [NAME] for which we would like to offer the lead role to [actress name].

There is a little bit of a lull and it sounds like she's typing something else. Sensing that I haven't wowed her and that I need to take the initiative I start to speak - she does as well, I say:

ME
Go ahead.

AGENT ASSISTANT
No, please go ahead.

ME
Would you like me to e-mail the script and the offer?

AGENT ASSISTANT
Either e-mail or hand delivering is best.

ME
Is one preferred?

AGENT ASSISTANT
You know, it doesn't matter.

ME
I'll email it, may I have the email address?

AGENT ASSISTANT
Absolutely.

So! There you go. That's what happens when you call an agent. Now, I could have pushed to talk to the agent, I could have tried to sell myself or the project more, but the fact of the matter is that I don't have a lot to sell on the project. Not until I have someone attached.

So now I'm about to make my offer letter and email the script and offer. I should have had this prepared, but it will probably only take me a moment to create since I know the details.

Now, the real trick will be get them to do something about it!

Finishing Script Changes

First off - I actually took last weekend off. I took an in-home vacation. Basically - I did what most people probably do on weekends, talked with friends, sat at cafe's and restaurants for hours on end. Yes, of course we talked about movies and movie business stuff - but it was also very social and different and I will definitely try to incorporate more of these sorts of occasions into my schedule. I seem to always spend any "free time" I have traveling away from my home and then being sucked into someone else's schedule. Was nice to actually have the feeling of not having to do anything.

It did put me 2 days behind though.

So, here I am tonight finishing the final changes to the script. I made some slightly more drastic changes than I had originally planned. Still nothing structurally different. I could make a few more changes, but I am going to stop in an hour and leave it at that (assuming I've closed the last hole that I've opened).

Tomorrow I will call the agency.

I'm so nervous about that. It reminds me of the very first time I called a girl up who I didn't know very well and asked her out. I think I sat by the phone for 3 hours. I picked it up. Put it down. I thought about it. I never dialed and then hung up though - but when I finally did dial, I got through immediately and I didn't even stumble in my question. She turned me down in one pretty simple phrase, I think it was "I don't think so." But it wasn't that painful. Almost a relief just to have the question answered.

My expectations are for some abuse tomorrow. We'll see. I'm only approaching the one actress. I'm not offering pay or play because it seems like too little an offer to do that. I know my offer parameters, the hopeful shoot date. I will report it here immediately after I've phoned though.

My biggest concern is the response of.... "Who exactly are you? And why do you think our client would bother reading anything you wrote?" The only thing I have going for me is that the film is financed. Very limited financing to be sure, but it can be shot as scripted. So, unlike many projects, it will happen if she wants to do it.

You know what I'm doing right now? I'm avoiding writing. I've got to go finish.