Subscribe To
This Site
Jane Clark Blog - April 20th/2007Jane Clark Blog - April 20th/2007 How many of you are filmmakers trying to get your films made? If you are like me and have finished scripts you want financed, then you are seeking out producers that have relationships and talking to people who have money. And what is the first question that the producers and financiers ask? "Who do you have attached?" And so you are alsopursuing talent. Now some of you might be more skilled at this than I. I freely admit I don't like dogging agents to answer my phone calls and emails. Knowing quite well, that the scripts I am flogging are fantastic and that any actor worth their salt should jump at the chance, I resent having to justify my project or my meager budget. Nonetheless, I have been forced to swallow the pushy pill to satisfy that unrelenting question. "Little Miss Sunshine" ($8M) was lucky to get Steve Carrell, and it made a big difference in the box office, but most of us aren't going to get that lucky. I'm not sure they even knew when they hired him how lucky they were. He was probably right on the cusp at the time they signed him to a contract. The rest of us, if we are lucky will score the Mark Ruffalos, Parker Poseys, Maggie Gyllenhaals of the indie world. More likely we will be one step down from that…or two. Now most likely if you say to a film investor, and certainly if you say to a producer, I have Maggie Gyllenhaal, they will say, "Now that's terrific. We can fund the movie with her attached in the lead. Yes sir, by God, this is going to be a hit movie now!" But if the average Joe -- the person you want to attract to the theater – is told a film stars Maggie Gyllenhaal, they more than likely will say, "Maggie who?" Their companion will reply, "You know, Jake Gyllenhaal's sister." "Who?" "The guy the played the gay cowboy in that gay cowboy movie." "Oh, yeah. Him. I liked him. He has a sister?" As an example, I was in the bathroom at Sundance. I had just seen "Black Snake Moan" starring Sam Jackson and Christina Ricci. Two women walked in – now mind you they were at Sundance, which at least indicates a love of independent film – and the one said to the other, "Christina Ricci…is she the one that hangs out with Paris Hilton?" Swear to God. True story. So here we are trying to satisfy the eternal "who have you got" question, but the truth is to the majority of moviegoers, anyone we get will be unknown, or vaguely familiar. They will not ensure box office, by drawing fans to the theaters. So really it's all just a game we are forced to participate in to satisfy anillusion. But if it gets the financers and producers to cough up the dough, then it is a game we'll all just have to play. And I'll just have to learn to embrace the unavoidable. Gotta go. Have to call Eliza Dushku's agent, cause she's just perfect for the lead in one of my films…"What's that? Did you ask Eliza who?" Jane Clark 323/654-0115 W
|
