Did Our Industry Forget That Relationships Matter? Or Is It Even Bigger Than That?
Do we even know what a GOOD relationship is anymore?
Years from now, the cinema scholars will still be discussing The Ghosting Epidemic the FKATFB suffered in 2022. They will point out it had been brewing for awhile. Calls not returned. Silence on the submissions. Even texts and emails didn’t work the way they once did. Send, yes, but then, crickets. They’ll point out the good things that came out of it, like how at first people don’t pick up the phone because they were overwhelmed or overworked (or maybe just jerks) but we soon all realized that unscheduled calls should be banned as they are inefficient and selfish. Things do get better, but yeah, those CinemaScholars will no doubt recognize that these were all symptoms of the same virus.
So why was 2022 marked by a lack of decision making, non-responses, and unreturned phone calls? Executives and agents are not sadists. At least not most of them. Okay a few are, but… People like doing a good job and no one likes to be slighted. Could it be we are letting things get under our skin needlessly? Or maybe THEY are clueless to how others are feeling?
I tell people how I am feeling. And I particularly make sure I tell those I care about if I think they are behaving badly. Of course, I deeply care about the film industry — that’s why I am writing this newslettter! — and I think we all should speak truth to power, but I will forever be thankful to my former business partner James Schamus who pointed out to me — in the days before the internet — that we have to make “them” want to take our calls if we actually expect to get things done. If we were are always calling to complain about something (as tempting as it is), then they also tend to always be in a meeting when we call. Things go better when you can be known as someone who delivers good news.
And like everything else, this goes both ways. It’s not just the filmmakers who have to think about whether it is love or thunder they summon when reaching out. It’s also what the executives that should ponder when thinking through the repercussions of their non-actions. You don’t have to always deliver good news. You know what the best gift in the film biz is? Yup. You can give that too and we will still think fondly of you. You can even tell the truth.
Setting proper and realistic expectations helps to connect the dots, plot the road maps, and build the bridges that turn dreams into everlasting reality. But what happens when there is a gap?
Everyone talks. Reputations are either magnets or repellants. If you are buyer you have a sweet place because you have what everyone wants. Let’s not forget though: you are still competing against everyone else that has your same thing. The nice thing about gold is that it is always gold, regardless of where it comes from, right?
Deals happen because each side thinks they are some how winning. Even when you are giving away all that cash, you have to somehow make the other side feel you are giving them something no one else would have. The cash can be equal or even less if you have that special something. I don’t know about you, but I am not hearing anywhere being THE place to take your projects. No one WANTS to work anywhere particular now. Now everywhere is all the same, and that’s a downright dirty shame.
But the industry execs aren’t currently ghosting everyone as SOP because they are upset that you don’t think they are special. And they aren’t ghosting you because what you are delivering is no good news. They have a good reason. It is neither love or thunder that is to blame. They are ghosting because they know no matter what they have no good news for you.
It doesn’t matter how awesome your project is, they just can’t do it. Everything is frozen unless everyone else wants it too. Their hands are tied and for them to confess would reveal to the world that they are all just treading water. And then they wouldn’t get any more “opportunities”. Spending too much time in purgatory is worse than forgetting to step out of the hot tub. Either way your mind is in a fog, but it is those in that can’t-move-zone that have forgotten the two important things needed to make this business work, the things they should flaunt, the things that make stuff happen — specific taste and decisiveness.
No one even knows what they want anymore. That is: no one knows what they want unless it is what the other person also wants. Sometimes I think the reasons all these massive M&A’s make sense is because they might as all be one giant megacorp because there’s so little difference between them anyway. Yeah, they all love a star vehicle in a 4 quadrant framework by a director — most likely on their way up — that is eager to comply. There once was a time though that all studios and producers had fav flavors and you could tell who would be the best place to bring out the best in that specific project. Sounds dreamy now.
But it gets worse. It’s like the joke that the new restuarant’s food is terrible, but what’s really upsetting is that the portions are so small…
It’s true the FKATFB has no taste, but it is even worse that everyone in it no longer has any power. Who is allowed to make a decision? Not them. No one anywhere is empowered to make a decision now. Hurrah! Our industry has found the most inefficient way to work possible. What are they doing instead? Waiting for the next shoe to drop. The next round of layoffs (Oh wait, it’s here). Maybe they should just cancel some already made shows and movies; oh, wait, they already did that. It’s been a hellish year for everyone. I am sorry we had to go through it. We all feel each other’s pain. We do. At least we are lending shoulders and ears.
But… since I caught this awesome complaining wave, let’s ride it a wee bit longer, okay? I’ll keep it short…
Step 1 is to “Take stock”: we are in the worst of times, we have managed ourselves into the worst and most inefficient system possible, we are killing off the golden goose that launched & supported the business (theatrical exhibition), everyone bet wrong, no one’s empowered, everyone is fearful, our institutions are suffering, we have mortgaged our future for short term gains, we lack coherent strategy, and we don’t even know what to call ourselves.
Now can we move on and make things better? That is Step 2. I have plans to address a lot of it in good time, but I am going to need your help.
Right now we are talking about the foundation of collaboration, the foundation of our industry, and what really matters: relationships. Yeah, that thing we forgot about that everyone used to say was what made our industry run.
When it comes to whom we do business with and how to collaborate, it is pretty simple:
We need to know that someone somewhere is there for us.
We need to know we are valued.
We need to know that you not only see what we have done, but that you see the even more that we are capable of. We want you to see all that we are becoming.
We need each others help in getting there though.
None of this will happen when you don’t actually want to talk and build a relationship. We get it, maybe we all see how inefficient in person meetings are, even when we are the ones driving to your office. Fine, we will zoom, but can we get to know each other again.
The problem is everyone’s — but particularly the executive’s — bandwith. That’s our villain. Bandwith. Everyone — and execs in particular — is expected to do more with less — to deliver twice as much in half the time with half the headcount. There’s no time left to do a good job. I know everyone wants to do a good job. Maybe it’s time to demand the bosses give you what is needed to do a good job. More time.
To do a good job we all have to work backwards. We have to describe what a good job looks like and probe why we think that is so. We have to look at all the components required to deliver that good job, and calculate how much time we need to do the job. We need to plan how the participants progress and graduate and how the new ones are sourced. It all has to be part of the planning. It’s a lot to think about but it is very doable, and I’d be happy to brainstorm with you further if you like.
Nonetheless, the short answer is you need time to build a relationship and the current way of working has sucked up all the time and no one has any of it left to do the good job they desire. They may be little things that make up the “good” but they really do matter, and neglecting them is going to bring a waterfall of ill will. Plus all you executives are going to be around a long time right? In the long run, know what will help you most? Yup, relationships. Do you want the ones now to remember you as the one who did not have enough time for them, or the one that fought hard to get what was necessary to build a strong relationship?
We know why it feels like no one cares about a relationship these days (ghosting and neglect). And we know why it is happening (unreasonable goals & lack of bandwith). We know how to design what we want to do (work backwards). We know the foundation of what’s needed for a good relationship (respect, appreciation, a sense of one’s future). We should be able to use all of this to design a better way of working. When we do, we will know how to value relationships again.
It’s too bad no one has the time..
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I thought I was the only one that wasn't getting calls returned! I feel so much better now!!!
So what's the solution from the filmmakers' side? How do you get an exec to unghost you? You can't give them good news if they won't get back to you. And how do we help those execs get more time, other than by not wasting their time?
Ok this one was depressing, but enlightening.