Formidable Filmmakers

I’m being a little facetious when I say this, but if you ever want people to find you interesting, ask them about themselves.

Dale Carnegie said this in his book decades ago, something about making friends and influencing schmucks. The point being…people LOVE LOVE LOVE talking about themselves. Hell, I do too. But I don’t find myself all that interesting. I happen to know my stories already. So I tend to ask people about themselves a lot. Miracles happen when you listen. Follow up questions do wonders. What most people lack are these skills.

Case in point, the 59 year old sitting across from me selling me film. A few assumptions can be made. I wouldn’t buy film if I didn’t have experience shooting it. I wouldn’t be shooting it if I hadn’t done it in the past. This nudnick assume neither of it, or had the slightest interest in figuring it out. Though very interested in getting his story across. And what was that story, that he’s been struggling to get a (I’m serious) 5 hour feature finished. Most of it…hasn’t even been transferred. He’s only been able to watch his digital shot footage. I can tell he has experience in the process. A few things came to mind: a stubborn man. I heard no pitch, nor interest in filmmaking…only the same sense I got from the neighbor who lives next to me…he’s at the end of his efforts and now sits on a potential gold mine. The one thing that depresses the crap out of me, I see my future ahead. Not that I would ever identify with his plight to screen…he probably viewed it more monetarily, than say…creatively, but I am more curious how little he considered of my background to speak about the new business model as if I’m just starting out. That young face now coming to haunt me? Maybe. Or my natural curiosity is mistaken for inexperience. Which I can definitely understand. Because that’s the nature of this town. Start vomiting your experience so someone will take you seriously. I get that. I’ll probably backslide into the same thing. If a younger dude met me to buy film, I’d probably had think I should administer some advice. And I would want that person also to heed it. BUT…after I’d learned that person to be (painfully) the new generation of technology, that’s where I probably would/should figure out, I should stop with my tortoise and hare tale. The valuable lesson I take from this is…let people talk themselves out. Chances are you will get some good information somewhere, so be prepared to ask questions. The most tempting…yet restrain yourself from doing, is to lay your resume out as well. It’s surprisingly how many people don’t do their research. Or maybe too intimidated by it. I’d given this guy my name and IMDB page. He researched nothing. Nothing was remotely curious about the industry from the trenches (as where I am now). Again, understandable as I am a guy trying to buy discount film at a diner in the Valley.

This could explain why he is still in the purgatorial depths of Winnetka. I heard a story from a co-worker on how one day he ran into Martin Scorsese at the office. He was asked to assist him in locating some drives. Scorsese disappeared into the coloring bay for a few hours and emerged again to go into the kitchen for some tea. To which he acknowledge my co-worker/friend by name. Let me repeat…Scorsese remembered this doofus of a cog on the first meeting. By name. And he got it right. He made him feel important, even though he could simply just nod and carry on with his life. It is a skill that is SO essential. Understanding you are that legend, and making it a point not to wield it like a medallion on a gold chain. That is power. I strive to be that person.