Flakes are those people who promise to do something, then find a reason to push it off until it doesn't get done. The lighter end of that are people who are late to film sets, the worst of it are people who don't show up at all. This happens more times than you probably should consider.
This town is full of them. A lot of words, no action. The people who succeed have taken action. All the time. At a certain point, sometimes it is frustrating when things aren't hitting your goals. This deflates a TON of projects as well. How do you combat flakes? You can't. No matter how good you think you're people skills are, flakes have found ways to circumvent your radar. How? Because they're smooth. They cater to your ego. Sometimes they have no idea they're doing it, they just do it.
I have a terrible habit of sending out scripts to friends and telling them we should make it. Though no promise has been made, I still recognize and feel flakey for not pushing hard to get the money to get it done. Yes, this is flakey. Actors don't like to be dragged around like idiots.
Flakey behavior doesn't see the long term result either.
Case in point, I take my film camera to get serviced. Though, camera technicians are an amazing group of exceptionally skill mad scientists, they are also bat shit nuts. They ramble and point out details. Mostly you have to conclude they are working things out in their heads aloud. Most are some form of autistic. A TON are meticulous to a fault. Some started out on set and you can see the toll flakes have taken on them.
Their wild eyed and mumbling angry stuff about the business (such as myself). Jittery and make people uncomfortable because there isn't a conversation happening though...the oddest part...they hear EVERYTHING. Now imagine this obsessive compulsive person being led around by a flake...for decades. You get a time bomb, really. It's difficult to communicate with these people because the fucking flakes of Hollywood have broken these toys. I suppose you can choose to hear the stories of success or the stories of failure, but I guarantee you there are more stories about failures but you HEAR more stories about success (phony Hollywood grandeur). Not that anyone who is still in it considers their pursuit failures. But I guarantee the guy whose dealt with too many flakes have gotten to the point where his fantasies of grandeur turned into work based drudgery. Because flakes can wear you out.
My suggestion, please be very mindful of the people you effect with this behavior. Conversely, be mindful of the people whose enthusiasm is so big you suspect anything that person says can't be accomplished. I think most people who work here long enough conclude, flakes are the ones who will drain your will to make anything.
Don't be a flake.
No comments:
Post a Comment