Nope. Nothing worse than a missed opportunity.
Why do I mention it?
Oh, no reason. No reason at all.
Hey, I should have mentioned in yesterday’s blog entry – while we were on the topic of “waiting” – that I have yet to acquire copy of Paul McAuley’s Evening’s Empires for our forthcoming Book of the Month Club discussion. I was told there had been a hold-up with the publisher – but someone pointed out that the book was published back in 2013 – and yet it was listed as a new release in May. Hmmmm. Qu’est-ce qu’il ce passe? Well, if worse comes to worse, you’ll have to go on without me. Just don’t forget to lock up on your way out.
shawna writes: “Speaking of timelines, I was wondering what you’d consider a reasonable time frame for getting a film treatment done, including the incorporation of notes from the producer. “Done” meaning it’s ready to move to scripting.”
Answer: Certainly not eight years. I’d consider that unreasonable. Also, endless rewrites are a no-no. A writer is usually hired to write two drafts and a polish. If the producer still feels the script needs some work, they can: 1. Hire you to do more. 2. Hire another writer to do more. 3. Do it themselves. In the case of #2 and #3, it can open up a can of worms re: credit issues. Remind me to tell you about our arbitration story some day.
Sparrow_hawk writes: “Get out of the house and get some exercise, Joe.”
Answer: I did! I was out back for two hours this afternoon, reading four different books. That’s quite a workout!
Peggy writes: ““You have the best job in the whole world…you get to play with doggies all day!” Riiiight, we play with the doggies…right after we brush out the matted coat you swear was not like that yesterday, wash, dry, clip and finish, clean up their poop, pee and vomit because you had to feed them before the car ride here, and try not to accidentally nick them while they spin around on our table.”
Answer: Let it be noted that I ALWAYS tip my dog groomer.
Jenny Horn writes: “So I have this idea. It’s like a fundme meets shark tank thing. Joe, you pitch a show idea to the sci-fi (or other, as appropriate) fan base community and present a budget for launching the show. The fans decide whether or not they want to see this show realized, and either fund the show or not. If the critical monetary mass is reached, production ensues. If not, then everyone can walk away. I haven’t thought through any more than what I just typed…surely there are myriad considerations and obstacles. I don’t even know if this is an original idea or not. But, I wanted to throw it out there into the universe. I’d rather have a say in what gets green lit. After all, I am the end consumer.”
Answer: You know what? I like this idea. I like it a lot. Don’t know if you could ever raise enough to produce an actual series, but a movie? Possibly.
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