You have to set dates and be the pusher to get things done. Either that or find a producer to do the pushing.

RJSchwarz

Yeah, you have to make it felt that this is going to happen.

Give people plans. If you have 5 people interested (in whatever facets), then make a hypothetical production schedule involving those people (and perhaps leaving room for others you may need). Show it to the interested people, or tell them verbally, and not only will you weed out the ones without the required commitment but you'll have started the ball rolling.

It's YOUR movie and YOUR task to start and keep momentum going.

quote:

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Originally posted by tmw554

i'm a student who has written a couple of scripts recently. i have shown them to some classmates and other people i know and they seem interested to act or help in production. some ideas where theirs to begin with.

the problem is i can't seem to get anyone really motivated to get a project going soon.i think they are just being lazy. i will be graduating in a couple months and am afraid i wont have time to shoot anything for a while after.

does anyone have any ideas to help me get these people to step up to the plate?

---

Okay, TMW, this is going to be harsh, so if you're sensitive, skip this.....

The first thing I noticed about this post was that you bagged your friends behind their backs. Calling them "lazy" isn't..er..very nice. If they've picked up that judgemental vibe from you, (as easily as I picked it up here),then it's no wonder they don't want to be in your film. That's Strike 1.

Not only that, but it seems you're not prepared to even consider that it may not be "laziness" on their part, but rather that your script just might not be as good as you assume it is, and that that's why nobody wants to be in it. Strike 2.

And your last sentence says "...help me get these people to step up to the plate."

"These people"?! "Step up to the plate"?! A bit too much of the authoritarian there, don't you think?! Strike 3.

I think I've got the answer to your problem, TMW. You need to do a little soul-searching and see if you actually have the basic skills to make a film. The skills I'm talking about are personality, leadership, demeanour, and attitude - in short, "people" skills.

If not, stick to writing scripts, (by yourself), and get others to produce them.

That's the best advice I can offer you.
.

Excellent advice, Kurt. I doubt we'll ever see tmw again, but
others reading might take a little something from this. Very
rarely is it "laziness" that keeps people from stepping up to
the plate. It's the attitude of the person asking for help.

=============================================
The aim of an argument or discussion should not be victory, but progress.
Joseph Joubert, essayist (1754-1824)

Thanks for that, CI. ?:)?

Yes, you're right, TMW isn't going to come back again just to admit that he still hasn't been successful.

It's a pity, really. For all we know, he just might have a good script there, but it probably won't get made, and he'll wonder why.

Kurt.

Psychologists have done studies, and they have found out that intelligence by itself is not enough; emotional intelligence, which involves not throwing tantrums, among other things, is also important. So is social intelligence, which is the intelligence of knowing the social rules that govern groups of people. I don't pretend to master all of these forms of intelligence, but I now realize how correct those psychologists are - many intelligent people simply cannot get projects done, because they offend the people around them.

Exactly right, AM. Quite like that term.

Of course, on the other hand, some people are just plain jerks. ?;)?

Often considered buying Goleman's book. Maybe it would give me some insights about a couple of my in-laws!?:D?

Kurt, you're very well read. Goleman wrote the standard book on Emotional Intelligence, and he also recently wrote a book on Social Intelligence, where he talks of the emerging science of neural psychology. I'm not a reductionist, and I believe in free will, but I have always thought that people's attitudes are caused to a great extent by their nature and pattern of their neurons.

That said, most jerks I know, especially those with high IQ, talk big about social sensitivity and all that, but none of them practice what they preach - which makes them hypocrites by definition.

I hope to learn and do, and, quite honestly, working in film is the best way to learn how to be a people person.

quote:

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I hope to learn and do, and, quite honestly, working in film is the best way to learn how to be a people person.

---

Yes, filmmaking is an excellent environment to develop and hone those skills. And not just on the set.

Screenwriting, in particular, absolutely demands an enormous degree of empathy for other peoples' emotions and an ability to accurately predict reactions. From the little that I've read of Goleman's books so far, those two personal characteristics would be fundamental elements of such an hypothesis, I would expect.

Your point that peoples' attitudes are largely determined by neural patterns - "hard wiring" I guess you mean, sounds right to me.

This chat has made me think of Christian Bale for some reason!?:D?

Yes, I am talking of hard wiring.

What's wrong with Christian Bale?

quote:

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Originally posted by Aspiring mogul
What's wrong with Christian Bale?

---

He's referring to this:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/celebritynews/4508022/Christian-Bale-rant-Full-transcript.html

quote:

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Originally posted by Aspiring mogul

Yes, I am talking of hard wiring.

What's wrong with Christian Bale?

---

I mention him as an example of the kind of trait we're talking about - the "Does not play well with others" trait.

See CI's post and link, AM.

The thing about that meltdown was, it went on for so long! If he had just briefly come out with a couple choice words, made his point, then got control of himself again, people would have been sympathetic.

But no, he just went on and on and on....
.

quote:

---

Originally posted by tmw554

i'm a student who has written a couple of scripts recently. i have shown them to some classmates and other people i know and they seem interested to act or help in production. some ideas where theirs to begin with.

the problem is i can't seem to get anyone really motivated to get a project going soon.i think they are just being lazy. i will be graduating in a couple months and am afraid i wont have time to shoot anything for a while after.

does anyone have any ideas to help me get these people to step up to the plate?

---

In addition to the issues brought up by others, one of the factors involved in any collaborative project is the "What's in it for me?" element. It's not meant as a selfish point, but in general, when someone agrees to help do anything, there is generally a motivation involved. In the professional world, the primary motivator is money. As in "Pay me what I'm worth and I'll be there on time to help." Naturally, there is also a desire to do the job that motivated the person to choose that career in the first place, but we all have to make a living, so as much as one might love his job, money is one of the major motivators.

In the student realm, money isn't something that can be promised, so someone wishing others to help has to figure out what else to offer in order to gain the help needed to complete a project. For some, it's just the fun of completing a movie and having their name in the credits. For others, maybe they can also get college credit for helping on something significant. If the particular script calls for a specialty, like SPX Makeup and you can find someone who loves doing that, then just the chance to get their creations on film could be enough. Theater students might jump at the chance to expand their skills into the film world. Cameramen and other technical professionals who are NOT students may welcome the chance to help create a narrative movie just for a chance to expand their own resumes.

The trick is to first be passionate about your own project, and only one at a time. Having a "few" that may or may not be done and trying to get others excited about them with no specifics to go on isn't likely to be a successful venture. Find ONE project to really throw yourself into, break it down into its elements, then go find SPECIALISTS who can help bring it to life. Having a few random friends is not the way to achieve your goal. Find those out there who REALLY REALLY REALLY want to do this kind of work. Not only will your project be far better for it, but you'll also find other people around you who you didn't even know before who can continue to collaborate together on future projects.

And above all, keep in mind that they are NOT there for YOU. They are there for themselves and whatever they have decided is worth investing their own time into this project. The minute the project isn't worth their time anymore, they will either stop giving it their all or they will just leave. To that end, it's YOUR responsibility to keep everyone interested and feeling invested in the project, making sure that they are getting everything out of the effort that they can. Definitely never treat them as if they are less than you or if they are working for you. It is your job to appreciate everyone who agrees to work and every effort that is made. The minute you stop doing that is the minute you lose your crew.

Humility and graciousness goes a very very long way.

Brian Dzyak
Cameraman/Author
IATSE Local 600, SOC
http://www.whatireallywanttodo.com
http://www.realfilmcareer.com

Is the original poster still around? Maybe we're talking to the wind.