Back to Writing

For the past week (plus a few days), I've had to cover AD duties for a colleague while the lucky bugger went on holiday to Rome (yes, fuckin' Rome. I'm so jealous). Of course that got in the way of my writerly duties, and as such my last draft was late by a couple of days. Surprisingly, that was rather well received, except it was way too long, and has to be cut by a quarter or more. I think that won't be too difficult, since much of my dialogue goes on forever (the combined influence of Seinfeld and Frasier). So that looks pretty set.

Unfortunately, because of this covering of duties, I've had to become reacquainted with the Dark Side. Every single point of contact with them then becomes a new round of exasperation and annoyance. I simply don't understand how any group of people can behave this way and still continue to function. Of course, it's a given that they don't function very well, but the fact of the matter is that they've been doing this for years, and unless something happens to tip the balance of the scale, may continue doing this for quite a while.

In my previous capacity as an AD on another team, we were expected to be independent and resourceful, able to make decisions on the spot for the greater good of the project. Would it work better if the location for a scene was changed to facilitate shooting and minimize travel? If so, then it was done. Would it be faster to get the talent to set by cab so that we could end on time? If so, then it was done. Could we do day for night and so fit everything into the day? If so, then it was done.

On the Dark Side, no one wants to make these decisions. Everyone defaults to someone else, and insists on going around in circles. It's bureaucracy elevated to an art form, basically. Why all the red tape even within a group of less than ten people? Why does no one have the fucking balls to make a decision? How can you work with someone for years and still doubt their ability when everyone else feels completely confident about him?

That last question was directed at the production manager, who wanted me to make sure things went all right on set tomorrow morning. The guy I'm handing back the duties to though, has years of experience on me, and the shoot is so simple it doesn't warrant my supervision. He could do it with his eyes shut. We worked it out, and there is no way I'm turning up tomorrow. So there.

Also, why is the writer so disproportionately powerful? Who gives a shit about you. You write it, let others shoot it in peace. Why does the production manager ask the writer for permission to change the location of a scene? In my opinion, you lose all rights and power once you hand in such a shitty script.

And hey, I've probably mentioned before, the guy doesn't have a fucking clue about the direction of anyone or anything in his series. Instead, he insists that the audience is comprised of morons and that he must write a stupid script and talk down to them.

Hey Mr. "Writer", a stupid script doesn't reflect the intelligence of the target audience. It only reflects how arrogant and retarded you are as a person.

But anyway, I'm glad I've handed back the reins of AD, and can concentrate on writing my next script. This is for a new sitcom, and I have completely no feel for any of the characters yet. Hopefully I'll be able to turn in something intelligent. This is gonna be tricky...