My Interview: part 2

It was the third thing out of my mouth: name, experience, don't really want the job. But the response was even more amazing.

His monologue was like confrontational theater, I felt like I should be in the audience but it was directed at me. It's like my prospective boss was justifying the merits of giving up on his dreams of working for major studios. Dreams I have. I placed my sweaty palms on my resume and waited for him turn back from staring out the glass door and into his thoughts. He twisted his chair and rolled his body back to me.

"You're the one." He said casually. "Your going to work out. I'm not going to see anyone else. I going to tell Pam." He turned as if he might call on his cell phone, then he looked back out the door. "Pam!" He looked again at me. "Your going to work out. How much are you looking for?"

I told him and he nodded.

"I expect you to be making twice that in five years. I need someone to take over the shooting and some of the directing. What I need is a creative partner I can trust. The last guy, all he wanted to do was edit." He turned again and called down the hall, "Pam."

He breathed hard out of his nose. "Just a second. I don't want these other people to come." He stood up. "I'm supposed to have five more guys show up. You're the guy."

I didn't want anything to break the spell. After months of searching for a new job, here it was. I was going to get the salary I wanted, with room to move up. I slowly peeled my palms off my resume and wiped my brow

"Ok, buddy." My new boss said as he entered the room. "I got to see one of these guys, he's almost here." I stood up. "Why don't you wait in my office." He extended his hand" "Welcome aboard."

We shook. I walked down the hall with dreams of being debt free. I confidently strode past the mirror and saw a long black smudge across my face. I looked at my hands and on them was the smudged sentences of my resume.

My Interview: part1

I had saliva dripping off me from every job website that had spit in my face. I sat in a little conference room waiting for my interview to begin-- 5 black empty chairs at a long cheap table.

The boss entered. He had an "at ease" quality in the way he moved his husky body. His voice was calming, and I liked his hair cut: it was the same as mine. He leaned back in his chair and asked a few questions about me and what I had done. I had edited for this and that commercial etc. It moved along like any interview.

"But I really," I told him. "I want to make my film Joy Lies." I felt I was going out on a limb. He made commercials and most (future) bosses don't like the idea of extracurricular activities. He leaned forward in his chair and looked me right in the eye.

"You know, I've made 368 episodes of a TV show. I spent $100,000 dollars of my own money; drained the kids college funds, mortgaged the house. There is just no room in this industry for an independent producer anymore. If I tried to sell my show in the Chicago market, lets say, the big networks wouldn't take it even if they wanted to. Because the big guys would muscle them and say, 'If you take that show, we won't sell you Smallville.'"

"Now you," He pointed at me with his phone, " If you make this film and it goes to video, or even the theaters, the best you can hope for is working for Miramax or something, editing trailers. You'll never make your next film on your terms."
He paused leaning back in his chair. I thought "That sounds pretty good, Quentin's Editor."

He raised an eyebrow at me.

"Maybe thats what you want to do, I don't know. I never took the jobs offered me. I mean I made four successful films in the '80s. It was a different market with video. And I got offered jobs to produce." He suddenly swiveled and flopped his arms on the table. "They wanted me to work in a cubical making phone calls all day. I was offered a job at Sony and MGM. But I can't stay in an office all day, never getting behind a camera again, and working on someone else's projects." He leaded back calmly and looked out the glass door. Then, almost in a whisper, he said. "I make more now then I ever got offered then."

He stared out, and I wondered where this interview was going.

Cutting Brian: intro

They are the faces you see late at night, or midday between Court TV and Tampons. They promise to right wrongs, empower the downtrodden, and bring wealth. They are called rats, leeches, and ambulance chasers. I call them by their first names. They are Lawyers.

I help make and edit commercials for them. To me they are "The Heavy Weight," "The Strong Arm" and other catch phrases, with rhymes that would make Doctor Seuss mentally do time. I see them in between a workout and before court (if they even go to court).

I will tell you stories about the film set, crazy lawyers and of me trying to overcome and make the things I really want: art and a feature film.

--J-edit




NEXT TIME: My Job Interview : how film is frailer, and more Lawyer secrets.