- 12:15 PM,
Saturday, August 26th, 2023:
-
- What should be my
absolute favorite moment of the year has to be a
locked fucking entry because of this week with
Billy.
-
- So we meet the
following night for drinks at the GolfKon bar so
I could be lubricated enough to not hold back. If
we really are going to work together, he needs to
understand why what he did was batshit insane and THEN
he has to tell me what the fuck he does, because none
of this makes sense.
-
- He starts by
showing me a power-point presentation on his laptop
he's already made for the meetings. It's fine, if not
a bit strange since we're ushering in a completely new
format and showing flat video of the NFL with a
headset overlay feels like an SNL bit to me. That
being said, the slides about the business side of
things (number of headsets, etc) are cool.
I guess. I mean... it looked like he had done
this before which is a good thing.
-
- Now I'm writing
this a week after the meeting and I know that my
takeaway from the meeting (as Talya came into my
studio and asked me while I was emotionally and
literally wasted) was clear: I don't have much of
a choice here. He's involved. We're here now. There is
no meeting if I pull out and until we have some sort
of offer, why would I do that. He made a play and
it worked. I told her that his power-point stuff
was professional and started the week. I also let
her know that there was no real apology. He used the
wonderful gaslighting line "If that's how you feel,
I'm sorry." Which for fuck's sake, haven't
manipulative gas-lighters gotten BETTER lately? You'd
think they'd avoid the 1995 handbook. Fucking hell
dude.
HOW COULD ANYONE HAVE FELT ANY DIFFERENT!?!?!
He said he was surprised I was so upset and if I felt
that he did something out of line, he's sorry.
-
- FUCKING FUCK
dude. I don't want to work with this dude. But we
move on...
-
- This week has been
beyond fucked. He and the NFL dude working together
without me, texting, emailing about the pitchdeck (the
slide presentation), Billy answering all his questions
and then after running it by me if I want to add
anything. No introduction... nothing. The meetings are
set for 8/30 and I'm not even gonna meet the guy I'm
pitching with? Then the NFL dude's notes on my reel
are clear - no voice-over, just show some good shots.
So I sit there while the two of them talk like
business partners, and then I show them my good
CAMERA shots?
-
- Oh fuck no. Are
you fuckers HIGH? The audacity to think that I would
be OK with this is what galls me. What part of my
life did you skip? What made you think that what I was
doing the last year was just getting good camera
shots? Did you just skip over the direction, editing,
scripting, story-telling - you know what my 5
documentaries are based on? You know, the ones where
I did every single part and they're all making
money and doing just fine? And listen, I have a LIST
of friends in the industry I'd love to work with,
people that have ACTUAL experience. Filmmakers,
producers, FX artists... and of course I presume that
anything I make for the NFL is shared with a
whole HOST of people because they have NFL in their
title. That's the business. I'm cool with that... but
having those people talk with Billy like he is me?
Huh?
-
- So I tell Billy as
calmly as I can - there's no way I can make this
reel without a voice over. He goes back to the NFL
dude again who reiterates it and says to use words on
the screen. I explain to Billy that you can't
make people READ within a VR180 space... it's
straining, difficult and simply put? BAD FORM. This,
isn't, flat. Shit is gonna be flying around their
heads, I have 5 minutes to show them SO much and
if I'm forced to slow it down so people can read
sentences? The fuck? But at some point I realize -
it's about control. They want to make me look like the
camera man, while THEY have all the ideas. Even though
neither of them have ever been involved in a VR180
production. Now I'm say this about the NFL dude, but
I don't know... he may just think Billy is
involved in all of this and is following HIS lead.
Don't know, 'cause I was
NEVER INTRODUCED TO HIM.
-
- Ahem.
-
- Oh wait,
I forgot that yesteray Billy says he's having his
creative zoom meeting with the NFL guy this morning
and I should let him know if there's anything I'd
like Billy to ask him for me.
-
- <blink>
-
- He adds: or if
you'd like to be on it let me know.
-
- FUCK ALL OF YOU.
Just, fuck all of you. To never introduce me, never
include me is so fucking insane... Maybe he's
realizing that and trying to get me in on it now? But
honestly, what's the fucking point.
HE DOESN'T HAVE A HEADSET.
I need to show him some things. So I didn't go on
the meeting this morning because they've already
painted me in the corner. Anyway I'm ahead of myself -
back to Wednesday.
-
- ...I just say
- fuck it, I'm making the appropriate reel. It took me
about 35 hours over 3 days and when I finished it last
night I actually screamed "YES!" as it ended in my
headset. It said everything I wanted it to say.
It sells the format as well as explains my role (my
production company's role) in making it happen.
I cannot fathom anyone seeing it and not only
wanting to move forward, but also knowing full well
what my role is. For my own protection, that had to
happen. I then invited Billy and family over
tomorrow to watch it so hopefully he then understands
what's going on and we don't have some embarrassing
moment at the meetings. I can't imagine them
seeing his slide presentation, then watching the
reel... and talking to him instead of me. And we
absolutely need to figure out what the hell "WE" are
because that hasn't been established and he's vague.
I guess we can wait until there's an offer - but
make no mistake, if I'm pushed to tell the truth in
these meetings, I will tell the truth.
-
- So I feel
protected because of the reel and I also spoke
with my Google X dude (Nick) during a New Zealand
Zoom call and he said (paraphrased): "Adam,
you're the production company. You're the whole thing.
You go into that meeting as the WHOLE thing. If
they want to hire Billy to do something more than you
provide? Awesome. But that's between Billy and them.
He has nothing to do with you."
-
- That helped. A
bunch. And in fact, obviously I spoke with every
friend and industry person I've known for decades and
after they got over their initial "Wait, he did this
without talking to you?" they all said the same thing:
he's kind of fucking himself here. Because once it
comes down to the actual production, you're producing
it. If he has no way of helping, he isn't involved.
The NFL can insert him if they think it's the thing to
do, but you aren't partners.
-
- So now I just hope
he sees this reel tomorrow, has a moment of
self-realization and we can figure out what the fuck
"we" are. I've done everything I possibly can to make
that clear. And once I release the reel, everyone else
will understand as well.
-
- Oh how fucking fun
this shit is. But it does produce art...
-
-
-
-
- Adam
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