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Aritistic Differences

Ernest just called me to ask if I had read the e-mail.

"What e-mail?" I said.

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From : Ernest M Waddell

Sent : Sunday, October 24, 2004 11:10 AM

To : John Ott

Subject : Re: Manipulations, Draft Ocho!!!!!!!

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I don't know if you got the last email but here goes.

First of all you're way too pouty and passive aggressive. If you

pout in another fucking meeting I think i'm going to shoot myself.

If you have something to say, say it. I think I've made you

comfortable enough to where you can say anything to me.

We spent a lot of time in meetings coming up with ideas

improving, bringing in actors and so forth just for that first scene

and NONE of it was incorporated. WHAT THE FUCK. I feel like this

collaborative effort is slowly becoming your brainchild. That's very

annoying. This script was supposed to reflect both of our

aesthetic, and if it's not going to then I don't want to be a part of

this anymore. Because what the fuck are we having all these

fucking meetings for. And the script isn't even THAT good.

Bottom line: YOU CAN'T LEARN ALL THERE IS ABOUT LIFE BY

READING BOOKS AND WATCHING MOVIES!!! (i'm an advocate of

qualia)

And if you're going to do so then listen to the people who make it

their job to stock up on life experiences.

And even if we didn't our input is supposed to be worthy simply

because this is a fucking collaborative effort.

This is not an action movie, it's about relationships, people. things

we know make it a point to know about. Art is (especially this

script) is supposed to reflect life. But not some Televisual life, but

life as it is lived today. Experiences that are real, presented by real

people. Believe it or not you need us more than we need you. And

everything is going in one ear and out the other. Tiring. And to

put all that other stuff aside. I am invested in this script. I want it

to be amazing, and I also want it to represent the kind of art that I

want to make. And where this script is at right now, I can gladly

walk away from this project. So let me know what you want to do.

whether it's all J. Ott or it's all of us.

Ernest

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He felt like he was too harsh. I'd agree. I'm taking it pretty well, though, because he sounded so concilliatory on the phone.

I told him I was confuse because there was little specific criticism other than that I didn't incorporate anything new into the first scene. (Except I did. I put in several details that came out of the improvs, including what I thought was a very good idea from Ernest to establish that Charlie doesn't like working in a cubicle, working in a box.) We all agreed that the scene pretty much worked as written, once actors started doing their actor thing, which is what I've been counting on all along. I can't write a performance.

Anyway, I'll get to be defensive when we meet and parse the script scene by scene this Thursday. I've already put in hundreds of hours on this script from the first vague concept of a bunch of 20-something artists with criss-crossing storylines and a metaphor of life as a collaboration. I've tapped Ernest for thoughts the whole way through, tried my best not to be married to anything. I certainly want a script we can all get behind -- I don't really have a choice; of course we've all got to be behind the script. But the project as a whole is our collaboration. The acting component hasn't really gotten to go into it and I know that must be frustrating for Ernest. I don't blame him or Brandon for feeling un-used. That should all change when (or if?) we do the reading.

I hope we can reconcile these artistic differences.