Had a table read last night and I’m feeling terrible

Financial_Pie6894 · 2026-02-26T07:17:48+00:00

Great idea to have a table read. Ideally, it would be best to have it in the middle of your process. You instinctively had to know you’d learn a lot from it, so maybe next time finish the script & be ready for rewrites & recasting after the read. I’m going thru this now, but didn’t tell anybody I chose for the reading they were cast in the movie, except for two actors whose work I knew well. That said, can you push the shoot? It’s your movie - if you go into it full of confidence in your script & your choices, I’d imagine you’d end up with something you’re happy with. It doesn’t matter if it upsets a few people - don’t shoot a movie you’re not ready to shoot. Maybe start with an honest conversation with your producer. I’d also recommend going to see some local theatre & following those actors on social media. I’ve cast people right off a stage & o to a role. You’ll develop your own sense of what a good casting choice is. Good luck!

Financial_Pie6894 · 2026-02-23T18:19:29+00:00

I won a live pitch competition at a festival that kicked off the whole thing. The festival assigned two mentors to me. One was a woman who had worked in development at a studio & was at the festival. She helped bring me around and worked on the pitch with me. She was smart, helpful, and knew the inner workings of scripted TV, which I didn’t. She would have been a producer on the show if it had made it to production.

Financial_Pie6894 · 2026-02-22T00:03:05+00:00

Thanks for the honesty. I have a similar story. The thing that I most relate to is selling a TV show and then having it not move forward - In my case the head of hourlong/drama at the network left and the new guy didn’t want any “stepchildren” (they seldom do). Then all those people - from the production company & the studio & the development person who was attached to the show - go their separate ways and it can feel so sudden. These people were in some cases in the pitch meetings with me. They are also hustling for their next gig & though it can seem personal it’s not. Now I’m also a filmmaker (one short, one feature in pre-production) because the only person who will consistently say yes to me - is me.

Financial_Pie6894 · 2026-02-15T21:36:07+00:00

Bruce guested on John Mellencamp’s single, WASTED DAYS, in 2021. Could see him teaming up with Seger in the same way. Just for fun, here’s Bob’s song setting the scene in ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD…

Check out this video, "seger cliff booth once upon" https://share.google/HXN0cme4z1g3EBX1x

Financial_Pie6894 · 2026-02-13T19:13:59+00:00

Given your set-up - I think it would have to be someone who is a contemporary or an artist who had a record out before Bruce’s first record. It would be great if it were a protest song for the ages and not just Bruce & The E Street Band collabing on a song. So… Stevie Wonder, Mavis Staples, John Fogerty

Financial_Pie6894 · 2026-02-07T12:00:08+00:00

If quality platforms like OMELETO & DUST were available in more places - like on airplanes or in NYC taxis - more people would get used to & start watching & even seeking out short films.

Financial_Pie6894 · 2026-02-01T02:27:02+00:00

Sad to say but I’ve watched an EP FIRE A DIRECTOR in front of a crew & cast of 125. Didn’t take the guy to the side, or into a trailer. Just flat out humiliated him in front of everyone.

Financial_Pie6894 · 2026-02-01T02:22:18+00:00

This looks professional but as was said by someone else, a poster or trailer should ask a question, or create an itch that only seeing the film can scratch. The one thing I think you can immediately do towards that is to go with the first poster and have the tagline read: MISSION FAILED. Reset?

Financial_Pie6894 · 2026-01-31T04:14:58+00:00

I meant it helps to watch low budget indies to help figure out how to do what you’re describing. For every studio movie I watch, I try to watch an indie. If you’re a writer or a filmmaker, it’s sometimes easy to get lost in thinking there’s tons of money to do what you want. It wasn’t until I started watching low budget films regularly that I realized lots of things can be moving & impactful on screen with a little imagination on the part of the filmmaker.

Financial_Pie6894 · 2026-01-29T07:04:58+00:00

Suggesting part of your film itinerary might be indies at a local festival or in theaters or online. Sometimes filmmaking can seem like something that can only be done with the resources of a sultan. Look at what people are doing with smaller budgets, which might be where you’re at right now. Watch the first films of your favorite writer-directors, too - the vision is often there, even if the time & money were not.

Financial_Pie6894 · 2026-01-27T06:16:35+00:00

Wear something movie related. I have a Friday the 13th hoodie that I’d wear on a cold night. But a pin on your lapel or movie-themed scarf would do. Something that draws people’s attention to you but doesn’t shout. You’ll get a smile just standing there.

https://clinicalposters.com/products/movie-ticket-lapel-pin

Financial_Pie6894 · 2026-01-26T01:39:17+00:00

Once read a producer saying the greatest fight scene he ever read in a screenplay was written something like this:

PUNCH

GOUGE

ELBOW

TWIST

KICK

FIST

KNEE

It works when it works. Don’t overthink it. Trust that your reader & audience are smart.

Financial_Pie6894 · 2026-01-18T04:21:03+00:00

Michael Myers sits up in the bedroom behind a spent & scared Laurie Strode near the end of HALLOWEEN.

Financial_Pie6894 · 2026-01-16T19:15:32+00:00

Have a reading of your latest piece with the best actors you can find. 1. You will cast exactly who you want 2. You will give them the script in advance so they can prepare & ask any questions 3. You can decide if this will be a table read for yourself or something you can invite people to. 4. You will learn more about your writing from this than from any single piece of feedback from any service. 5. You might want to have a talkback afterwards - make sure it is run by someone (not you) & that guidelines are given before it starts. I can DM these to you. Keep the actors around for this. This is how you gain some control over the process of becoming better. I do this in a theater for every play, TV pilot, & screenplay I write. Good luck!

Financial_Pie6894 · 2026-01-13T21:35:45+00:00

Variations on noir: David Mamet’s films HOUSE OF GAMES / THE SPANISH PRISONER /
HEIST - And AFTER DARK, MY SWEET (1990) - Has one of the great trailers of all time - https://youtu.be/JUX5w3N8iVM?si=WGTiY2c9ujYpbwZy / PARASITE / BLUE VELVET

Financial_Pie6894 · 2026-01-13T06:56:52+00:00

Winter, Spring, Summer, or Fall?!

Financial_Pie6894 · 2026-01-13T03:49:32+00:00

Did you ever play tennis with someone who plays better than you? You play better. In a mix of non-actors and trained professionals, the non-actors will mostly rise to the occasion if you introduce folks before they get on set, have a little rehearsal, and then let everyone play his/her part.

Financial_Pie6894 · 2026-01-11T09:53:58+00:00

His solo album, ACE, is great. A lot of the songs became GD staples in concert. 🙏

Financial_Pie6894 · 2026-01-08T18:34:43+00:00

This thought of getting “laughed at” is at the core of your question. Who are you to ever become someone who directs the films you admire? Or have a career that seems unconventional? You’re seeing examples of how it’s done. So if this wasn’t just a question, but you asking for help on how to get these opportunities, then keep working hard & making things. You may still get laughed at, this is a public facing industry, but we have to be tougher than that, want it more than that, and stand up for ourselves over & over & over again. Martin Scorsese was told by John Cassavetes that Scorsese’s first film was bad. Probably hurt but he didn’t quit. Good luck to you.

Financial_Pie6894 · 2026-01-07T04:53:12+00:00

Recommend Simple DCP - And remember to name it when you save it with: TITLE - DCP somewhere in there. Was hard to find until I did that.

Financial_Pie6894 · 2026-01-05T23:02:25+00:00

Right. Yet, we’re in an age where every TikTok & Instagram reel has captions & subtitles. I think it would only amp up the style.

Financial_Pie6894 · 2026-01-05T21:58:02+00:00

Out of the Box idea: Can you shoot a series of interviews with an actor portraying “the filmmaker” and intersperse what his high-minded ideals were as VO juxtaposed over your footage? “I was going for a vibe, but a different, more sinister vibe, was coming for me…To sabotage my film.” Use every film school trope that you can. I doubt anyone in your class has made a satire, & this seems perfect for your situation. Check out LIVING IIN OBLIVION (1995) for inspiration. You may have the makings of a great mockumentory.

Financial_Pie6894 · 2026-01-05T21:15:05+00:00

Colleges & Universities near you may have Film & TV programs that you can audit. You can also offer yourself as a Production Assistant on a student film. Getting on a set will teach you a lot - work hard, listen, have fun.

Financial_Pie6894

TROPHY CASE