Allow me to ramble for a little bit..
No particular point, I think, I just need to vent..
2017 has been a tough year. I have tried to take it with a smile, and of course traveling for about 5-6 weeks has helped a lot, but eventually not being working takes its toll. I'm lucky that cash is not really an issue (I saved a lot while I was working, and I'm a kangaroo, so my expenses are very low on a monthly basis), but not really doing anything is taking its toll.
About 8-9 years ago I decided I had enough of the finantial markets, decided to do something else. That something else was a short term film school in NY, and if I'm being honest, when I started I really thought it was just a pause button that I would unpause when the year was over. Of course that as that year went by, I saw that I would never come back to my old life. I wasn't sure what I would do, but I thought something would come up.
So it was with some relief and joy that when a friend introduced to a film producer from Brazil, but a guy that was trying to do things differently. At the time, he had some projects that he was developing with Frank Marshall, and I saw him in NY in a trip he made to meet Scott Rudin and discuss whatever with him.
The conversation went well, and he sent me an e-mail to look out for him next time I came to Brazil. At that time I didn't know if I was staying in the US or not, and I came to Brazil a few weeks later. In a week, I went to his office twice, had many good chats, I went to meetings with a exhibitor just because. He said he wanted me to work with him. A few weeks later he was going to TIFF to present a few films, and invited me to go with him and his team. I did, went to parties and meetings, was introduced to a lot of people as someone who would be working with him in the near future.
I went back to NY, he came back to São Paulo, and then he never replied to any of my e-mails anymore. Complete radio silence. I eventually just gave up, a bit bummed, got a work visa and stayed in NY for another 2 1/2 years. It was great, because I sort of made up my mind of what I wanted to do.
When my time in NY was nearly up and I came back to Brazil, I met my friend and he asked me if I wanted him to get in touch with the producer guy and press some about me. (They do business together.) I said, what the hell, that guy is better than a bank anyway, so sure. The guy emails me, schedules a meeting. One day before it, he postpones it. And does it again. I was about to give up again, and one meeting happens. It's quick, but he (once more) offers me a job, and asks me to come one week later (He was busy with a release happening in the meantime. I even go to the preview of that film, meets his team again.)
That day comes, and I cross town. Mind you, this is São Paulo, you need to drive 30-40 minutes to get to places. Literally 2 minutes before the meeting, I was 10 feet away from his office's gate, I get an email from his assistant that he got sick and went home. I'm there, so I just ring the bell to talk to her, and she essetially does not let me enter the premises. (I got in anyway because I asked to use the restroom.) We re-schedule to the next day. I tell my sister. She waits a few minutes, call his office and asks to talk to him. He is there, so she hangs up anc calls me.
I'm pissed. It's clear that he doesn't want to meet me, so I call the next day to cancel the meeting we had scheduled and say we can reschedule whenever it works for him. Yes, it was a test. He never called me again, as expected. Neither did I. I feel like I dodged a bullet, as the guy is clearly a fucking idiot at best.
A few months later, I meet some people, one thing leads to another, and I start working on a production company. Fine people, all. Some nice projects. But we depended on public funding to work, so 2 years later (last November-December) the funds ran out, we have to let a lot of people go, including me. The sector is all bad, and this whole year has been the same for everyone.
But not everyone. The asshole, as I said, worked differently. He was able to get some projects going in the US after all, and he funds his Brazilian films privately, at least in part. He gets shit done. To make things more aggravating, here are some of the films he produced recently: The Witch, Patty Cakes, Call me by Your Name.. He was fucking invited to be part of AMPAS. He posted on FB today he had a lunch wih Scorsese (they had some projects lined up in the past) and he saw some of The Irishman being filmed.
So, yeah, what if? It's not my fault, but what if? The guy is clearly an idiot, but what if? (I have worked with idiots and crooks before..) And when I'm lost as I have been, that makes me angry and that makes me sad. And more lost. It's been one year and I see no road.
*sigh*
Yeah, I rambled. No point. tl; dr: Marlowe is lost.
