You’ve Got to Be Shitting Me
by Traveling Matt
<- Click to rate this post! (Average: 3.33 out of 5)
Loading ...
<- Click to rate this post! (Average: 3.33 out of 5) Loading ...I decided to apply for a $20,000 Commissioning Grant for the new screenplay I've been working on. I've been doing round-the-clock web-design work to afford food; this grant would free me up to take a break and finish writing. It could be a hell of a movie if I could concentrate on the damn thing for more than an hour a week. So I asked a Hollywood producer who's seen and liked my work to write me a recommendation letter.
Today he wrote back and said, "Please send me the letter you'd like. I'll sign it and return it to you on my letterhead."
Am I right to feel vaguely dirty about this, or should I be falling all over myself with gratitude?
I mean, the guy likes what I've done. He's trying to help. But this just feels downright fucked up.
Maybe I should stop being so creeped out by the way they do things out there and just write myself the most glowing recommendation letter in the history of the planet.
Comments?
Loading …Thanks, guys.
Update (9/10/2007) - I got a stunning recommendation letter from one of my Sundance advisors, so this whole thing may be moot. I was knocked out by some of the nice things he said. I really hope it helps.
Link Summary
To promote comments, this site has disabled nofollow.You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
Direct RSS Feed
I know it would probably be better of me to say “get out of the business” or “send an outline”, but here’s the deal- I’ve seen Moving and Scattering Ashes. You are brilliant. This is what you are meant to do.
By “what you are meant to do”, I meant filmmaking, by the way, not writing the letter…
I swear to Science I was not fishing for compliments, Sandra. :*
You know you’re good. Everyone else knows you’re good. Write the effin letter and do your thing, silly.
I posted ‘none of the above’ because I wanted to qualify my answer.
1. This guy is probably very busy so it’d take him time he can’t spare to write the cover letter to help you.
2. He trusts you enough to write a good one that will represent him well.
3. You are already ‘one of them.’ Otherwise he wouldn’t have offered.
In your place, here is my recommendation.
I would write the letter. I would give it to him and trust him to look over it and change things if they’re a bit too over the top. I’d tell him just that — “hey feel free to change it…” or somesuch. I would get your damn money and write your damn screenplay and make it the absolute best thing you’ve put together. I would not feel guilty for receiving help.
If the opportunity comes to help others whom you feel are talented rack up reciprocal Karma by helping them as well.
It feels fucked up because you’re receiving privileged assistance. A golden carpet. But don’t you think you’ve earned it? If you don’t, why not?
Hmmm… I guess the point is that it seemed so impersonal for a personal recommendation–plus that I would have to write this thing talking about how great I am, which is just weird. Obviously I’m self-absorbed enough to have designed this elaborate blog and started writing in it, but I don’t go around in public places wearing a disguise, starting rumors about how great that Matt guy is…
Don’t be daft. Write the kick-ass letter, Mr Naive! Hell, a great comics artist I know was going to work for an American computer games company and needed a letter of recommendation to help secure his green card. I wrote a draft and the lawyers handling his immigration application had me write three new drafts to meet their requirements. Not sure that was relevant, but it does demonstrate how cutthroat you need to be to get what you want sometimes…
Dearness, you are a person of great perfection and integrity. Don’t let this less than perfect circumstance get in the way of getting you where you want to be. Consider this a very small sacrifice to your moral fiber. Doing this will put you in a position to influence and change the world — its perspectives, opinions and behaviors — for the better… maybe even this guy. : )
Thunderous applause to fantasyscribbler for his precise points.
As to sacrificing moral fiber? I don’t see it. You earned this person’s regard, a rare thing in this business, and he/she/it believes in you enough to put his/her/its signature on that recommendation. Take it as the compliment it is!
And of course, when you are rich and famous and livin’ in the Hills, don’t forget your underling friends and general hangers-on…
Maybe he’s really busy and not a good writer. You know better than anyone what your strengths are and should illuminate those. What some could interpret as shady could really be interpreted as “I’d love to help you but I’m too busy to do too much…Here’s what I can do…”
Maye in your mind you wished that he would write you a letter and it would say exactly what you wanted it to say. So in an indirect but much more efficient way, your wish was granted.