Waiting for green-lights
How to cope when everything is yellow.
At almost every intersection across the world, there is a device with three lights connected together called the stoplight. These colors have a universal meaning that everyone knows. Green is go, yellow is slow down, and red is stop. Simple. We all understand the implications. We all know what it means.
In the film industry, if a project is green-lit, it means its go time and your off to the races. The problem a lot of times is that getting to this green-light stage of the process can take longer than planned, and sometimes it never happens.
Projects can take a while to greenlight for a variety of reasons. Sometimes you are waiting on money, other times its an actor waiting to sign, studios could take forever with legal, or in today’s world, waiting on a potential strike to clear.
The tough part about knowing about a potential project or being attached to a project that is about to green-light is that there are so many factors that the project could literally fall apart at any moment. Its amazing that anything gets green-lit today let alone quickly.
One of the challenges for independent films is casting and competing with larger films or tv shows that demand top-tier talent. Studios face the challenge of green-lighting projects when legal has to go back and forth between parties, etc.
There is a certain adrenaline to green-lighting a project or being a part of a project that is moving forward. The energy can feel exhilarating, but also scary with so many unknowns.
Waiting for a green-light is tough. What’s tough is when the project feels close and then it fizzles out, the dates push, or the studios change their minds. How do you describe this feeling to those in the outside world other than “buying a home, having a child or winning the lottery?” Making a film is a life-changing event. Working in the film industry is definitely full of ups and downs, but the highs of being on the cusp of a green-lit project are definitely pretty high compared to a lot of other jobs where products are shipped. You might also compare it to starting a company, launching an app or opening a new division.
To say “let’s go make a movie” and fly to another state or country to start the mission can be a pretty euphoric feeling I won’t deny.
But how do you deal with the yellow lights or the red lights? How does one in the film industry deal with being attached to so many projects that never take off or will someday take off if the stars align? I’m not sure I have the answer to this question other than having lots of possible projects and being attached to lots of projects.
When I first started out in the industry, I had zero possible projects to look forward to and overtime I met people, worked on lots of things, and now I’m attached to more than a dozen that could take off at any moment.
Its easy to get worked up about any one or more of these projects and try and force them to green-light but most of the time you can’t force anything to happen. The best you can do is help a project be as ready as possible so its easier to green-light. For me that’s fine-tuning schedules, budgets, scripts, cast lists and pitch decks to align with the financiers or the studio needs. Its answering emails, taking calls and being available to figure out state tax incentives or looking for key locations that will impact the project. Yes this might be depressing on occasion, but think of it as a yellow light. Ask yourself what can you do to help move one of your projects forward. Even if your not in a position to green-light a project you can always recommend useful location options to the Director/Producers.. I recently had someone offer to do a day of free scouting knowing the project might get green-lit.
The hard part about working as a Line Producer, UPM or AD is that these are often the first positions hired on a project or attached prior to being green-lit. I can’t think of a film I’ve been on in the last few years that hasn't been pushed at least once or twice due to actor conflicts or other chaos. You get the green light, and then theres a yellow light or sometimes a red light.
Waiting for green lights is tough. There is no easy way to cope when a project is stalled other than to see what you can do to move the needle forward. At the end of the day don’t put all your hopes and dreams in any one project unless its Barbie or Oppenheimer….then do so.
True…all true.