Rejection
A Filmmaker's Journal
Tuesday 11th April 2023
Got a response back from Rasmus Hardiker’s agent:
Hi Andrew,
Thanks so much for sending this through. Ramus is delighted to be thought of but is going to pass on this occasion. We wish you the best with the project.
Well, it was worth a try. You don’t ask, you don’t get, right? But in this case, I didn’t get. Interesting that there was no reason given (maybe I was too honest about the film’s lack of budget). This came from his agent’s assistant, so I wonder if they even told Rasmas about it. Also interesting that they spelled his name wrong.
I think Stephen was a little surprised by this response. Not because he expected Rasmas to say yes, but by the agent’s lack of detail, but I’ve found, on my level, this is a usual response from agents. Whether I’m sending out my books, screenplays, or films, I’ve yet to have a really good response from an agent. Some have been better than others, but on the whole, it’s either a very brief straight NO (which is fine, I suppose, at least I know where I am) or worse, no response at all.
Matthew Waldram and I have a comedy/crime series we’ve created called Empire Amusements - Think Casino meets Phoenix Nights but set in Skegness - and we’ve been sending it out to agents and production companies. To be fair, it has been getting a very good response so far and even got us talking to a few people, but the other day we got this back from an agent:
I’m afraid we’re actually already in development on a series that shares some overlap and so we wouldn’t be looking to add another to our slate.
Now, whether or not this is true, why be so vague? Now we’re left wondering what is similar: the setting, the tone, the characters? What? Why discourage us like this, without any context or detail? Maybe I’m being too sensitive about all this, but as far as I’m concerned, this doesn’t help us at all.
Oh well, onwards.
(Picture is from the Empire Amusements Pitch Deck)
I have two other actors in mind (one of which, Jason Adam, contacted me) and I’ve sent them the script to see what they think. The other is up-and-coming Birmingham actor Andre Pierre. We’ll see.
In other news, I rang the vehicle guy over at BBC Doctors. He manages and controls all those police cars and ambulances and main character cars you may see in the show. He remembered me from when I worked in the Art Department on the show in 2018 (got to drive a few vehicles in the show). I told him I need a police car for the short film I’m about to make. He said sure and that he wouldn’t charge me for the vehicle hire itself, but would, of course, have to charge for the driver (to bring the car down from Manchester) and the petrol money. This would work out to just over £200. His not charging for the vehicle hire is incredibly generous, but still means I’m going to have to find the two hundred quid to pay for the driver. Still, at least I know I can now get a police car.
I told my producer, Danellie, and she said she’d been talking to the police in Leamington and they may be able to help. This sounds promising, but we’ll see. Should give us some options though.