First Impressions

Posted on August 28, 2007 by L
Filed Under The Life |

Quick update on the stage we’re at in our quest: we’re at the ‘meeting the big bosses’ level which essentially means we sit for half an hour in the waiting area and then have five minutes inside the office where on a good day, we’re lucky to have the divided attention of Mr. Producer/Creative Head/Person In Charge.

Independently, for leisure, I’ve been reading a few popular books that happen to talk about how we perceive and process things and people. I know I’m supposed to switch off from work and relax in my cosy reading spot, but I realise that what I’m reading should probably inform our behaviour when we go meet the good folk that are the gatekeepers between us and our dream projects.

‘First impressions’ merits a lot of discussion in the books and so that gets me thinking… so far the approach we have taken involves a lot of preparation, making sure we have the right material and presenting it in an entertaining fashion. (We’ve tested our work for people other than family/friends etc. so we know we’re not putting out stuff that is completely up our own arses :)

People that might consume our work have said ‘I like’, and on a few occasions even, ‘Is this for sale, if so I’d like to buy’. Who we can’t seem to sell to with better accuracy is the executives…

Coming back to first impressions and the idea that people make assessments based on very little information, it makes me wonder - ‘have we been giving out too much wasted information?’

For example, if I look so young and therefore like I am only fit to be an assistant’s assistant, have I wasted my time with my well put together showreel, bio, proof of past achievements?

Or does E just look so unlike the director types we see around that even though he has a good reel and festival acceptance history, typo-free scripts etc… the folks behind the desk just can’t see him in the role of director for one of their projects?

In our day jobs we regularly get hired for new projects by new clients with fairly little resistance, so what’s the problem with the commercial creative projects?

My question extends to life in general - should we just make a good first impression and let the other person fill in the rest of the blanks. As in, if we give out enough information to look the part, will he or she assume we have what it takes and let us get on with the work already?

I wonder… any thoughts?

L

   

Comments

One Response to “First Impressions”

  1. frank on August 28th, 2007 10:00 pm

    You make a good impression (and continue that impression) to open the person up to seeing what you have to offer.

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