Aug 24, 2022 • 11M

Martini Shot: Advice on Advice

Rob Long on the art of giving and getting feedback on a script

 
1×
0:00
-11:02
Open in playerListen on);
    Substack App
    Download MP3
    Get a private RSS link for listening
    Subscribe to The Ankler Podcast to get a private link for listening in your favorite podcast player. Learn about RSS.

Appears in this episode

Rob Long
When you’re filming a movie or a television show, when it’s the last shot of the day, the first assistant director will call out, “This is the Martini Shot!” I call these stories “Martini Shots” because they’re exactly the kinds of stories we tell — and lessons we learn — after we’ve wrapped for the day. - Rob Long
Episode details
Comments

Writers get lots of advice during the development of a script, usually in a backhanded way with all sorts of qualifiers: agents like to give notes (typically on the prospects of a script in the marketplace) starting with phrases like “Hey, I’m not a writer!” or “I don’t have a creative bone in my body!” But if there’s one thing more awkward than receiving negative feedback on your work, it’s overhearing someone else getting those notes in a public space — a skill Rob has dubbed ‘yoga eavesdropping’. At the end of the day, sometimes the best thing one can do is provide no advice at all.

Share