Thursday, July 10, 2008

Green Lights...

"Green light" is the familiar term used when a movie or TV show or pick-project-of-choice is okayed to go into production. When you have the green light, theoretically that should mean that all systems are go, people, places and things are set, and now it's off to the races.

But that term has always been sorely abused. We all want everything we do to be "green lit", of course, and it's only human nature to put the most optimistic spin on situations. If you've worked in the entertainment field for more than three minutes, then you've had someone tell you with pride and big smiley enthusiasm that their latest effort was "just green lit" and they're busy trying to figure out the best Swiss Bank in which to contain their so-to-be delivered loot. If you've been in the business more than three months, you've also noticed that an enormous number of these green-lit, guaranteed, set in stone projects never actually get made. Are these folks liars? No. Sometimes "stuff happens" and that green light gets smashed by a change in production regime or a suddenly cranky star or today's horoscope.

The point here isn't to excoriate people for being overly optimistic, but not to get THAT invested in the latest internet rumor or dropped hint re: this or that project being "ready to go." Until you hear something official from the actual production company, all rumors are still just that... rumors.

And please don't infer anything or start rumors based on that!