I don’t know if I have impressed upon any of you about how much of a movie geek I am. Well, ummm, I am a big movie geek. That being said I had to go see the new Vamp-tastic flick this weekend 30 Days of Night from the celebrated Graphic Novel and helmed by the director of the amazing and alarming Hard Candy.

To give you some perspective, I have been watching the online prequel series, researching the production updates, and watching all of the new trailers – officially making me a Tool by any standard. I had no illusions that this was going to change my life, but I did have faith as to the quality of it.

Here’s what happened, the movie IS a vast departure from other Vampire flicks where the monsters would rather tea-bag you and discuss today’s fashion than kill you; the vampires in this one make no illusions as to their intent with you. So that was cool. Also, Josh Hartnet and his crescent-eyebrows that scream “look at how complex I am” didn’t totally screw this movie up. His brooding thoughtfulness was cut to a minimum this time, THANK GOD.

However, there were pacing issues; HUGE pacing issues. Which surprised the shit out of me since the movie Hard Candy was masterfully paced. That movie, having only two characters, was one of the most riveting things my de-sensitized eyes have beheld in a long long time. That is why I am pissed after watching 30 Days of Night, because the movie was only pretty good. It was not hype that got me, but a reliance on precedence that for some reason did not pan out into a mind-blowing piece of nerd-gasmic popcorn fare. The killer of “amazing” this time being pacing.

Pacing.

Now, time to parallel that into a point… (please note this is for Clients and Candidates… so gather the family around the campfire).

If we, the recruiter and the client or the recruiter and the candidate, have a strong relationship built over a time, there has to be an understanding that at certain times things will happen to interrupt a schedule, or to sound sophisticated, a flow. I mean, even though our lives are infected with the herpes like tech-comm-device known as “Blackberry”, people will at times be inaccessible, which, in my ever humble opinion, needs to happen, but I digress…. When an unexpected absence happens, both sides have to understand. In this fly-by-the-seat-blah-blah industry, we all know that we are called to do random things at random hours. So nobody should be vilified.

But, as we are choosing to participate (well, maybe not choosing, but knowingly skipping one task for another) in one action that was off the schedule, we must put in extra effort to ensure that that which we are skipping is going to be taken care of or all parties involved are to be informed of the change in schedule.

Again, with a solid relationship in place, we understand these things happen. But these relationships should never ever, ever, ever ever, ever be taken for granted. Documents that should have been sent should be sent at the first available time. Phone calls that are missed should be explained, even if it is something as absurd as “dude, I got so hammered last night, I…”. Most anything is excusable. But ignoring the responsibility of keeping schedules f%$#s up the pacing. That is not to say that a certain opportunity will close, but it might. If you, an agency, are hot after a super-duper candidate, and everybody in your office can’t get off their asses to review the candidates work so feedback can be provided, that is your responsibility to handle it however you can. Again, it happens that the creative team is super busy, but know while they are sitting on their thumbs and Keds as they spin around afore mentioned appendage while impossibly impeding the process, you have to be prepared for the fact that the Candidate will have moved on whether from another opportunity popping in or from just getting pissed. The same goes for a candidate who keeps promising an updated this or an updated that. Man, that shit is irritating because we are trying to get you a new job and you act like you don’t care. Ask yourself this, what the hell does that tell us?

I will not get pissed, but I also will not give a shit when you get mad when you know what you needed to get done to take advantage of an opportunity.

Remember, all the ingredients were there for success, but it was the pacing that ultimately screwed up something that could have been great.

It’s like trying to get to third on the first hour of the first date. It might have happened, but the pacing was off.

Want to talk: creativeteam@talentzoo.com

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