Chapter 23: Old Friends

It took a full five days for Ronan to finalize the negotiation with James Huang. The two parties officially signed the director's employment agreement.

James Huang was appointed as the director of "The Human Purge," with a salary of three hundred thousand dollars, excluding backend royalties.

This matter was settled early on and didn't consume much time; rather, it was the minor details that took time.

For instance, during the working period of the crew, providing a dedicated car service for the director; the director having a separate office or lounge on set and being provided with a corresponding nanny car for outdoor shoots; under the same conditions, the crew prioritizing the hiring of backstage staff recommended by the director; the director having priority in selecting equipment within the crew's price framework.

Just these matters alone took Ronan and Edward two days of negotiation, resulting in seventeen clauses being marked on the contract.

This wasn't an exaggeration. In the big environment of Hollywood, the demands of James Huang and Edward weren't excessive. For A-list and B-list directors, similar clauses could number from forty to fifty or even over a hundred.

Some demands were stringent, with even food, drinking water, and hotel beddings specified.

Ronan had been a small producer in his past life, not very concerned about these trivial matters as long as they weren't excessive. What he truly cared about was the actual power within the crew.

He spent three days discussing these matters with Edward, keeping the final decision-making power in his own hands based on appropriate compromises.

For example, James Huang had the right to suggest actors, but the final decision rested with the producers; the director could participate in post-production, but the final editing rights still belonged to the producers; the producers couldn't interfere with the director's normal shooting but had a veto over the director's shots.

This was the Hollywood model with producers at the center. Unless they reached the level of James Cameron or Steven Spielberg, directors would always be under the control of producers.

At the same time, the two parties also signed another contract.

Sha Hai Entertainment bought the full copyright of "Death Is Coming" from James Huang and Glenn Morgan for $5,000, including sequel rights and peripheral development rights.

James Huang and Glenn Morgan were both members of the Writers Guild, and the minimum buyout price for scripts stipulated by the guild ranged from $4,500 to $50,000. This price range was proportional to the project's investment.

After the Writers Guild strike in 2008, the minimum buyout price set by the guild would increase to $30,000 to $90,000.

Among the triumvirate of writers, actors, and directors that make up the backbone of a crew, writers have always been the most miserable, whether in the past, present, or future.

Hollywood has never had just one union initiating a strike against the Producers Guild, but whenever the actors' or directors' unions went on strike, the Producers Guild would quickly negotiate with them for a solution, while the writers' strikes always ended up becoming real major strikes.

In the 1988 Writers Guild strike, a new agreement was signed with the Producers Guild for twenty years. However, twenty years later, when the writers wanted more, they were firmly rejected by the Producers Guild and could only strike again.

According to this contract, James Huang would personally direct this project and also serve as a co-producer; Glenn Morgan, besides being a screenwriter, would also serve as an executive producer.

Nobody was a fool; James Huang and Glenn Morgan agreed to sell the script at a low price in order to gain more power, so they could have more say in the filming and production of "Death Is Coming."

For other projects, Ronan might try to suppress James Huang's power as much as possible, but this project gave James Huang far more power than "The Human Purge."

Actually, as long as he held the final editing rights and a veto power, James Huang couldn't do much.

Ronan wouldn't relax his supervision of James Huang just because he was a Chinese director, or even give him money and power. What would be the difference then?

Business was business.

According to the contract, the minimum budget for "Death Is Coming" was no less than six million dollars, and preparation would begin after the release of "The Human Purge."

Ronan currently had no money in hand. According to James Huang's preliminary plan, it would be enough for a simple film like "The Human Purge" to take three to four months from preparation to completion of filming, or even shorter.

Ronan couldn't touch the money in the stock market.

So, his gaze turned to Abu Dhabi again.

As long as "The Human Purge" could be successfully released and the Arab characters were portrayed positively, the big shots in Abu Dhabi would probably be satisfied.

He was an old friend of the people of the United Arab Emirates, and he could go to Abu Dhabi to meet them then.

Since everyone was good friends, they had to get together occasionally to chat and catch up.

But it would be stupid to go for financing again if "The Human Purge" didn't get released.

Just like his first visit, he needed to bring something convincing.

Even after securing the director, Ronan didn't relax at all. There were many tasks at hand, and he couldn't slack off in his studies either.

He bought a dozen more books and returned to the USC Film School again, seeking advice on production-related matters from his former mentor, Professor Johnson.

Professor Johnson was nearly sixty years old, had been in Hollywood for many years, and later transitioned into teaching at USC. He had mentored quite a number of behind-the-scenes workers who were involved in Hollywood.

Ronan not only picked up the network that Anderson had left behind but also meticulously maintained it.

Sha Hai Entertainment needed talents.

Fortunately, he wasn't fighting alone now; he had assistance.

After the recruitment by Sha Hai Entertainment, the staff expanded to ten members, all of whom had over three years of experience in the industry. These people would all join the crew.

Of course, everyone's salaries and expenses would be included in the film's budget.

Mary was in charge of financial work, and producing an exquisite account was of utmost importance.

Robert Lee had secured the outdoor shooting location in a suburban town north of San Fernando Valley. It was a house that was frequently used by companies in San Fernando Valley to shoot various films, both interior and exterior were beautifully renovated. Robert Lee negotiated a lease for the third week of May for the crew to shoot exterior scenes.

George Clint had negotiated with Warner Bros. Studios for a small-scale studio, which would be leased from mid-April to mid-July.

With a director and locations secured, the recruitment of other behind-the-scenes staff could begin on a large scale. Ronan, respecting James Huang's opinions appropriately, hired a wide range of candidates recommended by him, with salaries being similar.

James Huang had been in Hollywood for over a decade and had worked on three television series for a long time, so he had acquaintances among many industry professionals. Having familiar hands working together also benefited the shooting.

Since they aimed to make "The Human Purge," Ronan naturally wanted a successful and outstanding film.

As they walked toward the photography studio at Warner Bros., Ronan spoke with James Huang.

"I've already inspected the outdoor location, and the conditions are good," James Huang said. "I'm working on the relevant shooting plan, and I'll submit the complete plan by this Friday at the latest."

Ronan nodded lightly. "Alright."

James Huang asked, "Have you seen the storyboards?"

"I have," Ronan replied directly. "Arrange them according to your ideas."

In reality, most of the scene layouts for the early preparations of the crew were left to James Huang.

Ronan was very clear about this. Despite James Huang not having directed a film before, his practical abilities on set were much stronger than his. Moreover, a producer's role was to coordinate the overall situation, rather than focusing on a specific task.

As they approached the entrance of the photography studio, Ronan asked, "Have you chosen the camera equipment? If you have, inform Mary directly, and she'll negotiate."

"I'll submit the detailed list to her tomorrow," James Huang said.

As the two walked out of the relatively small photography studio, they suddenly heard a loud rumbling from a neighboring large studio, the sound was very loud and clear.

"Which production is next door?" James Huang frowned and asked.

"A television drama called Roswell," Ronan answered after some recollection. "They're currently shooting action scenes. Don't worry, I've specifically asked. They'll finish shooting the action scenes at the beginning of May and move on to shooting exterior scenes, which won't affect us."

He thought for a moment, then added, "Once you've finalized the plan, we'll start recruiting actors."

After exchanging a few more words with James Huang, Ronan walked towards the crew parking lot. Just as he arrived at his car, his phone rang unexpectedly. It was Carmen Case calling.