Chapter 87: There's Always a Way

In the hotel room, flipping through the business card in his hand, Billy Hofford was on the phone with the owner of that number.

"No more road shows? Why? The film was sold! Oh, Daniel Maklik, can I ask which company it was sold to? No big deal, just curious. Relative Entertainment Group? Bought by Ronan Anderson? Okay, thanks."

After hanging up, a young face floated before Billy's eyes. He remembered that evening when this person repeatedly belittled the DV footage, which he didn't even know the title of. How come he ended up buying the film?

Could it be that the feeling he had when watching the film was real? Did this film possess hidden value in places he couldn't imagine?

But on second thought, besides the crude visuals and shaky camera, was there anything else?

Billy shook his head. That Ronan Anderson probably bought it to enrich his film library, right? After all, he heard that Relative Entertainment was a newly established company.

In the afternoon, when leaving the hotel, Billy ran into Gray Enric from Lionsgate. He shared this matter with Gray as a curiosity.

"That dizzying selfie video?" Gray Enric was also puzzled. "Ronan Anderson is a smart guy. Why would he buy a film like that?"

This puzzled him quite a bit.

Do even smart people do silly things sometimes?

Now that the copyright of that film has been bought, Billy Hofford had no qualms speaking. He asked, "Gray, you saw it that night too. What did you think?"

It didn't conflict with work, so Gray Enric spoke frankly, "That's not even a proper movie, is it? I can't see any value in it."

Billy Hofford was puzzled, "I guess he bought it to enrich his film library."

Gray Enric shook his head, "Unlikely. When Ronan Anderson acquired Embassy Pictures a while back, due to lack of funds, he only acquired the distribution channels of Embassy Pictures, not even the film library."

Billy Hofford had heard about this. The film library of Embassy Pictures ultimately fell into the hands of Lionsgate.

Both of them couldn't quite understand. How come no matter how you looked at it, Ronan Anderson wasn't a fool?

"Let's forget about it," Billy Hofford gave up first. "It's just a poorly made DV footage, not worth wasting time on."

Gray Enric and Billy Hofford quickly set this matter aside and continued to search for valuable film resources at the Santa Denise Film Festival.

Upon returning to Los Angeles, Ronan first focused on the two productions in preparation. The main task for these two productions at the moment was to recruit actors, and the auditions had just begun, not yet the time for his involvement.

Other specific tasks like prop making, location selection, equipment rental, and set design were all handled by dedicated personnel.

As a producer, Ronan needed to oversee the big picture, not delve into the details of a specific aspect of progress.

Knowing to let professionals do their job was a fundamental quality that a producer needed to possess in order to control the overall situation.

Moreover, except for odd jobs, the personnel Ronan hired for the productions all had relevant work experience.

He preferred to hire experienced individuals with higher salaries rather than hiring newcomers recklessly.

In Hollywood, there was no shortage of professionals in the film industry.

The situation in Hollywood was that it was relatively difficult for industry professionals to find suitable jobs, but as long as the production budget was sufficient, there were often many suitable choices for productions.

Of course, the preparation process was not without its challenges.

For "Final Destination," Ronan intended to attract star-level actors to participate. So when the casting director mentioned that Toby McGuire and Kirsten Dunst were interested, he had the production team reach out to them.

In this era, the effect of stars was still quite apparent. There was no doubt that star-level actors could bring publicity and appeal to the production.

Unfortunately, the remuneration set by Ronan was severely lacking in attractiveness.

After contacting Kirsten Dunst's and Toby McGuire's agents, both parties couldn't bridge the gap in remuneration. Kirsten Dunst's side demanded a $1 million fee, while Toby McGuire's agent wouldn't budge from the $2 million fee.

The production team's maximum limit was $500,000.

Smooth negotiations were out of the question.

"Final Destination" was a typical commercial film. It couldn't bring significant awards to actors, nor did it have other benefits. Naturally, star-level actors were unwilling to take a pay cut to participate in commercial films.

Taking a pay cut for commercial films was taboo for stars.

Fortunately, the main roles in "Final Destination" received over a thousand applications from actors, so there was no worry about finding suitable actors.

As for "Kingsman," director Paul Green Glass had drawn up a preliminary shooting plan. But Ronan received an invitation from the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority to shoot in the UAE.

Doing something under the nose of the investment authority? Ronan naturally wouldn't do such a thing. Using the excuse of inadequate facilities in the UAE, he politely declined the invitation from the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority.

This was also a fact; the film industry in the UAE was not even in its infancy.

Additionally, Paul Green Glass wanted to shoot on location in major cities like Rio de Janeiro, London, New York, and Tokyo. Ronan advised him to abandon this idea and find suitable alternative locations near California to film.

The actual budget for this film was nowhere near the $25 million shown externally. If they flew around the world to shoot, the production's funds would quickly be depleted.

Paul Green Glass was somewhat dissatisfied.

Ronan could only placate him. Fortunately, Paul Green Glass was a highly professional and focused director who basically didn't understand financial matters. Ronan didn't have to worry about this British director discovering any loopholes.

Even if he did, Ronan didn't care. He would simply tell him that the $25 million wasn't just the production budget but also included promotional budgets and other aspects.

Having a thorough understanding of Hollywood's operating rules and mastering the provisions of the "Entertainment Law," as long as one was proactive and bold in thinking, there were always ways.

In this regard, Ronan had been studying continuously and had never stopped researching, even consulting Diana Hampton, a senior professional entertainment lawyer at Shengzhi Law Firm, several times.

Shengzhi Law Firm had officially signed a contract with Relative Entertainment, and Diana Hampton was in charge directly.

Through the continuous preparation of these three films, Ronan deeply realized that the profits of a film were far more than just the normal commercial income generated by the film itself. During the operation of the film, one could also benefit.

These benefits were legal income that complied with industry regulations and legal provisions.

Opportunities were right in front of him, so he couldn't just let them slip away.

Ronan was further refining the preliminary "Plan A" he had conceived.

According to the information he received, Indians had also made contact with DreamWorks, but overall, they were more cautious. Compared to the oil tycoons in the UAE, it was probably a bit more difficult for Indian billionaires to raise funds, and they didn't have the extravagant style of the tycoons.

Tony Cochran had been following him during this period, understanding the actual operation of Hollywood.

Ronan was a very conscientious person. With his relationship with Helen Hell and Mrs. Old Anderson, he wouldn't deceive Tony Cochran.

Moreover, as a commercial company engaged in legitimate industries, Relative Entertainment also needed trustworthy partners.

Tony Cochran was generally reliable, with the only drawback being his lack of experience.

These were all things that could be resolved over time.

At the same time, Ronan simply finalized the framework of the new company. Mary was transferred from Sand Sea Entertainment to Relative Entertainment, but she still had to supervise Sand Sea Entertainment and the finances of the two projects, while the daily work of Sand Sea Entertainment was handed over to George Clint.

The new company also underwent a recruitment process and hired several employees. Developing this shell company, which was temporarily used as a holding company, into a real company wouldn't be easy.

After handling these tasks, the film negatives and all the shooting materials for "The Blair Witch" were transported to Los Angeles. Ronan had conducted targeted market research first and then devised a plan with "viral marketing" as its core.

He also needed a plan that would show prospects to convince his employees, especially the distribution personnel of Embassy Pictures.

As the boss and the absolute controlling shareholder, he could indeed forcefully push this project forward, but that was the last resort.