My Hollywood System

Chapter 46:

After organising his thoughts, Will decided to use the [Sherlock Holmes] script. As soon as he did that, information about the movie entered his head with a written copy of the book in front of him on the translucent screen.

Will took out his laptop and started jotting down the script in it. He had a habit of checking articles and news after opening his laptop, but he didn’t even do that as he got busy writing the script, tweaking a few things while keeping most of the script similar to the original.

***

The next day, as soon as Will woke up, he resumed his scriptwriting after freshening up for a bit.

There were several reasons why Will wanted to start his own production company. One of them being the fallout between the producer and the director.

There have been several occasions when a director and producer dispute amongst themselves, and the whole project gets ruined. There were even times when the producer would be unhappy with the director and won’t let the director attend the premiere of his own movie.

These types of things have happened a lot, at least in Will’s previous world; that’s why even a famous director like James Cameron wanted to be the producer of his own movies.

(A/N – James Cameron is a famous Canadian director who has directed famous movies such as The Terminator and Aliens.)

For these and a few other reasons, Will wanted to start his own production company, especially considering the nature of [Shelock Holmes], a full-on traditional movie and not some movie shot on a camcorder.

It would need a team of experts just for the visual effects and editing, forget about the set of shooting, costumes and everything else that were too important to work without.

Moreover, there was also the matter of getting [Sherlock Holmes] movie rights. If Will moves himself, it will attract a lot of eyeballs.

It was way better to operate from a company.

That’s why, in between a break from his writing, he called Jason Grace from Walters Law firm. He was the lawyer who helped him during the contract signing with Wheel work studios.

After getting his share, Will had appointed him as his personal counsellor. He was now entitled to take legal advice from him whenever he wanted, and in return, he needed to pay him 30k dollars a month.

It was a fair price at this age.

-Hey, Will. What’s up?

Jason picked up after a few rings, and Will went straight down to business.

“Hello, Jason. Actually, I was thinking of starting another movie soon, and I wanted to start a film company because of it.”

-A movie? Will, don’t get a company. Just get a shell company if you really need one. If it’s a camcorder movie, it won’t need much.

“That’s the thing. It’s not a camcorder movie, and it’s a traditional one. A full-blown production. I need a company for that.”

Jason went silent after hearing that. For a moment, he wondered if this was a joke as he was highly sceptical if Will could handle directing a traditional movie.

It was natural for people to think like that. After all, his first movie wasn’t movie-like at all.

But as Will was his client, he didn’t say anything, he was hired for business, not a personal review. And somehow, the conviction in Will’s voice made him want to believe in him.

-Umm, if you really want to get a company, I can give you the contact of a real estate agent, but I don’t think you should get a company and make it from scratch. It will be too much work to just rent, and then you need employees and people to help in administration.

“So, what do you suggest?”

-Invest in a small studio that’s on the verge of bankruptcy. There are always companies like this, and then, I can help you with the procedure of taking it over. It would be the same as yours, and we won’t have to bother too much.

Will nodded his head, hearing that. Indeed, this was way better.

“So, do you know a company like this? And yes, I want to start an agency too.”

He asked, but Jason only laughed.

-Why do you think I would know? I only know lawyer stuff, you should ask someone who’s been in the industry for a long time. Those types of people know all the ins and outs. And why do you need an agency?

The last part of his sentence was filled with confusion. Will could understand that. After all, a director making an agency was completely unheard of.

“I have an actor I’m interested in. His contract with his agency will end soon, so I want to bring him up by getting an agency.”

-Your ideas are getting more and more unexpected day by day. Why do you want to get an agency for just one actor?

“One for now. I will get more and more actors into my agency in the future. It’s a goal I’m working on.”

-If you want to get an agency, then I can hardly help you. I can handle the contract and stuff, but you should better consult an agent about how to open an agency. Your uncle is one, right? He would be able to help you out.

“Uh, okay. I will call you again after I get a company to invest in.”

Like that, Will cut the call and thought of the people who could help him. Uncle Ben would probably be able to help him, but he was relying on him too much.

Then he thought about his Doraemon– Jeffrey. He was like the blue cat robot of Hollywood who had helped Will with a lot of things till now. As he was someone well experienced in the industry and had a good relationship with WIll, he would be willing to help.

Will also had plans to invite Jeffrey’s whole crew to his own company after all.

***

In the evening, Will invited Jeffery to a cafe where they can discuss things. It was a high class cafe which Will could afford now.

But the reason he had chosen this cafe was so they could have some privacy.

As he was called on an urgent notice, Jeffery was not sure what Will wanted to talk about.

“So, what urgent thing do you want to talk about? Don’t tell me you want me to work on the Blair witch sequel?”

Jeffrey asked, but Will shook his head with a chuckle.

“No, I told you I don’t have plans to direct a horror movie again. It will just give me nightmares.”

“So, the rumours are really true?”

He asked, his voice a whisper.

“Yeah, I’m selling the sequel rights to Wheel Works for 10 million. They want to invest more in the franchise, and I don’t want to continue with it. It’s a win-win situation.”

In the past few days, George had pestered him a lot about the sequel rights, and he finally decided to sell it.

Obviously, the original price offered by George was only 5 million, and Will had to negotiate it, but it wasn’t really hard.

Other studios have also offered him a good price for the sequel rights, and some even wanted him as the director, but Will very well knew that the Blair witch franchise wasn’t one that will last long.

In the end, selling the rights was the best option for him.

“You got a nice price. Anyway, if it’s not for that, why did you call me here?”

Will organised his thoughts and asked, “Jeffery, what are your thoughts about having a studio of our own?”

Jeffrey stared at the young man in front of him for a long moment before leaning forward a bit and replying, “Don’t tell me you’re planning to create a studio? Do you know the risk behind it?”

Will nodded, “I understand-”

Before Will could finish, Jeffery shook his head, “No, Will. Trust me, you don’t. I get it that you’re a talented young man and even directed a blockbuster, but creating a production studio and managing it is a different task altogether. First, you need to understand the risks and other factors which will either make your life hell or a luxury and trust me, money is the least important factor of them all.”

Will put on a thoughtful expression as he asked, “What are these risks you are talking about?”

Jeffery took a deep breath and began to explain.

“Well, it’s a well-known fact that film production goes through unprecedented conditions to complete a project, although movies like yours are an exception to it, this also means you have no experience about it, and that can put you in big trouble.”

After saying that, Jeffrey started to explain how it all worked.

Even after finalising microscopic details regarding crew, scripts and budget and all untiring efforts, one cannot assume that they will not face any uninvited circumstances.

To produce movies that have the potential to attract people, the movies feature specific locations, stunts and action with special effects which pose risk and serious threats to film production. Those risky stunts, actions or specific locations can bring production to a halt.

Film production needs to be carried out in a way that there should be a backup option for every move and needs to follow guidelines to minimise the risk factor in film production.

“What I have told you till now is just the tip of the iceberg. Creating a production house is a hard task, but running it will be even more daunting. I would rather hope that you first understand this industry, rather than diving straight into something you have no idea about.”

Will remained silent after hearing Jeffery’s words. What the latter said made a lot of sense. However, Will was ready to take the challenge.

If he didn’t have his own production house and teams, it would be even more difficult to bring the movies of his world to this one.

Another thing was Jeffery didn’t know about the Hollywood System, which would be of great help to Will. Although it may not be of big help to Will when it comes to running the production studio, it was still a big advantage, and it could only be used to a full extent if he had full control over the movie and everything related to it and the only way for it to happen is by him owning the whole production studio.

Will couldn’t tell these reasons to Jeffery; that was why he needed something else to convince the latter.

“Jeffery, I understand your point. I know it’s a very risky move, but this is the best thing I have in my mind right now. I may not have a full understanding of things, but won’t you be there to guide me?”

“Me?” Jeffery was a bit taken aback.

“Yes,” Will smiled, “You have helped me so much, and I am not an ungrateful guy. This is why I want you to be a part of my company, and in fact, my dream to have a fully-fledged production studio won’t come to fruition without your help. And this is why I have called you here. I want to get a production studio, and I want you to be a part of it.”

Jeffery fell into thoughts after hearing Will’s words.

What the young man had said to him may have put a smile on his face, but that doesn’t mean he could agree to it.

He himself has just told Will about the risks they would face, and if he agrees to Will’s offer, he would also be facing the same issues.

“I don’t want to beat the bush; I will be direct.” Jeffery said, “When you open a production house, you are not only responsible for yourself, but also the livelihood and safety of hundreds of people who will be working for you. And all this takes a lot of resources, effort, and expertise. And you will need a backup plan for every decision you take. And another thing is, I would suggest you invest in an already existing studio, that will decrease your troubles.”

Will smiled, “So you’re not rejecting the offer.”

Jeffrey pursed his lips, “I have not accepted it either. This is something that heavily affects my life. I can’t just decide over a cup of coffee.”

Will thought for a moment and then nodded, “I understand. Also, about what you said at the end, yeah, I am planning to buy out a near-bankrupt studio.”

“You want to buy out? Why not invest in a popular studio?”

Will shook his head, “I want full control over everything, and big studios would mean unnecessary drama. I just want to produce and direct some awesome movies instead of attending board meetings in big studios.”

Jeffery smiled, “Alright, but then, do you have any company in your mind?”

Will shook his head, “Not any that I know of. I have just started focusing on this thing.”

“Uhm,” Jeffery thought for a bit and said, “I do know a company which is struggling a lot, but I am not sure if the CEO of that studio will agree to discuss it with you.”

“Oh? Which studio, if you don’t mind.”

“Uh… well, I can’t name it,” Jeffery shook his head, “The CEO of that company is an old friend of mine, and news like bankruptcy is not a small thing; it can heavily affect the image of the company if the news gets leaked. He only talked to me about it because of the stress he is under, and if he trusts me enough to talk about it, I should respect our friendship and not spread it to others.”

Will smiled, “you’re a good friend, Jeffrey. How about you arrange a meeting between me and the CEO? You can ask him about it, if he agrees to have a meeting, that would be awesome.”

Jeffery nodded, “Sure, no problem.”

Will nodded, and after a moment of silence, he said, “And, uh, there’s another thing.”

“Oh? Go ahead, what is it?”

“I am also planning to create an Acting Agency.”

“…What?”

…

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