Hollywood Director 1992

[Chapter 53: Scripts]

At noon, Link drove to Guess Pictures to take care of some leftover tasks from the filming of Paranormal Activity. This included the box office revenue sharing situation from Buried.

Buried had been showing in North America for nine weeks, and most theaters had wrapped up their screenings, leaving only two still showing it. It was expected to end completely in the next week. The current box office for Buried in North America stood at $21.55 million.

Due to increased costs incurred by theaters in the later stages, the revenue sharing had staggered downwards, and Link's share decreased from 35% to nothing. Over time, Link had collected $6.5 million from the North American box office.

The overseas box office for Buried reached $38.85 million, according to data from 20th Century Fox. This was slightly less than anticipated.

According to the initial contract, Link had a 10% share in overseas revenue, resulting in more than $3.8 million over time. Including the $2.2 million paid by 20th Century Fox for rights and merchandise revenue when the initial deal was struck, Link made a profit of $12.5 million from Buried, netting about $9 million after taxes.

"California taxes are outrageous. It feels like robbery," Link remarked, scribbling with his pen on some documents while making a call to Michael Leeson asking him to come by the office.

"It is high, but who told you to earn so much? If I could make $10 million a year, I wouldn't mind paying 50%, even, 80% in taxes. I'd be happy to do it," Lily joked.

"That's quite generous of you. Why don't you donate all $10 million then?"

"If I had $10 million, I would donate it all to charity," Lily replied without a hint of embarrassment.

"Those are your words; I'll hold you to it. What's left on the agenda?"

Link passed the documents to Lily.

"Regarding the scripts. Warner Brothers, 20th Century Fox, Paramount Pictures, Miramax, and New Line Cinema expressed interest in the three scripts you submitted. Some want to collaborate, while others are looking to buy the scripts outright. The specifics will require your decision."

"Let me take a look."

...

Last year, he had written five scripts and submitted them to various Hollywood studios. The major studios and top independent production companies received the submissions. These scripts included Se7en, The Sixth Sense, Final Destination, The Butterfly Effect, and Buried.

Among them, Se7en was inspired from a French classic film released in 1962. He indicated the source of inspiration on the title page when drafting the script. Even if the script had some similarities with Walker's, it wouldn't matter much. He wrote the script based on the plot of the movie, with many changes to the lines, dialogues and character names.

Additionally, it was common for screenplays to undergo significant changes when turned into movies, and few directors filmed strictly according to the scripts. The remaining three scripts were also adapted from the movies, and he made many modifications based on current circumstances. 

They were all very high-quality scripts.

Before the success of Buried, he had been relatively unknown, and his submitted scripts had garnered little attention. Now, with Buried's success, he was not only a famous director but also a celebrated screenwriter, and several studios were taking notice of his scripts.

...

In the documents Lily brought over, several major film companies expressed interest in acquiring adaptation rights for his scripts, with the highest offer being $500,000. None of the companies indicated that they wanted to invite him to direct.

However, Miramax, New Line Cinema, and some independent studios like Carolco Pictures were more earnest. They were interested in collaborating to develop and produce the scripts, and if he had the capability, they would gladly consider him for directing.

"I'm rejecting all offers for script acquisition. I don't need the money, and I have no intention to sell the scripts."

"All of them? Warner Brothers offered $500,000 for a script. Wouldn't it be a shame to turn that down?"

"Do I really need that $500,000? Of course not, especially when taxes are involved. Damn the IRS."

"Well, you're certainly impressive. You can casually write a script and sell it for tens of thousands of dollars, while us ordinary folks save for years just to accumulate that much."

"Are you unhappy with your salary? You could work in the finance department; you'd get a 30% raise immediately."

"No thanks. Being an assistant is just fine for me. It's an easy job. If I were in finance, it would probably turn into chaos, and I might even lose my assistant position."

Lily said, unhesitatingly.

"You don't strive for progress! Lily, how can I promote you if you don't aim higher?"

"I don't need your promotion; I enjoy being an assistant."

"Are you going to be my assistant forever?"

"As long as you keep paying me my salary," Lily smiled slightly.

"Deal. Besides those wanting to buy scripts, the rest of the companies interested in collaboration can continue discussions to negotiate terms. Whichever party communicates effectively will move forward with the movie first."

"Got it!"

Lily jotted down notes, then tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "The third task -- Mr. Sam Haskel asked if you're interested in shooting a commercial?"

"Directing a commercial?"

"No, it's for a product endorsement. Don't forget, you're not only a famous director now but also a star actor. Congratulations."

"Not interested; I don't need the money."

"Fine, Mr. Big Shot. Mr. Jerome Preston arranged a golf game, asking when you'd be available?"

"Not available right now. You don't need to respond to this; I'll call him back later."

"The other matters related to media coverage. Since the success of Buried, there have been several negative news stories about you in the media, including an incident during college where you were almost expelled for fighting with classmates; relationships with two former girlfriends during your time at a juice factory, claiming you cut ties after gaining fame; and evictions from your apartment due to unpaid rent. There are even tabloids suggesting you have a preference for older women, often bringing them back to your place. There's quite a bit, and some of it could hurt your image. How should we handle it?"

Lily blinked, her bright eyes revealing curiosity.

"Don't worry about it; with my status, this kind of news doesn't affect me much. Also, in the future, only pay attention to newspapers with circulation over a million; they'll filter important news for you. Skip the tabloids; they are full of false information. Reading them is not just a waste of time, but it could also skew your perception."

"What about the rumors of you often bringing older women home? Is there any truth to that?"

Lily fired back with curiosity.

"Lily! While curiosity is a good thing, can you focus it appropriately? You're my assistant, not a tabloid journalist. Why are you digging into this? You might as well eat popcorn and wait for the news to come to you," Link pointed at her.

"It was just a casual question."

"No questions. News from the tabloids is surely false. It should be a reflex to understand that. While I appreciate mature women, that doesn't mean I'm into older women. Besides, back when I was busy and broke, I barely had time to date."

"That's good to hear. If you're more normal, my work stress will be less," Lily said, her expressive eyes gleaming with satisfaction.

Link shook his head, focusing back on signing documents.

"Why don't you just work in the finance department and assist Michael Leeson instead? I worry that having you as my assistant might drive me crazy."

"Are you blaming me? Should you take a look at whether you're too stingy? You can't even take a joke."

Lily covered her mouth with laughter, her eyes squinting with mirth.

"Lily, standing and laughing seems tiring. Why don't you come over here and let me hold you while you laugh?"

Link opened his arms invitingly.

Suddenly, Lily immediately wiped the smile off her face, pressing her lips tight, shooting him an annoyed glare.

"Pervert! You're the boss; can't you watch your words? It's so inappropriate."

"Is that my fault? Should you question if you're too uptight to take a joke?"

"You are annoying! Link, you're terrible, even worse than when you were a kid."

Lily, her cheeks flushed, tossed a document onto the desk before turning on her heels, sharply clicking her heels as she left, leaving behind a striking silhouette.

Link chuckled softly; this was one of the reasons he hesitated to keep Lily as his assistant. They were too familiar, making it hard to correct her mistakes or push her too hard at work, not to mention taking advantage of her.

Sometimes, she teased him and crossed lines with little regard. What could he say? He could only afford her a bit of freedom.

However, Lily wasn't an unreasonable woman.

Just a couple of minutes later, she re-entered with a cup of coffee, politely offering it to him.

Afterward, she stopped joking around and stood next to his desk with a composed expression, only answering questions when asked, settling into the role of a quiet assistant.

*****

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