Hollywood Director 1992

[Chapter 9: Cold Reception]

After returning to West Hollywood, Link continued working part-time at Burger King, a diner, and a pizza place, just to make ends meet for food and gas.

The next afternoon, he passed by New Line Cinema and stopped by to chat with the blonde woman at the front desk, bringing a small gift to butter her up. He also wanted to inquire about any updates.

She regretfully informed him that the videotapes were still in the archives and that Robert Shaye, the president, was too busy with other matters to organize a viewing.

Feeling disappointed, Link left and went back to the diner to continue his shift.

While delivering pizzas to the crew of the film Bram Stoker's Dracula down the street, he ran into Matt Damon and Ben Affleck once again, but this time they were accompanied by two attractive women.

...

Link asked Matt how the audition had gone. Matt shrugged, "It didn't work out. The role went to some fresh face who seemed really ordinary. I still don't get how I lost out to him."

"Ha! Don't be too bummed. At least your efforts weren't in vain," Link said, glancing at the two women with a knowing smile.

"Fair point. How's your film coming along? Any release date set?"

"Still in negotiations. I believe you'll see it on the big screen one day."

"We'll be looking forward to it."

Matt bumped fists with him, and he and Ben continued their shopping with the two ladies.

...

Link watched them walk away and couldn't help but feel a twinge of envy, even if just for a moment.

Matt and Ben came from affluent families, attended prestigious schools, and already had connections in the industry. Coming to Hollywood wasn't a desperate choice for them; it was a well-planned pursuit of dreams after having solid foundations.

Their paths as rising stars were destined to be much smoother than Link's journey alongside his fellow dream-chasers in the small apartment complex.

With deliveries in tow, Link pedaled furiously on his bike down Hollywood Boulevard.

---

The next afternoon, Link returned to New Line Cinema to check in with the blonde once more about the videotape.

She informed him that the distribution department had viewed other directors' tapes that day. He would still need to wait a few days for his turn, but not to worry.

Before he left, she asked if he wanted to grab a drink with her.

Noticing her even more polished look compared to yesterday, Link politely accepted the invitation.

...

That afternoon, they shared a few beers at a bar, and afterward, he took the blonde back to his tiny apartment.

She was quite attractive, with good skin and a nice figure, though she did seem to enjoy a bit too much of fun.

If it weren't for Link's regular workouts and a little extra stamina, he might have found himself defeated by the opponent's plump buttocks.

...

The morning after he escorted her out, he headed to Burger King for his shift, where Chris Barnes mentioned that Quentin Tarantino's movie Reservoir Dogs was set to release that Friday and wondered if Link wanted to join him to see it.

Link had already seen it at the Sundance Film Festival and declined Chris's offer. Besides, at four bucks a ticket, it equated to a meal for him.

He couldn't afford those luxuries right now.

Link spent the entire day bouncing around different work shifts, and didn't have a moment to check in at New Line Cinema.

...

The following day at Burger King, the blonde called to let him know that Robert Shaye had just forwarded his film to be reviewed.

"Chris, cover my shift, will you?"

Link took off his apron and handed his workload to Chris Barnes before biking to New Line Cinema.

Upon arrival, he greeted the blonde and settled into the waiting area.

...

Within ten minutes, she emerged with the tape of Buried, bearing unfortunate news.

Robert Shaye and his team hadn't watched the entire film, but their feedback hinted that the setting was too limited, featuring only one actor in the dark.

Such a film wouldn't find a market in the States.

"Link, don't lose heart. Shaye did commend the overall concept and your strong grasp of cinematography. He said you held promise as a director," she reassured him.

"Thanks, at least that's some good news," Link said, feeling a mix of disappointment yet not truly disheartened.

He said goodbye to the blonde with a smile and left New Line Cinema with the tape he hadn't seen for days.

...

On the day of Reservoir Dogs' release, he brought his tape to the headquarters of Touchstone Pictures, a subsidiary of Disney and a notable independent production company in Hollywood that had previously produced hits like Pretty Woman, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, The Color of Money, Good Morning, Vietnam, etc..

Fortunately for Link, he bumped into Kenny Bates, a big producer at Touchstone Pictures, right at the entrance. He took the initiative to introduce Buried, successfully piquing Kenny's interest.

Yet, after viewing the film, Kenny didn't think it held much market value and suggested Link reach out to tape distribution companies instead.

With that, Link exited feeling a bit deflated.

...

Over the next few days, he took part of his earnings to a copy shop in Burbank and made six backup copies of Buried.

Armed with those, he visited other independent film companies, including Castle Rock, Trimark, Hollywood Pictures, Carolco, Miramax, and many others, totaling over twenty, but he faced rejection every time.

Some had watched the film but raised concerns, while others outright turned him down, with feedback that although it was well-made and innovative, it lacked commercial potential.

One particularly harsh studio executive even said to his face that if this film ever turned a profit, he would drink his own urine upside down.

Link had briefly considered pitching to the seven major Hollywood studios, which included Walt Disney, Warner Bros., Universal, 20th Century Fox, Paramount, Columbia-TriStar, and MGM.

These studios were responsible for producing the highest number of films worldwide, averaging fifteen releases a year, and raking in the most at the box office and through merchandising.

The primary goal of these studios was to make money, prioritizing commercial viability over artistic value.

With an offbeat story that didn't satisfy even the independent companies, it seemed less likely that the major studios would take interest.

...

After being turned away constantly, Link found himself in a dilemma.

Giving up meant losing a chance at quadruple box office rebates, a significant setback.

On the other hand, continuing the pursuit led to dead ends with no studio willing to touch his film.

He started contemplating whether he should postpone the release of his film for a few years, waiting until he built his reputation and box office pulling power, then bring it back to light.

Though, he had no idea if the quadruple rebates had an expiration date.

"Link, let it go. Stop running around. Your film is just too strange, and no studio will pick it up," Chris urged him one night at the bar, resting a hand on Link's shoulder.

Link leaned against the bar, sipping his beer while watching the go-go dancers on the round platform.

"I am not in a hurry. I've just faced a few dozen rejections. Many world-renowned classics were turned down dozens of times before publication, like The Diary of Anne Frank, Animal Farm, Lord of the Flies. Mine is nothing," Link replied.

"Movies aren't comparable to literary classics. Those films weren't accepted for a reason -- they genuinely have flaws. Continuing to hit the same walls serves no purpose, and you've already knocked on all the right doors for distribution. Who else is left to approach? Are you going to distribute it yourself?" Chris said.

"Hollywood has hundreds of companies; there are still many I haven't tried," Link replied, contemplating. "Wait a second, self-distribute? That actually sounds like a solid idea."

As he squinted at the dancers shaking their hips, a light bulb went off.

Distributing a film was akin to publishing a novel.

Potential works often had publishers fighting for rights, while those deemed less promising could find individuals willing to self-fund their distribution.

For example, Herman Melville's classic Moby Dick was rejected by dozens of publishers before he put his own money into its release, which ended up being a massive success.

Releasing a film in America followed the same principle; not all films needed MPAA approval before distribution.

Many artistic films often didn't even go through MPAA for ratings beforehand.

Such films faced more significant restrictions upon release, unable to play on a wide scale.

Link's challenge with Buried was securing a theater for screening.

If even one theater would show Buried, even for just a day, the fourfold box office rebate rule would ensure its performance wouldn't be too shabby.

As long as the box office results were decent upon release, the theaters would likely want to extend the showings, not to mention draw attention from distribution companies.

Taking a large gulp of cold beer, Link calmed himself and started plotting the feasibility of his new plan.

After some deep thought, he realized that it was possible to skip distribution companies altogether and negotiate directly with theaters.

With his mind made up, Link decided to give it a go.

...

"Hey, Link! I heard you're still looking for a distributor, reaching out to dozens of them for your film. Have you had any luck?" a group of young adults from his apartment complex made their way through the crowd, beer bottles in hand.

"Not yet; if only it were that easy! But I'm on the verge of success."

"Ha! We figured it'd be tough. You, having done a few months as an extra, thinking you could leap to directing? If you pull it off, thousands in Hollywood could do it!" one guy with a full sleeve tattoo laughed.

"Link, get back to being an extra for a while and hone your skills. Who knows? One day we could all be stars like Tom Cruise or Schwarzenegger, living in mansions and driving sports cars, making millions per movie -- wow, that'd be so cool!"

"Yeah, Link, directing seems too tough. Acting's way easier."

"Link, let's go the acting route! We're waiting for you to help us polish our skills; you're great at giving acting tips."

The group continued in encouragement.

"Sounds tempting. I'll seriously consider everyone's suggestions," Link replied, raising his beer bottle in agreement.

*****

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