Hollywood Road

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In fact, the actual cost calculation of a film is very troublesome. The production costs shown by major Hollywood studios are often mixed with a lot of water, which does not match the actual situation, and different circumstances will also cause cost changes.

For example, if Murphy's film is completed, if the film company wants to participate in the film festival, the cost will definitely increase.

For example, to participate in a film festival in the United States, to complete the most basic preparation of related materials, almost another $100,000 cost is added.

There are also online costs, which are more difficult to control.

Online costs include the contractual costs of screenwriters, directors, producers, actor directors, script copyrights, administrative management, labor benefits, etc., which can only be fixed after the actual negotiations are completed.

Over the next week or so, Murphy was basically busy in the studio, revising the first draft of the script, and then adjusting the project plan according to the needs of the script, and also predicting the difficulties that may be encountered in future preparations, shooting and production.

This project is much more difficult than "Chain Saw", "Chain Saw" is all invested by Stanton Studios, Murphy is the only one, but this situation is impossible to continue, new projects need to invest more funds, the funds will be From other film companies, this requires him to make more preparations.

There are always unpredictable situations in film production, but it is always right to be prepared for something.

The most typical is funding.

Murphy has also considered, what should be done if the investment is really not enough if the investment is really not enough because of the unexpected difficulties encountered during the shooting?

If he has been running around to raise money for a long time and there is no result, should he spend more time trying to raise money, and then still be stuck in place because of cost constraints? Should I think of some innovative ways to make the movie anyway?

There is no doubt that his director should be the latter.

At this time, we need to dig through the cabinets to find the secretly hidden "anemia budget" from the back of the closet, instead of thinking about spending $250,000 to rent a private jet to meet potential financial owners who have not yet made up their minds.

The less money you have, the more you have to think of ways.

There is also the issue of actors. Directors like Murphy who are in their infancy also want to cooperate with big-name actors. Big-name actors bring not only attention, but also real box office appeal.

But it is very difficult for big-name actors to cooperate with him.

In Hollywood, in some cases, if a director’s project is attractive enough, it is not impossible to attract big-name actors, especially those who have appeared in independent films.

For these actors, they know that independent films will provide opportunities that Hollywood commercial films will never provide, and they can use these opportunities to fully demonstrate their outstanding acting skills.

However, Murphy has self-knowledge that there is no opportunity for actors to show off their acting skills in the new project, and big-name stars would not be interested in such noir films.

So he considered more practical, James Franco, Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill and Carey Mulligan, as well as Robert Downey Jr. who is about to be released from prison, are more suitable for this project.

The most important heroine can also try to send an invitation to San Fernando Valley. The other party does not have the status of a queen in the future. If you want to come to a formal film invitation, the possibility of being rejected is not very high.

As for the production staff behind the scenes, Murphy also communicated with Bill Rossis. The main personnel of the last cooperation were basically from CAA. They are also the beneficiaries of the big sales of "Chain Saw" and hope to continue with Murphy. Cooperation.

These can be said after the establishment of the project, Murphy is not in a hurry, the most consideration is the funding issue.

Film is a very high art, but the development of this art to the present requires a lot of money to be realized.

He does not plan to invest in this film himself, and Stanton Studios does not have enough capital to invest. After all, there is a sequel to "Chain Saw" cooperating with Fox Searchlight, which requires a lot of money, even if the director changes. , The investment risk of this sequel is also lower.

The film does not come from his own investment. Murphy must adjust his own psychology. First, power will inevitably become smaller, and second, capital control will be stricter.

Fortunately for the former, as a director with a fairly formal education, Murphy knows that this is the producer responsibility system, while the latter is somewhat troublesome.

But it is not without a solution, which requires the director to cry poor.

This is no big deal. As a director, you should be as transparent as possible and always tell the truth, but the reality is that you are passionate, the crew is motivated, but you are shy.

A successful director should also use words, actions, and plans to create confidence in the investment before the film is completed-as long as the investment is greater, the film will be better and the future market return will be higher.

Convincing money owners to invest money is never a simple task.

Essentially, this is to let investors invest in an idea in their minds.

Ideas are very vague and conceptual. In order to increase investment, some directors or producers often shoot a short film first and use the short film to attract the sponsor.

But this also has its drawbacks. If the short film is not amazing enough, it will be difficult to attract investment.

When doing so, you must be careful. There is a clear line between introducing the project to potential investors and making the promise of potential economic returns. After all, this is a game within the scope of legal control, and promises of return are being made. Be careful not to deliberately distort the facts, otherwise it is likely to be targeted by the judicial system for suspected fraud.

Of course, Murphy does not plan to shoot short films, and this method is not suitable for him.

From the end of September to the beginning of October, Murphy spent a lot of time and energy, and finally got the script and the more important project business plan for the CAA operation film.

Even now, Murphy hopes that someone will appreciate his script, and then the other party will make a big check for a sufficient film. This is the common fantasy of all directors.

This is difficult to achieve. To become a reality, the key lies in the business plan delivered to potential investors and customers, a well-conceived and rigorously investigated strategic plan on how to prepare, cast, shoot and produce the film.

After completing this plan, Murphy asked Bill Rossis to submit it to CAA. Not to mention that the film company will not start a film project rashly. Even the CAA operator will conduct a preliminary review of the project itself. .

Although not Murphy's person in charge, but as a senior CAA in charge of the film and television business, a copy of the script and plan was also sent to Brian Lauder.

Although this is not the expected sequel to "Chain Saw", after reading the plan carefully, Brian Lauder nodded with satisfaction, let alone the creative idea of ​​the project, the rigorous attitude of the young director With careful planning, it will leave an excellent impression first.

Moreover, this project is a black style that he is good at, even if it is a little absurd, it is full of fancy.

Moreover, there are many gimmicks in the script and plan. For the film industry, if there is no gimmick, there will be no selling point, and if there is no selling point, there will be no box office.

The script is the foundation, but an excellent business plan is the key to impressing the film company.

Originally, Brian Lauder did not have much hope for this plan. After all, Murphy is a director and not a professional producer. He intends to wait for the script and plan to be submitted to CAA so that the company's more professional people can use it. Processing is carried out on this basis in order to attract funds.

Even projects thrown by CAA are sometimes rejected.

This is normal in business investment.

Brian Lauder put more energy on the plan than he read the script again.

The plan is not particularly thick, and it does not have any specific regulations on the content and the number of pages. The key is whether the content shows professionalism, whether the expression is easy to understand, contains all the necessary information without procrastination.

In this plan, almost a film from project preparation to post-production has everything that should be there, and the plan is clear, which seems to be an exceptionally good project.

Brian Lauder read one by one.

"An overview of the goals and overall goals of the film's business plan, a brief introduction to the script and production content, a copy of the script's copyright certificate, industry trends and development trends, film market prospects and potential audiences, box office comparisons of films of the same type and budget... "

These are all clear and clear, and people will think that this is a reliable project, not those unreliable things that have only one script, not even the simplest plan.

And these are only a part, there is more detailed content later.

For example, the production team of the film has a specific list, from the leading role to the director to the photographer to the producer, and the candidates for the positions that have been determined, and the resume is attached to the plan; for the positions that have not been determined, four are listed. To a shortlist of seven, and their respective advantages.

There are also expected production details, shooting locations and production standards; cash flow statement, possible basic expenses per week; management strategies during shooting and shooting; timetables with dates marked in accordance with the different stages of preparation, shooting and production of the film; all rights have been obtained Copies of the agreement and the labor union filing; project-related works of art, such as a simple poster with a beautiful one-legged woman sitting on a motorcycle...

Although there must be minor flaws in some areas, no matter how you look at it, this is an excellent plan, and it gives people a feeling of worth investing in.

After reading the plan three times in a row, Brian Lauder deliberately used different colored pens to mark the key points and shortcomings of the plan, and called the assistant to send back to the review department to get the work done as soon as possible, and then pass the project on. In the hands of several suitable film companies.