Who is Daenerys
When Simon heard this question, he immediately remembered Dragon Mother’s long list of domineering titles.
Daenerys Stormborn, the Unburnt, Queen of Meereen, Queen of the Andals, the Rhoynar and the First Men, Ruler of the Seven Kingdoms and Warden of the Realm, Khaleesi of the Great Grasslands, Breaker of Shackles , the mother of dragons.
only.
This cannot be said.
I'm afraid I'll scare you if I say it.
Looking through the documents in his hand casually, Simon shook his head calmly and said, "I forgot where I saw this name. I thought it was very interesting, so I used it."
Sandra noticed that Simon looked nonchalant when he said these words, and knew that he was talking nonsense. However, after glancing at George Norman and Jennifer Raybould opposite, Sandra didn't expose it and just smiled in agreement.
Jennifer Raybould, who was holding the coffee cup, was also silent and had a smile on her lips.
George Norman didn't think much about it. After Simon had roughly read the registration information of the two companies, he began to explain some precautions to him.
After more than an hour of this, after confirming that Simon had no other questions, George Norman and Jennifer Raybould stood up and left.
Simon and Sandra escorted the two out of the villa together.
Everyone said goodbye again, and before getting in the car, Jennifer Raybould finally plucked up the courage and asked Simon: "So, Simon, are you planning to make a movie yourself?"
Simon smiled and nodded: "Yes."
Feeling the boy's gaze on her, Jennifer suddenly didn't know what to say. She smiled shyly and said, "Well, I'm looking forward to seeing it in the future."
"If you're interested," Simon replied, "you can come to Park City for Sundance next year."
Jennifer looked puzzled: "Sundance?"
The girl's reaction is not surprising. The Sundance Film Festival initiated by Robert Redford only started last year, and next year will only be its third edition. In fact, it wasn’t until more than a decade later that Sundance began to attract more and more attention.
Simon explained patiently: "This is a film festival launched by Robert Redford to support independent films. It will be held in mid-January. In fact, even if you are not interested in movies, going to Park City in January is a very good choice. , the ski resort there is great.”
Jennifer naturally knew Robert Redford. When Simon said this, she nodded with a smile and said, "Okay, if I can spare the time, I will definitely go there."
After chatting for a while, Jennifer got into the car waiting on the roadside.
After the funds were in place and the company was registered, the production assistant Bill Locke hired by Simon also made a budget table for "Run Lola Run".
According to the shooting specifications given by Simon, the entire film is expected to cost $650,000.
Calculated this way, just Janet's check is enough.
However, now that he has given up cooperation with Orion, Simon himself hopes to invest some funds in it.
Before Janet took out the check, Simon had already sent his contract with Fox to several banks for mortgage evaluation. The terms in this contract involving the sharing of video tapes and TV broadcast rights were still very valuable.
After review, Wells Fargo was willing to grant Simon a mortgage loan of up to US$100,000. The conditions were better than those of several other banks, and Simon agreed without hesitation.
The annual federal tax filing deadline is April 15, and you can apply for a six-month extension. Simon will not consider the issue of tax reservation for the time being.
Therefore, out of the basic royalties of US$200,000 in the contract, after excluding agent commissions and daily expenses, Simon can also come up with US$150,000. Counting the loan from Wells Fargo, the total comes to US$250,000.
After some negotiations, Simon contributed US$250,000 and Janet contributed US$400,000. Their interests in the film were completely distributed according to the investment ratio, with Simon accounting for 38.5% and Janet accounting for 61.5%.
In addition, Simon also completely gave up his personal salary as director and screenwriter. Janet originally had a check of 680,000 US dollars, which was neat and tidy, and she had obviously emptied her pocket. Simon was full of gratitude for this and had no intention of seeking more benefits for himself.
Having solved the most important financial problem, Simon also completed the script revision of "The Butterfly Effect" around August 15th, and then began to invest in the production of "Lola Run".
Then, Simon once again deeply realized the truth that having connections in Hollywood is more important than ability.
Thanks to the help and guidance of Jonathan Friedman, David Giller, Brian De Palma and others, the formation of the crew went much smoother than Simon imagined.
Santa Monica.
Amidst the busy work, time has entered September without even realizing it.
In an office building on 16th Street in Midtown, Daenerys Pictures' headquarters is located here.
Simon rented three offices in the five-story office building in late August.
With the introduction of David Giller, Simon hired another producer during this time named Ron MacMillan.
Ron MacMillan is a thin, middle-aged white man, about forty years old. It is said that he also worked as a set designer in Martin Scorsese's "Taxi Driver", and this time he is considered the first. Served as producer for the first time.
The reason why David Giller introduced him was that he was very good at coordinating the shooting of location scenes, which was obviously what "Run Lola Run" needed most.
However, having been part of Martin Scorsese's crew ten years ago and still unknown after all these years, Simon was originally a little skeptical of the other person's abilities. Ron MacMillan obviously also felt that it was unreliable for a young man like Simon, perhaps only about twenty years old, to want to make a movie.
Therefore, it took the two sides a whole week to get to know each other.
In terms of salary, Ron MacMillan was also unceremonious and asked for $1,000 per week.
The crew's budget was not generous. Simon suggested signing a contract with a basic salary plus profit sharing, but Ron MacMillan rejected it. The middle-aged man was obviously not optimistic about the prospects of "Run Lola Run".
After some haggling, Ron MacMillan's weekly salary was finally determined to be $850.
The filming cycle of "Run Lola Run" has basically been determined to be six weeks, and the preliminary preparations will probably take an equal amount of time. In other words, Ron MacMillan will be paid $10,000 for twelve weeks of work.
Compared with those formal commercial movies, this salary is obviously very shabby, but for "Lola Run", Ron MacMillan is definitely the one with the highest salary among the staff behind the scenes.
Fortunately, after signing the employment contract, Ron McMillan also showed sufficient professional ability.
Entering September, the most important task of the crew is to select actors for the roles in "Run Lola Run". Simon will have to work on "The Butterfly Effect" for another week at the end of September. Therefore, the crew must select actors within three weeks. Finish.
In the plan, Simon will make the final revision to the script of "The Butterfly Effect", and Ron MacMillan will also replace Simon in selecting behind-the-scenes staff such as lighting, scenery, and props.
If all goes well, "Run Lola Run" is likely to start filming in early October like "The Butterfly Effect."
In an office temporarily set up as an audition room.
There were four people sitting behind the audition table. Simon and Ron MacMillan were in the middle. Next to Simon was Sandra Bullock. As the heroine, she had to cooperate with the potential male lead today. Next to Ron MacMillan is a woman in her early thirties named Linda Vargas. She is the casting director of "Lola Run" and was also introduced by David Giller.
After interviewing yet another young man who was auditioning for Laura's boyfriend, when the other person left, Ron MacMillan brought up another thing again: "Simon, no matter what, I still recommend that you hire a professional photographer. If you want to learn photography, you can practice it in private, but it would be too rash to practice on this film."
Simon jotted down a few notes on the actor's profile, and then said to Ron MacMillan: "Ron, do you think this movie has high requirements for photographers?"
Ron MacMillan nodded and said: "Of course, there are so many lenses that require speed changes, and there are many very complicated lens movements. If this were not the case, there is no need for me to mention these to you repeatedly."
Simon said: "Well, Ron, our production budget is only $650,000. In any case, it is impossible to hire a very good photographer. Rather than let a mediocre person hold this position, it is better for me to do it myself. I I’ve already shown you a lot of my shooting ideas for various scenes, so that’s it for now, let’s interview actors as soon as possible.”
With that said, Simon turned the page of the information in his hand and looked at the name on the information. His expression was a little strange, but he still ordered Susan Landis, the first official employee of Daenerys Films who had just been hired recently. Call the next auditionee to come in.
Seeing that the two were no longer arguing, Sandra Bullock and Linda Vargas on both sides turned their attention back to the list in front of them.
As another young man walked through the door, everyone looked over.
This is a tall, handsome young man, wearing an everyday T-shirt and jeans, with long hair and a layer of stubble. However, this young man obviously had a slight gait when walking.
Simon recalled "Run Lola Run" in his mind and found that Manny, Lola's boyfriend in the original version, seemed to walk in a figure eight step.
Is this a coincidence
and.
When Simon sent out this audition invitation casually, he didn't expect the other party to participate in the audition.
Linda Vargas, who was sitting next to Ron MacMillan, waited for the young man to stand still, glanced at Simon and Ron, and then said: "Well, Mr. Keanu Reeves, can I introduce you first?" alone?"