I’m in Hollywood - Chapter 95

Chapter 95 - TV series

 

 

         After taking a few mouthfuls of smoke, Barry Diller extinguished his cigarette in the ashtray, and said: "It looks like you won't change your mind."

"Mr. Diller, I could have just made a random low cost film to complete the contract, instead of coming here to communicate with you. If I didn't care about quality, then, ten days is enough to make a movie."

Barry Diller know that this teenager have an iron heart, and will not change his decision. Although his mind also produced the idea of making things hard for the little guy. However, Barry Diller quickly rejected the idea. Once he did that, then the same thing that happened with Columbia will happen again, leading their cooperation to end.

The other day when he heard that Columbia President Blunt Cohen was suddenly removed from his position, he was sure that Coca-Cola board off directors was responsible for him leaving, but since he knows they were trying to sell Columbia, he thought that was an unnecessary move. Now he understood that they did that to remove an obstacle that can stop them from re-establishing cooperation with this young boy.

If he did something right now, to mess with the young man, then after this teenager complete the contract, the relationship between them will be destroyed, making Fox lose this gold mine.

Determining that things are irreversible, Barry Diller quickly thought of trying to get some extra benefit to compensate for the loss: "Eric, You should understand that by doing that, you're putting Fox out of the summer box office competition. Although your approach did not violate the contract, but that still hurt us. To placate Fox shareholders, perhaps the original contract should be modified?"

After hearing what Barry Diller said, Eric immediately refused: "Mr. Diller, the contract will definitely not be modified, I will not make any compromises when it comes to dividing the profits. I just said I don't owe Fox anything. The reason why I'm sitting here and discussing these things with you is that I don't want the relationship between the two sides to be deadlocked. We can only discuss a win-win compensation strategy, rather than harm the interests of either party. That way our cooperation can last longer."

"Well, I'm sure you already have plans?"

Eric nodded: "Yes, my Firefly company has just developed plans for three other films, Fox can choose one of them to be released." 

Barry Diller almost wanted to laugh, is this a compensation? if Fox wanted to release a film, as long as they announce it, stand alone studios would come running to their door steps. Barry Diller suddenly thought of Fox TV manager that have been driven out by him a few minutes ago, a new idea come to him: "Eric, are you interested in making a TV series?"

When Eric heard the words TV series, in his mind directly emerged the image of a stubborn little girl figure who is in New York right now. In his past life, for the ten years that 《Friends》 was on air, Warner was able to earn more than 4 billion dollars in profits, Eric wasn't going to let this TV show get out of his hands, although he didn't watch all the ten seasons, but he has seen the first two seasons, and by virtue of the cheat he got after his rebirth, every thing was clearly engraved in his mind. And as long as the first season succeed, he can find writers to continue writing the following seasons?

"Mr. Diller, I actually had some ideas for a TV series already. But maybe I didn't say it before, those three films made by fireflies, although I'm not the one directing them, But two of them I personally wrote their script, and also I will serve as producer, and have the rights to the final cut of the film, which is equal me shooting the films myself. And I intend to let Julia star in one of them as the heroine, and with Julia box office appeal, there's no doubt that the film will succeed."

After Barry Diller listened to Eric words, without hesitation he said: "No problem, Eric, the three films Fox can take them as a package, as for the TV series as long as you write the script we can produce it."

Although Barry Diller assumed a seemingly generous appearance, Eric could still hear the excitement in his tone, Obviously Barry Diller also judged the value of the three films.

... ...

Eric had no intention of releasing the three films himself, he wanted to get the full potentials of those films, rather than using them to as cannon fodder to expand his distribution channels.

But similarly, he didn't plan to give all his three films to the same film company to release, not even to Fox. He knew that if he gives them too much, gradually, the other side will take it for granted. And once you stop giving them things anymore, they will start to hate you. 

In fact, Barry Diller had already started showing signs of this. Eric's actions did not violate the contract, nut Barry Diller felt that Fox suffered a major loss.

Shaking his head, Eric raised a finger: "Mr. Diller, a TV series, or a movie, you can only get one as a compensation. I'm very confident about the box office potential of those three movies, No less than the movies I directed myself. So, if Fox took too much, I'm afraid your publishing capacity will not be able to keep up."

Barry Diller quickly figure out another solution: "Eric, how about a TV series plus a movie."

"A TV series, or a movie."

"Eric ... ..."

"... ..."

The two men argued in the office for a long time, and finally, because of his ambition to grow the TV networks, Barry Diller chose the TV series, if it wasn't for the development of a TV network, Barry Diller will not leave paramount, so Eric was not surprised by his choice.

But the other side didn't easily let go of Eric, he forced him to promise to personally guide the first two episodes of the TV series.

Eric didn't think that Barry Diller was able to come up with such a forward-looking idea. More than 10 years later, Inviting famous Hollywood directors to guide the first few episodes, has become a popular trend in America, after the strong rise of TV dramas in the 21st century, Hollywood directors have also put down their airs, and started directing TV Pilots.

In fact, Barry Diller isn't so far-sighted as Eric thought, Asking a famous Hollywood director to shoot a TV drama, Barry Diller himself would think it was a ridiculous idea. In this era, It's a bad thing for a movie director to shoot a TV drama.  TV directors has always been switching to directing films, but rarely has the reverse happened.

The reason why he asked him to guide the first two episodes, was completely because he didn't get the right to release the film, out of a vindictive mentality, he wanted to put Eric in an embarrassing position. But unexpectedly, the other side nodded in agreement after thinking about it for just a moment, in accordance with the current mentality of Hollywood directors, The news that Eric is directing a TV series, will cause the criticism of the media and the die-hard directors.

... ...

Barry Diller had no idea that his rude demand, will later cause such a great sensation, even making it a trend that big Hollywood directors will start guiding TV pilots to prove themselves.

After reaching an agreement with Fox, Eric completely put aside his concerns, and reached a cooperation agreement with Columbia soon after that.

And since the other side was so generous, Eric directly raised the production budget to $40 million, and even if in the future they add $20 million in advertising, according to Colombia's 25 percent split, if the North American box office reach $240 million, Columbia will be able to recover the cost, of course, if you count the overseas box office earnings, Maybe this figure will fall to $200 million.

Eric estimated that Columbia simply didn't intend to recover the cost, as long as the box office sales, give the investors a false vision of the future, the stock price will go up, if the stock price rises by one dollar, Columbia's market value will increase by 180 million directly. And all that money will be paid by SONY.

In this case, Eric didn't plan on giving up 《Running Out of Time》 copyrights, he planed to share the copyrights between firefly and Columbia in half. After all, they paid so much money, It would be cruel not give back after taking so much. And although the film ends with the hero dying, but as long as the film succeed, then like in his past life, they can replace the hero with another actor for a sequel.