"So, you want us to fork over all the money, do all the props, let you direct, keep the copyright, all the money, AND let your direct?"
"C'mon now, you make it sound like we are pirates!"
"Well, you may as well take ownership of our studio if we give you all you want!"
Things were getting heating between a 26-year-old lady with a bob-cut perm and Dan. Dan and James had come over to the studio and were sitting down with the owners of the said studio to discuss terms. They were currently sitting down at a table, with Dan and her standing up many times during the discussion.
Her name was Catheryn Dubois, nicknamed Cate. She had the classic mature feminine aura that exuded out of her and made her appear even more sensual. She was exactly well-endowed, but her casual clothing, purple shirt and jeans, outlined her curves well.
If James hadn't been in an important meeting, she would have made him listless and debate whether to ask for her number in a corner somewhere. He also had to be somewhat wary as she was trying to take away his and Dan's work for her own company.
"Okay, everyone just calm down please."
A man in a jumpsuit, looking a lot like a janitor's uniform, covered in paint spoke up. He was smiling and looking very relaxed despite the heated argument going on in front of him.
His name was Rich Dubois. He was the father of the young woman and the owner of the studio. He was wearing glasses and sported curly long brown hair, very similar to what you would see on the Slash. His youthful spirit could be seen in his appearance, making him mistakable for someone who just turned 30, with big round glasses and hair covering most of his face. He had just turned 44 last month strangely enough.
"But, dad, they are trying to take advantage of us!"
"Oh, cmon now, Catherine, they just want to make a movie as badly as we do.
I don't think these two young fellas are trying to do anything but find some investments to make their dream come true. We are all alike, just a couple of vagabonds looking to make it big. Both of you remind me of myself at your age, full of dreams and inspiration."
James and Dan look at each other and wonder what this man could be up to. Although he looked young, he's run quite a successful studio for many years. His studio has also worked on some fairly big films and was currently on the upswing. They could only assume that he must be even busier this coming year and the next, so his interest was something they were optimistic about.
Dan was the first to speak.
"Yes, of course, me and James. I mean, James and I are just excited about getting to work on this amazing idea of ours! I believe that this movie is something that can exceed a lot of expectations and be a real defining movie in my career."
"Well, that wouldn't be saying much." Replied Catheryn.
Dan blushed.
"Well, while, it is true that I've not really done much, I don't think you should have anything to say about this visual board!"
Dan slapped the comic that was on the table.
"Comic, you mean?" Replied Catheryn.
"Yes, visual board, comic, script, whatever you want to call it, you can't deny the enticement of our vision!"
They all looked at the comic that was just sitting there and found it to be quite awe-inspiring, especially for something in the 1970s. These types of drawings just weren't seen at this time and for this artistic family in charge of a Hollywood studio, it was something they desperately wanted to get their hands on.
"Well, it's okay..." Catheryn replied.
"It's more than okay, dear. It really is like a work of art, the ideas contained in just this short graphic novel of yours are something that has piqued our interest. I'm sure you know the value of the work that you've presented us, as there is nowhere else in the world where you will find something like this."
James and Dan were getting quite excited to hear this as they desperately hoped to get an investment from a well-established studio.
"But, at the end of the day, this is just an idea. I also doubt many other studios will be willing to invest in something like this and of those few, none of them will be anything close to ours. If you are truly hoping to get an investment from us, I do hope that you will be making some concessions. After all, if we are going to be partners, I expect at least some form of cooperation."
Catheryn looked smug while James and Dan looked at one another.
"Can me and my partner discuss something for a moment?" Dan replied.
"Absolutely," Rick said calmly.
"Well, what do you think? Are you sure you don't just want to sell the copyright? I mean, I know you're attached, but it's not like you can really do much with the copyright anyways. I mean, the only thing you can do with it is make more movies, and it's not like you're planning to make 10 Alien movies, right?"
James was thinking something along those lines. He of course wasn't going to make 10 movies all at once, but franchising is a huge method of earning money and stability. The only downside is, that to get to that stability, there first needs to be an actual product.
If they can't make the first movie, it gonna be pretty hard to make a part 2.
After a small discussion, it was James' time to speak.
"Okay, I'll tell you what, we won't sell the copyright-"
"You know what, I knew you guys-" Catheryn interrupts.
"-But! We are willing to give you guys the exclusive right to produce the movie as well as any form of the cinematic release of our story. On the condition that we get a cut, as well as giving us the right to have the final say in the script. We also want the condition, that if you don't try to film in the next 5 years of our script being made, we are allowed to renege on your right to produce our movie."
This was different from a lot of their usual deals, so the father-daughter duo had to think for a bit.
"Okay, this is a dumb idea, but what happens if you guys write some shit script, do we have to waste our money on your incompetence?"
"No, we can have it so that you guys also share in the profit of any movie made in the future, giving you guys a priority in being producers. This would be in the case of part 2 or any sort of franchising. You can also decide how much you are willing to invest, with your share of the profits being proportional to the ratio of your investment in the budget. You can also decide to give the project over to another company, with our approval, and not be held responsible for the 5 years limit of movie production. The 5-year cycle can also be renewed once that movie is made."
"I see. Well, that is interesting, but we are not sure we are willing to sign such a long-term deal when we aren't even sure of the success of the first film. Also, even if we did 5 years would be a little restrictive given the fact that we have many other projects we may want to work on."
"Ok, well we can always have it so that you guys can back out of the contract at any time, except if production has already started. And we can also extend the cycle to 7 years."
Rich and Catheryn now looked at each other again before nodding.
"You guys have to be on board and work in our studio for the production of the movie," Catheryn says.
James and Dan agreed to this.
"Also, if you ever have any other great ideas, you have to come to us first"
This caught James off guard, but he agreed to do so in good faith as long he's not contractually bound to that.
"Then, we still have to get lawyers involved, but these terms do seem somewhat okay and hell, if it means we can get started quickly on the movie, then I think we can arrange for something," Rick says as he holds out his hand.