[Shout out to Cesar M., William T.N., Danny Y., Jack W., Chase L.!]
Hollywood What If Chapter 88
"Executive producer, sounds like a stand-in."
"Hey, don't say it like that. You should be grateful that 20th Century Fox is willing to hire you."
Harold muttered beside Kazir. They were about to visit one of the studios at 20th Century Fox headquarters.
"No, they just want my creativity."
As the man who created Napoleon Dynamite, Kazir was invited to join the Napoleon Dynamite crew as an executive producer. Of course, being hired by one of the big six, Kazir had a salary to match.
'I can get $100,000 if the movie is produced. $200,000 if Napoleon Dynamite II makes a profit. Frankly, that is a lot of money for an average person. Maybe being an executive producer is not so bad.'
Unfortunately, Kazir Grey had already tasted the sweetness of money. Having $200,000 was not enough for him. He was not interested.
But Napoleon Dynamite was his first movie and he wanted to take it seriously, even though he was not the director.
'I am the screenwriter and of course I want it to succeed.'
Truthfully, Kazir Grey had no idea about the outcome of this sequel. It was a movie he had never seen in his life. He may have written the plot, but he knew that plot was not enough to make a successful movie.
"Kazir, don't give me that face. Your sense of being a serious bastard is coming out. Remember, we have another purpose for being here."
Producer Harold Witsend reminded him. Now that he was a producer, one of the tedious jobs fell to him.
"Yes. I still remember our mission."
Kazir had already contacted Sony-Columbia last time. Sony-Columbia wanted to take 35% of the worldwide box office as the sole distributor of the film. The company was responsible for advertising and promoting the movie.
However, their initial advertising budget was only $5 million. If the movie didn't do well within a week, Sony-Columbia had the right to stop the promotion.
To be honest, the deal was good. But Grey Pictures wanted better terms. Something that would bring them more money.
From now on, Sony-Columbia was their first choice. Harold Witsend wanted to contact 20th Century Fox to negotiate their project. Maybe 20th Century Fox was interested in the film and wanted to distribute it.
'As long as the conditions are right, I don't have a problem with 20th Century Fox distributing my films.'
"I heard that 20th Century Fox is in a bind right now. Their budget for this year is a little tight because of James Cameron's new movie."
"..."
Kazir just listened. Titanic was still causing problems for the two film companies, Paramount and 20th Century Fox. Not his problem.
'... But I have to make sure that Taken is not released in December. Every movie will lose its power against the giant ship.'
"We are here."
Harold confirmed the number of the studio. He opened the door and saw many people preparing for the scene.
They began to take down the set to set up the next one.
"LIGHT! ADJUST THE FUCKING LIGHT! CAN'T YOU SEE IT'S TOO DIM? FUCKING SHIT! FUCKING SHIT! HOW THE FUCK CAN YOU MAKE THIS MISTAKE!"
Kazir and Harold quietly entered the studio. They heard a strong roar from a certain person. This person had a unique accent.
Since Kazir had stepped down as director. Of course, someone had to take his place.
Kazir had no idea who the director was that Fox Searchlight Pictures had hired. All he knew was that the director was from France and had made so many comedies. Fox Searchlight Pictures hired him for a very small salary, probably an unknown director.
The crew for Napoleon Dynamite II was put together by a different group of production companies. Fox Searchlight Pictures didn't want to spend a lot of money on the production, so they decided to hire people with cheap salary.
Kazir found Ed Helms and Pedro Pascal trying to smile as they listened to the director's banter.
'I think they realize the truth about directors... That most directors will never hesitate to humiliate people.'
Directors suffered from intense pressure, causing their behavior to be extreme.
Judging by their expressions, the actors were definitely not used to this kind of atmosphere.
Kazir's filming had a calm and collected atmosphere. Most of the crew respected each other. They were working together to make a successful film. Also, Kazir Grey never raised his voice when talking to anyone.
Looking around, Kazir spotted Reese Witherspoon getting a makeover from a makeup artist.
When Reese saw Kazir in the corner, she waved and smiled. She wanted to approach the man, but she was still getting makeup.
As for Kazir, he just nodded.
A few minutes later, Nancy Utley appeared and talked to Kazir. Nancy Utley was the producer of the film. This was the first time that Fox Searchlight Pictures was producing its own movie. So she had to take the position of being the producer.
"Kazir, I want you to meet Hugo Lameire. He is a director from France who has made so many comedy films."
'Probably small budget films...' Kazir thought.
"It's nice to meet you, Mr. Lameire."
"Nice to meet you too, Mr. Grey."
Hugo's earlier arrogance was long gone when he met Kazir. He was just a hired director and he knew he didn't have Kazir Grey's status. So as much as possible, there was nothing wrong with being humble.
"I'm interested in seeing the finished product."
"Don't worry, Mr. Grey, I'll make sure the sequel is successful."
Kazir Grey didn't have control over this project, but Hugo Lameire did.
'However, Hugo didn't even have the editing rights. Everything was under the jurisdiction of 20th Century Fox. They were the ones in charge of editing Napoleon Dynamite II.'
The two of them shook hands and Hugo did his job. Shooting began. Kazir and the others had to be quiet at that moment.
"Camera! Roll!"