The negotiated remuneration was merely the most basic compensation, and a qualified agent or manager would naturally strive for more guarantees for the client, especially when it came to Amanda Seafried's mother.
Ronan was quick to respond, knowing that negotiation was inherently time-consuming and labor-intensive.
For the entire morning, he had only managed to negotiate the remuneration and its conditions with Mrs. Seafried.
This speed was already quite fast; negotiations handled by Robert for Michelle Williams hadn't even settled the basic remuneration by noon.
Ordinary actors were relatively easier to negotiate with, but negotiations with star actors could last for weeks or even months.
After Ronan had deftly deflated Mrs. Seafried's demands, she became a bit more reserved and didn't push for excessive terms in the additional clauses of the remuneration.
For instance, many actors in this era demanded a share of the box office earnings, but she didn't mention it.
Box office bonuses differed from profit sharing; they were one-time bonuses promised by production companies in contracts when the North American box office reached a certain figure.
Mrs. Seafried should have been clear that Amanda Seafried didn't have the leverage to demand such a condition.
Of course, she didn't let go of what she should fight for, such as insurance benefits for Amanda on set.
The Entertainment Act had strict regulations in this regard, and Ronan couldn't afford to be careless; these expenses had to be covered. The law stipulated that actors' health insurance, personal insurance, and benefits must account for at least fifteen percent of the basic remuneration.
The production team would certainly comply with the minimum standards.
There was also overtime pay; if the shooting period exceeded two months, from May 1st to June 30th, and if shooting went over schedule, the production team would have to pay Amanda Seafried $2000 per day.
In other words, this was the overtime clause.
In Hollywood, the idea of all employees willingly working overtime wasn't popular; overtime had to be compensated, or else the trouble it caused would cost even more to resolve.
Ronan had reached the middle management level in a big company in his previous life. While not working year-round without a break, he had to be on call at all times. Work didn't have set hours, leading to a long period without a personal life, without a last name, ultimately resulting in a crash in social situations.
Negotiations continued in the afternoon.
"Amanda's name should appear third among the actors, just after the male and female leads," Mrs. Seafried began to fight for every opportunity for her daughter to be seen. "It should be presented separately in the opening credits."
Regarding the opening credits, Ronan had discussed with James Huang; there was a pre-title sequence in the film, but it was brief.
He directly vetoed, "Amanda's name will be listed fourth among the actors, alongside another actress, Michelle Williams."
Mrs. Seafried tried a clever move, "It can also be listed as the last in the pre-title sequence."
Ronan calmly replied, "That's reserved for the director."
The best positions in the pre-title sequence were at the beginning and the end; he sweetened the deal appropriately, "Amanda's name won't be smaller than any other actor's name, including height, width, boldness, and duration of display."
With the experience of the morning's negotiation, Mrs. Seafried didn't dare underestimate Ronan; after some thought, she said, "Okay."
Mrs. Seafried continued to make demands, "During filming, Amanda should be provided with a dedicated car for transport, and for outdoor shoots, she should have a separate nanny car. There shouldn't be any shots showing bare shoulders or thighs above the knee during filming. Accommodation during outdoor shoots should be at least three-star hotels. If the film participates in film festivals, Amanda should have at least one media event arranged, and adequate funding provided."
Negotiations on these minor issues continued to be a matter of bargaining, and Ronan wasn't shy about it. He said directly, "You handle the transportation issue yourselves, the production budget is limited, and we can't provide a nanny car. However, for outdoor shoots, Miss Seafried can share a sedan with another actor, and the same goes for the makeup room. There won't be any nude scenes, the hotel is fine, and there's no need to discuss the film festival."
Upon hearing these words, Mrs. Seafried's face darkened.
This producer was really stingy!
Ronan made very few concessions where money was concerned but used intangible benefits as leverage: "In future film advertisements or trailers released by Sand Sea Entertainment, Miss Amanda Seafried can be credited. In the future, on the DVD, videotape, and CD packaging of the film, as well as on the bottom of the film's advertising posters, Miss Amanda Seafried will also have the right to be credited."
As a member of the main cast, Amanda Seafried was entitled to such treatment in Ronan's plan, but as a ruthless capitalist, how could he justify not using what the other party deserved as bargaining chips?
Mrs. Seafried thought for a moment and felt it was not bad; this way, Amanda's name would have more exposure opportunities, which would be beneficial for her long-term development.
After a little deliberation, she said, "Okay."
Subsequently, the negotiation between the two parties turned to specifics of the shoot, mainly focusing on what Amanda couldn't shoot, such as scenes with large amounts of blood.
As for consultation and decision-making rights on the script, co-acting actors and directors, hair and makeup, publicity, and extras, these were not even up for discussion.
Even though Mrs. Seafried had just entered the film industry, she wasn't foolish enough to demand such power.
Let alone additional perks; those were reserved for A-list actors.
It took nearly a day for Ronan to negotiate Amanda Seafried's contract, and the next day, under the witness of a lawyer, the contract was formally signed by both parties. (If it was a union-signed project, the corresponding union representatives needed to endorse it and file it with the union.)
It took nearly a week afterwards for the production team to sign contracts with Michelle Williams, Melissa Rio, and Robert Kneip one after another.
These actors had basically no fame or influence, and their remuneration had been lowered to a certain extent by Ronan, the ruthless capitalist. The highest remuneration was $50,000 for Robert Kneip, $30,000 for Melissa Rio, and only $20,000 for Michelle Williams, who had only been in the industry for a few years.
Adding the $15,000 remuneration for the two Arab actors and the cost of hiring temporary actors, Ronan successfully kept the actor's remuneration expenditure within $150,000.
The highest personal remuneration in the entire production team was for James Huang, who had directed "X-Files" and had different positions as a producer in three TV series, which was also in line with a $300,000 salary.
There was also James Huang's good friend, Glenn Morgan.
This well-known screenwriter had polished Ronan's script, and Ronan had used Glenn Morgan's suggestions to revise the script once again, increasing the role of the black character to rescue
the black character's family, leading to a crisis, invasion by neighbors, the black character's escape, and the rescue by Arab neighbors.
Black lives matter and such themes were beginning to emerge in this era.
According to industry standards, Glenn Morgan received a meager $1000 for his revisions.
After the 2008 writers' strike, this minimum number would rise to $15,000.
The bosses hated strikes and such.
Which boss didn't want to exploit their employees to the fullest?
"When you work overtime: the company is your home. When you take leave: you think the company is your home and come and go as you please."
"We'll definitely give you a raise, as long as you do well, the company won't mistreat you."
As a new boss, when Ronan recruited inexperienced new employees, he would definitely say: Learn from colleagues who often work overtime, learn from employees who don't demand salary...
Young people needed to work more to gain experience.
Unfortunately, there were no A-list stars to make a cameo appearance in "Human Purge Plan."
The total personnel remuneration expenditure for the production team was controlled within $600,000 according to Ronan's plan, which basically achieved the goal.
The entire expenditure of Sand Sea Entertainment would also be drawn from the production team's accounts. Mary had been doing the accounting, which was also a common practice in the independent film industry, starting from the financing and continuing until the film was released in North America.
During the preparation period, shooting period, and post-production, there were countless expenses, even after the film was released, there would still be publicity and marketing expenses.
Sand Sea Entertainment didn't have distribution capabilities, but the production company could still advertise the film.
Then there was Ronan himself; as the project initiator and producer, he naturally enjoyed corresponding remuneration.