In Hollywood, success is not just experience; it's also a mode of operation that can be replicated.
The success of "The Purge" also allowed many preparatory measures to be continued in "Death Comes."
For example, the production team still chose Warner Bros. Studios as their base.
However, the scale of the two films was vastly different. Building upon the small studio used for "The Purge," the "Death Comes" production team rented an additional large studio.
Furthermore, the team also leased a portion of an office building within the studio premises as their workspace.
With a publicized budget of $15 million and an actual budget of $20 million, Ronan no longer faced the financial constraints he did while producing "The Purge."
"The initial groundwork, Glenn and I have done most of it," James Huang said in the office to Ronan. "Most of the production team has prior experience working together, so the collaboration process won't be as challenging as it was for the previous film. If everything goes well, I plan to start filming in April."
Ronan nodded slightly. "I'm having a distribution plan developed based on your filming schedule."
The project's details were now in the hands of Embassy Pictures, with Garcia leading the team in developing a comprehensive marketing and distribution plan.
James Huang added, "With sufficient funds, I should be able to complete filming no later than July." He then inquired, "Has the release date been finalized?"
"The distributor provided two options," Ronan replied simply. "One is Halloween, which might be a bit tight. The other is December. 'Scream' was a huge success in December."
He went on, "I'm leaning towards December. This film's post-production is quite complex, with many special effects yet to be completed."
"I agree, December sounds better," James Huang concurred.
Ronan instructed, "James, anything that can be addressed during filming, don't push it to post-production."
"I understand," James Huang replied. After a moment of thought, he added, "For the special effects team, I recommend Digital Domain. They have relatively low fees, and I've collaborated with them on 'The X-Files.'"
Ronan neither accepted nor rejected the suggestion. "I'll talk to Digital Domain."
In this era, Hollywood had an abundance of special effects companies, with many affiliated with major studios or having their own departments. Even Pixar Studios engaged in live-action special effects. There were numerous options to choose from.
Ronan then asked, "Glenn, there won't be any major changes to the script, right?"
"No," Glenn Morgan, the introverted one, replied.
Ronan emphasized, "James, you've proven yourself to be an excellent horror film director. I won't interfere with the normal filming process, but there's one thing I must stress beforehand: while this film is gripping, the story must remain simple and clear!"
To be honest, he was worried that James Huang, after the success of "The Purge," might become like many directors who, in subsequent films, overly expanded and added too many esoteric elements, causing failures. Such directors were common in Hollywood and had ruined too many film projects, even bankrupting production companies in some cases.
James Huang smiled. "Rest assured, it will definitely be a simple story." After a brief pause, he continued, "Even the death-chasing plot, filled with skilled techniques, will involve everyday occurrences: using water, electricity, driving, crossing the street, boiling water, pouring wine, even the placement of a dishcloth."
The silent Glenn Morgan added, "Our philosophy is that any oversight in daily life details could lead to death."
Ronan agreed with this philosophy. "Placing the terror of death within the mundane aspects of everyday life will surely be terrifying, making people shudder even in their daily routines."
The death-chasing plot used by James Huang and Glenn Morgan was conceptual, but its implementation was very grounded.
James Huang added, "We often see on TV news that some people survive tornadoes, floods, or collapsing buildings, while others die mysteriously in shallow ditches. The contrast between life's resilience and fragility is the inspiration for 'Death Comes.'"
Ronan chuckled. "James, I actually very much agree with something you once said: the greatest terror comes from the unknown." He then shifted gears, "But while we're making horror films, we also need to consider the market and audience. 'Death Comes' is bound to be an R-rated film, and the death scenes should reflect the scale of an R-rated movie as much as possible."
"I understand," James Huang said without hesitation.
The success of "The Purge" had made him realize more clearly the importance of meeting market demands. What seemed like an unreliable idea, combined with a script written by a novice like Ronan Anderson, and with supporting roles even overshadowing the main characters in post-production, was, in his eyes, a standard flop. Yet, not only did it succeed, it was a massive success...
Although James Huang had moved to the United States in his youth, he still retained some of the modesty of an Easterner. The success of "The Purge" had made him realize one thing deeply: in terms of understanding the market, he was far inferior to Ronan Anderson.
If in directing, he could outstrip Ronan Anderson by miles, in understanding the market, Ronan Anderson could do the same to him.
In the office, the discussion was mainly between Ronan and James Huang, with Glenn Morgan rarely speaking.
After discussing the specific preparations, they moved on to the topic of casting. Ronan asked, "Any thoughts on the cast?"
James Huang didn't have much say in the selection of the main actors, but he offered a suggestion as the director: "The main actors should all be high school students. While ensuring basic acting skills, they should also have exceptional appearances."
He suddenly thought of a crucial issue. "We won't be casting Arab actors for the main roles again, will we? After all, the film's production funds come from Arabs."
"No, we won't," Ronan shook his head directly. "There won't be any ethnic restrictions this time."
But he thought for a moment before adding, "However, for the major roles besides the male and female leads, I will use minority actors appropriately."
Previous surveys had shown a steady increase in the proportion of African-American and Latino audiences in cinemas. Especially with the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement, just those three words alone might bring in millions at the box office in the future.
After all, movies were ultimately influenced by changes in society.
With Ronan now fully involved in the production, preparations for "Death Comes" accelerated suddenly. In just a few days, numerous key positions were filled.
This project had an actual investment several times that of "The Purge," and the production team was much larger.
In addition to being a producer, Ronan once again took on the role of production manager. Mary was still responsible for the financial aspects, handling the transfer of funds between the two projects. Other positions such as assistant producers, location managers, location scouts, production coordinators, and technical consultants were all filled through external recruitment.
Hollywood was the most mature film factory in the world. As long as the funds were in place, talent in all aspects was not a problem.
This was a place that never lacked film talent.
Ronan's early management policy at Sandsea Entertainment was no different from that of mainstream Hollywood film companies; it was mostly outsourced.
In the future, as the company's projects increased, they might even hire external producers to oversee the work of an entire production team.
As these positions were filled, Ronan also secured the special effects team. After three days of negotiations with Digital Domain, he outsourced the shooting and post-production special effects to this film effects studio founded by James Cameron, for a price of $1.5 million.
Although Digital Domain had been involved in the special effects production of "Titanic," their situation wasn't very good. James Cameron himself wasn't a prolific director, and Digital Domain couldn't rely solely on the "King of the World." Moreover, with fierce competition in regular business, including the industry-leading Industrial Light & Magic, the average profit margin of the film special effects industry couldn't even reach five percent.
In addition to a large special effects team on par with leading companies in the industry, Digital Domain also had seven or eight small teams under its umbrella, with fees just at the industry average.
From the pre-production stage onward, the special effects team would be fully integrated into the production team until the end of post-production.
In terms of post-production, Ronan was also making simultaneous progress. With an offer of $180,000, he secured the services of Sherry Walker's music team, which included composition, arrangement, orchestration, recording, equipment, instruments, copyrights, and editing, totaling 12 people.
This was also considered a low-cost music team in the industry.
For the crucial role of editor in post-production, Ronan still preferred Jessica Felton.
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（Starting from today, the author's update frequency and word count will significantly decrease. The reason is that the author needs to eat, but writing books on this platform does not generate income. The author needs to find another job to make a living. I can only apologize to all the readers. Updates will not be discontinued.）