"Did you buy so many books?"
In the office, Mary quickly stepped forward to help as she saw Michael Davenport coming in with a large stack of books. "Why do you look so exhausted again?"
Michael's hair was messy, and he had dark circles under his eyes, clearly showing he hadn't rested well.
"There's just so much work to do lately." He didn't seem too bothered by it. In the startup phase, working hard was normal. He placed the books he was carrying on his desk and took the ones from Mary's hands. "I was up late last night revising the script and lost track of time."
With the company just getting back on track, there was an overwhelming amount of work to be done, leaving script revisions for the evenings.
Mary handed him a cup of coffee, flipping through the books. "Are you studying?"
These were all professional industry books, covering everything from law to production and scriptwriting, with a few collections of successful case studies.
Michael nodded. "After the last failure, I realized I have a lot to improve."
Foreknowledge was an advantage, but personal ability was the foundation. The former determined his potential, while the latter defined his limits.
Running a film company and becoming a successful producer required more than just past memories.
Michael had decided to pick up the textbooks he had neglected for years and strengthen his professional knowledge.
Even though he had been a small producer on the other side of the Pacific, the environment there was entirely different from Hollywood.
For the past week, he had been sleeping about six hours a night, reading and revising the script in the evenings, handling company affairs during the day, and using any spare time to continue learning.
He needed to be at least familiar with entertainment law and industry regulations. For instance, the Writers Guild had the highest entry threshold in Hollywood. To join, one needed to appear in the credits of 24 productions within three years before applying, including signed company projects and sales of written works.
Even if he wrote the screenplay for a publicly released film, he wouldn't qualify for the Writers Guild.
Besides regular work and studies, Michael also began reconnecting with the network that Young Anderson had disregarded, visiting Old Anderson's friends and business partners for three consecutive afternoons.
Yesterday, he had settled the royalties for "Desperate Measures" with New Line Cinema and made a point to visit Robert Shaye.
Having more connections never hurt.
Young Anderson had been oblivious to this.
Undoubtedly, Hollywood was a talent-driven industry, but for a newcomer to rely solely on talent and brilliance to make it was somewhat unrealistic.
Michael knew countless geniuses had perished on the path of entrepreneurship.
"You were looking for a suitable party, weren't you?" Mary placed an invitation on the desk. "This is for a high-end party organized by DreamWorks. Many celebrities from the entertainment and fashion industries are said to be attending. I pulled some strings to get this. The ticket cost $3,000."
Michael picked up the invitation and saw David Geffen's signature on it. He immediately said, "Put this expense on 'The Purge' project budget."
A $3,000 ticket was indeed expensive, even more so than this year's Oscar Night party tickets at $5,000.
Paying for such tickets required a certain qualification; not everyone could buy them.
With the Arabs footing the bill, Michael wasn't worried about the cost.
That morning, Michael was busy, interviewing six job applicants for the company, reviewing Mary's preliminary financial expenditure plan for "The Purge," and taking some time to read "California Entertainment Law."
In the afternoon, he temporarily put aside his work to meet with three director candidates.
These three directors were not members of the Directors Guild, making it against industry regulations to directly contact production companies for jobs. But there were too many chaotic situations in the independent film circle for this to be a major issue.
Unfortunately, none of the three had the experience or credentials needed.
Strictly speaking, they had only shot experimental films in school and had never even directed a music video.
Wanting to ensure the success of "The Purge," Michael refused to consider these three.
His experience wasn't extensive, and the limited producing experience from his past life wasn't fully transferable. Hiring an inexperienced director would likely lead the film to flop.
This wasn't a case where writing a popular movie script from the past and getting a director to shoot it would guarantee success.
Michael needed to learn and grow, and finding a good director would significantly increase the project's chances of success.
His ideal candidate was David Fincher, but he could only dream. The actual project budget was less than $2 million.
This was a paradox. Directors with a bit of success were expensive; cheaper directors had no proven track record.
The job ads from Seagull Entertainment had some effect, attracting several self-recommended candidates and some small agencies sending lists of directors, actors, and other personnel.
Michael paid special attention to the directors and actors. There were a few familiar actor names but no known directors.
In Hollywood, good directors were rarer than good actors.
Over the next few days, Michael met five more directors, but their situations were similar to the previous three.
Some second and third-tier directors' agents had contacted Michael, but their quotes were too high, exceeding the project's actual budget.
After rejecting several offers, this project quickly disappeared from the radar of medium and large agencies.
The actual progress at Seagull Entertainment was in hiring regular staff. After a few days of interviews, Michael finalized several new employees.
The weekend arrived quickly, and Michael had a stylist recommended by Mary give him a new look. Refreshed, he headed to the Beverly Hills Hilton Hotel.
This party, organized by DreamWorks, drew numerous famous faces, even outside the hotel.
As soon as he entered the lobby, Michael spotted Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio.
From a distance, he heard Kate asking Leonardo to go ahead while she waited for someone.
Leonardo walked off directly.
Michael's goal at the party was to expand his network. He approached Kate Winslet, greeting her politely, "Good evening, Ms. Winslet. We meet again."
Kate shook hands with Michael, responding courteously, "Hello, it's nice to see you again."
Michael immediately understood that Kate Winslet had forgotten who he was.
Unfazed, he said, "I'm Michael Davenport. We met at the 20th Century Fox appreciation party."
"Yes, I remember now." Kate's face lit up with a friendly smile. "Call me Kate. Can I call you Michael?"
Unlike her character in the film, this British actress seemed very well-mannered, at least on the surface.
"Of course," Michael smiled. "Kate, I'm a big fan of yours."
Kate's gaze moved past Michael, looking behind him. Sensing this, Michael said, "I'll head to the banquet hall. Let's chat later."
"Sure," Kate responded with a smile.
She had a good impression of him—not just because of his looks, but also his tact.
As Michael walked past Kate, he glanced back to see a burly man with a beard joining her. Kate took his hand, not just politely but interlocking fingers.
In a public setting like this, it clearly indicated the man was at least Kate's boyfriend.
"I told you to keep your distance from Leonardo!" the man's voice was angry. "Aren't the rumors enough?"
Kate sounded a bit helpless, "Leo just came to say hello. I had to exchange a few words."
Michael slowed down, intrigued by the gossip. From these few sentences, it was clear Kate was at a disadvantage in this relationship.
The man grew angrier, "I don't like that pretty boy! I can't stand him!"
Kate's voice softened, "Jim, we're engaged."
"If he bothers you again, I'll teach him a lesson!" The man's tone was not joking. "He'll know the strength of a British man's fist!"
Kate tried to persuade him gently, and the man snorted heavily, saying no more.
Michael shook his head and entered the hallway leading to the banquet hall.