The night outside was deep and dark, while inside, the lights were bright. Michael sat at his desk, carefully reading a professional book on fund management.
Reading the part about film funds, Michael also picked up the "California Entertainment Act" to cross-reference.
Whether it was the California Entertainment Act or various industry regulations in Hollywood, he had read them all. Although not thoroughly memorized, he had a general understanding.
In Hollywood, as in many places, regulations are often flexible and can be interpreted creatively.
These laws and rules ensured the normal operation of the Hollywood system and brought great vitality to the industry. However, there were numerous instances of people finding loopholes.
Understanding these rules was essential to exploit them.
Of course, Michael's main purpose for reading was to educate himself.
Recently, he had visited USC twice to see Professor Johnson, the previous Michael Davenport's former mentor, and obtained many highly professional books from him.
Although Professor Johnson was an academic, he had spent a long time in Hollywood before teaching, providing valuable practical experience.
This was another part of the previous Michael Davenport's neglected network that Michael picked up.
An elderly man nearly sixty, who had worked in Hollywood for many years and spent over ten years teaching at USC's film school, represented a vast network of connections.
The previous Michael Davenport, however, wanted to charge ahead on his own, ignoring this valuable network.
Michael didn't know what to say about that.
He was acutely aware that he was not a genius, nor was the previous Michael Davenport. Even combining their knowledge, there were many shortcomings. To succeed in entrepreneurship, opportunity was key, but ability was the foundation.
Returning to 1998 provided him with a unique and enormous opportunity, but his abilities needed further improvement.
In his previous life, Michael had the ability to lead a departmental team, but managing something larger would have been very challenging.
Rebirth hadn't brought an increase in his capabilities.
That's not entirely correct—many of the previous Michael Davenport's strengths remained, such as his scriptwriting ability.
The script for "The Purge" had gone through three drafts, and Michael had mostly completed it. Whether further changes were needed would depend on the director.
Was the director recommended by the agent reliable? Michael shook his head. He would find out when they met. He turned his focus back to his studies, picking up a book on film production after reading about film funds.
Hollywood was a producer-driven industry. Producers were the core of any film project.
Independent films were relatively simple and less formal. "The Purge" wasn't a union project, so it didn't have to adhere to all the rules and regulations, but it still wasn't easy to manage.
Until midnight, Michael continued reading.
Reading for long periods could make one feel dizzy, requiring some diversion. During these times, he would browse the internet for the latest social trends.
In the late 1990s, the internet was already widely used in North America.
Michael visited Netflix's website, which looked as he remembered it: a fledgling company offering tape and DVD rental services with a paltry selection.
North America had relatively robust copyright laws. Without proper authorization, Netflix would fail.
For Netflix to grow, securing a supply of films was crucial.
Michael thought for a moment and sent Mary an email, asking her to investigate Netflix the next day.
He then closed the website and opened his blog.
Blogs weren't a new concept on the internet, but their influence was far from what it would become after 2000.
Michael had already set up a blog as a backup plan.
The current ventures were risky. If anything went wrong, he needed an alternative route.
Publishing novels on a blog was a path many new North American writers had taken, such as the author of "The Martian."
Michael had considered "The Martian" but quickly dismissed the idea.
While one could remember the main plot of a novel, recalling detailed specifics was difficult.
"The Martian" leaned towards hard science fiction, involving physics, biology, and aerospace knowledge. Michael lacked expertise in these areas and didn't have the time to do extensive research, so he abandoned the idea.
Turning future hit movies into novels was incredibly challenging and time-consuming.
Michael didn't have that kind of time. Even with the previous Michael Davenport's decent scriptwriting skills, simple, formulaic novels without deep professional knowledge were the best choice.
So, Michael chose a novel he thought was simpler yet appealing—"Fifty Shades of Grey."
This novel didn't involve complex business operations, professional academic knowledge, or brain-draining schemes. Its main features were Mary Sue and Jack Sue elements and sadomasochistic romance.
He planned to write the outline and setting, dedicating half an hour to an hour each day to writing.
No one could guarantee the success of the novel, but it could serve as a scriptwriting exercise.
As a man, writing Mary Sue was out of the question. Michael couldn't handle writing from a female victim's perspective, especially in a BDSM context.
It wasn't just about changing perspective but about writing a sadomasochistic romance, which seemed crazy.
Given that he had to write, he decided to use a male dominant's perspective.
The male protagonist could be modeled after himself—a handsome man who inherits a struggling small business and builds a hundred-billion-dollar empire, becoming a true societal elite. But behind the glamour, he has a hidden side—a penchant for BDSM games.
With a hundred-billion-dollar empire, the female lead couldn't be the only one. There should be several beauties entangled with the male lead, engaging in various intense games.
Yes… the female leads could also play games with each other.
As this idea formed, Michael remembered a couplet: "Golden scales are not ordinary in the pond; they will turn into dragons when they meet the storm."
He had to be careful with the scale. Although novels here had broad limits, he couldn't go too far.
Michael didn't consider a single female lead. With a hundred-billion-dollar fortune and a dominant hobby, how could the protagonist settle for just one Mary Sue?
He wrote down the male lead's character, outlined several main female characters, and then pondered the main plot, his brow furrowing.
He realized that, while this novel seemed easier than hard science fiction or thrillers, it still required professional knowledge!
BDSM was a serious subject. How could he write about it without experience? Without any experience, how could he make it appealing?
Should he watch videos on the subject? Or visit the San Fernando Valley for some hands-on research?
Michael felt a headache forming. Like his trip to Abu Dhabi, even with future knowledge, achieving real success was not easy.
Skills were crucial! He deeply realized his lack of capability.
Sighing, he decided to focus on the outline and main plot first. He could address specific scenes later.
If necessary, he could seek inspiration then.
Everything was for the sake of his future career.
For several days, Michael was busy with company affairs during the day and studying and working on the "Fifty Shades of Grey" outline at night.
During this time, he also had a meal with a small agent and finalized the temporary actors.
The new week began, and Michael received a call from Edward, the agent. His client would visit Sandsea Entertainment the next day.
The director's name was James Wong, and the translation was James Huang.
Hearing this name, Michael felt a sense of familiarity, instantly thinking of the Asian director of "Saw." However, upon reflection, he realized it wasn't right. The Asian director named James was probably still in school and wouldn't have directed several episodes of "The X-Files."
Fortunately, he would meet the man soon.