In the hotel room, flipping through the business cards in his hand, Billy Hawfort was on the phone with the owner of one of those numbers.
"No more roadshows? Why? The film has been sold! Oh, Director Myrick, may I ask which company bought it? Just curious. Relativity Entertainment Group? The buyer was Michael Davenport? Alright, thank you."
Hanging up the phone, Billy Hawfort pictured a young face. He remembered that night when this man repeatedly criticized the DV recording that didn't even have a title. So why did he end up buying it?
Could the feeling he had when watching the film be real? Is there hidden value in it that he couldn't see? But then again, what else was there besides the crude images and shaky footage?
Billy Hawfort shook his head, thinking that Michael Davenport must have bought it to fill the company's library. After all, he had heard that Relativity Entertainment was a newly established company.
Later that afternoon, when Billy was leaving the hotel, he ran into Gray Enrick from Lionsgate and shared the news out of curiosity.
"That dizzying selfie video?" Gray Enrick was also puzzled. "Michael Davenport is a smart guy. Why would he buy such a film?"
He couldn't understand it. Could smart people also make foolish decisions?
Now that the film's rights had been bought, Billy Hawfort felt free to speak more openly. He asked, "Gray, you saw it that night, too. What did you think?"
With no professional conflict now, Gray Enrick spoke honestly, "That doesn't even qualify as a film. I see no value in it."
Billy Hawfort guessed, "He probably bought it to fill the library."
Gray Enrick shook his head. "I don't think so. When Michael Davenport recently acquired Embassy Pictures, due to a lack of funds, he only took their distribution channels, leaving the film library."
Billy Hawfort knew about that; Embassy Pictures' library ended up with Lionsgate.
Neither could understand. Michael Davenport didn't seem like a fool.
"Forget it," Billy Hawfort gave up first. "It's just a crude DV recording, not worth wasting time on."
Gray Enrick and Billy Hawfort quickly put the matter aside, continuing their search for valuable films at the Sundance Film Festival.
Back in Los Angeles, Michael first checked on the two film crews in preparation. Both were mainly focused on casting, with auditions just beginning and not yet requiring his intervention.
Other tasks like props creation, location scouting, equipment rentals, and set design were handled by specialists.
As the producer, Michael needed to oversee the big picture, not get involved in every detail.
Knowing when to let professionals handle their areas was a fundamental skill for a producer managing the big picture.
Besides odd jobs, Michael hired experienced crew personnel.
He preferred paying higher salaries to experienced professionals rather than taking risks on newcomers.
In Hollywood, there was never a shortage of film industry workers. Finding suitable work was relatively complex for them, while crews with decent budgets had plenty of choices.
Of course, the preparation was far from smooth sailing.
For "The Purge," Michael wanted to attract star actors. So, when the casting director mentioned that Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst were interested, he had the crew reach out to them.
In this era, star power was still significant. Undoubtedly, star actors could bring topics and appeal to the crew.
Unfortunately, Michael's offered salary wasn't attractive enough.
Casting director Jason and associate producer Andrew both met with the agents for Kirsten Dunst and Tobey Maguire. The salary gap was too large.
Kirsten Dunst asked for a $1 million salary, while Tobey Maguire's agent insisted on $2 million.
The crew's limit was $500,000.
Naturally, negotiations fell through.
"The Purge" was a typical commercial film, unlikely to bring prestigious awards, providing no other benefits. Star actors were naturally unwilling to lower their salaries.
Lowering their pay for commercial films was a big no-no for stars.
Fortunately, the leading roles in "The Purge" received thousands of applications, so finding suitable actors was not a problem.
For "Kingsman: The Secret Service," director Paul Greengrass had drafted an initial shooting plan, but Michael received an invitation from the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority to shoot in the UAE.
Michael, of course, declined, using the excuse of inadequate local facilities. The UAE's film industry wasn't even at the starting line.
Additionally, Paul Greengrass wanted to shoot in major cities like Rio de Janeiro, London, New York, and Tokyo. Michael persuaded him to find suitable substitute locations near California.
The film's actual budget wasn't the publicly stated $25 million. Flying worldwide would quickly drain the funds.
Paul Greengrass was somewhat dissatisfied.
Michael had to mediate. Fortunately, Paul Greengrass was a highly professional and focused director who was not very concerned with financial details. Even if he found out, Michael didn't mind, as he could directly tell him that the $25 million included both production and marketing budgets.
Knowing Hollywood's operation rules and understanding the Entertainment Act's regulations, Michael believed there was always a way if you were bold and active.
He continuously studied and consulted with top entertainment lawyer Dana Ampton from the Smart & Biggar law firm, which had formally signed with Relativity Entertainment.
Through preparing these three films, Michael deeply realized that film profits weren't just from the commercial income the film itself could generate. The process of producing the film also provided profit opportunities.
And these were legitimate, in compliance with industry rules and legal regulations.
Opportunities should never be missed.
Michael was further developing the "A3" plan he had initially conceived.
He learned that the Indians had approached DreamWorks but generally remained cautious. Compared to the oil-rich UAE, Indian tycoons' funds were harder to come by and less lavish.
Tony Koch had been following Michael, learning the practical operations in Hollywood.
Michael had a conscience. Given Helen Hull and Mrs. Anderson's relationship, he wouldn't deceive Tony Koch.
Besides, Relativity Entertainment needed trustworthy partners as a legitimate commercial company.
Tony Koch was generally reliable, lacking only experience.
These issues could be resolved over time.
Meanwhile, Michael outlined the framework for the new company. Mary was transferred from Seashore Entertainment to Relativity but still managed the finances for Seashore and the two projects. George Clint took over Seashore's daily operations.
The new company hired a few more employees, but it wasn't easy to truly develop as a holding company.
After handling these tasks, "The Blair Witch Project" film prints and all raw footage arrived in Los Angeles. Michael commissioned targeted market research and devised a marketing plan centred around "viral marketing."
He needed a promising plan to convince his employees, especially the distribution staff at Embassy Pictures.
As the boss and majority shareholder, he could forcibly push the project, but that was a last resort.