In the office of Seashore Entertainment, Michael Davenport hosted Samir from the Los Angeles office of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority.
"Mr. Davenport, I've just been transferred from Abu Dhabi to Los Angeles," Samir said, dressed in a sharp suit and speaking fluent English like Salih. "Minister Mansour sends his regards."
Michael didn't know the purpose of Samir's visit, but he greeted him with a warm smile. "Thank you. Once I finish my current film projects, I will certainly visit Abu Dhabi to thank the Minister personally."
After exchanging a few pleasantries, Samir got to the point. "The Minister is very concerned about your two new projects. Are they progressing well?"
Michael became wary but replied casually, "Everything is going smoothly. One film will be released in November, and the other in early December."
As he spoke, Michael pondered the real reason for Samir's visit. If the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority wanted to interfere with the production, it could be very troublesome, especially with the large sums of money moving between projects, creating potential accounting discrepancies.
Samir had been in Los Angeles for a short time, carrying a special mission from Mansour. The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority has tried several times to acquire Hollywood companies without success. With the more prominent companies already divided and smaller companies holding little significance, they turned their attention to Michael Davenport's Seashore Entertainment, a familiar entity.
However, they were still in the observation and assessment stage. According to the higher-ups, they would wait until Seashore Entertainment expanded and stabilized before making a move.
Samir asked, "I heard you recently acquired a distribution company?"
"A very small distribution company," Michael sighed. "Finding a distributor for 'The Purge' was difficult, limited by the large companies controlled by Jewish interests. Seeking distribution for 'Kingsman' was even harder. To avoid repeating the issues faced with 'The Purge,' I established my own distribution channel."
Samir praised, "Mr. Davenport is a man with a plan, ideas, and execution, truly a business elite."
Michael couldn't discern Samir's true intentions but responded, "You flatter me. It's just to ensure our films have a fairer distribution channel."
"With a production company and now a distribution company, Seashore Entertainment has a bright future ahead," Samir continued with a smile.
Michael realized that Samir's conversation revolved around his film company. Did Abu Dhabi have plans for his company? He wondered.
He took his words more seriously: "It's not easy for a small company to grow in Hollywood. Big companies might suppress us at any time."
Samir looked at Michael meaningfully and said, "Mr. Davenport needs to gain the support of more friends."
With those words, Michael recalled the previous visit from Abu Dhabi representatives regarding the UAE distribution rights for "The Purge." Suddenly, he understood Samir's intention.
"Of course," he said, playing along. "Without Abu Dhabi's support, Seashore Entertainment wouldn't be where it is today."
Better to keep things smooth for now while projects are underway, he thought.
Samir glanced at his watch and said, "I have another engagement. I won't disturb you further. Let's stay in touch."
Michael shook his hand, "Feel free to visit anytime."
After seeing Samir off, Michael returned to his office, deep in thought. Last time, Salih mentioned that Mansour intended to acquire medium—to large-scale film companies in Hollywood, but the attempts had been unsuccessful. Eventually, they turned to Seashore Entertainment.
If Abu Dhabi decided to buy his company, they certainly wouldn't shortchange him. But selling the company wasn't an option unless they were willing to buy an empty shell. Michael weighed the possibilities and considered the implications.
No matter what, he wouldn't tie himself to the Arabs. This situation also highlighted the potential dangers, increasing his caution toward Abu Dhabi.
In early April, Jessica Felton completed the re-editing of "The Blair Witch Project."
"Have you finished watching it?" she asked after washing off the grease from her hair and returning to the editing room.
Michael had just finished watching a cut. "It's one hundred minutes long, too lengthy."
Jessica, wrapping up her hair and taking a seat, said, "I haven't done a final cut yet."
"Keep the runtime to seventy minutes, no more than eighty," Michael advised, rubbing his eyes. "The shaky footage will be unbearable for the audience if it's too long."
Large walkouts wouldn't be good for the film's publicity.
Jessica nodded, "Yes, the audience has limits. I'll need to cut at least twenty minutes. Any other points?"
Michael opened the video player and pointed at the screen. "Add a title at the beginning, suggesting that the footage was recovered from a camera lost in the woods, implying the story is real."
He cleared his throat. "Trim the initial interviews, remove the third person entirely, their acting is too obvious."
The actors hired by Daniel Malick were the cheapest temporary actors, some with subpar acting skills, making the interviews seem fake.
"Look at this part," Michael continued, "The latter dialogue strays from the theme; cut it out, make it as natural as possible."
Jessica noted everything down. As an editor, she knew the final cut wasn't in her hands. Most of the time, the editor's work reflected the producer's intentions.
Michael added, "Speed up the pace a bit; remove the hesitations before the witch's house at the end. When the camera falls, cut the middle part and show the person facing the wall directly. It was mentioned in the interviews that the witch made her victims face the corner."
Jessica agreed, "Got it, no problem."
Michael continued, "Use the symbols on the trees and the nighttime screams effectively to create a scary atmosphere."
"Anything else?" Jessica asked.
"For now, that's it. I'll let you know if I think of more," Michael said.
No matter how they edited it, it wouldn't become a great movie. Good filmmaking didn't always mean a good film. Classics endured not because they pioneered something but because they were well-made.
Jessica returned to her work, and Michael gently knocked on the table. "Take the afternoon off. Come on, Jess, let me treat you to lunch."
Jessica firmly refused, "No thanks. Watching these shaky shots makes me nauseous."
Michael insisted, "A lunch break won't take long."