William White had arranged for his crew to do their homework and planned to continue his journey. Back in those days, the career options were quite limited. Besides Silicon Valley, Hollywood seemed like a good choice.
In Hollywood, there were not just a few major players but countless independent producers. Some companies were directly affiliated with the big players, while others operated through collaboration and distribution deals. There weren't many of these companies. Unless you had the level of Lucas, movie studios wouldn't lose their temper over your ambitions.
Apart from that, action films were likely the next big market, and there was plenty of demand. That was America for you; any genre of movie had its audience. As long as the film was well-made, both art films and horror flicks could turn a profit.
William White clearly lacked these resources. If he entered Hollywood, he had to start small, gradually building his reputation and resources. Nobody in their right mind would think about tackling something the size of Titanic right at the onset. Such a big production could easily be too much to handle, and even with money, it wouldn't be possible.
For newcomers entering this field, having a production budget of one or two million dollars was quite good, especially for some talented folks. Average directors might as well forget about it. They typically started with commercials and documentaries, and only after years of struggle could they hope for a chance.
William White didn't need to wait. His software company had over two million dollars lying around, and another wave of money was on the way. Having two to three million in funding wasn't a big deal for him.
Making movies had always been the young man's dream. To pursue this, William had argued with his dad many times, finally finding a compromise by studying two majors at USC.
Now that the young man wanted to make a low-budget film, Fulton wouldn't stop him. It might just result in a loss of a few hundred grand. A month prior, it might have hurt to think about it, but now it didn't seem to matter much.
The speed at which White Software made money was almost like printing cash. Fulton was fully aware that the costs of software were quite limited.
If they kept going at this rate for a while longer, the taxes wouldn't be a problem, and they might even see a nice surplus. Besides, the young man's film was not guaranteed to lose money. Even if it did, it wouldn't be the end of the world. He'd likely return some of it.
Movies could be made in Hollywood, but the company couldn't be registered there. There were a few tax-exempt states in the country, so it was better to hide out.
But that wouldn't be his concern; the lawyer would handle everything. With that, he was all set to dip his toes into Hollywood.
There were plenty of such firms popping up in Hollywood, and hardly anyone paid attention to them. Every day saw new companies being founded and shut down.
...
"Jason, I'm planning to go to Los Angeles in a couple of days."
"Boss, are you thinking of going back to school?"
"No, I'm dropping out. This trip to LA is to shoot a film."
"Seriously, Boss? Need a male lead? I'm the right guy. I won't even ask for a pay."
"Just a bit part at most. Do it if you want, just a couple of lines."
"I'm in! Why wouldn't I? It's my dream."
"You're a film major. Is acting really your thing? I don't know, man."
"No one wants me as a director! I'll start with commercials."
"Suit yourself, just keep in touch when you get there."
"Okay, hurry back!"
"Yeah."
Jason Garrison, who used to be around, ended up opening an ad company later. It seemed nobody wanted to hire him for movies.
...
The mansion in Beverly was just rented. William didn't have extra cash, so being economical was very important.
The sky there was always so blue, it lifted spirits. It wasn't due to clean air -- there was smog there too. Los Angeles hardly got rain, almost always sunny.
Film companies packed the area, and the weather was a big reason why. Imagine trying to create Hollywood in London. You'd be resting for six months; the output would mostly be gray anyway.
Hollywood's film set system was still quite good by then, and the commercial aspect was thoroughly developed. It seemed anyone with a dream could break in.
If you only looked at the surface, everything seemed beautiful -- the dreamers would eventually succeed if they worked hard and would gain recognition.
But the reality was different. Monopolies were everywhere; while outside capital could get in easily, walking away untouched was just wishful thinking.
Like in finance, it was about legacy. The Jewish conglomerates controlled all of Hollywood. If you didn't want to be targeted, it was better to opt for cooperation.
William White didn't want to get involved with them but also didn't want to be their enemy. Staying low-key became his only option.
"Fulton, have someone file our script with the Writers Guild. We're starting to build our crew."
"Sure thing, young master."
Thus, William White began assembling his team. There were many foolish dreamers like him in Hollywood, and none of it raised any eyebrows.
Every year, dozens of these films were made, many never even released. The money invested often ended up as losses.
To say nobody cared would be a stretch. As soon as his script was filed, it immediately caught the attention of the Writers Guild.
Screenwriters often leaned artistic and usually had strong reading skills. If you had never read Forrest Gump, you clearly weren't fit for a screenwriting job.
Adapting that book into a movie required little change. The control over language was strong. Even if some people didn't see its merit, referring to it wasn't much of an issue.
Rumors spread that a film company was prepared to pay a hundred thousand for the adaptation rights. While the truth was uncertain, the news alone was electrifying.
Right now, that hundred grand had serious purchasing power. The luxurious villa William rented was only worth around that amount.
It was hard to say what the film company was offering; everyone knew William White had rejected it, but what about the script sitting here? Was it just a coincidence with the name?
What was this White Films anyway?
Two guys who came to file weren't William White himself. Looking at their slick appearances, they were most likely some lawyers.
Small-time film companies barely had the budget to hire legal advisors; they usually just hired the cheapest lawyer they could find for contracts.
So what was going on? It was just a simple filing! He could've sent his assistant or secretary. Getting a lawyer was completely unnecessary!
This William White might really be that writer. No wonder he wouldn't sell the adaptation rights; he was planning to get into the movie business himself.
*****
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