[Chapter 37: Moody and Unpredictable]
What the hell was this fat pig dreaming about!
Charlie rolled his eyes irritably. "Let's just talk about the Good Will Hunting project."
"Alright," Lawrence Bender shrugged indifferently.
At this point, the rights for Good Will Hunting had completely transferred from Castle Rock to Miramax.
Charlie reviewed everything and took half of the profit, $500,000.
In the past two days, he basically solidified a joint production with Harvey's side, discussing and signing a series of specific contracts.
Charlie assembled a producing team and a film crew. On Miramax's side, Lawrence Bender was the executive producer and second producer.
All investment, post-production, and distribution rights belonged to Miramax.
Corleone Studios served as a co-producer, receiving a management fee share of about 13% of production costs.
Both companies shared Charlie's project initiation fee of $100,000. The actual producer salary was $200,000, with an additional 2% of the film's global box office revenue.
This was a very favorable deal, especially for a producer like Charlie who only had one film credit.
If the movie did well globally, earning over $100 million at the box office, his income would reach that of a secondary-tier star.
Generally, producers earn less than stars, although they hold more power and have multiple income streams.
Of course, Harvey wasn't a saint; he did this to secure production rights for Charlie's other projects, thereby strengthening Miramax's position.
Meanwhile, Charlie planned to rapidly develop his own shell company through Miramax.
Both played their cards, reaching a near-win-win situation.
However, both secretly hoped to overpower or exploit the other.
As it happened now, Harvey aimed to use the troubles brought by Tupac to take down Charlie.
...
Lawrence Bender stayed out of the rivalry between the two big bosses, cooperating with Charlie to produce the film, overseeing his side's interests.
Since they had never worked together before, Lawrence Bender cautiously probed Charlie, "Godfather, do you have any specific ideas?"
Charlie took out the script and his own notes, speaking seriously:
"I think this will be an art film, an inspirational drama. Our first goal is to find a suitable director to spark creative energy."
Lawrence Bender was somewhat surprised. From any perspective, this young 'Godfather' was a tough guy. But his professional attitude commanded respect.
The handwriting in the notebook was messy but contained market prospects of similar films, target audience analysis, script reviews, and comparisons.
Also, there was a list of potential directors.
This instantly reassured Lawrence Bender, making him optimistic about the cooperation.
Charlie waited for him to read, then continued,
"Production teams, filming equipment, and locations aren't an issue. I believe we can quickly decide on good quality and cost-effective options. The key is consensus on the director choice and the film's overall style."
"Absolutely!" Lawrence Bender looked up. "Charlie, your script analysis is insightful; I agree with most of it. This is a good start."
"Thank you!" Charlie smiled, then pondered further.
"The story is about inner confusion and salvation. Teenagers' confusion about the future, their search for their place in society."
Lawrence Bender nodded, "That's right. Most teens have similar struggles, often expressing them through rebellion, bullying, or self-isolation. But not everyone realizes they have these problems."
"In fact, some adults have these confusions too," Charlie added, shrugging sarcastically.
"Honestly, I get it. But I usually dismiss it as pretentious whining."
Lawrence Bender laughed, "Like Harvey, you are both strong inside and rarely show weakness."
Charlie took a deep breath, his eyes reflecting a brief memory.
"No, we just comfort ourselves better. When life is incredibly tough, you don't have time to fuss over these things! In reality, you can only rely on yourself. The film will show something beautiful -- the protagonist has good friends and a sincere psychologist helping him."
"That's the beauty of literature, isn't it?"
"Of course!" Charlie laughed, "We sell these stories even if we don't fully believe in them. For a project like this, we must respect the director's creativity; the producer's role is more service-oriented."
"Yes, I think our future collaboration will be very smooth!" Lawrence Bender said excitedly.
Charlie was pleased as well. They discussed detailed issues, including marketing and promotion.
...
After two hours, Charlie pondered seriously and called Spike to come.
After Fifty Shades of Gray, they signed a long-term cooperation agreement.
Both were satisfied and believed Spike would soon officially join Corleone Studios.
"Hey, Godfather, what's up?" Spike asked spiritedly, now enjoying the glory of a commercially successful film.
"I plan to have you and Lawrence Bender jointly responsible for the Good Will Hunting project. Except for final decisions on the director and the two main actors, you have authority over everything else!" Charlie said.
"No problem!" Spike was thrilled. Such trust was heartwarming.
Years in Hollywood had been ups and downs; he was still a fringe figure despite the movie grossing $70 million.
It was tough to break into mainstream, even the indie market.
Following Charlie gave him much-needed opportunities, which made Spike very happy.
...
Lawrence Bender was surprised, admiring Charlie's delegation of authority.
But Charlie didn't elaborate much, "I really envy Miramax having such great talent. Lawrence, I trust your abilities. I've decided to let you two basically take charge of the film's production. I will monitor things closely and make decisions at key points. That's settled; I hope Harvey doesn't think he's paying me for nothing."
Charlie got up to leave. Lawrence Bender shifted his gaze from his back to Spike.
...
"Weird, huh? Godfather is an unpredictable guy. Have you seen my Oprah interview? There are some genuine thoughts there."
Spike shrugged, smiling, "He seems tough and ruthless. But once you become his friend or work with him, you're immediately captivated by his charm."
Lawrence Bender said, "It's surprising. Right now, he acts like a confident and gentle giant."
"People have many strange sides. Humans are always complex."
Spike sat down, "I can only say you'll be glad to be friends with him. At first, I was forced in. During the shoot, I once argued with him and thought he would hit me. Guess what? He apologized in front of everyone! You must have heard about that."
Lawrence Bender nodded slightly, "I heard that but thought it was a rumor. I think I'm more enthusiastic about our future work now. He seems more interesting than Harvey."
Spike winked and laughed, "Hope our collaboration is great. Don't worry, I'll pretend I didn't hear the last part."
*****
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