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141: Pre-production Begins
🕑 Added 2024-11-05 20:12:09 +0000 UTCAfter a long period of screening, although the box office growth of *Independence Day* had slowed significantly, it was still climbing steadily.
In North America, the number of theaters showing the film had been reduced to 211, with the total box office accumulating to $339.77 million, continuing its slow yet persistent march towards the $350 million mark.
Overseas, as the film entered the final few major markets, the international box office finally surpassed $400 million, bringing the global total to $742.15 million. Surpassing $800 million and taking second place in the all-time global box office rankings was within reach.
Indeed, *Independence Day* had only one competitor ahead of it in terms of global box office—Steven Spielberg's *Jurassic Park*. The latter not only had a global box office of over $900 million, but it was also still being screened in some remote international locations, continuing to push the record for the highest-grossing film in history.
Catching up to *Jurassic Park* would be a very difficult task for *Independence Day*.
However, even with its current box office performance, along with the previous successes of *Speed* and *The Rock*, Duke now had the standing to be considered among Hollywood's elite directors. His suggestions would now receive serious attention.
After Nancy Josephson met with people from Walt Disney a few times and reached some private agreements, Disney offered terms that surpassed both Warner Bros. and 20th Century Fox. Duke discreetly expressed his interest in collaborating with Disney, and after careful consideration, Warner and Fox ultimately decided to accept Disney's investment. The three companies would form a joint production team.
By October, the *Saving Private Ryan* project had passed reviews from all three companies. Just like *Independence Day*, while a script is the fundamental basis for any film production, it wasn't the key factor here. The rapid pre-approval and early investigations done by the companies focused more on the director leading the project and his past achievements.
With the reviews completed, *Saving Private Ryan* was ready for formal approval. But before that, including Duke's representative Nancy Josephson, the four parties involved needed to finalize the division of profits.
Ultimately, everything boiled down to one thing: profit. Cooperation among the parties was built on this foundation.
After nearly a week of negotiations, the three companies finally reached an agreement on the distribution of investments. The budget for the film's production was set at $80 million, with Warner Bros. and 20th Century Fox each contributing $30 million, and Walt Disney contributing $20 million.
At the same time, Warner Bros. would distribute the film internationally, while Fox would handle North American distribution. Disney would not have any distribution rights.
As for how the companies would handle financing or other methods of covering the investment, or how the profits would be divided, that was not Duke's concern.
What he cared about was his own director's fee!
A lot of time during that week of negotiations was spent on this very issue. Nancy Josephson had initially demanded a base salary of $20 million for Duke, along with 25% of the total film revenues, a figure that was understandably shocking to the investors and something they were unwilling to accept.
Of course, Duke wasn't the same as he had been before *Independence Day*. The salary negotiations essentially became a tug-of-war, with increments of $100,000 and 0.1% forming the basis of the discussions. In the end, a tiered revenue-sharing agreement was reached.
Duke's base salary for writing, directing, and producing was set at $10 million. His revenue share wouldn't just be limited to box office earnings, but would also include merchandising.
In terms of box office revenue, $150 million would serve as the threshold. After tough negotiations by Nancy Josephson, Duke would receive 2% of the global box office revenue once the film reached $150 million, 5% if it reached $250 million, 10% at $350 million, 15% at $450 million, and 20% at $600 million.
Although 20% was the maximum percentage, if the film's global box office exceeded $600 million, Duke would receive an additional bonus of $5 million from the producers.
Merchandising had always been a no-go zone for film companies. Unless you were a top actor or director, sharing in these profits was out of the question. Unlike box office revenue, merchandising profits were typically limited in the short term but provided a steady long-term income.
As long as the film continued to generate revenue, those with a share in the profits would continue to receive money, even after their death, with the possibility of designating heirs to inherit these earnings.
In terms of merchandising, Nancy Josephson secured a 6% share for Duke. Though this percentage might not seem high, it was based on total revenue, not just profits!
While this director's contract might not match Spielberg's deal for *Jurassic Park*, it was still one of the most lucrative contracts in Hollywood.
It's worth noting that just last month, 20th Century Fox and Paramount Pictures signed a contract with James Cameron for his next project. The base salary for the notorious on-set tyrant was only $8.5 million, and his box office share was capped at 15%, and only on box office profits, not total revenue.
The differences between Duke's and Cameron's contracts reflected the success of their most recent films. In Hollywood, a director's biggest asset was their box office performance. Despite a hefty budget, *True Lies* wasn't a massive box office hit, and with Cameron's next project once again demanding a budget over $100 million, his personal earnings had taken a hit.
Similarly, this was also one of the reasons why 20th Century Fox had allowed Walt Disney to join Duke's new project. Cameron's next film required an enormous investment, which even with financing options, would stretch Fox's resources.
Initially, when Duke heard that Cameron's new project was about to begin, he considered whether he should invest some of his *Independence Day* revenue into it. But he quickly abandoned that idea.
The investment needed for such a massive project was far too much, and the amount Duke could contribute wouldn't even make a ripple. Plus, it was still 1994, and the film wouldn't be released until the end of 1997!
By the time the film finished its theatrical run and the revenue was shared, it could drag on until 1999. Tying up such a significant amount of money in a project where he had no say would not be a wise financial decision, even for someone like Duke, who had little understanding of finance.
According to the agreement, Duke's team members would all join the production, taking on their respective roles. The only difference from *Independence Day* was that Sofia Coppola would no longer be the assistant director, as she had been promoted to co-director and one of the film's executive producers.
Her goal had never been to remain Duke's assistant long-term. With enough experience under her belt, she intended to become a director in her own right.
As a result, Duke would need to hire a new personal assistant to take over Coppola's position, as well as find a suitable public relations manager. He decided to leave these tasks entirely in Coppola's hands.
In mid-October, *Saving Private Ryan* was officially approved. While Duke coordinated the film's pre-production work with the producers, he also had to attend some essential promotional events, as the film was still a commercial project.
With the establishment of the shell company D-Day Studios, Duke's focus shifted entirely to pre-production.
"Duke,"
Since Jon Landau had gone to team up with James Cameron, Fox had sent a new producer named Lynch to the project. "The $10 million pre-production funds from 20th Century Fox have been deposited into AIG's account."
"The first payments from Warner Bros. and Walt Disney have also been received," added Charles Roven, who continued to serve as the film's line producer. "We now have enough funds to begin pre-production."
Hearing these words, the AIG financial officer sitting at the end of the conference table nodded but remained silent. As a third-party representative, his job was to supervise, not to offer advice.
"Very well,"
Duke, seated at the head of the table, scanned the room. "Let's discuss the key points for the next phase of work."
For his last two films, Duke had worked with the same team, and he had already given them a heads-up about this project. The results had proven that working with him provided better pay and career prospects. After receiving invitations from D-Day Studios, these familiar lighting, props, set design, and art direction crew members arrived almost immediately.
"Joss..." Duke's eyes turned to the head of the pyrotechnics team. "This is a realistic World War II film. We need to avoid using exaggerated explosion effects."
"I understand," Joss Williams replied immediately. "My team is researching the weapons and explosives used during World War II. We will ensure that you get the results you want."
"Robin, I believe Ireland is the most suitable among the locations you suggested."
This decision was inevitable. A few days earlier, Robin Grand had contacted the British government, which declined the request to send a military unit to assist with filming. However, the Irish government agreed to provide a unit of around 800 soldiers to help with the shoot, as long as the production hired local workers for miscellaneous tasks.
It wasn't hard to understand. Ireland, facing economic challenges, needed the thousands of jobs a film crew could bring, while the United Kingdom was known for being less cooperative with Hollywood productions.
"Chris…" Duke addressed another executive producer. "Head to Europe's military museums as soon as possible. I need two or three Tiger tanks. If you can't find the prototype, go to Russia and buy two old tanks. We will modify them ourselves."
It is not difficult for Hollywood professionals to make other types of tanks look like a Tiger tank.
Next, other people who have read the script will also put forward their opinions. This kind of preparation meeting exists to solve problems. The crew needs to reach a basic consensus as soon as possible and work in the same direction.
"That's right, Duke."
Charles Roven asked, "Have you thought about a specific release date for the film?"
"Do the producers and distributors have any suggestions?" Duke asked instead of answering.
