Hollywood What If Chapter 483
While Kazir was busy with the editing of Pirates of the Caribbean, even going to Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) to check the special effects, Everest focused on the pre-production of the new project.
Most of the crew members expected that this year would be a sort of rest for them since Kazir had no announced projects. Oh boy, they were wrong.
Some of the crew members signed up, while others decided to take a rest for the year.
Because of this, the production crew had missing positions to fill.
Everest talked to Kazir, and the director agreed to go talk to the CAA to fill in the missing positions.
Since the project was unexpected, the crew couldn't help but be disorganized. Thankfully, CAA sent them a producer who would help manage the project.
When everything was in line, the crew asked CAA to provide them with actors and actresses for the movie. At this point, Grey Pictures had hired CAA on a package deal.
In this ordeal, Grey Pictures already spent $9 million of its budget. It was more than half of the production cost.
Kazir had never experienced overspending on his movies, and this might be the first time.
Because the movie would be directed by Kazir Grey, it was impossible to keep it a secret. The news quickly spread, and other agencies also heard about it.
Some actors and actresses applied and even sent in their resumes and audition tapes.
Unfortunately, the production crew had already signed a contract with CAA for a package deal. CAA already had a cast for the movie. When the news came out, many actors and actresses within CAA talked to their agents and hoped that they would have a chance to get cast in Kazir's new project. No one believed that Kazir's movie would fail.
Working with Director Grey meant instant success. He had proven himself many times, and many actors and actresses became celebrities after working with him.
Because the budget of the movie was limited, CAA had to match the salaries accordingly. They also sent small actors and actresses for the roles.
Despite being unknown, it didn't mean that these actors and actresses weren't talented. They were simply people who had failed to find opportunities.
And this time, they received an opportunity they couldn't let slip away.
Before hiring these small actors and actresses, the production crew had to test them first through auditions.
The actors and actresses accepted this fact. It was standard practice that they had to audition before getting the roles.
However, there was a massive problem... The script was missing!
Yeah, the actors and actresses had no idea what scene to act out because they didn't have the script. They only knew that Kazir's small project was a horror movie.
Only Everest had a copy of the full script. He read it and could say that it was promising. The plot twist was pretty cliché, but Hollywood was full of cliché movies anyway. Hollywood is never truly innovative, they just keep recycling stuff and making it look new.
Kazir specifically said that no one should get the complete script, not even the actors and actresses. He also stated that the actors and actresses could only receive one-third of the script in the audition room.
As for why Kazir gave these complicated orders, Everest had no idea. He simply followed them.
Everest didn't know that the reason Kazir didn't want to share the script was because he was embarrassed. This was an original script he wrote himself, and he was afraid the cast might think it was mediocre.
Because of this complicated situation, the actors and actresses attended the audition with no clue what to expect. Before the audition, they practiced their acting. They performed frightened expressions, some actresses even practiced their screams.
When the audition ended, most of the cast passed and signed their contracts. As for those who failed, CAA sent more people to fill the remaining roles.
It was tough for Everest because the project had been announced unexpectedly. Most of the old crew members were absent, either on vacation or working on other projects. This caused a bit of a slowdown in production.
The props preparation, costume designs, and filming locations all had to be ready before Director Grey officially joined the project.
Everest realized that being an assistant director was never easy. He had a lot of responsibilities. Sometimes, he wondered how his seniors, Fremont and Palenque, had survived this kind of job.
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March was the third month of the year. Just like in previous months, new movies were released in March.
Movies like Deep Sea 3D (Documentary), Failure to Launch (Romantic Comedy), The Shaggy Dog (Comedy), V for Vendetta (Action), Inside Man (Thriller/Suspense), and Ice Age: The Meltdown (Adventure) were released in March. These movies surpassed $100 million at the box office and were released in March 2006.
Ice Age: The Meltdown was created by Blue Sky Studios. After the success of Kung Fu Panda last year, Blue Sky Studios received better treatment from 20th Century Fox. Everyone believed that another animation studio could rival Pixar/Disney, aside from DreamWorks.
The competition during that month was tough, despite March not being considered a prime release schedule. Out of all the movies, Ice Age: The Meltdown and V for Vendetta made the most money.
After March, April arrived, and another batch of movies was about to be released.
First on the list was none other than The Bourne Ultimatum. It was obvious that 20th Century Fox couldn't release the movie in a more popular schedule, so Grey Pictures had to settle for April, the month before summer.
Yet, despite The Bourne Ultimatum being released during a less popular window, it was amazing that movie theaters were packed with people eager to see it.
This was the effect of Taken 3 on the audience. Because of the massive success of Taken 3, grossing over $1 billion, the next movie of the CCU also became a box office hit. The excitement still hadn't died down.
[Last chapter today. Thank you for your support.]