[Chapter 11: The Busy Work]
Charlie's confidence, paired with his reckless breakthrough into Hollywood, put everyone at ease.
The new company was always thriving, filled with hope.
Gert and Melche even helped the movers install the office desks, chairs, and computers.
With everyone working together, the setup of Corleone Films was quickly completed with simple arrangements.
While eating burgers and pizza, Charlie said, "Melche, I plan to use this as one of the shooting locations for Fifty Shades of Gray. I'm envisioning a big showdown between the lead actor and actress here. I bet we'll mess up quite a few props. Make sure all the damage costs are included in the movie's production budget."
"Uh... okay," Melche nodded, a bit stunned.
She had a deeper understanding of Charlie's business savvy.
"Great idea!" Gert praised, "Boss, I almost thought you were an experienced producer."
Charlie laughed, "I can't handle big-budget productions worth tens or hundreds of millions yet. But for low-budget indie films, I can manage just fine!"
Except for Mord, who was a bit confused and impressed at the same time, Gert and the others, as people working in the Los Angeles entertainment industry, had no questions.
This was the common "eating the investment" method.
They didn't ask why such extra steps were necessary.
That million-dollar investment could certainly be used without restrictions, but afterward, 20th Century could easily find problems.
This showed another side of Charlie's maturity; though he had crashed into Hollywood with fists and feet and had many complicated behind-the-scenes moves that broke many rules, on the surface, everything appeared flawless.
Charlie had already prepared to use this project to build his team and studio, with expenses going directly through the project channel.
Different spending methods would lead to different results.
Charlie added some good news, "The startup team will be busy at first. I know you guys aren't used to overtime. So I decided to raise your pay, and you'll each have a role in the film project."
This was a clear sign to give them extra earnings.
This made Gert and Melche feel even more confident they chose the right boss.
...
Spike arrived early at the company at 1 PM.
"Wow, Corleone, you're quick. The studio is all set up. I already spread the word -- many people are knocking on our door eager to join the project," Spike said enthusiastically as he entered. "By the way, man, is the million-dollar investment enough?"
"I just work fast, but not quick where it counts," Charlie chuckled, raising an eyebrow. "What, someone offered to invest?"
Spike seriously replied, "My 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks wants to invest. Because no one has ever invested in a film led by a Black actress. This is a historic moment for Black people in film history, and I want to be part of it."
Charlie sneered, unimpressed by Spike's performance. "You're already involved. Look, man, don't come to me with that unless you're willing to forgo any financial oversight and clear returns. Otherwise, I won't seek investments within the industry."
"Okay," Spike immediately understood Charlie's plan to play hardball with finances.
He dropped the topic. "We need to finalize the film type soon: target audience, production team, and expected distributors."
Hearing this, Charlie saw Spike in a new light.
Sure enough, Spike was a seasoned veteran, unlike the usual naive indie producers, demonstrating some business acumen.
Most indie producers wouldn't determine distributors or copyright sales before shooting started.
Many made their film only to have longtime distributors bail, losing their investment.
Charlie said, "I get it, but that can wait. Right now, I want to confirm the team members. I plan to invite you as co-producer."
Spike didn't refuse and symbolically asked for a $100 producing fee without any share of profits.
Then he pulled out some documents introducing his former production partners and some screenwriters.
Before assembling the production team, they temporarily wouldn't consider cinematographers, props, lighting, or casting.
"Some people are aiming to make a big profit and have high demands," Spike said, pointing at the list.
He certainly didn't underestimate Charlie as just a lucky kid.
Co-producing this film might get him noticed by a mainstream Hollywood company. There was no reason not to take it seriously.
Black directors faced even more difficulties in Hollywood than Black actors.
"Two guys don't want payment for writing but want some leading roles."
When Charlie saw the names and profiles, he was stunned.
The two were familiar: Matt Damon and Ben Affleck.
Spike immediately explained these twenty-somethings had no prior screenwriting credits but were top students.
Matt went to Harvard; Affleck attended Occidental College in Los Angeles.
Weren't these guys actors?
Charlie was surprised. Since his rebirth, he was clear about many film plot summaries and major selling points but wasn't very clear on actors' personal histories, even from his past life.
Spike further introduced that they wrote a script called Good Will Hunting and sold it to Castle Rock Entertainment.
It was highly regarded, but because they insisted on starring in it, conflicts with the company arose, and now they had to find work to pay breach of contract penalties.
This pair, hearing about Charlie's chaotic breakthrough into Hollywood, wanted to take a chance.
Previously, Matt acted alongside Denzel Washington in Courage Under Fire and approached Spike for a job through Denzel.
Charlie realized -- It was Good Will Hunting.
These best friends won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay in their twenties and were quite famous.
Too bad Charlie lacked that hardcore skill; he couldn't write or direct, so he settled for producing.
He felt somewhat nostalgic yet wasn't surprised by such complex networks.
"Bring them in. Let's quickly build the team. We need many meetings to discuss the script, overall style, and direction. We should aim to release our film just before Independence Day's hype dies down," Charlie decided.
He knew his advantage was anticipating future trends and flexible marketing.
But since it was a future movie relocated to this era, details and style had to be adjusted.
Charlie's control of the project didn't mean overconfidence or ignoring advice.
"Okay!" Spike said. "Many producers and distributors have contacted us. Have you made decisions?"
"No, not yet," Charlie shook his head.
He wanted raw newcomers to assure his power.
As for distributors' considerations and priority signings, that wasn't the time yet.
Once Fifty Shades of Gray's novel sales picked up and Independence Day's marketing began attracting massive attention, that would be the right time to negotiate.
...
Next, Charlie and Spike signed a new producing and directing contract, giving him better pay.
He also hinted all original tapes were destroyed.
This helped ease Spike's psychological barrier from earlier threats.
Lamont, cooperating with Fox for publicity, and Etto, sent to negotiate filming equipment, arrived.
Charlie immediately assigned them work and signed contracts as production assistants with salaries.
He planned to groom Etto as a producer. Lamont and Mord would seemingly do odd jobs but mainly monitor and oversee.
...
Afterward, the group went to Fox Studios to finalize equipment and location deals.
Etto's negotiations had gone well; the assigned managers didn't cause trouble.
After lunch, Charlie instructed Lamont and Mord to rent warehouses and find transport companies to store and manage rented equipment for the next few days.
With equipment set up, storing it at Fox incurred warehouse fees and extra insurance costs.
Charlie hadn't considered those details.
He also had Etto prepare to resign from the newspaper in the following days and, via his father's connections, contact film critics and reporters to prepare for future film promotions.
...
After a day of hard work, Charlie still couldn't rest.
He received a call from a car dealership; Melche had to work overtime to help him pay.
Driving his new car through the night, Charlie headed to a bar to meet Ophir, whom he had contacted on short notice.
Charlie intended to ask him for help in investigating what that crazy Jada Pinkett Smith was up to.
*****
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