The Wolf of Los Angeles.

Chapter 11 We are the first in the industry
Hawke took out another document and handed it to Eric: "Last year, not counting the works produced by Hollywood film companies, only 14 independent films were sold during the Sundance Film Festival, but the number of exhibitors was as high as 1488."

He hit the nail on the head: "If we don't take the necessary measures, what are the chances of selling a film with such an unpopular subject matter?"

Eric had the urge to agree immediately, but when he saw the gold Rolex watch his girlfriend bought for him, his hot head instantly calmed down and he said, "I need to discuss this with someone."

Hawke didn't rush: "Please feel free to call me after the discussion."

Eric asked the waiter to charge the coffee price to the room rate.

His voice attracted the attention of several other people in the distance.

One of the handsome guys wearing gold-rimmed glasses turned around and saw Eric. He seemed to be on drugs and instantly became excited. He strode over and said, "Eric, my friend, what a coincidence."

Hawke looked at the gold-rimmed glasses and then at Eric.

The latter muttered, "What a coincidence! They attended the same film festival and stayed in the same small hotel. It was obviously intentional."

The man with gold-rimmed glasses came to the table with a big smile on his face: "I heard that your screening was not going well. I have long advised you not to make this type of film, but you refused to listen."

Eric said, "Don't worry about it."

The man with the gold-rimmed glasses added, "You seem very confident. Is it because of Castle Rock Pictures?"

Eric's expression changed slightly.

The man with gold-rimmed glasses turned to Hawke and asked, "You work for him? Take my advice, leave early. He can't sell his films and can't pay the salary."

Hawke just thought this man was inexplicable.

"Good luck to you." The man with gold-rimmed glasses patted the back of Eric's chair and returned to his seat.

Hawke asked with his eyes.

Eric whispered, "His name is George Hansen. He was the assistant director when I made my first short film. Later, he pursued Catherine like me, but he failed. We also disagreed on "D.C. Heights". After he left, he got investment and made a feature film called "Lemon Street", which also participated in this film festival."

Hawke said, "A former subordinate has risen to a higher position and is eager to take down his former boss?"

"Maybe." Eric went back to discuss it with his girlfriend.

On the other side, George Hansen put away his exaggerated disguise and sat back among the others. He looked at the bald man opposite him with a serious face, "Now we can confirm that the news from the transaction intermediary is true. Robert from Castle Rock Pictures will go to see Eric's movie."

The bald man stirred his coffee slowly and said, "I've inquired about it. If you're willing to spend money, the agent can influence Robert's assistant and get him to watch our Lemon Street."

George wanted to step on his former boss: "Ask the agent if we can let Robert only look at us and not Eric."

The bald man picked up his phone and made a call. After a long while, he hung up and said, "According to the agent, Robert will only stay in Park City for one day and his schedule is tight. He suggested that our screening be held at the same time as Eric's. He will find a way to invite Robert to come."

He looked at George and smiled inexplicably: "To do this, you need to add more money to his quotation!"

George could read the smile and moved his hips: "Can you help me add money?"

The bald man was the project financier. He invited George: "Okay, we should go back to the room. You still have five minutes. Think about how to satisfy me."

The two men walked out of the cafe and came to the elevator.

Hawke came out of the bathroom and was about to go downstairs through the emergency passage. The sound of the elevator arriving made him turn his head subconsciously, and he just saw the bald man pinching George's butt.

George also saw Hawke and raised his middle finger at him, saying angrily: "Close your eyes, idiot!"

He stepped into the elevator and pressed the close door button.

Missing the opportunity to lick Catherine's brows and reap the joy of throat and proctology medical care was the main reason why George hated Eric.

Hawke came to the first floor and received a call from Eric before he went out.

A few minutes later, the two met again on the second floor.

This time, in addition to Eric, the square-faced girl Catherine also came. Catherine asked Hawke about creating a movie-watching atmosphere, and then asked, "How confident are you?"

Hawke said frankly: "We have never lost a game!"

Katherine stared at Hawke.

Hawke's face was calm and full of confidence, without the slightest trace of guilt.

He didn't lie and was very confident.

Catherine then asked, "How do you charge?"

The information from the organizing committee indicated that the production cost was $20, so Hawke started with this in mind: "$."

"Your price is too high." Catherine shook her head. "The crew is hiring extras and only pays them the local minimum hourly wage. The film is running for less than two hours, so we'll calculate it as two hours and increase the hourly wage to $10 per person..."

Hawke raised his hand to interrupt her: "The extras you mentioned can only serve as background boards. Where are my people? We have to prepare from today, familiarize ourselves with the film materials, understand the preferences of the film viewing group, and rehearse on-the-spot reactions. The total working time will exceed 30 hours. The minimum hourly wage in Utah is $5.15. For a team of hundreds of people, the labor expenses alone will exceed $1.5."

He raised his head with a bit of pride: "There is no more professional team than us in the film industry. We are the well-deserved number one in the industry!"

Catherine has money, but she doesn't spend it like that. The other party won't flatter her, so she said, "5000 dollars at most."

"There are thousands of film festival crews. You are not the only choice." Hawke knew where the breakthrough point was and reached out to Eric: "Please return the information to me."

Eric wanted his film so badly to be shown in theaters that he kicked his girlfriend lightly with his foot. He could hardly bear it any longer.

Catherine had no choice but to give in: "I will pay you a $5000 deposit, and the other $5000 will be paid after the end."

Hawke shook his head: "Not enough, I won't do business that loses money."

Catherine didn't want to take the risk herself, so she simply passed it on: "If the copyright of "D.C. Heights" is sold, I will give you 1% of the transaction amount as a commission."

Hawke put his hand on the information in front of Eric: "Two percent!"

Eric touched Katherine again, and Katherine responded, "Okay."

She also has a condition: "I demand that all 200 seats in the theater be filled, and no one leaves during the show..."

Hawke's makeshift team hasn't been set up yet, where can he get 200 people?

He said seriously, "The more audiences in the theater, the better. You may not have noticed that there are too many films screened during the film festival. Except for the new works of famous stars and directors, other screenings are rarely full. It's a good rate if the audience is half full. For a film like "D.C. Heights", wouldn't it look fake if the theater was full?"

Eric nodded. “That makes sense.”

“Please trust our professionalism,” Hawke said.

Catherine stopped pestering and said directly: "Get your lawyer here and let's sign the contract."

Hawke was well prepared and called Brand. Not long after, Brand came to the hotel with a local lawyer.

The two sides drafted terms and signed a cooperation agreement.

Katherine then wrote Hawke a check for $5000.

The money was transferred to a bank account, Hawke paid the lawyer's fees, and he and Brand rushed back.

This side has been settled, but the makeshift team on the other side doesn't even have a framework.

Brand was convinced: "You have nothing, yet you dare to sign the agreement and get $5000!"

"Because I have you." Hawke grabbed Brand's shoulders and said, "Remember the community theater gathering we discussed last night? Don't you want to go it alone? Don't you have sponsorship? I'll sponsor you!"

He said, “I will first treat the troupe to a free movie, and then pay for the party!”

(End of this chapter)