Hollywood Director 1992.

Chapter 29 Guess Pictures

"Link! Link, are you moving?"

"Link, are you moving to Beverly Hills?"

When Link and Chris Bauer were carrying the cardboard boxes downstairs, a group of young men and women came over from all around, saying hello to him and greeting him.

"Yes, I rent a small apartment over there."

Link put the box in the trunk of the car.

"It's so enviable."

"I will also work hard to make movies, become a movie star, and move to Beverly Hills."

"Beverly Hills, the holy land for filmmakers, is so desirable."

Hundreds of people surrounded Link and the Cadillac, envy evident on their faces.

"It's a good idea to work hard on making movies. The film industry has developed rapidly in recent years. In 1988, the total box office in North America was only 35 billion US dollars, and it increased to 43 billion last year. More and more movies are being shot every year, and more and more movie actors are needed. These are all opportunities for everyone. As long as you work hard, you can become a star in the future and live in a Beverly Hills mansion. Maybe you will be more successful than me."

Link looked at this group of his peers, pumped his fist and said, "So keep going everyone, I hope that one day in the future we can meet in Beverly and continue to be neighbors."

"well said!"

clap clap clap!
Many people applauded excitedly, and some people with shallow eye sockets shed tears on the spot.

Link waved his hand, and suddenly saw Monica Bellucci looking at him from behind the railing on the third floor.

Seeing him looking at her, Monica raised her hand and waved. Her cold and beautiful face suddenly lit up with a bright smile.

Link waved to her, opened the car door and got in. Chris Bauer said he wanted to go over to his side and help move the furniture, so he also got in the car.

drop drop~

Two sirens blew across the apartment building.

The brand new Cadillac sedan flashed silver-gray light under the bright sunshine of Los Angeles, like a silver lightning, driving from the youth apartment area to the prosperous Beverly Hills.

"Wow, this place is so beautiful, there are luxury stores and high-end clubs everywhere, look, that girl is so sexy, like the big star Jennifer Connelly, with big breasts, wow, look there. It must be so cool to live here."

Chris Bauer sat in the passenger seat, looking out at the bustling Beverly Boulevard.

Beverly Drive is one of the two largest shopping streets in Beverly Hills, the other being Rodeo Drive, which connects Beverly Hills and downtown Los Angeles.

On this street, which is less than three kilometers long, there are almost all the top brand stores in the world, including Chanel, LV, Armani, Dolce & Gabbana, etc. There are also many high-end custom brand stores, as well as high-end restaurants, bars, galleries, clubs, top hotels and other consumer places.

This is a real place for spending money. People who buy things in Beverly Hills generally don't bargain, as bargaining will be considered as lowering the price.

On the main lane, all the cars coming and going are luxury cars, and Link's Cadillac DeVille can only be considered a mid-range car here.

"Link, how much is the house here? I need to calculate how much money I can save to buy a house here."

"You can buy an apartment in an ordinary residential area for a million dollars, and a luxury house for tens of millions of dollars. You can see it in magazines."

"One million, God, please tell me how to make one million."

Chris Bauer flexed his arm muscles, as if this would help him think of a way to make money.

The car drove to Apartment No. 102 at the south end of Wilshire Boulevard, also known as the Golden Oak Building. There are three high-rise apartment buildings A, B, and C facing the street, and two buildings D and E near Beverly General Park, each with 16 floors.

There are two to four households on each floor, and the number of residents on each floor varies depending on the size of the apartment.

Each household has two elevators for going up and down the stairs, one is for public use and the other goes directly into the apartment, making it very convenient to go up and down the stairs.

Most of the people living here are from the entertainment industry. Some own properties here, while others rent here. They are the middle class in the entertainment industry.

When buying a house, the real estate agent told him that famous stars Mel Gibson, Oscar-winning actress Jodie Foster, and famous director James Cameron also own properties here.

It’s just that the agent didn’t tell him which building these people’s properties were located.

Taking the elevator to the 12th floor apartment in Building C, Chris Bauer looked at the luxurious decoration in the apartment, touched the soft carpet and beautiful wallpaper, the dazzling crystal chandelier, and the panoramic floor-to-ceiling windows facing Wilshire Boulevard, and exclaimed in amazement one after another.

Link made a phone call, and in less than half an hour, someone from the furniture company drove over to deliver a set of pre-ordered furniture, including sofas, tables, cabinets, art pieces, etc., most of which were Italian brands with a light luxury style.

Once all the furniture is in place, the apartment gradually begins to feel like a home.

After seeing Chris Bauer off, Link drove to Guess What Pictures on Hollywood Boulevard and had a chat with the company's new production chief, Daniel DeVito.

Daniel DeVito, 45 years old, was once an actor and played important supporting roles in hit movies such as "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" and "Taxi Driver".

But his appearance is not outstanding. He has a big head, is bald, has a bloated body, and wears black-framed glasses. He can only play minor supporting roles in movies.

As I get older, my acting range becomes narrower and narrower.

Daniel DeVito entered the film production industry in the mid-1980s and worked in the production department of 20th Century Fox for five years. He participated in the production of films such as "The War of the Roses", "Hoover" and "Brothers and Sisters". He is an experienced second-rate producer. When Link started his film company, he posted a recruitment notice at the headquarters of the Producers Guild to recruit an experienced producer.

After the announcement was issued, more than ten job application resumes were received.

After looking through the resumes, Link called three of them and eventually selected Daniel DeVito as the production executive for Guess What?

In addition to production chief Daniel DeVito, the company also has Michael Leeson, who is in charge of all matters of the company, and three other staff members.

Including Link and Chris Bauer who has not yet joined the company, there are seven people in total, forming the main framework of Guess Pictures.

Currently the company has three main tasks.

First, continue to contact United Cinemas and 20th Century Fox to ensure that subsequent box office revenue sharing returns to the company's account on time.

The second is to be responsible for the preparation of the new film, help find a film set, and recruit some technical talents.

Link is a director and he cannot work alone forever. He will also shoot big productions in the future, so he needs a few fixed crew members to have a better understanding during filming.

The third is to collect scripts, acquire the film adaptation rights of best-selling books, etc. If you encounter a suitable small film project, you can also participate in the investment and production.

"Link, I found five houses according to your requirements. See if you find any that you like."

Daniel DeVito pulled up a chair, sat down at his desk, and pushed the documents in his hand in front of him.

Link opened them and took a look. The decoration styles of several properties were similar. They could all be used as filming locations as long as some minor adjustments were made to the details.

Link looked at the addresses and rental information of several properties and chose a moderately priced, remotely located residence in the Irvine area south of Los Angeles, which was more than an hour's drive from Beverly Hills, not too far.

Link picked out the property information and gave it to Daniel DeVito, asking him to arrange for someone to rent the property and set up the set according to the sketch he drew.

"Link, how do we select actors? Should we release an audition notice?"

"No, I'll take the male lead. We have someone for the female lead. Are you interested in acting? The role of the psychic can be given to you. For the remaining female supporting roles, you can choose from the group. She doesn't need to have great acting skills, and the price must be cheap. After all, our budget is limited."

"OK, I see."

Daniel DeVito grinned. The news said that Link made millions by making movies. After coming to the Guess What company, he thought he was following a wealthy boss.

As a result, this boss was very stingy when making movies. The production cost of the previous movie was 2 US dollars, and the budget of the second one should not exceed 2 US dollars. He wanted the cheapest set and the cheapest actors, and even he, the producer, had to be dragged in to make a cameo appearance.

He is not like other directors at all, who want the best of everything when making a movie.

Link was probably used to living a hard life and was reluctant to spend money. As the producer of the company, he had the obligation to persuade Link.

"Link, are you sure you only want to use $2 to make this movie? I mean, the company is not short of money now, why not invest more?"

"Daniel, I've shown you the script. The plot of Ghost is very simple. It can be shot with a handheld DV recorder for only $2. Why spend more money?"

"Link, I understand what you're saying."

Daniel DeVito hesitated for a few seconds, adjusted the legs of his glasses and said, "I mean, should we change the script?"

"Change the script? Why?"

“Link, you are now a famous Hollywood director. Many people are paying attention to your second work. I think you should be more cautious when choosing your second film. Although the story of Ghost is interesting, the plot is too simple and the shooting method is also risky.

According to my experience, not many people will watch this kind of movie, so I hope you will be more cautious and choose a more mature script to shoot. "

Daniel DeVito spoke hesitantly, and a layer of oily sweat appeared on his shiny forehead.

"I understand what you mean, but don't worry. The investment in this movie is only $2. It doesn't matter if it fails. Besides, I have the confidence to make a good movie. Daniel, you are the producer. You don't have to worry about what I shoot. Just focus on producing. That is the biggest help to me."

"alright, I got it."

After hearing what he said, Daniel DeVito stopped talking and got up and left the office.

Link continued to read books and newspapers in the office. In the meantime, the administrative supervisor Michael Leeson came over to report on his work, mainly on the purchase of office furniture and equipment, the progress of staff recruitment, and the approval of financial work.

The company had just opened and was busy. Link was busy filming a movie and didn't have much time and energy to deal with these chores. He planned to ask Michael Leeson to hire a work assistant.

In the future, the company will transfer the matters to his assistant in advance, and then the assistant will report to him. This will make the processing more efficient and avoid unexpected situations in the company when he is away.

"Also, give me a larger desk, preferably one made of a whole piece of mahogany."

Link tapped the table with his fingers. The desk made of wooden boards didn't feel very solid. He liked the big desk in his dream more. A woman with the figure of Nicole Kidman could lie on it and twist her body without it shaking at all.

"Okay boss, I'll have someone replace it later."

Michael Rison took notes.

(End of this chapter)