Chapter 100: Chapter 100: Future Transformation Plan
Duke Studios' accounts increased by $20 million, and without mentioning the taxes that everyone would hate, this amount did not entirely belong to Duke.
According to the agreement, Duke Studios was to share 5% of the profits from the "The Rock" project with Nancy Josephson, and another 5% would cover the expenses of the legal and accounting team. Additionally, $10 million was designated for repaying his mother's loan, with an oral agreement stating that she would receive 10% of the investment profits as interest.
In total, $14 million was likely to be spent soon.
This is a highly commercialized and professional society; the idea of exclusively enjoying profits and solving all problems alone is unrealistic. If adequate commissions aren't provided to those doing the work, the losses will far exceed the commissions, potentially leading to complete investment failure.
When calculated, Duke Studios would still have a surplus of $6 million. Coupled with the remaining $1 million from Duke's salary for "The Rock" and the $2 million base pay already received from the producers of "Independence Day," he found himself with a significant amount of capital.
How to utilize this capital was something he had been considering.
Even if the financial situation was lacking, Duke understood that the dollar, like all paper currencies, was rapidly depreciating; holding large amounts of cash was the most foolish investment strategy. According to Hollywood's investment trends, stocks and real estate were the most popular investment projects for star directors.
This was also something Duke had considered for investment; however, he had more critical uses for the funds beforehand.
In the following days, while preparing for "Independence Day," Duke met with his agent Nancy Josephson to discuss many future film projects. As a former entertainment lawyer and a seasoned negotiator, she was to become his temporary representative.
However, Duke would not blindly trust these cunning agents.
"Sophia, I've arranged for you to take a leave from the producers."
In his apartment's living room, Duke looked at Sophia, whom he had brought back after work. "You will temporarily leave the crew starting tomorrow to assist Nancy."
"Go on," Sophia said, clearly aware that Duke's words meant something significant.
"Keep an eye on Nancy along with the lawyers; I don't fully trust her."
After relaying the most crucial information, seeing Sophia nod seriously, Duke continued, "This relates to our future film plans."
"It's your plan," Sophia said, pouring coffee into two cups from a silver pot.
"Yes, my plan."
Duke didn't bother to quibble about it. He took a thick stack of materials from beside him and handed it to Sophia. "You need to go to New York first and acquire the film adaptation rights for a Broadway play! Then head to London to meet with the head of a copyright management organization. The film adaptation rights for the novels they manage should not be in their hands. Find a way to persuade them to cooperate with us in securing those rights…"
As Duke spoke, Sophia flipped through the materials in her hands, her expression growing increasingly serious. What was this guy planning? Was he preparing for a transformation?
Indeed, even Sophia could see Duke's challenges. With his intelligence, how could he not be aware? He had even admitted before that pure sensory stimulation would eventually become tiresome, necessitating a transformation in the future…
Sophia hadn't expected that even before reaching the pinnacle of success, Duke was already preparing a long-term plan.
But could he succeed? The subjects of the two adaptation projects were not only far from his style but also completely different from each other!
As she left North Hollywood, Sophia continued to ponder this.
Though she had indulged herself a bit too much last weekend, once back in work mode, Duke quickly set aside thoughts of Charlize Theron and Cameron Diaz. Following the pre-planned strategies, he aimed to prepare in advance for the inevitable transformation into directing.
Lawyers, Sophia Coppola, and Nancy Josephson were the candidates Duke had long considered. Even with Sophia as a friend, he wouldn't blindly place unlimited trust in her; the three formed a system of mutual checks and balances.
The two works for which he aimed to purchase film rights were manageable; while the first was a traditional Broadway play that had been neglected and out of production for years, the second posed some difficulties. His limited memory informed him that the past two years were the best time to resolve scattered film rights. Otherwise, dragging it out until after 1995 would lead to multiple film companies joining the fray, making the process significantly more complicated.
As a passionate fan, Duke recalled that just the copyright issues alone had once delayed a project for nearly two years, almost leading to its collapse.
This funding might not be enough; thus, Duke planned to temporarily postpone repaying his mother's loan and decide later whether to pay it off within the year. If funds were short then, he would use that amount to settle accounts, and if there was a surplus, he would invest in the stock market.
No one is omniscient. Duke was a complete novice regarding stocks and financial markets, but having experienced the information explosion of the digital age, he had at least heard of Apple, Microsoft, and Google.
As for Google, he didn't know where it stood. Microsoft had always been a hot stock, while Apple was mired in troubles, waiting for someone to rescue it… That was one certainty for Duke.
His investments didn't require overly complicated operations; simply holding onto them for the long term would ensure value preservation and appreciation. And both Apple and Microsoft were among the limited stocks he remembered that could still be seen on the market.
In his youth, Duke had fantasized about investing in finance, making a fortune on the stock market, then storming into Hollywood to achieve greatness. However, before he could act on that, he realized it was merely a fantasy.
First, being from a wealthy family was not the same as being wealthy himself. Before he turned sixteen, the most he received was a $40 monthly allowance. If he wanted more pocket money, becoming a paperboy was the quickest and least time-consuming way, but it barely earned him much. As for doing anything else? Sorry, very few companies would hire child laborers, let alone pay high wages.
Once he turned sixteen, according to the Rosenberg family tradition, aside from his mother covering the expensive tuition fees, Duke had to be responsible for his daily expenses and film studies. Working as a crew member or a background actor didn't yield much profit either.
As for the fantasy of earning money by humming tunes or submitting scripts, that was pure wishful thinking.
Not to mention the high level of professionalism required, even if he could hum a tune, it would need a composer to rewrite it. Who could guarantee that the other party wouldn't have ulterior motives? Yes, the Writers Guild could register the works of lyricists and composers, but first, one had to become a member, which cost thousands of dollars in fees, and the registration fees were similarly high!
Scripts were equally unreliable. Just the six major studios received over ten thousand scripts annually, with only a handful turning into movies. How many of those were adaptations? How many projects came from producers, agents, or star actors?
Duke's initial experience as a newcomer writer was the best reflection of this. Major and minor film companies in Hollywood were piled high with dusty scripts waiting to be read!
Relying on his family's advertising company to create a few futuristic ads was even less reliable.
It's well known that films are greatly influenced by societal realities, and as audio-visual works, advertisements are even more limited by their times!
This principle is incredibly simple. Each era has its unique aesthetic. Ads target the public, so they must align with contemporary aesthetics, while mainstream society often exhibits a strange nostalgia yet shows extreme aversion to overly advanced concepts!
Duke clearly remembered that all the advertisements from the internet age carried distinct characteristics of the digital explosion era. If they were adapted to the 1980s, they could still create a sensation. Could there be a more absurd approach or a more ridiculous joke?
His family was indeed wealthy, but he wasn't the owner of the assets. To say nothing of large amounts, even spending a few hundred dollars required his mother's consent.
How could he persuade his mother to invest? What could he use to convince her? His expertise lay in film production knowledge, not financial investment. Other than basic concepts, he had little understanding of the latter. As a minor, how could he convince a mature businesswoman like his mother with reasons that he himself found unconvincing?
Could he hire professionals to collect and analyze data? North America was not lacking in professionals in this field, but professionalism often equates to cost. In this commercial nation, the most basic measure of value is money. How much would Duke need to pay to hire professionals to draft a persuasive investment analysis plan, backed by substantial data, that could at least convince a millionaire businesswoman?
If he had that kind of money, he might as well buy Microsoft stock directly.
He even fantasized that his father, who divorced his mother in the early '70s, might have set up a trust fund for him so that when he turned sixteen or eighteen, he would automatically receive a significant inheritance. However, reality once again proved him wrong.
Besides lacking money, Duke also had limited memories of non-film related events in 1980s North America. Let's not forget, this was America, not across the Pacific!
Take the Plaza Accord, which has been widely discussed; he knew it existed, but who remembered the specific year or month it happened? How many remembered the volatile dates for oil futures? How many could recall the dates of significant stock fluctuations in the '80s?
Everyone has limited energy. To become an outstanding director in the future not only requires a high degree of concentration but also entails spending a lot of time on learning and practice. Duke knows very well what he wants and what he is good at. He is not a genius like Gaizi and Uncle Qiao!
Take Microsoft and Apple as examples. The former had been steadily growing throughout the 1980s, making it impossible to achieve several times or even dozens of times the investment profit in a short period. The latter enjoyed its glory in the early 1980s but fell into a quagmire after kicking out Mr. Jobs. Its performance and stock price continued to decline, and it even faced the risk of bankruptcy.
Even if he had some money, Duke would not be able to make a quick profit from them, and he didn't know the exact year when Mr. Jobs returned to Apple; he only knew that Apple became very successful later.
Moreover, he had no money at the beginning, and it is not guaranteed that he could succeed as a director simply by trying again. Behind every successful director lies a significant consumption of time and energy!
While Sophia and the others went to New York and London, Duke continued to lead the crew in the early preparations. As it turned to late November and the model was completed, the crew began the no-actor shooting model
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