Phone Booth

PolyGram's office in Los Angeles.

Michael Kuhn sat across from Aaron Anderson. "The script for Phone Booth is very original. Are you really planning to make it?"

Aaron nodded. "I just formed Aurora Film Company and plan to rent office space in Burbank."

"I've already found the director and cast for Phone Booth, and I've invested 1 million US Dollars so far."

"I'm still short on funds, so I plan to trade the international distribution rights for some financing!"

Michael Kuhn smiled. "You've got quite a lot of nerve, using your own money to make a film on your very first try."

Aaron spread his hands. "That way, I'll have control. I have complete confidence in films I control myself."

"All right. I like the script for Phone Booth. How about 300,000 US Dollars in exchange for the United Kingdom distribution rights to this film?"

Aaron rubbed his forehead. "Nicolas Cage is the lead actor. He's a very capable actor, and he's part of the Coppola Family, so there's a certain promotional angle there!"

He sighed. "3 million US Dollars, and PolyGram can have the European distribution rights. How about it?"

Michael Kuhn shook his head. "PolyGram was originally a music company. Distributing records and distributing films are not the same."

"We can handle the United Kingdom ourselves. For the rest of Europe, we'd still have to look for agents."

"The budget for Phone Booth is 2 million US Dollars, Aaron. You're being greedy!"

"Between theaters, television stations, and videotapes, Phone Booth will definitely make a fortune," Aaron said as he looked at Michael Kuhn.

"It's far more commercial than Sex, Lies, and Videotape!"

"Aaron, North America is the world's largest entertainment market. It's different," Michael Kuhn reminded him.

Aaron Anderson had built up some reputation in the independent film circle after discovering Sex, Lies, and Videotape.

"How about this? 1.5 million US Dollars for the European distribution rights. That's enough for you to make Phone Booth!"

"That's still too low. The exchange rate is currently around 1.6 US Dollars to the pound. One million pounds—160 million US Dollars," Aaron said. He had never expected to make much money in the European market anyway; North America was the main market.

"Besides, Phone Booth will start shooting very soon, so I need the money immediately!"

"All right then. Happy cooperation!"

Michael Kuhn and Aaron shook hands.

Michael Kuhn could tell that the script for Phone Booth was excellent, and he believed others would see it too.

The fact that Aaron Anderson was spending his own money to make it showed how highly he regarded it. Buying the European distribution rights for 1.6 million US Dollars would not be a loss.

After signing the contract, Aurora soon received PolyGram's check.

And Phone Booth quickly began filming in Los Angeles!

At a set on Broadway Avenue in downtown Los Angeles, Nicolas Cage was making a phone call inside a phone booth amid a bare-bones production crew.

Behind the camera, David Fincher kept a close eye on the actor's facial expressions.

Aaron and Quentin Tarantino stood nearby, talking. "You mean you didn't tell these temporary extras about the script?"

"That's right. When the shooting happens later, they'll have the most genuine reactions. The director agrees with it too," Quentin Tarantino explained.

Bang! A gunshot rang out. The actor who had been arguing with the male lead in the phone booth fell to the ground, and the temporary extras around them immediately cried out in alarm, their faces filled with terror.

After waiting a moment.

"Cut!" David Fincher hurried over to the cinematographer. "How was that shot? You got it, right?"

"OK, it was great. We captured plenty of terrified expressions," the cinematographer said with a smile.

Aaron pursed his lips. Luckily, they were temporary extras rather than actual passersby!

Before long, Aaron received a call from Miramax. They wanted to discuss the distribution of Phone Booth.

Aaron had been very busy lately. Aside from arranging office space for Aurora Film Company, he had been looking for a North American distributor for Phone Booth.

It was not just Miramax. Independent distributors such as Samuel Goldwyn and New Line had expressed interest, and even major distributors like Columbia TriStar, Disney, and 20th Century Fox had come calling.

Harvey Weinstein of Miramax and Robert Shaye of New Line were both interested, but they wanted to buy out the North American distribution rights, and their offers were not acceptable to Aaron!

That evening, at a club in Hollywood.

Harvey Weinstein looked at Aaron Anderson across from him and smiled. "Now that you've left CAA, are you interested in joining Miramax?"

"Steve Ross and Lew Wasserman both came from agency backgrounds. Recently, David Geffen, who also came from an agency background, sold Geffen Records to MCA for a combination of cash and stock totaling 550 million US Dollars."

"You might become one of them too!"

Steve Ross was the current co-chief executive of Time Warner.

Lew Wasserman was the chairman and CEO of MCA, the parent company of Universal Pictures Group!

"That's exactly why I need to enter the entertainment production business. Being an agent is only a transition," Aaron said, completely unmoved by Harvey Weinstein's pitch.

"1.5 million US Dollars for the North American distribution rights to Phone Booth. If the box office exceeds 10 million US Dollars, you'll receive a cash bonus of between 500,000 and 1 million US Dollars!"

Perhaps the success of Sex, Lies, and Videotape had given him confidence, because he had ideas about Phone Booth as well.

Aaron smiled. "Harvey, my expectations for Phone Booth are much higher than they were for Sex, Lies, and Videotape."

"Besides, I've already sold the European distribution rights, so I no longer need to quickly recoup funds. If you're willing, we can discuss having Miramax handle distribution on commission!"

If Aaron had just entered Hollywood, he would most likely have chosen a buyout deal for his first project, because the money came back quickly;

Unfortunately, Aaron wasn't in a hurry now, and the situation was different from the future. The United States had countless independent distributors and theater chains, and it would still be a few years before independent film companies and theater chains entered the wave of mergers and acquisitions!

"Distribution on commission is certainly possible. It seems you really are confident, but Miramax will charge a 20% distribution fee."

Aaron rubbed his forehead. "Harvey, Miramax isn't at the level of the Big Six right now. You don't even rank in the top tier among independent film companies;"

"How many marketing and distribution resources do you actually control?"

For an independent film like this, with no big-name director or stars and no action elements, an independent distributor would probably receive less than 50% of the box office split from theaters;

If they took a 20% commission, only 30% would remain for the production side, and advertising costs still had to be deducted, leaving the producers with even less!

If you were one of the Big Six distributors, opening in several hundred or even over a thousand theaters, Aaron would have been willing to pay a 20% distribution fee.

"Let's do this. We'll discuss it after filming wraps and we've seen the finished cut."

Miramax really showed no sincerity!