"Steven Soderbergh and David Lynch have won the Cannes Palme d'Or for American independent films for two consecutive years!"
Michael Kuhn smiled and clinked glasses with Aaron. The main funding for David Lynch's Wild at Heart had come from PolyGram.
"Independent films seem very promising!"
Aaron remained calm. "Is PolyGram looking to add more independent film projects?"
"There are still quite a few independent filmmakers in Hollywood. You can let them do as they please."
Michael Kuhn took a sip of wine. "The investment in a single film is basically tens of millions of dollars, so it requires careful consideration."
"Very few people can be like you, investing in and developing a new director's work so quickly!"
Aaron knew he was referring to Boyz n the Hood, the crime film about a Black community. After all, director John Singleton was only a Black college graduate who had just finished school.
Aaron smiled. "It can't be helped. The Hollywood talent agencies are driving prices up too aggressively these days. Famous directors are expensive."
"James Cameron and Francis Coppola were paid 6 million US dollars each for Terminator 2: Judgment Day and The Godfather Part III."
"Other directors who have put out good work are asking for more than 3 million US dollars, while the more famous ones go straight to 5 million US dollars!"
"New directors may be cheap, but the risk is simply too high," Michael Kuhn said. He did not dare play the game the way Aaron did.
Carolco Pictures had certainly gone all out with its investment in Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Its budget of over 100 million US dollars had set a record.
Arnold Schwarzenegger's salary was a Gulfstream IV Business Jet, worth more than 12 million US dollars!
Mario Kassar, Carolco Pictures' boss, was the very