Chapter 90: the game begins.
Billy, as usual, spent Sunday afternoon visiting the Pixar company. He had been going back and forth for quite some time, working on the Toy Story animation film. This was officially one of the last meetings as the 3D movie project was about to begin in full swing.
Editing a movie that's already incredible can't be as straightforward as it initially seems. Pixar's projects are lengthy and have plenty of time for reevaluating the film from various perspectives.
Billy knew he had to maintain the character composition of Toy Story, even if he added some secondary characters. He couldn't disrupt the chemistry among the main characters. Perhaps adding an old toy character who acted as the wise one among the toys without breaking the dynamics of the main characters.
The current challenge was polishing the script, which had been a long process. Even with Billy's knowledge of the outcome, he had let the minds at Pixar work on the script, but their ideas were diverging significantly from the original film. He understood why Toy Story had encountered so many challenges during its production, after all, it was the company's first film.
His job was to steer the script toward a product that satisfied all parties.
-It's a great idea, why didn't we think of it before? - John Lasseter exclaimed.
-Well, I believe above all, we should deliver a great story. Buddy has to learn a valuable lesson, just like Buzz Lightyear, - Billy said.
-We'll keep refining the script as best we can, - John Lasseter noted, jotting everything down in a notebook.
-It's true that your character design is much better than all the ones we planned. Maybe I'll hire you to review my idea, - Peter Docter said.
-I'm your boss, if the opportunity arises, we'll make the movie you have in mind, - Billy replied.
-That sounds interesting, - Peter Docter said.
-In the script revision, I want to understand the personalities of the main characters. Why are we introducing so many characters without giving them substance? After all, with just three characters, we can shape the entire film perfectly, -- John Lasseter explained.
-To entertain the audience and as a means of balancing people's personalities. Understand that a 9-year-old's room should have many toys; after all, kids love buying toys. Let's represent a bit of American society in a child's room, - Billy said.
-But toys are afraid of being replaced by newer toys, - John Lasseter pointed out.
-That's true; it's just about imagining it from the toy's perspective. That's why the birthday party terrifies the toys, and how a new toy can be a big change in a child's room, - Billy explained.
-How innovative, - John Lasseter said. - We'll start making the movie soon in 3D. We'll use the storyboards you brought; I don't think we need to do much more with the script, - John added.
Billy had to spend 30 points to buy Toy Story. From the system's perspective, his previous memories were unsustainable, and his memory wasn't as good. Now he could clearly say that he knew every inch of all five sequential Toy Story movies.
-I'll take this script and make some interesting corrections, - Billy said.
-Impressive, you've been very helpful. I almost feel like you have the entire story perfectly in your head. Without you, we'd still be making commercials. I'm truly grateful, Billy, - John Lasseter said.
-It's nothing, John, but I'm worried that despite a great movie, we won't be able to release it as we'd like, - Billy said.
-Are you referring to distribution? - John Lasseter asked.
-Yes, I had a strange relationship with Warner that I thought was perfect, but they've been ignoring me and putting obstacles in our entire business relationship, - Billy explained.
--I understand, kid. About nine years ago, I was an employee at Disney, and I happily believed that my job as an animator was secure. I thought I'd work as an animator for a whole decade. What could go wrong? I got fired for trying to upgrade the computer system. In these entertainment companies, everything is full of uncertainties, -- John Lasseter said.
--I'm not quite sure who to approach for film distribution, -- Billy said, expressing his doubts. Each company has its pros and cons. Some can cause some hiccups, for example, Paramount has Nickelodeon and might offer a good deal, but the opposite could also happen. Destinations like Fox or Sony (Columbia Pictures) are better options.
-I can help you negotiate, -- John Lasseter said. -- These companies just need to see the perfect business, and they'll surely take it. If we make enough money, I'd recommend creating a distribution company for ourselves. I have a friend who can assist us in North America. -
-It costs a lot of money, John, - Billy said. - It was the first thing I tried to find out. It's almost $35 million to create a distribution company for North America, not to mention the scheduling issues. The big companies monopolize the best time slots for film distribution. -
-How can we make money? -- John asked Randal McArthur, a business administrator at Stanford University, his future university.
-For now, we're just sustaining operations, with the group's reluctance to cut staff. We're using our staff for multiple tasks that help cut costs, but we're not making money, - Randal replied.
-Let's bet everything on the movies. It all depends on the licensing, toy, and distribution contracts we negotiate. The more successful the movie, the more opportunities we must recoup the money. The distribution commission is worth 30 to 50% of the earnings if they decide to distribute us. These companies prefer to buy the movie, - Billy explained.
-Let's inflate the expenses a bit, -- Randal McArthur suggested. -- In my estimation, the movie only needs $18 million, but we can add the costs of the software we use to enhance the animation designs. Inflating the costs to $23 million shouldn't be a problem. -
-I have some friends at Universal who can help us distribute the film as long as we're willing to give up some money, - John said.
-I have some ideas in mind. After all, if we keep losing money, we can't keep investing in the company. I'm still refining the details, - Randal added.
"What's our asking price for Toy Story? - Billy asked.
"Up to now, it's $3 million. But if we add up all the expenses, including software development, employees, equipment, and salaries, our production cost so far is $8 million, - the administrator explained.
"That's true; it'll help us. Usually, companies don't buy movies with high production costs, and expenses are distributed in commissions, - John Lasseter said.
-I don't think we need a lot of advertising expenses. With the novelty factor alone, the movie can sell itself, but it wouldn't hurt to add some advertising expenses to the film, - the administrator suggested.
-That could be fair, but I don't think we need to go much beyond the key point, - John Lasseter said.
-That's true, - Billy agreed.
-It's best if we knock on doors. Can you handle the connections with the companies? - Billy asked.
-I can, I have friends at Paramount and Universal, - John Lasseter replied.
-Perfect, I think that would be good. Who among you is the best at negotiating these kinds of deals? - Billy asked.
-I think Alvy Ray and I will do a good job. A 40% commission on the box office could be enough; we just need some advertising expenses, but we can handle that, right, Billy? - John Lasseter said.
-We can plan some interesting things. But let's set the limit at 38%, and 40% only if there are no better offers on the table, - Billy suggested.
-Agreed, with the understanding that an extra 15% is added to that 38%, - John Lasseter added.
-I understand, - Billy said.
-Perfect, now come and let me show you the sets that the company has been preparing for the movie. We currently have the sets you detailed last time, but we've encountered some challenges with drawing humans. However, with a bit of work, everything will improve, - John Lasseter said.
...
That's all for today, I hope you have a happy week, and start this one on the right foot. follow me on Patreon, we are on chapter 121.
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