Chapter 192: Difficulties and Objections

"Directorial credit?" Murphy asked, puzzled, "Even if we give Frank Miller a directorial credit, no one will actually believe he directed the film, especially the media and companies within the industry, they should have that much judgment, right?"

"This won't affect you," Bill Roscis fully agreed with Murphy's point, but then raised an aspect Murphy hadn't considered, "Don't forget, you're a member of the Directors Guild!"

"Uh..." Murphy was even more confused, "What does this have to do with whether I'm a member of the Directors Guild?"

Bill Roscis nodded, saying, "It has a very big connection."

Seeing Murphy completely unaware, he explained slowly, "The Directors Guild has rules that a work directed by a guild member cannot have two names listed in the director column!"

Murphy realized, "I see."

Frowning in thought, he then said, "This is indeed a problem."

Murphy wasn't very familiar with many of the Directors Guild's regulations, only knowing that the guild could protect many of his legal rights but unaware of its many restrictions.

If they followed Frank Miller's request, it would undoubtedly conflict with the Directors Guild's regulations, but refusing Frank Miller could potentially cause the negotiations to fall apart.

Murphy had no choice but to look to Bill Roscis, whose knowledge and experience were undoubtedly much greater than his own.

"Isn't there a way to have the best of both worlds, Bill?" he asked.

Bill Roscis thought for a while before saying, "It's not that there isn't. In fact, there are some things the Directors Guild has rules on but doesn't strictly enforce. Often, they turn a blind eye."

Murphy nodded slightly, understanding Bill Roscis's point that even in North America, sometimes regulations are rigid, but those enforcing them are flexible.

"Like directorial credits, the format of the opening credits, these rules from the Directors Guild are quite obscure and usually go unnoticed." If not for Bill Roscis's reminder, Murphy would never have thought of these, "Especially after George Lucas left the Directors Guild because the opening credits of Star Wars didn't comply with their regulations, the Guild not only changed the regulations on opening credits but also no longer specifically reviews these obscure rules, usually turning a blind eye."

Murphy understood Bill Roscis's point, "So you're saying we don't necessarily have to worry about the Directors Guild's rules."

"Not that we don't care," Bill Roscis added, "We just don't publicize it, and there's no need for the Directors Guild to investigate."

This was essentially the idea that if the public doesn't raise an issue, officials won't pursue it.

"Could this cause any trouble?" Murphy wasn't concerned about giving Frank Miller directorial credit, "Could it affect the filming in the future?"

Bill Roscis thought for a moment, confidently saying, "You have the support of CAA, what's there to worry about?"

He clearly had strong confidence in the backing agency, a common trait among CAA agents.

From starting as interns in the mailroom, they were instilled with the notion of CAA's strength.

Murphy thought about it; he was just a not-so-notable director, and this wasn't a top-tier Hollywood production. The likelihood of being specifically targeted by the Directors Guild was low, and even if they were, they would deal with it when the time came. With CAA and Miramax behind him, they were not to be underestimated.

"Bill," Murphy added, "Make sure you communicate well with Miramax and Harvey Weinstein."

Bill Roscis nodded, "Leave it to me, don't worry."

After sorting out the issue with Frank Miller, the negotiations continued, still tough but making breakthroughs, especially with Frank Miller's presence, absolutely key to the negotiations.

Because of the initial agreement with Dark Horse Comics, without Frank Miller's approval, DC Comics couldn't sell the rights to works he created, like "300 Spartans" and "Sin City."

It's well known that comics themselves generate limited revenue.

After several rounds of tough negotiations and with CAA's mediation, Miramax finally reached an adaptation agreement with Dark Horse Comics.

In this agreement, Miramax had to pay Dark Horse Comics six million dollars in three installments for the base adaptation copyright fee, with a fifteen percent annual profit share for the first year after the film's market release, ten percent for the second year, and five percent for the third year, continuing at this rate thereafter.

How much of this was Frank Miller's personal bonus was a matter between him and Dark Horse Comics.

Also, at Frank Miller's insistence, the agreement's memorandum included provisions about the director, requiring Murphy to be the project's director, with any directorial changes needing Frank Miller's approval.

Frank Miller was always guarding against the adaptation straying from the comic's style.

With the adaptation rights settled, it was CAA's turn to negotiate with Miramax, mainly over the salaries of the production staff behind a series of package services.

Thanks to "Planet Terror" bringing significant profits to Miramax, with a global box office of over fifty-five million dollars by the end of September, like all Hollywood film companies, Miramax believed in the business principle that successful people can continue to be successful. They fully agreed with Murphy's plan in the proposal, continuing to use actors like Robert Downey Jr., James Franco, Seth Rogen, and Jonah Hill in front of the camera, only expressing doubts about Sienna Miller, though this was a minor issue that could be resolved through negotiation.

The backstage team of Phil Rask, Paul Wilson, Helena Espola, David Roby, and Jack Watson was also uncontroversial.

They were equally aware of the importance of a mature, tacit production team for making a film.

Thus, Miramax once again appointed Erica Stenberg as the project's producer.

However, not everything went smoothly.

In the negotiations over salaries for Murphy and others, led by Bill Roscis and Erica Stenberg, there were some difficulties.

According to Murphy's budget and Miramax's estimates, the project's production investment couldn't possibly be less than thirty million dollars. Even for a film company like Miramax, such a large investment was pressuring.

Especially since they had invested heavily in Quentin Tarantino's "Kill Bill," which had been delayed repeatedly due to various reasons and hadn't been released yet, straining the company's finances.

Even though financing and pre-sales could solve some of the production funds, Miramax still needed to invest a certain amount of start-up capital. They inevitably had to reduce initial investments to lessen investment risks and financial pressure.

Therefore, Miramax didn't want to pay high base salaries to Murphy, the director, and other actors.

Especially Murphy, whose last two films had global box office revenues exceeding fifty million dollars, allowing Bill Roscis to demand a director's salary of five million dollars for him from Miramax.

Such a salary would undoubtedly further increase the production cost, an unwelcome situation for cash-strapped Miramax. They needed to reduce pressure and share risks with the production team.

In Hollywood, the best way is to include these costs in later profit sharing. If the film doesn't profit well, the creative team won't earn much.

Miramax only offered a base salary of two million dollars, which Murphy didn't object to, simply instructing Bill Roscis to strive for the best in later profit sharing.

After two rounds of negotiations, the parties quickly reached an agreement.

Murphy would receive one million dollars before the film started and another million after completing all productions. If "Sin City's" North American box office exceeded the predetermined production cost line of thirty-five million dollars, he would receive a base bonus of one and a half million dollars. If the box office reached fifty million dollars, he would get a profit share bonus of three million dollars, four and a half million for eighty million, and six million for one hundred million.

This was only part of the profit-sharing agreement. In negotiations by Bill Roscis, Murphy would also participate in the film's peripheral profits for the first time.

According to the agreement, besides the union's mandatory ratio, Murphy would also receive one percent of "Sin City's" North American television and videotape copyright income as compensation.

This ratio might seem low, but if the film's first round of TV broadcasting rights sold for several million dollars, he would only receive tens of thousands of dollars. However, this was a long-term income source; the film would not be broadcast only once on TV, and DVD sales and rentals were included, meaning as long as the film existed, it could bring him income.

Exaggeratedly, even if he went bankrupt one day, he wouldn't have to worry about affording meals.

As for the increasingly important overseas box office for Hollywood films, Murphy didn't yet qualify for profit sharing.

Indeed, many crews, to reduce financial pressure and lower risks, sign profit-sharing agreements with even lesser-known actors and directors, but dreaming of high-profit share percentages without sufficient experience is just that, a dream.

Murphy was clear that his path in Hollywood, steadily climbing upwards, was walked step by step, not fantasized.

With these negotiations settled, the crew was officially established as a matter of course, and Frank Miller came from New York to Los Angeles to join the crew. However, his role as a credited director was in name only; nearly all important positions in the crew were long-term collaborators of Murphy's. Even if Miller wanted to make changes, without Murphy's approval, it was impossible.

Of course, Murphy's films were based on the comic style, so there was no conceptual conflict between them.

Moreover, Frank Miller wasn't the type to seek attention; his priority was oversight, not creating conflict.

Compared to this, the casting requirements proposed by Harvey Weinstein were more troublesome and opposed by Murphy.

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