Chapter 190: Hard to Control

Securing the adaptation rights wasn't just about persuading Frank Miller. Bill Roscis also contacted Frank Miller's agent for lobbying from another angle, including lobbying Frank Miller's comic editor.

Additionally, Murphy's new project was submitted to CAA's senior management by Bill Roscis. Like all successful directors, the project received CAA's support almost effortlessly.

CAA also contacted both Dark Horse Comics and Mirage Studios. As long as Frank Miller agreed, they planned to facilitate this collaboration.

After the first meeting with Frank Miller, Murphy had another discussion with him, this time bringing a detailed proposal to further prove he could transform the original's soul, beauty, and monochrome shadows into a film.

Using multiple approaches, especially the persuasive short film, gradually changed Frank Miller's originally stubborn mind. About a week after meeting Murphy, Bill Roscis received good news from Frank Miller's agent: Frank Miller had tentatively agreed to let Murphy adapt "Sin City" into a film.

This was indeed exhilarating news for Murphy, but it didn't mean he could easily secure the comic's film adaptation rights.

Frank Miller's agreement was a prerequisite for transferring the rights, but part of the comic's rights was held by Dark Horse Comics. To acquire the rights, negotiations with Dark Horse Comics were necessary, including involving another party capable of financing Murphy's new project.

This comic's adaptation rights would undoubtedly be expensive, as would the production costs. Murphy estimated that production costs under $30 million were implausible. He and Stanton Studios didn't have that kind of money, and financing would distract him as a director due to his shallow industry experience.

Moreover, Murphy remembered the film being highly praised and the box office not being poor, but he didn't know the specifics.

From any perspective, finding a film company for investment was the most appropriate. Otherwise, financing and pre-sales alone would overwhelm him as a director, leaving no time for film preparation.

Miramax, having just successfully collaborated, was the most suitable partner.

However, convincing people like Harvey Weinstein required more than just talk; concrete actions were necessary.

CAA was still in touch with Miramax, and Murphy agreed to let Bill Roscis continue handling the project as a one-stop service.

He then secluded himself in Stanton Studios to start planning the project.

During this time, Murphy had several phone conversations with Harvey Weinstein, an industry veteran who knew such a uniquely styled comic adaptation would require a lot of money. His main concern was the budget.

Hollywood film companies aren't as rosy as they appear from the outside. Like all businesses, they aim to maximize profits with minimal investment.

Murphy's promise in the proposal to Frank Miller was that every frame of the future film could correspond to the comic's original panels. Achieving the comics' use of black and white in film wasn't just about creating a "nostalgic style"; it involved more complex and subtle processes.

This required extensive and complex special effects.

Like the short film Murphy had shot before, simple black and white images couldn't be reproduced with conventional film cameras. But adding numerous other effects meant reproducing the comic's style with regular cameras was nearly impossible, making the latest digital cameras a necessity.

Realistically achieving Frank Miller's work's visual and lighting effects in film required actors to perform against green screens. Advanced high-definition cameras would be used for filming, and the special effects department would add computer-generated comic patterns to the backgrounds.

These factors would drive up the film's budget.

To get Miramax to invest, to convince them to pay real money for the film rights to "Sin City" from Dark Horse Comics and Frank Miller, and to hand them over to Murphy for filming, he needed to present a persuasive plan and a credible film budget.

The former was already detailed in his proposal, requiring only minor improvements, but the latter was more critical.

In Hollywood, it's said that a director making a good film isn't as important as making a good budget. Although somewhat exaggerated, a director needs more than just a script to convince film companies; a solid plan and budget are crucial.

If a director only brings a script to a film company and boasts about how great their project is, they're likely to be dismissed immediately.

Murphy knew Harvey Weinstein must understand that the project couldn't be done with less than tens of millions of dollars. Investing a few million versus investing tens of millions are two different concepts; the former might cause Miramax some loss, but the latter could seriously harm them, even risking financial breakdown.

Miramax's cautious attitude during negotiations with CAA is a normal reaction from a company.

This larger investment scale made Miramax even more cautious, and Murphy needed to present a sufficiently persuasive plan, requiring stronger professional skills.

With Bill Roscis's coordination, CAA provided Murphy with two temporary assistant producers to help complete the plan.

Like successful actors, successful directors also have a team supporting them.

Among all plans, a budget that clearly shows where the investment will go is crucial.

Anyone wanting someone else's investment must tell the investor where the money will be spent and whether it's worth it.

This is basic logic.

Moreover, a film budget is the foundation of investment and an important reference. It's also a prerequisite for film management and market operation. A high-quality film budget ensures smooth filming, production, and distribution, safeguarding the investor's interests.

It includes script fees, props costs, filming costs, personnel salaries, post-production costs, marketing costs, and other expenses.

After nearly ten days, with the help of two sufficiently professional individuals, Murphy completed the budget.

He divided the production budget of "Sin City" into four main categories.

The first was above-the-line costs, including expenses for acquiring or writing the script, salaries for the production department and director, and actors' wages and bonuses. These expenses are also known as "creative element" expenses.

This part is very flexible. Apart from confirming James Franco, Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill, Robert Downey Jr., and Sienna Miller's participation, other actors needed to be hired after the project was greenlit. The main creative team's salaries were uncertain, leading to a wide range of potential costs.

For example, hiring Bruce Willis could mean paying an additional $5 to $10 million in salary compared to using standard-level actors.

The second was below-the-line costs, mainly technical expenses, which every film incurs.

"Sin City's" budget included salaries for staff, fees for renting equipment, sets, props, costumes, makeup, transportation, food, sound effects, and editing costs.

The third category was recurring expenses, covering rent, utilities, and other similar costs. Murphy specifically allocated 10% of the total above- and below-the-line budget for recurring expenses, which could address some easily overlooked details that might significantly affect the production schedule and increase costs.

The last category was contingency and emergency funds. If the project proceeded, this would be Murphy's first time directing a film with a multi-million dollar budget. Although confident, he knew he lacked experience in this area, and unforeseen situations during filming could potentially save the project with this fund.

Despite being an uncertain budget, Murphy approached it with utmost seriousness because if the budget was approved, Miramax would use it as the basis for the final budget. Any overlooked aspects could become significant obstacles for him later.

Besides these, Murphy listed several factors that could affect the budget.

Firstly, weather. A few scenes required outdoor shooting, necessitating consideration of climate and seasonal factors. Climate changes might delay or cancel filming plans, affecting various expense details.

Another aspect was children. The film needed to use underage actors for scenes depicting Nancy as a child. Children are notoriously difficult to control on set.

Most children struggle to maintain focus for extended periods, quickly losing interest or patience, which could slow down the overall production progress and result in additional costs.

Like the saying across the Pacific, preparing to shoot a film also means "provisions must be arranged before troops are mobilized." A reasonable budget is crucial for the successful filming, production, and distribution of a film.

After thoroughly completing these tasks, Murphy immediately had CAA submit the plan and budget to Miramax. He also kept in frequent contact with Harvey Weinstein. After CAA formally contacted Miramax, they began evaluating the project's risks and benefits. Upon receiving Murphy's plan and budget, they immediately initiated the review process.

Murphy patiently awaited the outcome, eventually receiving the anticipated good news: Miramax confirmed their investment in the project.

Thus, Murphy, CAA, and Miramax could sit down with Dark Horse Comics to formally negotiate the rights.

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