Chapter 42: Mortgage Loan

"Who is Daenerys?"

At Sandra's question, Simon momentarily recalled Daenerys's long list of impressive titles.

Daenerys Stormborn of the House Targaryen, the Unburnt, Queen of Meereen, Queen of the Andals, the Rhoynar and the First Men, Lady Regnant of the Seven Kingdoms, Protector of the Realm, Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea, Breaker of Chains, and Mother of Dragons.

However.

That was something he couldn't possibly explain here.

It might just scare you.

Nonchalantly flipping through the documents, Simon casually shook his head and said, "I forget where I saw this name, but I thought it was interesting, so I used it."

Sandra noticed Simon's nonchalant attitude as he spoke and knew he was making it up. But seeing George Norman and Jennifer Rebould's curious looks, she chose not to press the issue and merely chuckled along.

Jennifer Rebould, cupping her coffee, also remained silent, her smile suggesting she enjoyed the mystery.

George Norman didn't think much of it. Once Simon had briefly reviewed the registration documents for the two companies, George started explaining some key points to consider.

After more than an hour, and once it was clear Simon had no further questions, George Norman and Jennifer Rebould stood to leave.

Simon and Sandra walked them out of the villa.

As they said their goodbyes near the car, Jennifer finally gathered the courage to ask Simon, "So, Simon, are you planning to produce a movie yourself?"

Simon smiled and nodded, "Yes."

Feeling his gaze, Jennifer suddenly didn't know what else to say and awkwardly laughed, "Well, I look forward to seeing it someday."

"If you're interested," Simon replied, "come to Park City for the Sundance Film Festival next year."

Jennifer looked puzzled. "Sundance?"

It wasn't surprising that she was unfamiliar; Robert Redford's Sundance Film Festival had only started the year before, and next year would only be its third iteration. Indeed, it wouldn't gain significant attention for another decade or so.

Simon patiently explained, "It's a film festival started by Robert Redford to support independent films, held in mid-January. Even if you're not interested in movies, visiting Park City in January is great—the ski resorts are fantastic."

Recognizing Robert Redford's name, Jennifer nodded with a smile, "Okay, if I can make it, I'll definitely go."

After a brief chat, Jennifer climbed into the waiting car.

With the funding secured and the companies registered, Simon's hired production assistant, Bill Locke, had subsequently completed the budget for "Run Lola Run."

According to Simon's specifications, the movie was projected to cost $650,000.

In this case, Janet's check alone was sufficient.

However, having decided to forgo the partnership with Orion, Simon also wanted to invest some of his own money.

Before Janet offered her check, Simon had already taken the contract with Fox to several banks for a mortgage assessment. The clauses involving royalties from video and television broadcasts were quite valuable.

Wells Fargo was willing to offer Simon a mortgage loan of up to $100,000, the terms of which were better than other banks, and Simon promptly agreed.

With the federal tax deadline not until April 15th, and the possibility to file for a six-month extension, Simon wasn't worried about setting aside money for taxes yet.

Thus, from the $200,000 base payment of the contract with Fox, after deducting agent commissions and personal expenses, Simon could contribute $150,000. Combined with the loan from Wells Fargo, this totaled $250,000.

After some negotiations, Simon contributed $250,000, and Janet $400,000. Their stakes in the movie were allocated according to their investment, with Simon holding 38.5% and Janet 61.5%.

Additionally, Simon fully waived his personal fees for directing and writing. Janet's generous contribution of $680,000 had apparently emptied her resources, and Simon was grateful, not intending to push for more.

With the crucial issue of funding resolved, Simon completed the last script revisions for "The Butterfly Effect" around August 15th and immediately began preparations for producing "Run Lola Run."

He soon realized again the truth that connections often trump skills in Hollywood.

Thanks to help and guidance from Jonathan Friedman, David Geiler, and Brian De Palma, assembling the crew was much smoother than Simon had anticipated.

As September approached and the work got busier, time slipped into the month without notice.

In a midtown office building on 16th Street, the headquarters of Daenerys Productions was set up.

At the end of August, Simon had rented three offices in this five-story building.

Introduced by David Geiler, Simon also hired a producer named Ron McMillan during this time.

Ron McMillan, a slim middle-aged Caucasian in his forties, had been

 a set designer on Martin Scorsese's "Taxi Driver" years ago, and this was his first time as a producer.

Geiler's reason for recommending him was McMillan's skill in coordinating the shooting of exterior scenes, which was crucial for "Run Lola Run."

Initially skeptical of McMillan's capabilities given his lack of fame after years in Hollywood, Simon sensed that McMillan also doubted the feasibility of a film project led by someone as young as Simon.

After a week of adjustment, both sides came to respect each other.

When it came to salary, McMillan was uncompromising, asking for $1,000 a week.

With a tight budget, Simon proposed a contract with a base salary plus profit sharing, which McMillan rejected, clearly not optimistic about "Run Lola Run's" prospects.

After some negotiation, they settled on a weekly salary of $850.

The shooting schedule for "Run Lola Run" was set for six weeks, with an equal period for preparation, meaning McMillan would earn $10,000 over twelve weeks.

Relative to standard commercial films, this salary was modest, but for "Run Lola Run," McMillan would be the highest-paid crew member.

Fortunately, once the employment contract was signed, McMillan displayed adequate professional skills.

With September underway, the crew's main task was casting for "Run Lola Run." Simon had to dedicate a week to "The Butterfly Effect" at the end of September, so casting had to be completed within three weeks.

As Simon made final revisions to the "The Butterfly Effect" script, McMillan took over selecting the lighting, set design, and props teams in his absence.

If all went smoothly, both "Run Lola Run" and "The Butterfly Effect" were scheduled to start filming in early October.

In the office temporarily arranged as an audition room...

Four people sat behind the audition table: Simon and Ron McMillan in the middle, with Sandra Block next to Simon, helping audition potential male leads as the female protagonist. Next to McMillan sat Linda Wiggs, a casting director in her early thirties introduced by David Geiler.

After auditioning another young man for the role of Lola's boyfriend and watching him leave, McMillan once again brought up another matter: "Simon, regardless, I still recommend hiring a professional cinematographer. If you want to learn cinematography, you can practice privately. Using this movie to practice is too reckless."

Simon, noting a few points on the actor's profile, replied to McMillan, "Ron, do you think this film requires a highly skilled cinematographer?"

McMillan nodded, "Of course. With so many variable speed shots and complex camera movements, there's no reason I would keep bringing this up otherwise."

Simon responded, "Then, Ron, our production budget is only $650,000, and we can't afford a top-notch cinematographer. Rather than have someone mediocre fill the position, I'd rather do it myself. I've already shown you many of my ideas for various scenes, so let's leave it at that and move on to auditioning actors."

With that, Simon turned to the next page in his folder, glanced at the name, and signaled Susan Landis, the first official employee of Daenerys Productions, to call the next auditionee in.

As the discussion ended, Sandra Block and Linda Wiggs refocused on the list in front of them.

As another young man entered, everyone turned to look.

He was a tall, handsome youth in casual T-shirt and jeans, with long hair and a stubble, walking with a noticeable bow-legged gait.

Simon recalled that in the original "Run Lola Run," Lola's boyfriend Manny also walked with a bow-legged gait.

Was this a coincidence?

And.

When Simon had sent out this audition invitation, he hadn't really expected this person to respond.

Seated next to McMillan, Linda Wiggs waited for the young man to stand before looking at Simon and Ron, then spoke, "So, Mr. Keanu Reeves, could you please introduce yourself?"