September 9th, 1978.
The meeting with Paramount was over.
The payment schedule had been finalized. Two million dollars for the overseas distribution rights would be transferred according to the agreed schedule, while the domestic box office settlement would follow separately.
The Agreement was reached to keep the movie till 1st of November hoping to catch the upcoming halloween season and ending the theatrical run along with staggered International release that would end at the same time for better payment schdeule.
Martha stood up.
"I need to get back."
James nodded.
"I'll see you Monday."
James remained behind.
There was something else he wanted to do while he was already at Paramount.
He found David Picker was still in his office.
David Picker was the current President of Paramount.
James asked if he had some time to spare and waited outside for several minutes before being shown in.
David was sitting behind his desk drinking coffee when James entered.
"James."
"Mr. Picker."
David gestured toward the chair.
"So, what brings you here?"
"I wanted to ask you a few things."
"About?"
"Scripts."
James settled into the chair.
"How does Paramount find them?"
David looked at him for a moment.
Then he leaned back.
David looked amused.
"We don't."
"They find us."
"That doesn't answer anything."
"It answers more than you think."
David stood up from behind his desk.
"Coffee?"
"Sure."
David called outside and asked for two coffees.
A few minutes later, both of them were sitting with cups in hand.
James returned to the subject.
"Seriously. Where do they come from?"
"Everywhere."
"That's another terrible answer."
"It's the truth."
David took a sip.
"Agency & Agents send them. Producers bring them. Directors come with projects. Screenwriters pitch ideas. We buy books, plays, magazine articles, sometimes newspaper stories."
"Newspaper stories?"
"You'd be surprised what people try to turn into movies."
"What if some unknown writer mails you a script?"
"Unsolicited?"
"Yeah."
"Probably doesn't get anywhere near me or even the studio."
"Then who reads it?"
"Depends. Agents, assistants, story departments. Most studios get far more material than anyone at the top could possibly read."
James looked around the office.
"How many scripts do you read?"
"Personally?"
"Yeah."
"Far fewer than people think."
"If I personally read every screenplay sent to Paramount, I wouldn't have time to run Paramount."
"The source matters. A script from a respected agent gets attention. A well known producer brings something interesting, it gets attention. An Experienced director has a project and somebody believes in him, it gets attention."
David took another sip of coffee.
"Why are you asking?"
"I'm curious."
"That's not the whole reason."
James smiled.
"No."
"I wrote Friday the 13th myself."
"I remember."
"I've written my next movie too."
"Another horror film?"
"Musical."
"A musical."
"Yeah."
"You're going from Friday the 13th to a musical?"
"That's the plan."
David slowly put the cup down.
"What's it called?"
"Footloose."
"And you're directing it?"
"Yeah."
David stared at him for another moment before shaking his head.
"Anything else?"
"I'm also working on a comedy script with Steve Martin."
"The comedian."
"Yes."
"How did that happen?"
"We met after one of his shows."
"And now you're writing a movie together."
"More or less."
David laughed.
"You've had a strange year."
James couldn't really argue with that.
The conversation drifted toward Steve and the comedy script they were working on. James didn't go into much detail.
Eventually David returned to the original subject.
"So you're looking for scripts."
"Not immediately."
"Then what are you looking for?"
"To understand how it works."
"I can write my own movies now but I can't write everything myself."
"I'll need scripts. Writers. Producers with their own projects."
"And right now I don't know any of them."
David smiled.
"Now we have the real question."
James leaned back.
"So where do I start?"
"Join the unions."
"That's the fastest way?"
"One of them."
David took another sip of coffee.
"The DGA, WGA, SAG, IATSE, AFM, Teamsters. Between them, they represent directors, writers, actors, technicians, musicians, drivers and half the people you'll ever need to make a movie."
"You want a director? The DGA has directors. You want actors? SAG. Writers? WGA. Camera crews, electricians, grips, editors, sound people? IATSE."
"So basically everyone."
"More or less."
"What about agents?"
"You'll need them too. But agents represent individuals. The unions have thousands of members and agreements with practically every major studio in Hollywood."
"So Paramount is signed with all of them?"
"Of course."
"And every movie?"
"Every production follows the agreements that apply to it."
David noticed the confusion on James's face.
"Wait."
"You know this."
"Apparently not."
David put down his cup.
"Betsy Palmer was in your movie."
"Yeah."
"She's a SAG actress."
"I know."
"Then you had a SAG agreement."
James said nothing.
David stared at him.
James stared back.
"You really don't know?"
"I made the movie in three months."
David laughed.
James tried to remember everything that had happened before filming.
There had been so much paperwork that half of it had passed across his desk with little more than a signature.
"I remember signing something for Betsy."
"That would be a good place to start."
James shook his head.
"Linda handled most of the paperwork with the cast. Maybe Paul too."
David looked amused.
"So your company has already dealt with the unions and you didn't know."
"Looks that way."
"That's impressive."
"Thank you."
"It wasn't a compliment."
"What kind of agreement would it have been?"
"Depends on the production, budget and union. A small independent picture isn't treated the same way as a fifty-million-dollar studio production."
"So Friday the 13th could sign for one movie?"
"Yes. A production company can become signatory for a particular picture under the applicable agreement. You follow the union terms for that production."
James leaned back.
That explained why Betsy had never been a problem.
Someone had handled it.
Possibly several people while James had been too busy worrying about whether he could finish the movie before his money ran out.
"You're planning to make more than one movie?"
"Obviously."
"Then stop thinking one movie at a time."
James looked at him.
"If Fantasy Pictures is going to become a serious production company, you'll be dealing with these organizations again and again. Actors, directors, writers, crews, musicians."
"Sounds expensive."
"It can be."
"Of course."
"But you also get access to experienced professionals who know what they're doing."
James picked up his coffee.
"That's less fun."
"Why?"
"I was hoping you'd tell me there was some secret room where Hollywood kept all the good scripts."
David smiled.
"There is."
"Really?"
"No."
James shook his head and finished his coffee.
He made a mental note to ask Linda exactly what they had signed during Friday the 13th.
Because apparently his own company had been dealing with Hollywood unions before he even understood how Hollywood unions worked.
The talked few more minutes and later david had appointments to meeting was concluded.