In the very beginning, scripts were Adrian’s key to Hollywood, but as his popularity rose after his two films, they lost their initial value. Hence, the scripts’ purpose had to be changed.
Due to the past scripts and that he was also the screenwriter for the two films that made him successful, he was known as a genius screenwriter among the upper levels from various film companies. He knew this very well too, thus scripts were his best tool to rope in those film companies.
It would be an impossible task for others because screenwriters did not have many speaking rights in Hollywood even though their status improved since decades ago. During film productions, famous celebrities, directors, and producers could amend scripts as they liked, and they would just quit if adjustments were not made according to their liking since there were plenty of screenwriters around.
On the other hand, it did not apply to Adrian. Putting aside the fact that he was a director, a producer, and a film company’s boss at the same time, the upper levels from various film companies regarded him with respect because of the 8 scripts of different genres that he produced. Additionally, he was young. Therefore, it was absolutely possible for him to influence those big companies with his scripts.
Nevertheless, he could not do everything by himself, and Laverne could not help much in this, thus he needed an outstanding agent. Getting a strong foothold in Hollywood by having a successful business was simply unachievable without an agent because a great agent could solve many problems and secure many benefits for one’s employer. For instance, one could negotiate the percentage allotment of profit between film companies, contact the media for publicizing purposes, reject unfriendly reporters, campaign for votes if one’s employer was nominated for an award, etc. In general, if an actor or an actress became an A-lister, his or her agent would be credited for 30% or more of the work done.
Despite that, it did not mean that agents were capable of everything. Taking CAA as an example, they were proudest of doing bundle sales. If a film company were to acquire a script managed by an agent under them, it would also have to use the director and actors under that agent. However, this method would not be effective toward big film companies because such companies had networks that allowed them to contact actors, directors, and screenwriters directly without going through agents. Though they would ultimately have to negotiate and sign contracts with an agent, bundle sales did not apply to them.
In actual fact, the objective of CAA’s bundle sales was to rope in more second or third-rate actors and directors. Since there was a significant amount of them in Hollywood, there were definitely some talented ones that could really be successful. It was proven that CAA was indeed quite lucky because they eventually stayed above other agencies in the 21st century. Unfortunately, Adrian was in the picture now.
All in all, agents were very important. Even though they could not be involved in negotiations and deals among the higher class, they were very much included in daily matters. Adrian was a certain distance away from dealing with the higher class, thus he needed a remarkable agent to handle his scripts, and since the big film companies could not be treated equally due to future developments, the agency had to be capable enough to reject some companies while maintaining good relationships with them.
“Tell me what you think about Roger, Dan,” Adrian said to Dennis. Although he already received Roger Sadler’s information from Claude, it would be good to also hear Dennis’ perspective on him.
“Let me think… First of all, he’s very clear-sighted…” Dennis recalled while he answered. It was clear that Roger gave him a good impression because he mostly said good things about him.
Adrian listened quietly without interrupting, and made a rough outline of his profile in his head. ‘Let’s see how Roger performs, and I’ll decide after the adjustments at the agency are done.’
“Oh right, Eddy. There’s something I want to say, and… Perhaps you can give me your opinion?” Just as Adrian was about to go get a drink, Dennis asked hesitantly.
“Oh? What is it?” Adrian sat back down curiously because it was his first time seeing Dennis like that.
“Uhm… It’s… It’s…” Dennis scratched his head for a while before he finally decided to bring it up. “What should I do if I want to pursue a lady?”
“Pursue a lady?” Adrian raised his brows as he was slightly surprised by the question. “Don’t tell me that you’ve never dated someone before.”
“How can that be?” Dennis rolled his eyes. “I’m pursuing someone, okay? Pursue!”
“Is there a difference?” Adrian shrugged. “Alright, I get it. You mean that instead of just having sex with her, you want to take it further—which lady are you interested in?”
“Can I not tell you her name?” Dennis was hesitant. “We… We’re just friends for now, and I met her at a party. Besides, she has a boyfriend already, and they’re very intimate. I hope that you can give me some suggestions, after all…”
Although he did not finish his sentence, Adrian knew what he wanted to say, and he did not know whether to laugh or cry.
“She has a boyfriend already?” Adrian asked.
“What do you want to say?” Dennis obviously did not think that it was wrong. “There isn’t a law that states that I can’t pursue a lady who already has a boyfriend.”
“Okay, okay.” Adrian shook his head and chuckled. “I believe that you won’t tell me her boyfriend’s name too, but can you tell me about her and her boyfriend’s character?”
“Uhm… She’s very beautiful, she looks naive, and was very attractive at the party. She’s not very tall, around 5 feet and 3 inches, so she’s quite petite and adorable. As for her character, she’s very gentle and innocent, she’s not too loud, and her smile really draws my attention,” Dennis described based on his memory of her, and was smiling when he did it.
Adrian who was listening rolled his eyes subconsciously, then sighed at him being so naive. He later cleared his throat to change the topic. “What about her boyfriend?”
“A waster who drinks, does drugs, fights, and lives an unrestrained life. He doesn’t have a sense of responsibility at all.” Dennis waved his hand with a disgusted face. “I really don’t understand how they got together.”
“Because bad guys attract innocent ladies.” Adrian laughed out loud. “Of course, a relationship like that won’t last long. The lady wants his commitment, but the guy won’t give it, so they’ll break up sooner or later.”
“What should I do then? Wait until they break up?” Dennis frowned because this was obviously not what he wanted.
“It’s simple, just make yourself stand out.” Adrian spun the empty glass in his hand.
“Make myself stand out?” Dennis was confused.
“That’s right. The reason why bad guys attract innocent ladies easily is that they’re different from normal guys in those ladies’ perspectives.” Adrian paused for a while before he continued, “Let me put it this way. Among animals, males will always think about ways to spread their seed to a wider range, whereas females will find the most outstanding male to continue their genes. This applies to high-class animals, humans, too.”
“Of course, for female animals, the strongest male in the pact that can guarantee reproduction is the most outstanding one, but for women, there isn’t a fixed definition for the most outstanding guy. Humans are higher beings, but there are still different intrinsic qualities between us and animals, many things are involved if you want to stand out from other guys.”
“Can… Can you put it in a simpler way?” Dennis was feeling dizzy listening to Adrian’s explanation.
Adrian looked at him for a while, then shrugged. “Alright, let’s talk about something else.”
‘It’s okay, you still have time,’ he thought to himself.
“Firstly, you need to know how to soothe a lady. You can find common topics to talk about, then slowly proceed further to ask her out for meals or dates; secondly, maintain your character while soothing her, which is what I mentioned earlier about being out of the ordinary, because you shouldn’t make yourself seem like plasticine that can be simply kneaded just to soothe her; lastly, which is also the most important point, you must give her a sense of security,” Adrian mentioned. “Women are sensitive most of the time, and they like to think about many things, so you must make her feel secure and prove that you’re reliable. When she feels like she doesn’t have to be afraid when she’s with you, you’ll stand a high chance of winning her heart.”
Dennis still looked quite puzzled. A few moments later, he asked, “Can you… Can you be more specific?”
“I won’t tell you when to do and what to do, Dan, you need to figure it out yourself. Once you understand what I told you, you’ll naturally know what to do.” Adrian smiled, then suddenly remembered something, so he smiled strangely. “Alright, I’ll add on one point. If you can take away a lady’s virginity, and make her feel extremely high from her first experience, she’ll remember you forever whether she loves you or hates you in the future, but since she has a boyfriend, you can only make her feel high.”
Dennis curled his lips without saying a word, then downed his drink before he left.
‘Let me see how far you can go, Dan,’ Adrian wondered as he watched him leave. Unfortunately, he did not know who Dennis’ target was, or… He would have given him worse ideas.
After returning from Ohio, Adrian rested for about 3 days before he gathered the crew at Film Studio No. 23 to begin shooting the indoor scenes. His film company had rented a film studio in advance, and the prison cells, the library, the office, as well as the sewage pipe where Andy escaped from prison were already prepared.
It seemed impossible to complete the indoor scenes in two and a half weeks because the scenes were only lesser than the outdoor scenes by a few more than ten. Since that was the case, Adrian planned to get them done in three and a half weeks, as long as they did not exceed eight weeks.