My Hollywood System

Chapter 12:

Aside from the crew, the crucial part of a movie were the actors. A good actor can make or break a movie.

That’s why some people would watch even a bad movie if the lead actor is outstanding. Sometimes, just actors would save a bad movie.

That’s how important actors were, and even though it was just a horror movie that would be shot on an old camcorder, Will wasn’t going to get just any actor.

Many people think one just has to scream in a horror movie, but it was way more than that. You need to be as real as you can in showing fear and despair.

In the original, [Blair witch project], the three leads have just used their own names. In a way, they were playing fictionalised versions of themselves.

All of them have done a good job but using their real names hindered them later in their career. For the female lead, Heather Donahue, she wasn’t even able to find work due to the marketing strategy of [Blair witch project].

Will changed it and made the characters completely fictionalised as the three original actors didn’t exist in this world.

As for finding the actors, it wasn’t a hard job for Will.

He has enough money to hire good actors, but he wanted to hire relatively unknown faces with good acting quality.

This matched the original movie’s theme, and Will wanted to continue it.

In this world, like the original Hollywood, there were actor and director guilds that protected the rights of the artists. And currently, Will was on his way to one of them.

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‘Screen Actors Guild.’

It was a guild that came into view in 1933, and since then, it has had more than 70,000 members, becoming the biggest guild in Hollywood.

There were other guilds in Los Angeles, but this one was the biggest.

For a director to get actors, they would usually go through agencies, and then the agencies will scout the best possible actor for them.

But this is only possible if you are an established director.

In America, too many movies are made every year, and not all of them are from established directors. There are quite a number of them by independent directors too.

Will was one such director.

He needed to post an offer in the guild and would need a guild’s agent to officiate the audition. An agency was necessary to oversee every audition. Otherwise, it’s not a legal one.

“How many actors are you gonna go for?”

June asked, walking next to him with a smile on her face.

“Umm 7-8. I’m just looking for important roles currently. We can ask the locals to act during the shooting.”

Originally, the same had happened, and it was a nice way to save some money.

“You are so cheap.” June chuckled, smiling at him.

“Hey, don’t forget I will give you the payment if you are gonna be the lead.”

He joked, and like this, both of them reached the guild. Entering it, Will saw a lot of people moving around.

Some of them looked at June due to her beauty but then shrugged their shoulders and went on their way.

Looking around the interior, he came to the desk.

“Hello, are you looking to sign up with the guild? We protect your rights, and you only have to pay–”

“No, no, I’m here to make a request. Maybe I will sign up in the future. But not today.”

He cut off the enthusiastic receptionist and said.

“Request?”

“Yeah, I’m directing a movie, and I need actors for it. It’s a horror movie.”

The receptionist nodded her head after he said that and then handing out a form to him, she instructed him to fill it out carefully.

Will sat on the side with June, and she helped him with the form. He just needed to fill in basic things like a basic plot of the movie or how it’s going to be shot. In the end, he needed to write the amount for each role.

“15k for the lead and 10k for the others. You are rich.”

June remarked as he handed the form to the receptionist.

“I wish to get even richer.”

“How much do you think the movie is going to earn?”

Will thought for a moment before a smirk appeared on his face. Turning around to look at June, he said.

“200 million dollars.”

June laughed out loud hearing that, thinking he was joking. Even top director’s movies don’t earn that much.

Last month, Blake River’s new movie earned 100 million dollars at the box office, and that was only possible because the studio spent 20 million dollars on just marketing.

After a moment, the receptionist handed him a basic contract that he needed to sign.

He did that, and she told him about how the audition will go on.

“The audition will take place at Cuba Cafe tomorrow, and an agent will be sent there to officiate. Good luck!”

“Thank you.”

After the signing process was done, Will left the screen actors guild along with June.

On the way, he got curious about something and asked June.

“Do you have a boyfriend?”

June looked at him then smiled playfully as she said.

“Why do you ask? Is Director Evans looking for a girlfriend? Does he like me?”

Will waved his hands as if shoo-ing a cat as he said with both his hands folded behind his head as he walked.

“Nah, I’m just asking so that you can break up with him before you get rich. Otherwise, he’ll leech on you later.”

June raised an eyebrow at that. Sometimes she could not understand what this man, almost similar to her age, had in his mind.

He can be so random that you’d doubt every second word he says.

“Why do you think I’m going to get rich?”

“If you pass the auditions, doesn’t that mean you’ll get rich?”

Will said matter-of-factly. He talked like the movie was already a hit. She couldn’t understand where his confidence came from, but deep down, she wanted nothing more than his confidence being spot on.

After all, if the movie really earned a lot, the director would be obliged to pay some bonus share to the whole crew, including the actors.

It wasn’t compulsory, but it was necessary to keep your crew happy after a successful movie. Or the director would have a bad reputation within the industry, which will affect his career in the long term.

Will definitely didn’t seem like the type to be stingy with people he worked with.

As such thoughts clouded June’s mind, she couldn’t help but dream of a brighter future.

Once again, she looked at the young director. He seemed exceptionally handsome today for some unknown reason.