This. The smart money involved in film financing wets its beak before the accounting actually begins. Gross percentage points, hefty producers' fees on top of

This. The smart money involved in film financing wets its beak before the accounting actually begins. Gross percentage points, hefty producers' fees on top of those gross points, salaries on top of those fees, generous slices of ancillary revenue streams and foreign territory sales, and so forth. A Hollywood film is basically a vehicle designed to enrich its participants, and allow them tax deductions on the nominal loss after everyone's taken a taste of the profits. If you're someone with net points in a movie -- the screenwriter, say -- good luck ever seeing a dime. You're at the bottom of a pretty big pyramid.