Steven Spielberg As Writer and Director
Amblin' became a reality after Spielberg was introduced to aspiring producer Dennis Hoffman. This movie, only 26 minutes long, led to his becoming the youngest director ever to be signed to a long-term deal with a major Hollywood studio (Universal) after Sid Sheinberg, then the vice-president of production for Universal's TV arm saw the film. The movie had a $15,000 budget. In 1968, his friend Dennis Hoffman provided financing of approximately $10,000 for the production of the film. At the time, Hoffman had no experience in producing, writing or developing projects for motion pictures. At Hoffman's request, the music of a band he was managing at the time was used for the film.
In exchange for the financing provided by Hoffman, Hoffman exacted from Spielberg the young filmmaker's agreement to (a) direct Amblin' for no compensation whatsoever and (b) be bound for ten years to direct any script selected by Hoffman if such a script was brought to Spielberg by Hoffman. As compensation for this second film, Spielberg was to receive the payment of $25,000 plus 5% of the profits after expenses (the so-called "1968 Amblin Contract").
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