While there is considerable anticipation surrounding the sequel to Three 6 Mafia’s “Choices,” one of the top selling VHS/DVD releases of 2001, members of the film’s crew aren’t happy with the companies that are producing “Choices 2.”Neal L. Fredericks, who is working as Director of Photography on the film and was the eye behind the smash film “The Blair Witch Project,” said many staff members are waiting to be compensated for their work.”The three parties making the film: Three 6 Mafia/Hypnotize Minds, Howard Gibson (producer)/Fig Tree Ent. and Sony Entertainment have actually not paid the production crew and vendors all of their salaries,” Fredericks told AllHipHop.com. “We are in a fight to get paid for the work performed on the film.Fredericks said the crew has contracts or deal memos and despite having their terms in writing, are still locked in a financial dispute with the companies.”Hundreds of checks were written and all bounced,” Fredericks alleged. “As of now several hundred working professionals in Los Angeles have not been paid. The checks were written knowing they would bounce.”Fredericks said that Gibson allegedly advised certain crew members to hold off on depositing checks and that others didn’t know at all, depending on their relationship with Gibson.”We tried to verify his [Gibson’s] bank account through Bank of America and found there was no money in the accounts and that they have been frozen,” Fredericks continued. “The film was done for such a low budget, we aren’t talking millions of dollars.”DJ Paul confirmed that a producer had indeed stiffed some of the crew members, but said he was attempting to rectify the situation.”I hired a producer to produce it and he ran off without paying everybody so I’m bout to sue him and get my money he f*cked off back,” Paul told AllHipHop.com. “Until then I been paying everybody who called me or came by, its just a lotta people trying to take advantage of the situation because we don’t know the arrangement with the producer, so they are making up prices they were due without giving me return checks to prove it.”Fredericks said that he harbored no animosity towards DJ Paul or Juicy J.”They are nice guys and they treated everyone very well. But it has been over two months. We just want to get paid. Sony is distributing the picture and Sony knows about it. This is our livelihood. Word spreads really quick in the film industry.”
