Become famous another day.

In June, the new film "Get Out" directed by Muken Sorge started shooting secretly in Canada, and the project was not made public.

Lu Yanhe went to visit the class once.

For this movie, Muken Sorge used only talented actors and did not use any stars.

This kept the film's production costs very low, and even with Lu Yanhe's basic salary, it was only 1500 million US dollars.

Despite the low cost, however, the project itself is highly valued.

On the one hand, this is a new work directed by Muken Sorge - Muken Sorge has never failed so far, especially his previous two works, the first and second parts of "The Mist", which both grossed over 100 million yuan worldwide, and achieved gratifying results in the field of horror themes.

On the other hand, the screenwriter of this movie is Lu Yanhe. Lu Yanhe's script is the original picture of the box office harvester.

Every actor who participated in this movie took it very seriously. They regarded it as a turning point in their career and participated in the filming very seriously.
-
"Do you really think this movie is going to be Oscar-worthy?"

In private, Muken Sorge asked Lu Yanhe.

Lu Yanhe nodded and said, "Yes, Muken, believe me, the theme of this movie is no longer a metaphor, but a simile."

This movie won the Best Original Screenplay Award at the Oscars.

This award alone is enough to show how much the Academy recognizes this story.

Many movies use metaphors and allusions because they are so advanced.

That’s not how Get Out works. It lays the truth on the table and tells you that it’s talking about the hypocrisy of you white people.

However, this just hits the real thoughts of some black people:

Yes, slavery is gone, but there are still some of you white people who want to make slaves of us.

Yes, it seems so equal. You, a rich and beautiful white girl, actually marry me, a black man. In fact, as expected, you want to hypnotize me into a slave.

……

The movie Get Out is a film about the weirdness of "thunderbolt hidden in everyday life". Its horror actually lies in the weirdness that everyone seems to be smiling at you, but in fact they are just treating you as a lamb to be slaughtered.

Muken Sorge, a great horror film director, completed his "promotion" as a director with "The Mist" series.

The two films before The Mist series were both critically acclaimed and commercially successful, but they did not generate the same phenomenal discussion and success as The Mist, nor did they achieve such widespread box office success around the world.

The "Mist" series means to Muken Sorge what "Your Name." means to Makoto Shinkai.

Makoto Shinkai had already gained fame in the era of "5 Centimeters per Second", but "Your Name" made him enter the era of great directors.

Muken Sorge has an obsession with gaining mainstream recognition.

For directors in the European and American circles, mainstream recognition comes either from the four major international film festivals or from the Oscars.

The themes of Mucken Sorge's directorial work have basically no chance of being considered for the Big Four international films, so the only thing he can hope for is an Oscar.

Lu Yanhe knew what Muken Sorge was thinking.

That's why he gave him the script of "Get Out".

In fact, Muken Sorge is a first-class director in every aspect. As long as such a director gets a good script, the work he shoots is likely to be a good work - provided that he does not make random changes to the script.

It was after working with him on two films that Lu Yanhe realized that Muken's film aesthetics was completely on point. Whether it was the picture, style or rhythm, Muken had a precise aesthetic intuition and knew how to handle it.

Many people think that horror movies are the easiest to make, because as long as they scare people, it's fine. In fact, it's not the case - people have this impression because horror movies are often shoddy in terms of art, and most of the actors are non-mainstream actors, which looks "low quality".

However, the most important thing for a horror movie is the atmosphere and rhythm. A horror movie can be bad in everything, but if these two aspects are bad, the foundation of its existence will be gone.

Therefore, in the movie "Get Out", there are no bloody and horrifying scenes. It needs to be progressive, like boiling a frog in warm water, slowly releasing the signals of tension, anxiety, and danger to the audience, making people feel uneasy in the end.

This is the most challenging part for the director.

Muken Sorge has no problem at all in this regard.

Muken Sorge said, "Have you met the leading actor in the movie? Will Holland. He is a really good actor. Although he is young, about your age, and has only acted in B-grade movies before, he won unanimous approval during the audition."

"Didn't you send me the audition videos of several candidates? I also think Will Holland is very good. I rarely see such delicate performance details among black actors - to be more precise, among European and American actors." Lu Yanhe said, "There is something in his eyes."

Muken Sorge smiled and said, "He really wanted to meet you and asked me several times if you would come to visit the set."

"He really wants to see me?" Lu Yanhe looked surprised.

Muken Sorge said: "He knows he got the role because you voted for him, and he wants to thank you in person."

Lu Yanhe said: "But I didn't see him on the set today."

"He doesn't have any scenes today, and your visit is completely impromptu." Mu Ken laughed.

Lu Yanhe: "Unfortunately, we can only meet next time."

Muken nodded.

"What are your plans next?"

"I'm going to meet with Solon's people tomorrow to discuss the follow-up cooperation. We originally wanted to reach an agreement during the Jose-La Roche Film Festival, but many details have not been finalized." Lu Yanhe said, "Red Eye Flight will be released in July, and there is some promotional work to coordinate. In addition, there is another movie I took on before, Sea of ​​Clouds, and I will play a role there for about two weeks."

Muken Sorge nodded.

"You don't seem to have joined the group much this year."

"Yes." Lu Yanhe said, "I said so too. However, I haven't taken any new roles. The next one I'll be starring in is a new movie directed by Wang Zhong."

Muken Sorge asked: "I mean, in Hollywood, except for The Mist, all you have accepted are blockbusters. Apart from that, it seems that you have not accepted any other movies."

Lu Yanhe: "Speaking of which... let me put it this way, of all the scripts sent to me, except for this kind of blockbuster project, none of them made me feel the slightest bit excited. They were all very stereotypical characters, even more stereotypical to me than the Chinese characters in these blockbusters."

Muken Sorge sighed.

He sighed and said nothing more.

He completely understood and comprehended what Lu Yanhe said.

No matter how popular Lu Yanhe is now, Chinese people are Chinese. In Hollywood, there are few roles suitable for Chinese people, not to mention top actors like Lu Yanhe who cannot play ordinary roles and ordinary scripts.

"You can only write the script for yourself," Muken said.

Lu Yanhe nodded.

Even for Mu Ken, none of the projects he was preparing included a role suitable for Lu Yanhe.

At Lu Yanhe's current stage, the role given to him, even if it doesn't have to be the main character, has to at least be an important role.

The problem is, no.

Muken asked, "Will you write scripts for yourself in the future?"

"If you really haven't come across a good script for a long time, you can only write it for yourself." Lu Yanhe said, "In fact, you don't have to look for scripts in Hollywood. "Home Alone" and "Buried" are both very successful in Europe and the United States, as well as around the world."

"But the box office of 'You Are the Apple of My Eye' was just average," said Muken.

Lu Yanhe said: "Because it is a movie that sells Chinese youth emotions, there is a gap in emotional resonance in Europe and America."

Mooken: “So you’re going to make more movies like Fly Paper in the future?”

Muken had already seen the film at the Jose-Simon Film Festival.

Lu Yanhe nodded.

“Do more themes that can be accepted globally.” Lu Yanhe said, “Muken, after you finish filming Get Out, I have another script for you to shoot, which is still a theme you are good at.”

Muken Sorge asked, "What is it?"

“I’ll tell you after you finish filming Get Out.” Lu Yanhe smiled. “In short, as long as you need my script, I will keep writing scripts for you. I have a lot of ideas for horror and thriller stories.”

"Well," said Muken Sorge, "you said it."

"That's what I said." Lu Yanhe nodded.
-
When Lu Yanhe was about to leave the set of "Get Out", a tall and thin black man ran over.

His skin color is actually not completely black anymore.

He has a very handsome face and a lean and strong body.

In "Get Out", the male protagonist needs such a good appearance——

As a hypnotized slave.

"Will." Lu Yanhe called out his name first.

A layer of fine beads of sweat appeared on Will Holland's forehead.

He tried his best to control his breathing, and his eyes were as clear as if they had been washed by a stream.

"Mr. Lu." He looked at Lu Yanhe whom he met by chance on the road with a bit of surprise and astonishment, "Great, I heard you were here, so I've been rushing here. I wanted to say thank you to you in person. Thank you for voting for me."

Lu Yanhe shook his head, raised his hand and patted his arm, saying: "You are the most suitable candidate. Even if I didn't vote for you, this role is yours."

"This is my first time playing a leading role," Will Holland said, "and I know the production company doesn't think highly of me."

Lu Yanhe smiled. "Will, you will have many leading roles in the future."

Will Holland asked, "Will you ever act with me again?"

"Why not?" Lu Yanhe smiled slightly. "Although I have never acted with you, Mu Ken praised you highly today, and I believe his evaluation."

Will Holland smiled shyly.

"Thank you."

Lu Yanhe: "I have something else to do, so I have to go first. See you later."

"Okay." Will Holland nodded, and suddenly remembered something, and said, "Mr. Lu, I'm going to China. Can I call you?"

"Of course." Lu Yanhe was a little surprised, but still nodded.

Will Holland's shy smile reappeared.

"But I don't have your cell phone number yet."

Lu Yanhe smiled.

Ok.

Once upon a time, he would also use such little tricks to ask for other people's contact information.
-
The negotiations with Soran lasted for nearly a week.

This is already the third round of negotiations.

Chen Ziyan, Chen Yin and others, with a team of about ten people, engaged in a heated debate with Sauron's men.

Lu Yanhe is the "mascot".

I don’t know anything, but at critical moments, I need to show off my power and put pressure on the other side.

The negotiations lasted until the fifth day before any substantial progress was made.

Solon offered Lu Yanhe a $1.2 million creative contract, including "The Fault in Our Stars" and "The Notebook". Lu Yanhe had to shoot three movies for Solon as a director/screenwriter/actor within six years, with production costs calculated separately. The copyright of the three movies will belong to Solon for ten years after their release, and after ten years, the copyright will return to Lu Yanhe himself. In other words, the $1.2 million is the salary paid to Lu Yanhe in advance, and Lu Yanhe will no longer enjoy any profit share in the next ten years.

At the same time, Linghe will obtain the exclusive distribution agency rights for Solon's films in Asia for the next three years. If three films earn more than US$1 million in Asia within three years, the contract will be extended for another three years.

Such cooperation terms are obviously beneficial to Lu Yanhe and Linghe.

However, Soran still agreed.

For the Hengzhaoshan Group that Suo Lun relies on, $1.2 million is nothing. However, the news of the in-depth cooperation between Lu Yanhe and Suo Lun can bring more practical benefits to Suo Lun and the Hengzhaoshan Group behind him.

Soren urgently needs to gain a foothold in Hollywood and make a name for himself.

Cooperating with Lu Yanhe is one of their best options at this stage.

This is also what Darren Wilson said - you can kill them within the right range.
-
This collaboration was entirely brokered by Darren Wilson.

After several years of cooperation, Lu Yanhe and Darren Wilson's collaboration has entered the "stable period" after the "honeymoon period".

Darren Wilson's impression and evaluation of Lu Yanhe changed as Lu Yanhe's status in Hollywood rose.

The further it got, the more Darren Wilson felt that Lu Yanhe might become something extraordinary in the future.

The so-called extraordinary thing is a premonition.

With Lu Yanhe's success again and again, Darren Wilson felt like his premonition was coming true.

There are some things that Darren Wilson would not believe that this person can do if it were someone else, but if it was Lu Yanhe, Darren Wilson would feel that everything is possible.

For example, this time, the cooperation with Sauron.

For example, Lu Yanhe wants to have a place among Hollywood film producers.

Darren Wilson is Hollywood's top agent.

At this stage of Lu Yanhe's life, he certainly wouldn't give up everything he had and bet 100% on Lu Yanhe's future. However, he didn't mind giving Lu Yanhe a helping hand with a raise of his hand.

Maybe Lu Yanhe may really become a giant in Hollywood in the future.

By that time, Darren Wilson will naturally reap the fruits tomorrow for the seeds he sows today.
-
At this stage, Darren Wilson is actually more satisfied with the trust that Lu Yanhe and his agency team have in his judgment.

He helped to take over the film "Sea of ​​Clouds".

In fact, with the box office success of "The Mist 2", more scripts came to Lu Yanhe.

Darren Wilson rejected almost all of them.

Because it's not good enough.

Now, if a Hollywood film company wants to find Lu Yanhe, especially if they want to give him a script, they almost always have to go through him.

This was actually nothing to Darren Wilson. He had more than one A-list client, Lu Yanhe. However, Darren Wilson was satisfied with the attitude of Lu Yanhe and his team. In any case, it was Darren Wilson who represented Lu Yanhe in Hollywood.

It is precisely because of the attitude shown by Lu Yanhe that Darren Wilson has a lot of "negotiating power" in front of major producers.

If the agent and the artist do not trust each other enough and cannot be completely bound together, the producer will have an opportunity to take advantage of them.

It can even be an opportunity to sow discord.

Darren Wilson has also worked with such clients.

It is precisely because Lu Yanhe has not changed this attitude regardless of whether he has become a "box office guarantee" or won an Oscar that Darren Wilson has increasingly identified with Lu Yanhe, and is willing to consider his career from a longer-term perspective, and to make more in-depth judgments on what kind of projects he should take and what kind of projects he should not take.
-
"The Ten Million Dollar Club?"

Darren Wilson laughed loudly on the phone. "Ruby, you have to know that in a few days, you will see a piece of news that will scare you. Do you think you can invite Lu Yanhe to come over by offering him 10 million US dollars? Not to mention that your movie has already been notorious, even if it is not your movie's fault, this 10 million US dollars is not a high salary for Lu Yanhe now."

The man he called Ruby said angrily, "Why are you bluffing? Are you trying to tell me that Lu Yanhe has entered the $20 million club? If you ask for so much, no production company in Hollywood will satisfy your greed."

Darren Wilson: "Really? Then we'll have to wait and see."

He hung up the phone unceremoniously.

It’s not that Darren Wilson was rude, but Darren Wilson has never been polite to this man named Ruby.

He is the second generation of an independent film company. Before him, his father spent more than 20 years running that film company. Although it was not large in scale, thanks to his father's vision and careful operation, it was profitable every year and gradually had a small film library, gaining a place in Hollywood.

But after his father died, he inherited the company, which has basically been losing money year after year. Almost no project was profitable. It was notorious. Later, any actor with a little fame would no longer join the company's projects.

Darren Wilson didn't know where Ruby got the confidence from, thinking that as long as he got $10 million in salary, he could win over Lu Yanhe.

Of course, there are many people like Ruby.

Darren Wilson sighed.

There are only a handful of film companies that have transformed from large studios, such as Parameter and Midoriya.

Many good movies come from such small and medium-sized independent film companies. However, after these movies are produced, they will still be bought and distributed by large studios.

When Darren Wilson was thinking about how Lu Yanhe should adjust his offer next, a message suddenly popped up on his phone.

It's a message of receipt.

This was the commission Linghe paid him for promoting "The Fault in Our Stars" and "The Notebook".

When Lu Yanhe gave him the two scripts to promote them, neither party discussed the commission ratio.

Of course, based on the transaction cooperation model that Lu Yanhe finally reached with Sauron, it was impossible to pay Darren Wilson a commission based on a simple commission ratio.

However, despite this, Linghe was still very generous and transferred 800 million US dollars to Darren Wilson.

Darren Wilson's first reaction when he saw the number was to carefully count the zeros.

Then, after confirming that he had counted correctly, he let out a "Fuck!" in disbelief.

For a top broker like him, generally speaking, the commission for the agency business he handles, especially for top clients like Lu Yanhe, is usually between 3% and 5% of the transaction amount.

For clients like Lu Yanhe, who have complete negotiating power in the trading market, the commission rate may be even lower.

Darren Wilson did not ask for a commission at the beginning, and he had already planned not to take any commission on this order. He took the initiative to tell Lu Yanhe that he could also be Lu Yanhe's agent for script sales. He wanted Lu Yanhe to see his resources and capabilities in this area through this cooperation, and to hand over the related business to him in the future.

However, this time Lu Yanhe was very generous and transferred 800 million US dollars.

Obviously, Lu Yanhe had no intention of taking advantage at all.
-
Soon after, Soren announced the big news himself.

$1.2 million, to collaborate with Lu Yanhe on three films.

The largest partnership advance in nearly a decade.

Such a number, once announced, shocked the whole world.

This number truly illustrates Lu Yanhe's commercial value and his "monetization ability" in the film market.

On average, the pay for a movie is $4000 million.

Although such a salary figure is not groundbreaking in the age of streaming media, even in Hollywood, it is a figure that only the top-tier actors can get.

Has Lu Yanhe...already entered the super first-tier? (End of this chapter)