America is in control

Chapter 218: The next best thing and the masquerade invitation

Liu Jiang felt ecstatic in his heart. He did not expect that the other party would agree to the issuance agreement so easily.

But Bob Shea's next words made his ecstatic mood sink to the bottom in an instant.

"Thirty percent of the box office revenue in the United States and 40% of all peripheral revenue!"

"The film's publicity fees, distribution fees, copy fees, management fees, transportation fees and insurance fees are calculated separately and will be deducted later."

"In addition, New Line Cinema also owns the sequel rights to "Searching for the Midnight Kiss."

Bob Shay said boldly, as if he had given the other party a big advantage.

General Liu suddenly felt furious, this old bastard was too much of a bully!

During this time, he also studied several cases where small production companies cooperated with large and medium-sized distribution companies.

The national box office distribution commission is generally between 30% and 40%.

The commission on all peripheral income is generally between 40% and 50%.

However, the film’s promotion fees, distribution fees, copy fees, management fees, transportation fees and insurance fees are all included in the commission!
The commission conditions proposed by the other party seem to be relatively generous, but the later deduction of publicity and distribution expenses is definitely a pitfall.

There are so many ways to make reasonable and legal fraud in these fees!

Even the calculating financial fraudsters on Wall Street have been fooled by all kinds of bizarre fraud methods.

What's more, he is a boxing star with no power or backing.

"Mr. Shea, this is too outrageous! Why do the film's promotion and distribution expenses have to be calculated separately?"

"Shouldn't all these expenses be included in the commission? The commission ratio you gave is not low!"

"'Searching for the Midnight Kiss' hasn't even been released yet, and you want the production rights for the sequel now. I'm afraid that's not appropriate."

General Liu argued hard, and he would not accept such a deceptive issuance agreement even to death.

If the other party puts forward such outrageous conditions, it is very likely that they are bluffing themselves.

The purpose is nothing more than to test it out and see if you know how to do it.

If you are a novice or just want the name of producer, then the other party can take advantage of the opportunity to gain maximum benefits.

This should be the other party's consistent approach in business negotiations.

"Mr. John, after all, your movie hasn't been produced yet, and I don't know what the quality of the movie is!"

Bob Shea suddenly raised his hand to stop Liu Jiang from continuing.

"You should know that this is undoubtedly a gamble. Business is business. I must protect my interests!"

"This is the best condition I can give! With all due respect, you have no other choice now!"

"If director David Lynch hadn't said hello to me, I'm afraid this meeting between us wouldn't have happened!"

The warm smile like the spring breeze on his face suddenly disappeared, replaced by a dignified and serious expression.

Bob Shea said solemnly with a sullen face.

After listening to what the other party said, General Liu cursed in his heart.

Damn it! All the crows in the world are indeed equally black! The other party has determined himself!

Bob Shea, this old bastard, is not merciless at all when he commits evil acts!
Even though he was introduced by the other party's old friend, the famous director David Lynch, he still followed the trick.

The anger came and went quickly. Liu Jiang quickly adjusted his mentality and began to think about how to deal with it.

The other party's behavior should be the norm in Hollywood!
Production companies try their best to steal investors' money, and distribution companies try their best to steal money from production companies.

I had just stepped into Hollywood, I had only planned to make a movie, and I had seen it all.

No wonder people say that in Hollywood there are only darker things, not the darkest!
I can never expect this group of bad guys to do any favors to me.

In the case of unequal ecological niches, the other party will definitely try its best to squeeze its own interests.

His new Caesars Entertainment Company is just a grassroots team that has just been established. When facing the distribution company, it is naturally at a disadvantage.

This is determined by the industrial chain and industry ecology, and some personal connections cannot offset this disadvantage at all.

David Lynch is indeed right, the quality of the film is the key to deciding whether the distributor will release the film.

With my current connections and power, it would be a bit of a stretch to try to finalize a distribution deal before the movie is finished filming!

Perhaps we can only wait until the filming of the film is completed, the finished film is released, and the quality is recognized by several distribution companies.

Only by yourself can you take advantage of the situation, attract several parties to compete, and then seek the maximum benefit from it. This is of course the best result.

But if the quality of the movie is not good, there is nothing to say, and the distribution contract provided by the other party is not a bad choice.

After thinking carefully, Liu Jiang organized his words and spoke slowly.

"Mr. Shea, thank you very much for taking the time to meet with me."

"But the conditions of this issuance contract are so different from what I expected, and I can't accept it for the time being."

"Can you give me some time? I want to wait until the film is finished and then I can invite you to see it."

Bob Shay smiled, stretched out his finger and tapped General Liu's forehead a few times.

"You are such a clever little kid!"

"For David Lynch's sake, I can keep this release for you for three months."

“Opportunities are rare and don’t wait until the deadline. Our company’s schedule for the second half of this year and the beginning of next year is very full.”

"Don't make it too difficult for me, do you understand?"

Liu Jiang heard what the other party said and quickly responded.

"Don't worry! Mr. Shay, I promise I won't embarrass you!"

The two exchanged a few more polite words, and the Liu family put away the information on the table and said goodbye to Bob Shea.

When he walked out of the gate of New Line Cinema, he suddenly came back to his senses.

Perhaps the other party put forward such outrageous conditions just to make him quit.

Doing so does not discredit David Lynch, nor does he need to take any risks.

It can be said that despite the rising wind and waves, we can sit firmly on the Diaoyutai!
Damn it! Old fox! As people grow older, they will never suffer any loss!

There is no way, who allows New Line Cinema to hold a pretty good distribution channel.

When I get rich, I have to find a distribution channel to play with, otherwise it will be too frustrating to be controlled by others!

General Liu secretly made up his mind and his steps became more determined.

In the following period, in addition to training, he focused most of his energy on the crew.

The equipment selected by the two directors was quickly rented, and all the actors signed contracts.

Jonathan is indeed a veteran who has been in Hollywood for many years, and he has done a very good job in keeping actors' salaries down.

The salaries of all actors were within the range given by Liu Jiang and did not exceed the budget.

During this period, Liu will convene several meetings with the creative staff of the crew to familiarize themselves with the script while also allowing these people to get acquainted with each other as quickly as possible.

Compared to Jonathan, the executive producer, his job is relatively easy. Directors Deighton and Faris, along with Jonathan, took on many of the specific preparations for the crew.

Of course, this is a responsibility they must shoulder. The director's salary of US$30 is not a small amount.

This is also common practice in Hollywood. Most directors of the crew will participate in the entire project preparation.

General Liu also did not relax control over the crew, through Jonathan, Daniel Dubic, and Jason Reitman.

He firmly controls the trend of the entire project and the movements of all members of the crew.

As the main producer, you just need to coordinate the overall situation.

As for those specific matters, of course, they are left to the subordinates.

During this period, in addition to being busy with the crew's affairs, Liu Jiang was also distracted by several business matters.

The first is about Pier. The eShop company he founded with his friends was successfully acquired by Microsoft.

He sold all his shares to Microsoft for $100 million.

After General Liu learned the news, he was completely relieved. It was only a mere 100 million U.S. dollars. It seemed that Pier could not make any waves.

He called Chris and Li Ziang respectively and asked them to stop monitoring Pier and Jeff Skoll and return to normal.

Chris readily agreed. During this time, he was looking around for potential start-up companies and was simply too busy.

After Li Ziang received the call from General Liu, he acted a little strange. He wanted to continue to stay at AuctionWeb for a while.

Liu Jiang couldn't help but be a little surprised. After communicating with the other party, he found out the reason.

It turns out that while Li Ziang was monitoring Pier, he discovered that he was actually an expert at running a community.

Gradually, Li Ziang became very interested in online social networking, and he wanted to study with Pier for a while.

After General Liu figured out what the other party was thinking, he didn't force him. He just asked him to try not to delay his studies.

What if Li Ziang had a sudden burst of inspiration and created some kind of social software or social networking site?

Liu Jiang will definitely encourage his children to start a business without hesitation.

Online social networking is an industry with huge potential, not to mention its influence and importance.

The next step was to entrust stock investment. Beth was very professional and efficient.

Within a few days, she bought the stocks designated by General Liu at a relatively low price.

She even called General Liu specifically to ask for credit, and her words were full of provocation.

General Liu has long been interested in this unruly rouge horse. He confronted the opponent on the phone and used various methods.

I don't know what Beth was thinking. She refused to agree to Liu Jiang's enthusiastic invitation, as if she just wanted to have sex.

General Liu was a little helpless. It seemed that he would not be able to subdue this unruly rouge horse in a short time.

As for Yahoo, General Liu did not intervene in specific management matters, leaving everything to Moritz and the two founders.

Yahoo's stock price is still the same, neither rising nor falling, with little improvement.

The new Caesar Sporting Goods Company is developing smoothly. With Jacob managing it, General Liu doesn't have to worry too much.

As for the boxing championship unification fight, there is no news from Bob, so General Liu can only wait patiently.

During this time, Li Chengxiong had found a suitable venue on the edge of downtown Los Angeles.

After General Liu went to see it, he found that the conditions were quite good in all aspects, so he made a decision.

But the venue needs to be renovated, which will take a long time.

The new Caesars Boxing Club will not be officially opened until the renovation is completed.

Kemal's progress is also not slow. The new Kaiser Boxing Fans Association has almost been completed, and the Los Angeles boxing fans branch has also attracted some boxing fans to join.

It will also take some time for the boxing fan club to truly take shape.

On this day, General Liu had just finished training and was about to go to the set to take a look at the specific situation.

Unexpectedly, the cell phone in his pocket suddenly rang. He took it out and saw that it was Claire's call.

Does the other party have any clues about what he promised him in Chicago?

Liu Jiang felt a little excited and quickly pressed the answer button.

"Hello, Claire, what do you want to see me for?"

He asked calmly into the phone receiver.

"Hahaha! John, you can't be so forgetful! Of course I called you for that matter. Don't you want to know the progress of the matter?"

Claire's chuckle came from the phone, and she deliberately teased the other party.

"Claire, just tell me if you have something to say. I don't want to keep guessing!"

Liu Jiang felt a little angry. He didn't like having his feet hurt by being held, and he mentioned it over and over again.

"John, you are too heartless! When you have a new person, you forget about the old one. After all, we were so happy."

"Or have you forgotten the charming and elegant Meredith?"

"Forget it, I'm not kidding you, Meredith has agreed to join the Colorful Mantis Alliance. Are you excited to hear this news?"

Claire didn't care about General Liu's impatient tone and didn't take it to heart at all.

She thought she had caught the opponent's weakness and acted confidently.

After making a few witticisms, she revealed the subject of the call.

"Oh? Meredith has already agreed? You're not bluffing me, are you?"

General Liu was delighted, but he did not appear particularly excited. Instead, he became suspicious.

This time is too short! It hasn’t been long since the last environmental tree planting event in Chicago.

Was Claire so quick to get Meredith into the colorful mantis alliance?

To be honest, he didn't believe it. No matter how he looked at it, Meredith was not a frivolous person.

"John, you don't have to doubt this. Meredith has already verbally promised me."

"It's funny, isn't Tom Kane actively promoting environmental policies in Chicago?"

"He has been in big trouble recently and needs the support of powerful people within the Donkey Party."

"Just in time, I told Meredith about the Colorful Mantis Alliance. She thought about it again and again, and finally agreed to join the Colorful Mantis."

"I guess she probably wants to use the power of the Colorful Mantis Alliance to support Tom Kane."

"I am currently preparing for the masquerade. I am calling you just to ask you, have you changed your mind?"

Claire chatted a lot, explaining the inside story of Meredith joining the Colorful Mantis Alliance.

"Of course, I will participate in this masquerade, but you have to promise me that nothing will go wrong in this masquerade!"

Liu Jiang's heart was shattered, and he spoke into the phone receiver in a deep voice.

(End of this chapter)