The Best Actor in the Vase of Meiyu

Chapter 1457 Talking about business

With just a few simple words, Anson captured Lucas' attention.

Lucas understood what Anson was trying to say. "Are you planning to have Forest Pictures penetrate into different parts of Hollywood and start infiltrating?"

Anson: “Yes.”

Sure enough, the communication was efficient and went through immediately.

Lucas did not respond immediately, but pondered and thought carefully for a moment. When he spoke again, he hit the point accurately.

"What is the status of these two screenwriters?"

Anson, "Newcomers. This is their second project. The first project just started shooting not long ago, and this project hit a wall in Hollywood."

"In my opinion, the setbacks were caused by the lack of foundation of the two people, but more importantly, it was because the quality of the script itself was not good enough. It was inevitable to invite the screenwriter to make revisions later. Whether it was inviting these two people to continue the revisions or inviting others, it would cost money."

In the screenwriting industry in Hollywood, the most profitable thing is actually "writing", that is, modifying the script.

The amount of revision work can be large or small. If the revision is large, the screenwriter responsible for the revision can be named; otherwise, he cannot be named.

But the point is that the cost of fee-giving is not low at all, ranging from $30,000 to $100,000, and even an exaggerated $300,000 is occasionally seen; in comparison, the average salary of screenwriters is between $300,000 and $500,000, which shows how profitable fee-giving is.

However, for film companies, the need to repeatedly revise the script is an expense that cannot be ignored.

Of course, there is an important distinction here.

If a film company sets up a project and invites a screenwriter to write the script, it is equivalent to a customized job. The average salary is the same as mentioned above. The income of the screenwriter responsible for the story outline, the dialogue lines, and the character script may vary.

But if it is a project created by the screenwriter himself and he goes to a film company to sell it, then it depends on the negotiation between the film company and the screenwriter. The price can be as low as $100,000 or as high as $3 million or 4 million. There are all kinds of situations. If the script needs to be modified later, money will still need to be paid.

Generally speaking, the former is similar to going to work, where stability is the key; the latter is similar to investing, which is sometimes there and sometimes not, with no upper limit but also no lower limit.

Now, “The Hangover” script is the latter.

The script has a brilliant idea, but its quality is not up to standard. The subsequent fees for writing and revising the script must also be taken into consideration. If a big-name screenwriter is invited to write the script, that will be another considerable expense. The film company will have to sign a bunch of checks before the project is officially established.

This is a daily routine for the big film studios, and they are not unfamiliar with it; but it also means that they have a lot of options and can take their time to choose.

At this time, luck plays an unpredictable but crucial role. Some projects gather dust in the project manager's office for half a year without seeing the light of day, while some projects may only take three to five days to be appreciated.

Everything is metaphysics.

It now seems that Miramax does not need to worry because they are in a mess. Even if Disney notices it, they are unlikely to shoot such an R-rated project because one of the important reasons why Disney and the Weinstein brothers parted ways was that Miramax invested in and produced a large number of works that challenged Disney's traditional image.

There is no need to worry about 20th Century Fox. Jon and Scott do not have influence. "Rebound" has just entered production, and the film company should not be in a hurry to buy their script again. Otherwise, "Rebound" would not have invited Martin Lawrence, who is cheap and lacks appeal, to play the leading role.

Perhaps, the company that really has the potential to break the balance is New Line Cinema, with which Tripp has worked.

If Anson remembers correctly, in the previous life, the final production company of "The Hangover" was Warner Bros. In fact, in all aspects, New Line Cinema is the expected production company of "The Hangover", everything is very similar to the situation of "The Butterfly Effect", whether it is the scale of the project or the type/style of the work, it is a natural thing for New Line Cinema to produce "The Hangover".

However, in its previous life, New Line Cinema did not produce "The Hangover". After the project had been dormant for several years, it was dug out from the dust by Warner Bros. Warner Bros., which has always insisted on high investment and high returns, rarely invested in the production of this small project.

Things are a little weird.

But Anson didn't know what happened behind the story, and at the same time, he couldn't ensure that the current situation would continue the development trajectory of his previous life.

Thinking of this, Anson added, "However, I don't think the situation of this project hitting a wall and being buried will continue for too long. New Line Cinema should be evaluating it."

Lucas teased from the other end of the line, "Oh, old acquaintance."

Then, the subject changed.

"If the two screenwriters don't have any appeal, the project may be less attractive to the director, actors, and other crew members; but we always have you as a producer as a gimmick. Besides that, what ideas do you have for the project?"

"30 million dollars? How come I didn't know a comedy movie cost that much? 'Sin City' required a lot of computer special effects, and the production cost is very understandable, but comedy?"

When it comes to business, Lucas shows his shrewd side.

Anson couldn't help but chuckle. "You ask me as if I have the answer. To be honest, I should rely on you in this regard. I'm counting on you for everything."

"But, I have some ideas."

"First, the director. This project may seem simple, but the director's control is crucial. If you don't pay attention, the movie may become a mess, which is a disaster."

"Second, the shooting location. We should shoot on location. The real atmosphere of the film itself plays a key role. It seems that everything is too absurd to be true, but it is terribly real. That sense of contrast is crucial. I have an idea that we should go to Las Vegas to shoot. "

"So, I guess the production costs may have been spent on these aspects."

To be honest, Anson doesn't know how Warner Bros. spent 30 million to shoot "The Hangover", because "The Hangover" doesn't cost as much as "Sin City"; moreover, Robert and Quentin, two directors who work out of love, racked their brains to save costs for "Sin City", but how did "The Hangover" waste money so much?

Lucas nodded slightly, but he did not jump to conclusions easily. No matter what, he still needed to read the script first and then conceive the project framework before the budget could come up.

then.

"From your tone, I can see that you already have a favorite director?"

Anson, "Todd Phillips. I think he is the perfect choice for the director. However, I am not sure if he has any other projects at the moment. If necessary, I can go to Los Angeles and help convince him."

Lucas, "Just take a vacation. If you don't go to the beach in Bora Bora to bask in the sun, at least you can stay in New York and continue to do nothing for a while. Leave these things to me. Didn't you say that Jungle Pictures can't rely on you alone to run it?"

"Todd Phillips, right? I'll see him."

(End of this chapter)