Extracting skills from movies

Chapter 733 Charming!

Jessica shook her head slightly and looked pitiful:
“My audition ranking may not be very favorable.

Among the actresses who interviewed with me, except Angelina Jolie, even Janela Garner was ahead of me. I heard that she has already conquered the producer of Warner. "

Du Sheng did not comment on these rumors and smiled:
"Jannila, I was deeply impressed by her performance in Daredevil. She is indeed suitable for the role of 'Dream Builder'."

"Inception" was invested with over 100 million US dollars, so naturally he would pay attention to it.

In fact, the original plan was to seek cooperation with Sony, but in the past two years it has been busy with five big productions and has not been able to come up with much funding, so it turned to Warner to "share" some of the burden.

After all, Warner is a local boss and can provide considerable convenience in production, promotion, and channels.

In addition, it can also share some force majeure factors.

Such as political conflicts, strikes, riots, and so on.

There is also Christopher Nolan, the director of this film in the previous life, who is also an old acquaintance of Warner.

The cooperation was finalized smoothly, and Du Sheng's requirements for the director were simple:
Just shoot according to the script, nothing else matters.

As for the right to recommend roles, Warner naturally has it as well, but the final candidate is decided by both parties.

What Jessica seeks is the recognition from Miracle Pictures.

Seeing Du Sheng acting so calm, Jessica realized that it was useless to just talk at this time.

There has to be some "practical action".

Then she leaned forward slightly, revealing a little of her shoulders, and said with a sweet smile:

"Du, don't you think I'm the most suitable candidate?"

As she spoke, her snow-white legs gently rubbed against his calves under the table.

Du Sheng looked at her calmly and raised the corner of his mouth.

You want to take advantage of this little temptation?
Are you overthinking it?

He spoke slowly:
“Jessica, you know how much I value this film, right?
This is not an ordinary commercial film, it is a series! Do you understand? "

"series?"

Jessica looked surprised:

"You mean... more than one?"

"That's right!"

Du Sheng said seriously:
“At least two, maybe three or five!
The heroine 'Adrian' has to appear in every episode, so her role is guaranteed to be adequate!"

Of course, this is somewhat of a boast.

But it doesn’t matter, just say it first and then realize it slowly later.

Jessica blinked and asked tentatively:
"Well... let's put it bluntly, what if the first movie doesn't do well at the box office?"

Du Sheng waved his hand, his tone relaxed:

"I understand your concerns. In Hollywood, they always shoot a movie to test the waters first, and then continue if it becomes popular.

If it fails, it will be thrown into the cold palace. Everyone knows it. "

Jessica muttered in her heart:
Since you know the routine so well, why did you say you wanted to make a series from the beginning?

Isn't this just like those producers who only know how to fool people?

Du Sheng seemed to see through her thoughts, smiled and continued:

“But this project is different.

Even if the box office is not so good, its peripheral products, IP licensing and global influence will double!
From now on, you can’t avoid this when it comes to fantasy movies! ”

Jessica smiled and said:
"Du, your plan is really grand. I believe you can do it."

He said this, but I don’t know what he was thinking.

No one would pour cold water on you at this time.

Du Sheng didn't care whether she believed it or not, and then dropped a bombshell:

"So if you want to play this role, you have to sign a long-term contract."

Hearing this, Jessica's smile paused.

Although Miracle Pictures is currently in the limelight, who can guarantee that "Inception" will be a hit?
Not to mention that the entire series can be successful?

Du Sheng saw her hesitation and added:

"Don't worry, there is no way out.

If the film fails, or there are special circumstances, you can withdraw early."

Jessica breathed a sigh of relief, but Du Sheng immediately added another blow:

"But if the film becomes a hit, you'll be mine until the end of this series."

This time, the expression on her face finally changed, and she was obviously struggling.

Anyone who has worked in Hollywood knows that sacrificing oneself for a role is no big deal.

For example, the "big-mouthed beauty" Julia Roberts. People on the Internet said that she seduced half of the crew to climb to the top, but that's actually nonsense.

But then again, she must have had some "special cooperation" with three or two key figures.

After all, everyone knows the rules in the circle.

But that kind of relationship only lasts during the filming period at most. Once the movie is finished, everyone goes back to their own homes and no one will continue to bother them.

But now Du Sheng’s meaning is different.

He wanted Jessica to collaborate with him not just briefly, but to work on several films together.

Although this is not uncommon in Hollywood, not everyone is willing to tie themselves to a boss.

After Julia became a top star, who would care about the small directors and producers back then?
We are no longer on the same channel.

Although the man in front of me is handsome, rich and powerful, it seems that he is not out of consideration.

But Jessica was still a little reluctant to give up her right to choose freely.

Du Sheng looked at her with a smile, and in his heart he had already classified her as his "key observation object".

She is 25 years old, beautiful, with a hot body, and most importantly, she has a sweet yet cool temperament. She is a rare talent.

In the future, when they make their own Hollywood films, they won’t have to spend a lot of money to train other artists.

Jessica looked at him with complicated eyes and said softly:
"Du, can I think about it again?"

Du Sheng nodded and smiled:
“Of course, but you have to decide quickly, the auditions for ‘Dream Builder’ are almost over.

Oh, by the way, we have an internal movie screening this afternoon, would you like to come and watch it?"

"A new movie from Miracle Pictures? Great!"

Although Jessica didn't know what he was up to, she still agreed.

That afternoon, Du Sheng took Jessica into the screening room of Miracle Pictures.

While walking, I introduced her:
"This is a low-budget horror film we invested in.

I think this movie has great potential, maybe it will become popular and can be made into a series in the future.”

Jessica understood immediately.

This is to let her see the company's strength and vision.

After entering the screening room, the people inside greeted Du Sheng warmly as soon as they saw him come in.

A young Chinese director was the first to come forward and said with a smile:

"Boss Du, I didn't expect you to come in person!"

Du Sheng smiled and shook hands with him:
“Ah Ren, since we are investing in Hidden, we trust your team.

Don't worry, I'm planning on having you make a few sequels!"

The Chinese director was quite touched. It turned out that when you are away from home, you still have to rely on your compatriots.

His name is Wen Ziren, he is of Chinese Australian descent and is now in his early thirties.

His first horror thriller "Saw" won the "Pegasus Award" at the International Fantastic Film Festival, and he has since settled in Hollywood.

However, after the sequel was not a big hit, he was in a relatively embarrassing situation.

Last year, I heard that Miracle Pictures, founded by Chinese people, was gaining momentum, so I took my friend and the script of "Insidious" to try my luck. Unexpectedly, Du Sheng took a fancy to it on the spot and promised to invest 1000 million US dollars!

How much was the investment for "Saw"?

120 million dollars!
He had to beg for this by all means.

I have to say, this may be the trust between Chinese people.

Jessica watched all this and began to look at Du Sheng again:
'It turns out that real opportunities are not based on relationships, but on vision and trust.'

Maybe this man is really different.

Maybe it's worth a gamble.

Just then, a little girl with a baby-like face and blonde hair came skipping over from the crowd.

She clasped her hands together and looked at Du Sheng with sparkling eyes, as excited as a little fan meeting her idol:

“Du! I’m so happy to see you up close. I’m your biggest fan!

I have listened to all your songs many times, I love them so much! ”

Du Sheng looked at Janice Lawrence, the heroine of "Insidious", in front of him.

At the age of fifteen or sixteen, she is already a graceful young lady, with a face that carries the freshness and liveliness unique to a girl, and her whole body is brimming with youthfulness.

A beautiful girl indeed.

She has acted in "X-Men" and "Hunger Games" series in her previous life, and will become a top Hollywood actress in the future.

But now Du Sheng is a public figure, and in a place like the Beacon Country, being young is the bottom line.

He smiled and stretched out his hand to shake hers:
"You did a good job in Cold Case."

Jessica Alba stood aside, looking at Janice's crazy look, and couldn't help rolling her eyes:

"Little girl, your eyes are almost electric, and you are not ashamed."

After Du Sheng greeted Janice, he turned to the male protagonist Patrick Wilson next to him and took the initiative to extend his hand:
"Hello, Patrick."

The young actor was flattered and shook hands quickly:
"Thank you, Mr. Du! I am very grateful to Miracle Pictures for giving me this opportunity!"

At this time, Patrick had not yet starred in the DC comic "Aquaman", had only acted in a few dramas, and was still an unknown in the film industry.

It was pure luck that I got the male lead role in this drama.

And this luck was decided by the handsome Asian guy in front of you.

After reading the information sent by the crew, Du Sheng immediately fell in love with the pair of Patrick and Janice. Their image and temperament were very suitable, and he could sign them at a small price. Why was there any hesitation?
Janice and Jessica next to them began to look at each other.

Janice was still a young girl after all, and when she saw the beautiful woman in front of her who had a hotter body and a stronger aura than herself, she immediately straightened her chest and looked unwilling to admit defeat.

In some ways, she is not bad!

Jessica raised the corners of her mouth slightly, and looked calmly at the little girl whose hair had not yet grown out. Her eyes were full of the calmness and composure of a person who had seen the world, as if she was looking at an ignorant child.

Du Sheng didn't bother to care about this kind of secret fight between women.

He waved his hand to signal everyone to sit down and prepare to start watching the movie.

Let’s see if “Insidious,” starring the future Aquaman and Mystique, has the potential to be a hit.

After all, "Insidious" is a horror film, and the requirements for actors are not too high. What is really tested is the control of the director and screenwriter.

The team has not changed, and with James Wan's directing style still on point and the willingness to invest money, it shouldn't be worse than the original.

Du Sheng knew what was going on, but Jessica, who was sitting next to him, was different.

As a viewer, she was completely attracted by this novel horror film.

The whole film has a tight rhythm and is full of suspense, and is shrouded in an invisible fear throughout.

It's not the kind of routine that relies on blood and gore to scare people, but the psychological sense of oppression that makes people feel breathless.

Can a thriller be shot like this?

At the end of the movie, Du Sheng tilted his head and asked Jessica softly:

"How does it feel?"

Jessica exhaled softly:

"It's really good! I think it has a chance to be a dark horse in the horror genre."

Du Sheng smiled, then walked towards the creative team of "The Disguiser" and said a few words of encouragement. The atmosphere on the scene immediately became warm.

In fact, "Insidious" did not receive much attention in its previous life and was scheduled to be released in the quiet month of March.

But despite this, it still grossed over 100 million US dollars at the global box office and made a lot of money in the disc market.

This time, Miracle Pictures deliberately chose the Halloween schedule, and with the right timing, location, and people, it's hard not to be a hit.

On the way back, Jessica joked while fastening her seat belt:

"Du, you are so charming now~"

Du Sheng of course knew her fan behavior before mentioning Janice, and smiled:
“After becoming a celebrity, I’ve seen this happen a lot.

And she’s just a rising star.”

He paused and suddenly asked:

“Do you think Insidious will develop into a series?”

"Of course!"

Jessica nodded sincerely this time:

"And I see, you're suggesting that Inception could also be made into a series, right?"

Du Sheng looked at her and smiled without saying anything:
"What do you think?"

Jessica turned her head and asked seriously:

"Du, why are you always so confident?"

Du Sheng looked ahead firmly:

“After experiencing setbacks, maintaining self-confidence is a kind of confidence for people.

And so far, my judgment has not deviated too much.”

“So will Inception really be more successful than Insidious?”

“It’s at least twice as influential as Insidious.

The role of 'Dream Builder' will also become one of the classics in film history."

What Du Sheng said is true.

After all, the previous film "Inception" had a global box office of over 9 million US dollars and was listed in the list of the top Hollywood films in history.

After hearing this, Jessica was silent for a few seconds.

Then he suddenly came over and gave Du Sheng a light kiss on the cheek.

She made her choice.

Du Sheng did not refuse. Since she volunteered, he would just let it go.

Although Janice Garner was also suitable, she was the producer's girlfriend after all, not his.

If Janice is chosen, at least one third of the benefits of the "Inception" series will be distributed.

Jessica not only has outstanding appearance, but also has a positive and proactive personality.
More importantly, she has greater appeal in North America, which helps the box office.

If we add the pre-signing conditions...

Choosing her is not only an investment, but also a win-win situation.

Such "collaboration" is not uncommon in Hollywood.

Of course, Du Sheng considered more.

After all, for a successful movie, box office revenue is just the beginning.

The real profits are still in the subsequent market, such as peripheral licensing, disc sales, TV rights, etc.

.........

(End of this chapter)