Actor: Thank you.

Chapter 776 Share

Chapter 776 Share
"No...pay?"

After hearing Zhang Yuan's words, Pang Hong showed an indescribable expression.

It was also the first time that Zhang Yuan heard someone speak. He only said four words, but each word had a different tone.

From shock, to confusion, to clarity, and finally a bit of ridicule.

After this person said this, his first reaction was.

"Oh."

"I asked him to lower his salary, but now he simply says he doesn't want any money."

“This is a mockery of me.”

It's like buying something from a street vendor.

They offer 10 yuan, and you bargain down to 1 yuan.

The vendor glanced at you and said, “Why don’t I give it to you for free?”

That’s pretty much what it means.

This was Pang Hong’s first reaction.

It seems that my idea is a bit too naive.

His original intention of contacting the person today was to appeal to his emotions and reason.

So that he can get an actor of sufficient quality to support the crew for his play at the lowest cost.

Although this producer always looked very ambitious, he was actually a little nervous.

After all, the "Painted Skin" project was a stake in Ning Film Studio's entire fortune.

Now it's an all-in game, it all depends on this one.

If you succeed, you will be the hero who saved the factory; if you fail, you will be the culprit who caused the factory to go bankrupt.

Today he is an old gambler.

Since you are ready to go all in, you must succeed or die, so naturally the more cards you hold, the better, and the more people you bring to the gambling table, the better.

This film has had a bad fate since the project was launched, and the script was rejected by the radio, film and television authorities several times.

Producer Pang has been walking on thin ice throughout his life, and he doesn't even know if he can make it to the other side.

Therefore, he was not as confident as he appeared to be.

Otherwise, if Zhen Zidan got angry, he, as a producer, would not humble himself and beg others.

If it were Zhang Weiping and Zhang Yimou, would you, Zhen Zidan, try to make a fuss?
It’s still a question of strength between the two sides.

Therefore, when he heard Zhang Yuan's words, he felt guilty and thought that the other party was mocking him.

"He became famous in just a few years, so his temper and personality must not be good."

That's what he thinks.

Because "Painted Skin" looked for many actors after the project was launched, most of them were not as big as Zhang Yuan, but they still gave him a lot of cold shoulder.

Zeng Jia, who was next to Zhang Yuan, looked at her boss and then glanced at the producer's expression.

"Wouldn't it be too hurtful to him to say that..."

She also felt that her boss was mocking the other party.

It's okay if it doesn't cost money.

In our line of work, let alone millions.

There are many cases of people falling out over tens of thousands of dollars.

I would say that in my job as an agent, my biggest enemy is my boss!
I have been trying to negotiate with him for several weeks, but you made him so angry with just one sentence.

I'll have to go back and forth later.

"Zhang Yuan, our crew is quite sincere..."

After a while, Pang Hong adjusted his mood and continued to speak.

"As for the pay, if you think 200 million is not enough, you can give us a price."

"We can discuss it."

"If we really can't reach an agreement, we actually have other candidates."

This time he no longer said that Zhang Yuan was "the chosen king" as he did just now.

"We also had a good talk with Chen Kun, Huang Xiaoming and others."

This person changed his strategy. He was just "foolating" people, and now he is both cheating and scaring people.

Because he thought that if he made a phone call, the other party would come over soon.

That means he is quite interested in this play, so he plans to take a gamble!
Play a psychological game with the other party.

Zeng Jia also noticed it and thought that the old guy was trying to play tricks on her.

Afraid that the boss might not have noticed, she pushed Zhang Yuan with her hand, intending to pull him out to discuss strategy.

Zhang Yuan, who was sitting on the sofa, had no idea that the producer and his agent were fighting a battle of wits and courage in the air.

If he knew, he would definitely persuade him.

"Stop fighting!"

But he is also very depressed now.

Isn’t it said that sincerity is the ultimate skill?
I said so sincerely that I don't want any pay, why does the other party look unhappy?

The three people's ideas are out of sync with each other, and none of them is right.

"Producer Pang, what I mean is that I don't want any pay."

"It's no fun if you talk like that. We can discuss this matter." The other party replied unhappily.

Zhang Yuan was scratching his head anxiously.

Why don't we talk in English?

Why do I feel like you don’t understand Chinese?
Zhang Yuan held the other person's hands and looked at him with an extremely sincere look.

It was so sincere that he was almost moved when he saw his own expression in the other person's shining eyes.

"Producer Pang, I think the script of the play Painted Skin is very interesting."

“The team is also very good, I like it very much.”

“So I decided to do it for free.”

"Zero..." Pang Hong was stunned.

Now I understand Chinese.

No pay...it really doesn't cost any money!

Zeng Jia on the side was also dumbfounded.

"No, I don't want money... that would be free work."

"Not only you work for nothing, but I work for nothing too?"

She still gets a share of the profits, so when she hears that it's free, it hurts her interests.

Is my boss crazy or what?
The filming fee for "The Warlords" was 1200 million!

No money here?
That means a direct loss of tens of millions in film pay!

In addition, if he could have taken on other dramas and business opportunities during the same period, he would have suffered a loss of tens of millions.

It costs tens of millions back and forth.

Rounding it off, that’s a loss of 100 million!
"Are you serious?" Pang Hong's eyes sparkled.

Why didn’t you say it earlier? It would have been better if you had said it earlier…

Then there is no point for me to try to persuade you with words!
If I had known you didn’t want money, I would have signed a contract with you two years ago!
"Zhang Yuan, I was right about you."

"After we met last time, I told everyone that you are the best young actor I have ever seen."

"It will definitely be the mainstay of the Chinese film industry in the future."

Zhang Yuan listened patiently and responded with a smile.

But I didn't take it seriously.

Since there is no tax on praising someone, the other party will naturally not be stingy with their words.

"Your willingness to perform for free this time is a great encouragement and support to our crew..."

"Wait a moment." Zhang Yuan interrupted.

"I said zero pay, not free acting."

“These are two different concepts.”

Zhang Yuan moved his two fingers.

"I really like your script. It's quite interesting."

"But I don't come out to work for free."

"Uh..." Pang Hong was confused.

Why is it that I can't understand what this person is saying?
But I can only go along with what I just said.

"That's right. No one works for free on a film. There is no such thing in the world. You are right."

Zhang Yuan thought, that might not be the case.

There is no free work, but there is still some compensation.

For example, in the crew of "The Wandering Earth 1", Wu Jing was tricked into becoming Wolf Warrior out of nothing.

Liu Cixin went to visit the set and bought lunch boxes worth tens of thousands of yuan out of his own pocket.

These people are not stupid. The premise for them to do this is that the cause they are committed to is worth it.

The same is true for Zhang Yuan now.

"Painted Skin" is a watershed in Chinese costume films.

In a sense, it broke the investors' "superstition" about Hong Kong actors.

Before this film, if there were no Hong Kong actors as the male or female protagonists in films with an investment of tens of millions or even hundreds of millions, these people would feel uncomfortable and nothing would work out.

This is a mental illness and needs to be treated.

So I will be the one to make this watershed moment!

Because by doing it, we can leave a small mark in the history of mainland Chinese cinema.

I'll leave a note here and there. Looking back in 20 years, the entire history of Chinese cinema will be my diary...

After all, I can’t write a diary myself. Who would write that kind of thing?

Anyway, the Hong Kong circle and I have just stopped fighting and made peace.

If I do this, not only will they not oppose it, they will also support it.

Besides, I really wouldn’t be working for nothing.

"Producer Pang, you have seen the movie 'Rush Hour 3' that I recently participated in filming, right?" Zhang Yuan asked in a friendly manner.

"Yes, it's very good. It can be considered the most exciting fighting scene among all Hollywood blockbusters."

This is the truth, it is basically the afterglow of Hollywood's pure action movies.

It was the "The Expendables" team assembled by Sylvester Stallone that gave life to Hollywood's hard-core action movies.

"I wonder if you have ever learned about the payment method for the two leading actors in this film, Brother Chen Long and Chris Tucker, for their participation in the film?"

"Oh?" Pang Hong came to his senses a little.

He doesn't know the crew of "Rush Hour 3".

But he had heard of Hollywood's ways.

"In addition to their basic salary, the two leading actors, Brother Chen Long and Chris Tucker, will also receive a share of the film's final box office revenue."

"Like you said, our budget for Painted Skin is very tight."

“If you spend too much on salary, it will affect the budget for other parts, especially props and post-production.”

Wu Baoling, who was in charge of costume and prop design, immediately showed an approving look and nodded repeatedly when he heard this.

You are absolutely right!
When the crew cuts the budget, it ends up cutting it behind the scenes!

This has resulted in a lot of delays in post-production for TV shows and movies that use big-name actors, greatly affecting the results.

But just like layoffs in large companies, it is impossible to lay off leaders.

Those who are ultimately laid off are the front-line employees who work the hardest, earn the least, and are the ones who actually do the real work.

All the workers have been laid off, so who will work in the company?
Outsource it!

These leaders can also open their own outsourcing companies to make some money, or if they are too lazy to start their own companies, they can just work as compradors and "move bricks" to make money.

So the more they lay off, the more they earn.

The same is true for many large film crews, actors, directors, and producers all make a lot of money.

As a result, the salaries for extras, props, lighting, and post-production workers could not be paid.

As soon as the movie was released, it was a pile of shit.

When the time comes, the crew will throw up their hands and say that the film has lost money and they have no money to pay the salaries.

There are so many such things...

"So, I want to help the crew save some of the upfront costs and spend more on the film itself."

No matter how this guy makes his living from film investment in the future, at least for now, the deputy director of Ning Film Studio still wants to make good films.

It’s just that people’s hearts will change, just like Zhang Yimou also “evolved” from “Red Sorghum” and “Qiu Ju Goes to Court” to “The Great Wall” and “Man Jiang Hong”.

"So what do you mean?" Pang Hong asked hesitantly.

"I am willing to invest in the film by participating in the filming."

“It’s equivalent to converting capital into shares.”

"I didn't need the crew to pay me a penny in the early stages."

"But I want 10% of the box office revenue after the movie is released as my share of the profits!"

"Listen carefully, it's the box office revenue, not the film's profit."

What if you make the profit negative in order not to give me money?

Pang Hong took a deep breath.

Good guy!
I just want to lower his pay.

This person is directly targeting my capital!
Pang Hong remained silent after listening.

It’s not that I want to curse, but I’m thinking in my mind.

This film claims to have an investment of 1500 million US dollars!
In other words, the cost is comparable to that of The Banquet.

That being said, there aren't that many.

If we really have 1500 million US dollars, the budget will not be tight.

The money available for filming and production is actually only 4 to 5000 million.

We still have to save some money for promotion and marketing.

So the break-even profit for this film is about 1.5 million, and then it starts to make money.

The new director of Ning Film Studio is quite a gambler!

Because in 07, there were only four domestic films with box office revenue of over 4 million yuan.

But these guys have a pretty accurate judgement of the market.

By 08, there were seven domestic films with box office revenue exceeding 7 million yuan.

In 09, the number exceeded 10.

The entire Chinese box office market is expanding rapidly at a visibly rapid pace.

A few years ago, I filmed "Curiosity Kills the Cat", but it did very poorly at the box office.

When interviewed, the lead actor Hu Jun also said.

"Do Chinese audiences have the habit of watching movies?"

"Everyone is watching TV series!"

But the market changes so fast!
But within a few years, the large-screen market became active.

Zhang Yuan saw that the other party was weighing the pros and cons, so he decided to give him some mental strength.

"Xiaojia." He raised his hand and greeted Zeng Jia.

"Do you have the contract for The Warlords with you?"

"exist."

The two came here directly after getting off the plane, and didn't even have time to go home and lock the contract in the safe.

"Take it out and show it to Producer Pang."

"Ah...this."

"Just take it if you're told to. Don't talk nonsense."

It stands to reason that the contract should not be shown to outsiders, as it is very dangerous.

Zeng Jia hadn't come back to her senses yet and was still immersed in Zhang Yuan's proposal of "getting a share of the profits for no pay".

She was sure her boss was not crazy.

Because it’s not really in vain.

Although not crazy, he is a little bit crazy!
Even if you take 10% of the box office share, to get the same profit as "The Warlords", the box office of the movie must be at least 1.2 million!
Can I get it?

The uncertainty is too great, and in her mind it is far less important than making quick money.

Moreover, it takes at least a year from the start of filming to the release of a movie. How much interest would the tens of millions of cash earn during this time?
But she also understood that her boss had the final say and she had no ability to refute or sway.

Then she saw Zhang Yuan lip-syncing to her.

"The last page..."

She then understood what the purpose of holding the contract was to show the other party.

This brings the contract for the crew of "The Warlords" to the page regarding the amount of film remuneration.

Pang Hong, who was carefully calculating the gains and losses, was suddenly stimulated by the numbers in front of him!

1200……

When he thought Zhang Yuan's pay was several million, he already thought it was exaggerated. He didn't expect that he underestimated him...

At this price, if it were paid for a movie, "Painted Skin" would definitely not be able to afford it.

He was still thinking just now.

If 10% of the box office revenue is given to the other party as profit, then the investors and Ning Film Studio will lose a lot of income!

Is this cost-effective?

But after seeing the contract, his mind changed immediately.

Good deal!

Film crews with hundreds of millions of dollars in investment are willing to hire him, and we don't have to spend any money in the early stages. Isn't it like getting something for free?
Besides, I'm not 100% sure whether this movie can make money.

I was already gambling, but I didn’t expect that a male artist with the same gambling personality as me would come!

Thinking of the recent hit "Rush Hour 3", he felt that with Zhang Yuan joining, both the influence and box office appeal would definitely be much stronger than Chen Kun, Huang Xiaoming and others.

Because it’s still the same problem.

Chen Kun and Huang Xiaoming do not have any particularly profitable movies to endorse them.

But Zhang Yuan has more than one.

"Well, I see."

"I'll consider your proposal and discuss it with the director and investors."

Pang Hong did not agree immediately.

"Okay." Zhang Yuan was also straightforward.

He knew that the other party would definitely be confused and would need time to discuss.

But in addition to the contract, he has another trick that can increase his advantage and reassure the other party.

"I can wait for you, but besides that, I have one condition."

Zhang Yuan deliberately showed anger and said through gritted teeth.

"I want the crew to help me hold a signing conference!"