Huayu: As a child star, I just want to be famous

Chapter 279 Oscar Judges

This is what Beryl was worried about before she came. The other party has production capabilities and connections, which correspondingly increases their bargaining power.

However, she was not at all embarrassed by being manipulated, and if one move failed, she would try another.

“Even if the main role can no longer be discussed again, in terms of partner companies, there is no company more suitable for you than EMG.

Chen, I think you also understand that production and distribution are two different things.

Without BBC Radio's help in distributing and promoting the drama around the world, this drama would be far less valuable than it deserves.

Hollywood companies are more domineering. You have been through so much here, so you should have some experience with this."

"I agree with this. So, from a fair point of view, the fact that I cooperate with you and I am the protagonist can cancel each other out."

Chen Linfeng had no intention of exerting extreme pressure.

This is different from the previous life where only Yingguang was involved. After all, this is a series. If the interests cannot be divided well at the beginning to satisfy both parties.

It becomes very difficult to continue filming afterwards.

In history, are there many projects that have failed due to conflicts between producers?
Just like the World of Warcraft movie project that Chen Linfeng recently learned about.

Blizzard has been courting Hollywood companies since 2005.

But after the online game was publicly tested, its influence was too great and the interests were difficult to coordinate.

In addition, Blizzard gradually became arrogant and demanded too much from its partners, and ultimately no major Hollywood studio agreed to Blizzard's conditions.

Later, Blizzard had no choice but to turn to a lesser-known company like Legendary Pictures.

However, due to various problems, the deal has not been concluded yet and the project cannot even be started in its early stages.

Thinking of this, Chen Linfeng seriously emphasized,
“I hope both sides can exercise restraint as much as possible and not be too greedy. Otherwise, even if we reach an agreement on the first try, subsequent projects may not be able to move forward.”

Marconi nodded quickly, "Yes, that's what we mean."

Beryl also agreed, "Sincerity is very important, which is why we sit down to talk and haggle over every penny, because we all want to reach a cooperation."

After these words, the atmosphere eased a lot.

Sister Mei said, "We have reached a consensus. Please state your conditions first. Only when you have more specific conditions can we discuss further."

Marconi took out a contract and stated his conditions in a serious manner.

"The script can be converted into an investment, which is counted as 10%. In addition, $500 million will be given as a one-time screenwriter fee."

"That's all? That's all?" Upon hearing this, Chen Linfeng didn't even think of picking it up and looking at it.

Marconi frowned and said, "I thought the price was fair enough."

Chen Linfeng held his forehead and said, "I am not just a screenwriter. I hope you can understand this."

He said solemnly, "As a major shareholder of Huaguo Longlin Company, I am also the party that controls the capital, and we must have the right to invest.

My opinion is that everyone should take half and half.

Moreover, Longlin itself will also be involved in the production process, and Longlin can be responsible for the promotion of the Asian distribution."

"Impossible!" Su Weit objected angrily.

"Allowing you to play the leading role is already an exception. How can we allow you to participate in the investment, production, and distribution?"

Beryl stopped Su from continuing to speak. She was also a little dissatisfied, but she still suppressed her emotions and spoke.

“This condition is too ridiculous. Even if your so-called company is really good, I have heard of the drama “My Love from the Star”.

But you have to know that Asia's ability to recover funds and the influence it creates are far inferior to those of Europe and the United States.

On this point, the two sides cannot be equal.”

Of course Chen Linfeng knew this. He was just asking for a high price and now he was going to pay it back.

But this was only the first negotiation, and he remained steadfast in his attitude.

Marconi has softened his stance on investment, but he still disagrees with Long Lin's involvement in other links, and he also disagrees with a 50-50 investment ratio.

The two sides put their opinions aside for the first round.

The next day, Sister Mei, as the representative in charge of negotiating the details, exchanged views in detail with the staff of Yingguanglai.

On the third day, the two sides met again.

Marconi must have received advice from the rear and clearly stated his bottom line.

"Chen, plus the 10% given to you as the screenwriter, the total investment ratio for you can be 40%, but in this way, there will be no one-time fee. Do you agree to this?"

"Of course, I don't need the money."

"In terms of production, you can join in as one of the directors. In terms of distribution, Longlin and Yingguang will cooperate in distribution in Asia, and we will be mainly responsible for other regions."

This condition of the director was proposed by Sister Mei yesterday, and the other party had no objection to it.

After all, Chen not only has a track record of directing TV series that have been popular throughout Asia, he is also a Golden Lion Award-winning director.

Even without other conditions, you are qualified.

In terms of investment, the senior management of BBC seems to be more relaxed than Beryl and others.

As a public institution in the UK, BBC is not short of money. The cost of producing its TV series and documentaries is paid by all British citizens.

For them, what they value is the British culture and values ​​that can be displayed and exported in the TV series.

Although the protagonist this time is Chinese and the screenwriter is also Chinese, the film inevitably contains Chinese ideas and concepts.

But it's more of a British style, and that's enough.

If the TV series really becomes a big hit and has a significant influence, simply attracting tourists from all over the world to visit will be a considerable political achievement and indirect income.

If it doesn't explode, then you don't have to worry about this or that.

Of course Chen Linfeng didn’t know what the other party was thinking, but it was a bit unexpected that there were such conditions.

He decisively agreed to the other party's proposal, and the smile on his face became brighter. "Marconi, my friend, I wish us a pleasant cooperation. I think this will be a wonderful cooperation."

Marconi's expression seemed a little stiff. He felt that he had played no role in this negotiation and was being led by the nose throughout the whole process.

But thinking about the cooperation, if it is successful, it will be an achievement on my resume.

His expression relaxed a lot.

"I hope we can work together happily."

In fact, Beryl is the one who should be most unhappy. As a film and television production company, they need to pursue profits.

How could they feel good about giving up profits to a Chinese company out of thin air?

However, as a veteran who has been in the industry since the 50s, Beryl has experienced a lot.

She said with a smile, "After the subsequent contracts are signed, we will start preparations next year. It may take a long time, and I hope Mr. Chen will be prepared."

"It's okay, this is perfect. I have a TV series and a movie early next year, so the timing is just right."

Although Chen Linfeng is one of the directors, he really has no say in the early preparations for the British crew. After all, he has never studied the British style and doesn't really understand it.

He is more specifically responsible for some of the on-site shooting aspects.

At that time, photographer Cao Yu, as well as the lighting technician and action director, will join the crew with him.

But this is all for later.

Everything is going well now, just before the premiere, which seems perfect.

On the day of the premiere of "Forgetful Clinic", Chen Linfeng, as the screenwriter, witnessed the first official debut of the film.

Although it cannot be called a big production and there are not many highlights in the publicity, apart from the male lead Jim Carrey, there is the screenwriter Chen.

However, the box office was quite good, with a box office of 1600 million US dollars in the first weekend, which met Pitt's optimistic expectations.

This kind of word-of-mouth movie is not like the commercial movies in the summer season, the box office in the first week may account for more than 50% of the total box office. For the Christmas season and movies with a slightly literary atmosphere, the decline curve will be relatively gentle.

The final forecast of the theater should be around 7 to 8 million US dollars.

You should know that the production and publicity costs of the film are only close to 1800 million US dollars.

Compared with the previous life, this version has undergone some changes.

The original heroine was Kate Winslet, and she was chosen because the previous life was produced in 2004, and the influence of the big ship was still there.

But now in 2007, Kate's box office ability has been widely questioned.

Even though this movie is more of an arty work, Pitt, as a producer, has some box office ambitions.

So he finally chose Scarlett Johansson, the heroine whose looks could bring in some box office revenue.

What's more, the remuneration can be even lower.

The final result was as he expected, and the box office also improved compared to the previous life.

Of course, this also has a lot to do with the release date. From 2004 to 2007, the environment has changed a lot.

Pitt has submitted the film for Oscar nominations, including the Best Adapted Screenplay award for Chen Linfeng.

I don’t dare to think about winning the award again, but it would be nice to be nominated.

Although this film won the Best Original Screenplay award in its previous life, the times are different and the screenwriters are also different.

There is a big winner at this year's Oscars, and it just so happens that it has the same award as Adapted Screenplay, so it has no chance of winning.

Pitt has made all of this clear in advance, and his public relations direction will be focused on the male and female protagonists, and this aspect may be a little more important.

Chen Linfeng also expressed his understanding and did not intend to get more.

In fact, the public relations for the new Oscars has already started during this period.

Chen Linfeng has become an official judge because he won the Oscars for Best Animated Short Film and Best Adapted Screenplay.

He has the first round of voting rights in these two areas.

That is to say, he can make his own choice whether the animated short film or screenplay can be nominated.

At this stage, the judges are generally limited to their own professional fields.

There are no restrictions in the second round of voting after the nomination.

Therefore, the actual PR choices for each work are actually very wide.

For example, Chen Linfeng recently received gifts, videotapes, and even equipment from the producers of some competing actor awards or best film awards.

The number is not small.

This is a common PR routine. Going further, such as inviting people to dinner or doing private transactions, Chen Linfeng has never encountered such things.

Of course, this is also related to the fact that he rarely attends parties and has less contact with outsiders.

It is worth mentioning that "Whiplash", as the most popular art film this year, was also selected as a domestic submission and a candidate for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

As I said, without large-scale public relations (there is regular PR), Chen Linfeng himself has no hope, and being nominated is a good thing.

Back to the topic, the day after the premiere of "Clinic", Chen Linfeng met Robert Egger in a club provided by Pitt.

Since it's not a public place like Disney headquarters, the things we discuss are definitely not that serious.

As the president of Disney, Iger himself prefers a humble and gentle style, at least that's what he shows to the outside world.

His style is completely different from that of the previous president, Michael Eisner, who was known as a "tyrant."

When Chen Linfeng arrived, the other party had already poured the drinks and even thoughtfully prepared some for him.

It looks like they are being open with each other, but I don't know if this is the Hongmen Banquet.

Chen Linfeng concealed his thoughts one by one and waited for Pete to make a formal introduction.

(End of this chapter)