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

Chapter 504: A New Sales Miracle

I knew it was for this.

Chen Linfeng said unhappily, "Just say what you want to say directly. Is there any need to be so roundabout?"

"So, Chen, are you willing to cooperate?"

"Of course, I have the script ready."

"Oh?"

Peter was overjoyed and asked quickly, "What kind of story is it? Is the investment big?"

Chen Linfeng pondered for a moment and said, "Magic themes should be considered a big investment."

Pete continued to ask, "When is this film going to be shot?"

At the same time, he was a little embarrassed and asked, "As for the producer, have you considered a candidate?"

Chen Linfeng understood what Ya was saying, "Are you interested in being the producer?"

"Yes," Peter said directly, "I have taken over large investment projects, so there is absolutely no problem with experience and connections.

And given our relationship, I will cooperate with you in your work to the greatest extent possible."

Afterwards, Pete introduced to Chen Linfeng some of the projects he had handled in the past two years.

There are many big-budget movies among them.

Overall, he can be considered a mature producer.

After listening to his narration, Chen Linfeng nodded in approval, "Okay, I'll let Sister Mei work with you, and the two of you will be co-producers."

Pete's excited voice came, "Thank you, Chen, I won't let you down."

Chen Linfeng had already prepared himself mentally for handing over the production work to Pitt.

The big producers I have worked with in the past, such as Bruckheimer and Mark Gordon, are certainly more mature in terms of experience, connections, management, aesthetics, etc.

But there is also a downside to this kind of big producer, which is that the West encroaches on the director's power.

This cannot be changed by human will.

Aesthetics is always a very personal thing, but their reputations and authority are great enough, so when there are different opinions, they often have to find ways to convince and persuade, which is very time-consuming.

Movies like "Infinite World" are okay. They have never appeared in the past, and are just right for a big producer like Bruckheimer to supervise.

But apart from that, many of the films Chen Linfeng has made are the type that do not require others to interrupt.

The fewer constraints there are, the faster you can finish shooting and proceed to post-production.

In addition, these two producers are in charge of more than one series of films themselves, and they may not have the time and energy to take care of them all.

Therefore, finding a new producer is inevitable to some extent.

After hanging up the phone, Pete clenched his fists and pumped them twice to vent his inner emotions.

He couldn't help but be excited, as their positions were now somewhat reversed.

As a general producer who has just matured, he is not good enough in front of a big director like Chen.

The reason I was able to work on Chen’s project was purely due to the friendship we’ve accumulated over the years.

If we say that when they first met, he still had a considerable advantage over the two of them.

After the release of the novel "Infinite World", they began to cooperate with each other and each got what they needed.

From then on, Pete watched Chen's development get faster and faster, as if he was on a plane.

By the time "Sunset" won the Oscar, Pitt knew in his heart that even with the bonus of a powerful Hollywood family behind him, it would be difficult to match the power of Oscar-winning director Chen.

In the past six months, due to the huge success of the movie "Infinity World", the internal competition for subsequent profits in Disney has to some extent caused Chen's dissatisfaction, causing him to distance himself from the film.

Although Pete knew in his heart that this was a game between the two sides.

But he had to admit that he was still very nervous and didn't want the two to really fall out.

After all, to Disney, he is just an ordinary second generation.

Oh no, strictly speaking, it’s three generations.

He has a lot of connections, and if there is no extra help, it would be good enough if he could become a department head or be sent to a branch company and become a manager.

Wasn't this the plan before I met Chen?

Now, he has finally made the transition to the film production field, which is the field most valued by his family and also the one with the most power and connections. He definitely wants to make some achievements.

It would be best to receive all the family's achievements in this area. It would be even better if I could settle in Disney like my ancestors did.

Pitt felt that all he needed to achieve his dream was a talented director with whom he could work closely.

His grandfather, Ron Miller, rose to fame by producing and distributing films.

Of course, this has nothing to do with the fact that my grandfather is Walt Disney's son-in-law. It's all based on my strength.

Pitt, who doesn't have a Disney princess as his wife, can only believe this.

Pete was fantasizing about his wonderful life in the future when someone knocked on the door.

The person who came was his uncle, Danny Miller, the current head of the Miller family.

"How was your chat with Chen?"

"Fortunately, Chen's new film was an accident. Because we had to obtain the copyright of DC super villains, we had to cooperate with Warner."

Pete told his uncle the whole story of the movie "Joker".

Danny Miller breathed a sigh of relief, "This is for the best."

Pete continued, "Chen has another big production this year and should be working with us, but..."

He began to hesitate.

"Just tell me what you want to say. Don't get involved in these things with your own family." Danny Miller glared at him.

"Okay, I'll be frank. If we want Chen to cooperate with us, we have to give something, at least show some appreciation."

Danny Miller immediately understood what Pete meant.

This is to take action against some people, to make them pay a price.

In fact, Pete said this completely on his own initiative. After all, this was not mentioned at all in the phone call just now.

But from his understanding, Chen would definitely be willing.

After all, according to the news from China, his friend was the most vengeful person in his life.

From the perspective of the top management at headquarters, this shouldn't be a big problem.

Sure enough, Danny Miller only thought about it for a moment, then nodded and said, "Okay, I'll go to the president to propose this matter."

He was also very dissatisfied with the recent disagreements and disputes in the company.

If you have no foundation, it's fine if you just rob others of their interests.

We, the white people of Angsa, have always lived this way in the past.

But for someone like Chen, can it be the same?

As a director who has never failed, he is already very dazzling, and many companies are vying to work with him.

Not only that, he also owns an independent film company.

Summit Entertainment is no longer a small player in the industry after "Twilight".

The recently produced "The Hunger Games" is also adapted from a popular novel. According to the current trend of big IPs, it is likely to make a lot of money.

We have a production company, a director, and a screenwriter. It’s definitely a small dream factory.

This ensures that they have the confidence to break away from Disney and do their own thing.

In addition, he is a world-renowned writer with many copyrights.

From this point of view, it is estimated to last longer than DreamWorks back then.

Apart from publicity and distribution, these are the six areas that Hollywood cannot let go of, and there is almost no weakness at all.

And in the situation where there is competition among the Big Six, as long as Chen is not stupid and changes a company to cooperate with, he will definitely be able to live a comfortable life.

It's a situation that is clear at a glance.

Danny Miller couldn't understand how anyone could think that Chen could make such a big concession just by intimidating him.

It's not that they are traditional Asians and are not firm enough when faced with difficulties?

But Chen is obviously Chinese!

Danny Miller, who is older and has experienced the Cold War and Mao era, does not look down on people from that country.

He knew that although they were all Chinese and looked like the same race, they were actually completely different kinds of people.

Thinking that you can force someone to give in by intimidation is sheer wishful thinking.

Sure enough, when Chen announced that he would collaborate with Warner on his next novel, he began to feel something was wrong.

Soon after, news came out that the film would also be produced in collaboration with Warner.

Think of a novel series that becomes a global hit, and the series of film adaptations that are sure to follow.

There is also a collaborative movie coming up soon.

What a sin! How much money will I lose?
This should all be Disney's money!
Danny Miller felt heartbroken when he thought about it, and then he cursed those greedy guys in his heart.

Peter looked at his uncle's face and asked carefully, "There is still a possibility of investment in the Joker project. Should we give it a try?"

"Forget it." Danny Miller shook his head.

Of course, there is talk of fighting for the copyright of the Joker character.

But he feels that the movie "Joker" is more likely to be a warning to clear the heads of some people at Disney.

Even the title of the movie indicates who the Jokers are.

"Don't humiliate yourself. Chen is obviously using this as a punishment."

"Uh, okay."

Pete scratched his head. He felt that his friend would not have such an idea.

Judging from past cooperation experience, if Chen hates working with someone, he will point it out directly.

But maybe he's just waiting to be slapped in the face?

Pitt isn't quite sure, but he's just happy to have a role in the next movie.

Chen Linfeng didn't know that his normal filming of "Joker" actually made many people misunderstand him.

He doesn't care whether Disney wants to get involved.

At the beginning, it was enough to express my opinion by changing the novel partner.

Disney should be able to understand his dissatisfaction.

A phone call from Pete earlier had already shown that those with abnormal brains were still a minority.

Of course, there is no need for him to keep pursuing it.

Mainly in Chen Linfeng's opinion, Hollywood's such an act of going back on its word or asking for an exorbitant amount of money is in line with the setting.

Therefore, he didn't really feel too angry.

Of course, beating is still necessary, otherwise it will definitely lead to insatiable desires, and he still understands this principle.

Actually, it’s too late for Disney to enter the market now.

After all, it is a Warner project. As colleagues who have been in the business for many years, Pitt and his colleagues know some information, but it is impossible for them to understand it completely.

Since "Joker" was announced to the public and then received external investment.

A large number of companies rushed over with money in hand.

Excluding the share that Chen Linfeng took in the name of Dingfeng and Warner's investment, there was not much left. Therefore, in less than a month, the investment was almost all attracted.

When Leonardo was asked to start preparations immediately, the project had actually already started.

Thinking of this, Chen Linfeng turned on his computer and checked his emails.

Sure enough, there were photos sent by Leonardo. Leo was shirtless, sitting hunched over with his back to the camera. The traces of his spine were clearly visible. He was already very thin.

But according to the description in the script, it's still a little bit short.

Below the picture, there are weight data and a weight loss timetable, which is similar to expectations.

Chen Linfeng nodded. There should be no problem in achieving the expected goal before the shooting.

"Wow, this is Leo?"

At some point, Liu Qianqian came behind him and happened to see the picture on the screen.

"Yeah, I've been losing weight for a month, and it seems to be working pretty well."

Liu Qianqian's face was full of admiration, "It's amazing, you worked so hard to present the picture effect."

She had heard rumors that some actors lost or gained weight for filming.

Now that she had seen the proof, the actor in her heart burst forth once again.

"Xiao Feng, is there a similar role? Let me try it out."

Chen Linfeng rolled his eyes. "That won't do. If a fairy isn't beautiful, how can she still be called a fairy? There's no such role in the movie I'm planning."

"Hmm~" Liu Qianqian's face puffed up.

"How can you not support me in my pursuit of my career?"

Sissi suffered a major blow just as her dream of becoming an actress began to emerge, and she was very unhappy.

Chen Linfeng spread his hands and said, "We can't change the roles just for this purpose."

"Besides, you've already won the Golden Horse Award for Best Actress. This at least proves that even if you don't destroy your body, you can still gain recognition from the public and the judges. Let's give up this idea."

"Ah, okay."

It seems really impossible.

Liu Qianqian knew that if Xiaofeng was very angry or emotional, there might be some drama.

Today, this attitude of calm analysis and narration is the most difficult to reverse.

Fortunately, she never wastes her energy on internal things. If she is sure that it really doesn't work, then forget it.

The two were chatting about some plots in "Joker" when Meryl Streep called.

"Xiaofeng, good news."

"Oh? The first week's sales data is out, right?"

"Yeah, I guessed right. 362 million copies sold in the first week."

"Wow, that's really good."

Chen Linfeng smiled and said, "Maybe it can surpass the performance of The Da Vinci Code."

When Liu Qianqian heard that it was Sister Mei calling, she leaned in to listen. When she heard the number 362, her eyes widened instantly.

Her husband is a famous writer, and she is not completely ignorant of the publishing industry.

With sales figures approaching 400 million, it is basically the top-notch product.

On the phone, Sister Mei continued, "I have high hopes. Judging from the current sales curve, the reputation of the novel should be good. It's not all caused by the previous Nobel Prize controversy. The subsequent sales should be guaranteed."

Sister Mei was as strict and conservative as ever, but her words were still filled with happiness.

It has been more than 10 days since the release, and the outside world's rejection of the Nobel Prize and related marketing publicity for "Lord of Mysteries" are still continuing.

To some extent, the two even have a sense of connection.

"Lord of the Mysteries" is regarded as the pinnacle work of the writer who refused the Nobel Prize in Literature.

Reading this novel is like defying authority, and it is a symbol of fashion among young people in today’s European and American societies.

Anyway, I don't know why, but the public has this impression.

When Chen Linfeng heard it for the first time, he was stunned.

This world is getting increasingly crazy.

After Sister Mei’s call, Alex came next.

He also came to congratulate, "Chen, you are simply the god of novels in the new era, 360 million, haha, I didn't expect that I could experience such glory again."

When Alex first heard the news, he almost cried with excitement.

When he was involved in the Harry Potter series, the ecstatic feeling he felt when the first novel was released became a cherished moment that he kept reminiscing about for many years.

To a certain extent, it is like youth, which is gone and can never come back.

But now, it happens again, and nothing can be more exciting and joyful than this.

Chen Linfeng said jokingly, "Two gods like this were created by you, so you are the real god."

"Hahaha," Alex couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Chen's words hit upon his greatest pride.

After a while, Alex got down to business.

"Now that we've made a good start, Chen, I'm thinking, after a while, whether we can start promoting our second novel."

Chen Linfeng was surprised, "So fast?"

"It's not that fast. I plan to use two months of the three-month interval to carry out large-scale publicity."

Alex gritted his teeth and said, "The amount of publicity this time has reached the maximum limit. I will contact Warner headquarters and make it a top priority."

"Chen, I want a big one!"

Now the foundation of the first book is too good, both in terms of public opinion and the reputation of the novel itself.

At first, he and Brown were worried that the plot of the first novel might unfold too slowly.

After all, popular novels in Europe and the United States are now beginning to move towards speeding up the plot progress.

This is still influenced by "Infinite World".

The intense and fast-paced plot makes readers unable to stop reading, and it is difficult for many authors not to be affected.

It was not until after the release that Alex suddenly remembered that there was no such statement in the Harry Potter 1.

"Harry Potter" was even published in one school year, and the plot pace was extremely slow, but it still created a sales miracle.

To put it bluntly, the novelty of the story setting and the excitement of the plot are the key.

There aren’t that many rules in the publishing industry; looking good is the standard.

Now, Alex simply can't bear to miss such a good situation and is ready to increase the pace of publicity.

He has every reason to believe that "Lord of Mysteries" will be the next "Harry Potter".

Of course, Chen Linfeng is happy to see that the publisher is paying more attention to his novels.

He agreed immediately.

"However, Chen, you need to be careful and try not to make sensitive remarks or do things that are uncertain whether they are good or bad."

Although the "rejection of the Nobel Prize" incident ultimately resulted in a positive outcome.

But Alex still couldn't help but feel a lingering fear.

This matter is too mysterious. If Warner hadn't worked hard behind the scenes, it would be hard to say which direction the wind would blow.

At least it wouldn't be as smooth as it is now.

Chen Linfeng said helplessly, "Okay, I understand. I will start preparing for the new movie next, and I don't have much time to say anything to the media."

"Okay, Chen, I still believe you."

Alex considered and said, "What about the subsequent promotion of the second novel..."

"It should be possible to gather it together in 10 days."

"It's a little short, but it's okay. I'll help coordinate it."

After hanging up the phone, Chen Linfeng hadn't yet breathed a sigh of relief when the liaison department called again.

This is to express apology.

The reason is that we did not firmly support our own people before.

Chen Linfeng had actually heard about this. As a member of the Writers Association, he should have attended the meeting.

I just didn't go at that time because I didn't have time.

Naturally, the minutes of the meeting will be sent to him later.

It was difficult to understand just from the description, so Chen Linfeng called Yu Hua to ask.

"A bunch of people are so jealous that they want to mess with you, but they are afraid they can't do it, so they become clowns jumping up and down."

These are Yu Hua’s original words.

Chen Linfeng was speechless, feeling that he had been having trouble with clowns recently.

You all know about the new movie I’m going to shoot, so you’re doing cosplay in advance, right?

Then you guys acted quite similarly.

Thinking about these things in his mind, Chen Linfeng seemed not to care at all. He said that in the final analysis, it was his own fault for not speaking carefully and causing trouble, so he could not blame anyone else.

I was thinking to myself that I would go back and see what books those people had written.

If there is something that cannot be expressed in words, I should at least write an article to help you "promote it".

I really give you face.

Some people at Disney offended me and lost a lot of money.

You should earn less like them.

Chen Linfeng thought that his character still needed to be consolidated.

Over the past six months, the Joker has been killed repeatedly. Perhaps the deterrent period of his character has expired and he needs to be refreshed.

The current performance of "Lord of Mysteries" has shocked people both at home and abroad.

Therefore, those very active writers are worried that he will use his current influence to speak recklessly.

Of course Chen Linfeng would not talk nonsense, so let's get serious.

As May approaches, the competition for the summer movie season in the United States is about to begin.

The beginning is Marvel's "Avengers", which is the movie that will usher in Marvel's extremely glorious prelude.

However, Chen Linfeng made a strange discovery that the mysterious citizen played by Chen Linfeng in the movie promotion, who looked like a tourist, actually occupied a lot of shots in the trailer.

"Are you here to take advantage of the popularity?" Chen Linfeng looked strange.

In the past, he always took advantage of other people's popularity, but this time it was his turn to be taken advantage of.

In China, there is a talk show with great influence - "Xiao Shuo", which has been online for some time.

A big-necked musician dressed up as an intellectual and began to lecture on humanities such as history, culture, and society.

Chen Linfeng listened twice, and it was still as awful as ever.

Even Liu Qianqian was confused after hearing this.

Why is there such a big difference between what he said and the history books I have read?

(End of this chapter)