Chinese entertainment starts with idols

Chapter 128 Let's Try a Different Way of Cooperating

Hollywood operates on a "producer-centric system," where everyone wants to become a top producer.

Andrew Leizer is a very young producer at Warner Bros. After graduating from film school, he worked as a production assistant on several films, accumulating considerable production experience and connections. Now, Andrew Leizer is preparing to produce his own film, but with limited resources, he can only produce a low-budget film project. To gain a foothold in Hollywood, the best "high-risk, high-reward" project is undoubtedly the one that fits the bill, and horror films are the most suitable. Therefore, Andrew scoured many Hollywood film projects with registered copyrights, and this time he actually found a treasure trove: someone named "Nameless" had registered many scripts. As for the names of the screenwriters who registered the copyrights, Lin Feng couldn't think of any other good names at the time, so he used "Nameless." It's not that Lin Feng wanted to show off; it's just that he's nameless.

Andrew was surprised to find that this "nameless" person was actually Chinese; his English name was "WuMing".

The official English name of the character "Nameless" in the movie "Hero" is WuMing, and independent musicians or artists also like to use this WuMing, which has an oriental flavor, as a stage name.

Andrew had initially chosen the three projects that best suited him: The Purge, Get Out, and A Quiet Place. It was only after he learned that Nameless was Chinese that he started to have a little scheme in mind, thinking that he might be able to get these three scripts at a relatively low price.

So Andrew immediately offered $300 million for the entire project, and he was really looking forward to the other party agreeing readily. But to his surprise, he was rejected. They were only willing to sell one copy of "The Purge," and wanted to continue with the remaining two through a collaboration.

This didn't fit Andrew's plan; he could offer $300 million for all three scripts at once, but he would never offer $100 million.

Andrew was willing to spend $10,000 to buy a script on his own. He happened to be in China for work and was quite familiar with the country. He thought this would be a good opportunity to meet this "nameless" person. He wanted to see if the person was truly nameless or just pretending to be famous.

As a result, Andrew was stunned when he first met Lin Feng. This "unknown" was actually a well-known star in China. Even Andrew, who was not familiar with Chinese entertainment, knew this person because he had just seen a report about Lin Feng as "the most popular star in the Chinese entertainment industry". Moreover, he had just seen a GG endorsement by Lin Feng yesterday. What a coincidence!

What surprised Andrew even more was that Lin Feng could speak fluent American English, and it was the Texas accent that Andrew was most familiar with. If Lin Feng hadn't been a pure Chinese, he would have already met a fellow Texas native.

Andrew stared wide-eyed, his face filled with disbelief, muttering repeatedly, "Your English accent is amazing, it's incredible, how is that possible!"

Not only was Andrew surprised, but even Hu Shan next to him was stunned. As Lin Feng's agent, she didn't even know that Lin Feng had such a hidden skill. Moreover, she also understood English. Lin Feng's level was something that not just anyone could achieve.

This is the most powerful aspect of the "Actor Experience Card": it allows you to experience not only the actor's acting skills but also their life experiences during that period. Lin Feng's fluent American Texas English is another benefit he gained from experiencing Daniel Day-Lewis's "There Will Be Blood," in addition to being an actor.

Now the translator Andrew had specially brought was in an awkward position. The client's English was much better than theirs, so was there any point in him staying here?

Andrew waved the translator away, then turned to Lin Feng with a smile and said, "Lin Feng, hello there! Should I call you Wuming or Lin Feng?"

"You've already called me Lin Feng, haven't you? That's what all my friends call me. And you're right about how Chinese names are pronounced, it's not Feng Li, it's Lin Feng."

"I studied at Yenching University in China for a year before. I can speak a little Chinese, but not very fluently. I also travel to China for a period of time every year. China has changed a lot in recent years, and I really like it here."

Finally, Andrew showed off his Chinese, which was quite interesting. If Chinese had a CET-4 and CET-6 level, his Chinese level would be at least CET-6.

Unexpectedly, Andrew was also a "China expert," which piqued Lin Feng's interest. An American working in Hollywood and familiar with China seemed to be the American company executive Lin Feng was looking for.

However, Lin Feng did not express this intention at the beginning. He wanted to get this cooperation settled first, and also to see Andrew's ability and character. The rest could be dealt with slowly.

At this moment, Lin Feng was even more enthusiastic than before. He said with a smile, "Then you are welcome to come to China to visit often. Moreover, I am even more confident about our cooperation this time."

"In that case, I won't stand on ceremony. I can persuade Warner Bros. to buy all three scripts, 'The Purge,' 'Get Out,' and 'A Quiet Place,' for $300 million, but I will never buy just one."

Andrew was quite assertive at first, because he represented Hollywood giant Warner Bros. When he went to China on business, he received high-level treatment wherever he went. Lin Feng, however, remained unmoved. He wasn't easily intimidated. Hollywood was powerful now, but in the near future, the Chinese people would lose their illusions about it. Besides, what was so scary about Warner Bros.? In the end, it was still acquired by internet giant Netflix.

"Andrew, I already disagreed before, but now that you've come here on your own initiative, it means you're ready to compromise. Just state your conditions, and if they're acceptable, we can talk; if not, then we'll call it quits."

"Lin Feng, you are a very special Chinese. I can add some more money and buy out all three of your scripts for 350 million US dollars. That price is definitely acceptable, right? You know, the script rights for your Hong Kong film 'Infernal Affairs' were acquired for more than 170 million US dollars when it was adapted into 'Infernal Walker'! If this isn't acceptable, I really won't be able to explain it to Warner."

"Andrew, it seems our needs are different. I don't care much about money; a little more or less is fine with me. What I value is long-term cooperation, not a one-off deal. As for the 'Infernal Affairs' you mentioned, that's an original Chinese film script, which has cultural barriers. My three film scripts, on the other hand, are all based on Hollywood script structures, so there are no cultural conflicts. With a few adjustments, they can be invested in and filmed."

"So what do you mean? What is your specific cooperation plan?"

"I can sell it to 'The Purge' first, and after that movie is officially released, we can talk about the specific collaboration on the remaining two films, 'Get Out' and 'A Quiet Place'."

At the same time, even with "The Purge," I didn't want it to be a one-time buyout; I hoped to get a share of the box office revenue. I know many writers in the Hollywood Writers Guild receive a share of the box office revenue.

"Lin Feng, you're just a Chinese person, not an American, and you're not a member of the Hollywood union, so it's hard for you to enjoy box office revenue sharing, and it's a very troublesome thing."

As for your suggestion of selling "The Purge" and then discussing collaborations on "Get Out" and "A Quiet Place," that's simply impossible. Let's get down to business. I know you're an actor, a big star in China, but would you be willing to develop your career in Hollywood? I can offer assistance!

Andrew believed that Lin Feng was not interested in entering Hollywood because he had seen too many Chinese artists who aspired to Hollywood, and that was his biggest advantage!

Hollywood is the center of the world's film industry, and almost all filmmakers want to enter Hollywood. Chinese people are no exception. Almost all Chinese filmmakers, whether in front of the camera or behind the scenes, want to break into Hollywood. Even Fan Binbin is no exception. A few days ago, she told Lin Feng that she has been busy trying to break into Hollywood and see if she can play a real Hollywood blockbuster. She has already agreed to a role in "X-Men: Days of Future Past".

Lin Feng is an exception. He is not interested in entering Hollywood. On the one hand, Hollywood blockbusters have not been popular in China since "Avengers: Endgame". On the other hand, he does not want to play some unimportant "side roles" in Hollywood blockbusters, or even special versions of the movies. What's the point of that?

And most importantly, with the rise of short videos, even movies are declining, so what's the point of going to Hollywood again?

Of course, movies still reign supreme. At least before the pandemic, movies were at their peak, and even if movies decline in the future, there will still be one or two movies every year that people will miss.

Moreover, Lin Feng himself has a dream: he hopes that one day he can bring his own film to Hollywood, rather than just becoming a part of Hollywood on his own.

That's why Lin Feng could be so confident when he refused, saying, "I'm not interested in Hollywood. I don't want to be just a part of Hollywood. I hope one day I can become the conqueror of Hollywood."

Moreover, I have more faith in tangible things. Let's stick to the point and talk about something practical. Let's just talk about the script for "The Purge" and leave everything else aside for now.

Andrew paused for a moment. He hadn't expected that there would be Chinese actors who weren't interested in making it in Hollywood, and he could clearly sense that Lin Feng was genuinely uninterested. This made things a bit tricky.

One film, "The Purge," wasn't part of his plan, because he felt that all three scripts had the potential to be successful. If one of them became a hit, the other two would naturally increase in value and fetch different prices.

However, Andrew was more concerned about the present. Only if the first one succeeded could he have a future. After thinking for a while, he nodded in agreement and said, "Okay, I will contribute a maximum of $60 to 'The Purge,' but I will have the right of first refusal for the scripts of 'Get Out' and 'A Quiet Place.'"

"Okay, $600,000 it is, but I want a share of the box office revenue. How about we treat this $600,000 as a film investment? I need someone on my side to get involved. As for the other two scripts, we'll talk about that later."

Lin Feng didn't really care about the initial amount of money; his main goal was to use this first film to get involved in collaborations with Hollywood companies, including Warner Bros., a top Hollywood giant.

"Lin Feng, you can't do this. I really can't agree to this box office revenue sharing condition. Warner Bros. doesn't agree either, and I can guarantee that other Hollywood companies won't agree either!"

"They will absolutely not talk about box office revenue sharing with a newcomer like you. Do you not want to cooperate? This is not the attitude for discussing cooperation!" Andrew was getting a little angry in the end.

Even Hu Shan felt it was acceptable at this point. Why did it have to be a share of the box office? Lin Feng's bottom line was $100 million, less was fine as long as he could participate. Why had he changed his mind now? She didn't understand.

Lin Feng remained unmoved. After their meeting, he highly recognized Andrew's professional abilities and considered him a very suitable partner.

At this point, Lin Feng felt the time was right and asked frankly, "Andrew, what if we changed the way we cooperated? Would you be willing to become the CEO of a Hollywood film company?"

"What do you mean?" Andrew was a little confused by Lin Feng's words, and he asked in bewilderment.

"It means exactly what it says. Since we can't negotiate box office revenue sharing with other Hollywood companies, I'll just set up a Hollywood film company, invest in and produce this movie myself, and you'll be the producer and the CEO of this film company."

"6

"Um...are you trying to poach me? That's really cool! But I'm doing just fine with Warner Bros., why would I want to join your film company?"

"Because of these scripts, and because you will become a co-founder of this film and television company, you will be able to both produce and own shares, achieving this all in one step!"

And what can you have at Warner? Just an ordinary producer. How long will it take you to get to the top? And how much effort will it take?

So, I'm giving you this opportunity now: co-founder of a new Hollywood company. Would you like to create something big with me?

So Lin Feng wanted to poach someone! Hu Shan finally understood; he had been testing her all along! She couldn't help but secretly admire Lin Feng's strategy and vision; Andrew was indeed a perfect fit!

Andrew was indeed somewhat swayed by Lin Feng, but he still had many uncertainties. "How can you guarantee you'll succeed?"

"I can't guarantee it, but you can. These scripts are just the stepping stones. I'll have other scripts in the future. As long as the movie is successful, our company will be successful!"

Besides, even if this movie fails, so what? You'll still be a failed entrepreneur, which is a great resume for you. But if it succeeds, you'll gain much more than that!

So, what do you think of this collaboration method?

At this moment, Andrew looked Lin Feng up and down again, as if trying to get to know him better. He was really tempted. He had spent so many years at Warner Bros. before he could even get close to independent production, while Lin Feng's script was a ready-made blockbuster. Being a co-founder would give him a greater sense of accomplishment. Although giving up a stable job was too risky, he felt that Lin Feng might succeed, and it was worth taking the gamble.

Andrew took a deep breath. "Lin Feng, you're different from the Chinese and Asian actors I've met before. I feel like you're more like a mature CEO, with a very clear mind and a very specific goal."

I agree to join your company, but I want half the shares. I must protect my interests; otherwise, I won't join!

Americans are a nation where everyone is an entrepreneur, and they value shares highly, understanding what constitutes a company's core asset.

Lin Feng shook his head, showing no sign of compromise. "No! No! No! Andrew, you're wrong. I'm providing the money and the script, which are unique to this company. You're just a producer. Although you have experience and connections, there are plenty of people like you in Hollywood. You're not worth that much money!"

But you're the first person to reach out to me, that's fate between us. I can give you the shares; I'm not stingy about that. But you need to prove with your abilities that you deserve them.

"So how much start-up capital can you invest, and how much equity do you plan to give me?"