Superstar

Rick put the script in his hand on the table, wiped the sweat from his forehead, looked at Hugo who had just finished talking with Adam Lancaster, and asked seriously, "Hugo, tell me you are Didn't you come back from the future on a time machine?"

This sentence made Hugo stunned, but his heart was stunned: Where did Rick's thoughtless words come from? Hugo glanced at Joseph subconsciously. Joseph, who knew him better than Rick, found no abnormalities. Did Rick notice it?

But Hugo reacted very quickly. He was thinking about it, and the words in his mouth had already followed, "You caught me." Hugo joked with a smile, shrugging his shoulders to express his helplessness. "But rest assured, I have nothing to do with Skynet." Skynet, this is the computer system that ruled the earth in the "Terminator" series of movies.

Hugo's calm teasing made Rick and Joseph laugh, and Samora came over with coffee, "So are you Leis or t-800?"

Hugo didn't answer, but raised his arm to reveal his biceps, and then curled his lips helplessly, as if to say: I am far worse than Arnold Schwarzenegger. One action made everyone burst into laughter.

"Recently, the crew of'Future Water World' has been in conflict again. Costner and Universal producer John Davis (.) have a conflict. The two people have very different opinions on the editing of the film." Rick said. After a turn, the topic was changed.

"Didn’t they have set the files? I remember it was the fourth week of July." Joseph frowned and asked curiously, as Hugo’s manager, his current job is mainly based on Hugo. The trend of the entire industry is also one of the important contents. "I haven't finished editing yet? This..."

Rick shrugged, "That's why I think this movie is a big trouble. They invited Hugo several times before and after, but Hugo refused, so I was curious whether Hugo had foreseen this. thing."

No wonder there was a joke just now. Hugo smiled and nodded, "If you think that my picky and unique taste is also a kind of ‘foresee’, then I do have the ability to predict."

Rick couldn't help but chuckles, "Then let's pray that this predictive ability can continue." Rick paused, then turned the topic to the main topic, and pointed to the script in front of him, "This is what I went through. You can take a look at the scripts selected after two rounds of screening. If you like, stay and read them carefully before we discuss them."

Hugo nodded, leaned forward, picked up the first script and was ready to flip through it, and also greeted Joseph and Samora to join him. Although Samora is an assistant, especially after Joseph's manager's job is on the right track, Hugo has always regarded him as a friend. The views that Samora put forward from the perspective of an ordinary audience are also very interesting, so they will watch the script together. Of course, Hugo was the final decision.

Rick once again interrupted Hugo's movements, "It's like this, the recent discussion about your pay has never stopped..." Rick just said the beginning, and Hugo raised his head and looked over. Rick couldn't help but pause.

Hugo is naturally clear about these rumors, Joseph and him mentioned it, even Alex and Charlize have heard of it. Hugo also knows the current pressure on Rick's shoulders, especially the pressure of the entire Endeavour Elite Brokerage Company. Although Hugo never felt that his own remuneration issue would involve such a wide range-"I am an actor, how much remuneration I am willing to pay is my business, I am the client, and everyone else is just worrying about it"; It is undeniable that social connections are not simply mathematical addition and subtraction.

But Hugo didn't take the initiative to speak, he was curious about how Rick would handle this matter. Joseph faced similar pressure at the beginning, but he didn't handle it well. Trust is never easy.

"I think this matter should be viewed in two parts," Rick looked into Hugo's eyes, did not hesitate or dodge, and calmly continued. "On the one hand, these news actually mean that you are currently in Hollywood. The position, the situation is very good, so there will be a corresponding...Negative discussions burst out, you know, in this circle, jealous eyes are everywhere;" Rick lightly put the broker circle to Endeavour elite brokers. The pressure brought by the company has been exposed. Although Hugo is also one of the company’s senior partners, Hugo has limited understanding of company affairs, so more often Rick still treats Hugo as a customer-a special customer treatment , "But on the other hand, the composition of your next work must also be considered."

Rick cuts into the topic unhurriedly, appearing to be confident, but his sight has been looking at the expression at the corner of Hugo’s mouth. From this small detail, he can see his nervousness-a rare sight, "If it's a literary work, Independent works, I think you should consider more comprehensive, including follow-up promotion strategy, distribution company selection, cooperation casting, etc..." In other words, it is more topical and persuasive, like "Sunrise As before, landing in Sundance is not enough, going to the Berlin Film Festival is enough; if it can reach the height of "Pulp Fiction", so much the better. This is also an important reason why Rick is still able to persevere despite the tremendous pressure on his shoulders.

"If it is a commercial film, I hope that the investment can reach a certain scale, and the remuneration must go up. Ten million US dollars is the bottom line." Rick did not hesitate, and spread the topic straightforwardly, neatly and boldly. I can feel it clearly, this is the result of his careful consideration.

In fact, Rick’s attitude is very clear. He will not restrict Hugo’s choices. To put it bluntly, he will not force Hugo to accept commercial films and get 15 million dollars in pay, but he hopes that the next one The works can give the Endeavour Elite Brokerage Company more bargaining chips to fight back.

I have to say that Rick is indeed a very good agent. The whole conversation not only takes into account Hugo’s personality and actual situation, but also takes into account his own position and concerns. Within a limited range, try to find as much as possible. To the right solution. In the process of compromising, he was tough, with clear thinking and thorough consideration. In addition, he left room for negotiation and maneuvering, which made it difficult for Hugo to say "no".

Hugo could feel it, and Rick had obviously been thinking about the reward for a long time. Although it is not obvious on the surface, Hugo is actually relieved deep down. At least from the perspective of now, it was a wise decision to choose Endeavour Elite Brokerage Company and Rick.

"Is there anyone still shouting for the 20 million pay?" Hugo's sudden sentence made Rick stunned. He didn't expect Hugo to react like this, but Hugo went on to say, "If someone else I guess I’m going to laugh when I hear it. Everyone else hopes that their pay will be higher and higher, but I think that the pay is too high here. It’s really pretending to be lofty."

This made Samora couldn't help but laughed directly. Hugo's words were quoted from the previous comment of the "New York Post", which was repeated by Hugo with a mocking tone, which seemed very happy.

Joseph looked at Hugo with a relaxed face and couldn't help but sigh in his heart. Although Joseph had long accepted the fact that he was not suitable to be a good agent, he couldn't help but sigh when he witnessed Rick's handling of difficult problems. However, relatively speaking, Joseph's ability is highlighted in the managerial position, and Joseph has grown a lot in the past year.

Samora’s laughter made Rick relax. He twitched his mouth, “There are indeed fewer projects, but there are still some. Columbia Pictures and Paramount are still very active.”

"Paramount?" Hugo of Columbia Pictures was not surprised, but Paramount did not expect it. "Is it still James Bond?"

Rick smiled mysteriously, did not answer, but pointed to the script on the desktop, "You can find the answer here."

It can be seen from this that those articles in the "New York Post" not long ago were still influential, as Colin Mailer said, "Life and Death", "Pulp Fiction", and "Before Sunrise". The development of the works as they descended the stairs has aroused some concerns.

However, what people in the circle worry about is not the so-called "box office decline." They all know that this is ridiculous; they worry that Hugo's vision of selecting works is getting more and more remote, and the major film companies often do not treat such rare works. Too dare to place a bet-in fact, the cost will not be too high, which means that the pay must also be reduced.

Therefore, the number of projects shouting "20 million" has gradually decreased.

Hugo raised the script he had just brought in his hand. "Twenty million dollars..." he couldn't help but be speechless at the same time. Ten million two albums-and there are five members to share, but Hugo can get 20 million for a movie. The film industry is indeed much more dynamic than the record industry. "Three movies are a mansion in Beverly Hills. Can ten movies buy an island in the Caribbean?"

Listening to Hugo's ridiculous joke, Rick couldn't help but laughed, "The premise is that you have the ability to get the film company to sign the checkbook for three consecutive and ten consecutive ones."

This is Hollywood. Becoming a superstar overnight, you may be able to enjoy a lifetime of worry-free work for a year, but once the glory is gone, everything will fall apart.

"So many actors, in their prime, would take a lot of stupid works for the pay." Joseph rolled his lips and said, but Hugo gave him one more look: Does Joseph know that this is Nicholas Cage's future? Is Joseph complaining about Nicholas Cage? But Joseph's puzzled expression told Hugo: He just said casually.

Rick brought the topic back to the topic again, "Look at the script in your hand, the stack over there is..." Rick probed and confirmed, "It's the script of Columbia Pictures, they are sincere this time. Very good, I sincerely hope to be able to work with you again."