Chapter 308 Praise and deceit
People’s Rich once said that there are only two reasons why employees leave:
1. The money was not paid in place.
Second, I feel wronged.
This principle is common all over the world.
All the good-looking men and women who decided to come to Los Angeles and want to break into Hollywood don’t want to be able to stand out. Those who have a backer are lucky to say, at least they can get some projects through their connections, but those who don’t have a backer can only sell themselves. This road can be followed, and the prostitution here refers to prostitution in various senses.
There is no need to repeat the red sofa, Marilyn Monroe has already written it into a book.
As for the history of prostitution contracts, that's as old as Hollywood.
During the time of the big studios, all the film companies signed were human beings. The five-year, ten-year, or twenty-year contract will go away, and you have to act in whatever you are asked to do. The Rockefeller of this era led the Ludlow Massacre!
The capital without private soldiers has long been killed by the opponent!
In the face of the capital with private soldiers, what are actors and directors?
But it was under such high pressure that Hollywood won its own golden age, and the Xiangjiang entertainment industry after that is just a replica of their history. When your life is threatened, you will naturally find a way to create with your heart , because every penny you earn for capital is the foundation of your life, and who wants to die?
People in this era have the strongest desire to create!
Not only that, but what they create is also the easiest to be accepted by the people!
Only when the capital points a gun to their heads, they will understand that the audience is God!
This is really the biggest irony!
And when the golden age ended and the capital that had gone through the **** road completed its primitive accumulation and went ashore one after another, they, wearing suits and ties, began to try their best to whitewash themselves. This kind of whitewashing can be understood as self-protection. But more, it is to block the way of the later generations, and they do not need to do those illegal things after they have transformed themselves into high-class people, because the law has become their weapon against the enemy, and I can use legal violence institutions Why should I do those sneaky things when I hit my opponent? And those who want to replicate our success? Isn't it just jumping back and forth on the edge of the law?
I was arrested, sentenced, and killed, and people still applaud my righteous deeds!
As a result, Hollywood contracts have also changed.
The original deed of sale has turned into a long-term contract with a good list.
We only sign the number of years and agree on the number of works, but do not limit the content of creation.
Like the 20-year deal Steven Spielberg signed with Universal!
In the next twenty years, you have to make ten movies for us Universal. As for the genre, we don’t care. Not only that, when we lose interest in the project you submitted, you can also find another investment. We don’t limit you creative desire.
Ever since, the unconstrained fantasy appeared.
Different from the feature films that filled the streets in the golden age of Hollywood, science fiction has stepped onto the stage.
Predecessors could not create these works, is it because their vision is not enough?
It is true that vision can indeed limit creation, but more, it is because they are not worthy of fantasy.
With the liberalization of contracts, the wealth of people from all walks of life has also skyrocketed one after another. Coupled with the continuous improvement of the brokerage system, rubbing the wool of capitalists has become the first choice of those tool people, but even so, after entering the 21st century However, Marvel is still able to sign contracts with actors. The fundamental reason is that the success that people see is the ideal after weaving.
Tom Cruise's luck exploded and he starred in "Top Gun" and became a hit?
Without his father, would he be able to eat the job of a conscription advertisement?
Tom Hanks' face was disliked by various producers, and then he hibernated to study, and finally won "Mermaid" with his superb acting skills?
There is no Ron Howard, the guy who thinks he is very handsome, Disney is crazy to invite him to star in the movie!
Success stories one after another make handsome boys and girls feel that they are the next to be favored by God, but after they enter the circle, they realize that, let alone lift up the skirt of Lady Luck, and take a look at the color of Fatty, even the skirt I can't even look at it!
In this case, those who entered the circle because of the information explosion have only two choices.
Either leave sadly, or accept everything.
At this time, if they receive a long-term contract, then...
Isn't signing the best choice?
These guys are actually not stupid. A long-term contract can provide them with a stable job. If the movie hits big and their fame soars, the subsequent projects and endorsements can directly make up for the loss caused by the long-term contract basic salary.
Actors are different from directors, they can make many plays a year.
It is normal to take part of your time to make some quick money!
Fans are not worth it?
This is a typical example of moving yourself!
Take 10 million casually in two months, I can satisfy you not to go, but you have to pay me!
As for powder drop?
To put it bluntly, as long as the projects that make a living don’t fail, they won’t be afraid of losing fans.
This is why actors will try their best to find a popular series to be with!
An explosive series that will last them at least ten years!
The guy who can still stand at super A without relying on the series...
Hollywood has been born for more than a hundred years, and only one "Titanic" has been released.
Because of this, Roland is actually not worried that Charlize Theron will reject a movie contract spanning more than ten years. As the thickest thigh in Hollywood, his attraction to these guys is fatal. …
In addition to preventing accidents and making two-handed preparations in advance, more, it is actually a bundle of the entire industry chain.
Even if Charlize Theron will decisively sign the contract, after the filming of "X-Men" is finished, Roland will still ask her to shoot "The Devil"-this is indeed admiration for her, but it is admirable for her. At the same time, Roland also needs her commercial value.
As a guy who can be called an advertising actress just by his face, how could RandK ignore her?
As a guy who owns the game industry, how could "X-Men" not be developed into a game? Make it into a toy?
Portrait rights! Portrait rights! Portrait rights!
Say important things three times!
Praise you, because the return brought by your face is far greater than what I paid!
As for others?
Why should I talk to a tool person about other things?
Of course, this kind of oppression will only exist among the three no-no groups who have no voice, no influence, and no background. Facing Charlize Theron, Roland, who wants to oppress her, can naturally let his subordinates pass the contract quietly, but facing As for Natalie Portman, Roland, who didn't want her to play the little rascal at all, immediately tore off his 'coldness' after watching her performance.
Take the initiative to go up to hug her, not only that, but also invite her to sit down and talk.
"Nata~ We met again~ The last time seemed to be in England?"
Although it is very strange why Roland suddenly became so friendly, because this is only the second time they met, not only that, the two sides had no communication when they met before, but since Roland took the initiative to greet, how could she refuse?
So, she sat down and said with a smile: "Yeah~ I was still filming at that time~"
"You and Director Steven went to the crew to visit the set~"
"Kate is here."
"Haha~ Yes, we are going for "The Phantom Menace." Roland nodded with a smile, and said, "How time flies! It seems like it was yesterday that George and Steven discussed the filming~"
After briefly recalling the non-existent past, Roland said bluntly: "We are all on our own, so I will explain the situation to you clearly. If you want to play the little rascal in "X-Men", I will Of course you are very welcome."
"However, our project is not the same as George's "Star Wars", which ends with only three films."
"You also know that as early as 1993, Steven helped me buy back all the Marvel copyrights on the market, and now, Marvel is also in my hands. With a complete worldview, Our film program is huge."
"The trilogy of the team series of "X-Men" is just the beginning of the whole story. If the results are good, we will continue to shoot like the TV series. Therefore, there will be a problem. If you To take on the role of Little Rascal, you're probably going to be playing her for the next five to ten years."
"Because the ability of Little Rascal in the comics cannot be displayed through obvious special effects, and she cannot fight hand-to-hand with Wolverine and beasts, so the possibility of this character being used as a background board for a long time is relatively high."
"Unless she is really popular, otherwise, it will be difficult for us to give her a dedicated solo movie."
"So, I hope you can think clearly..."
That's right! Unlike the situation where Charlize Theron was directly hit with the contract, when dealing with Natalie Portman, Roland's methods are more gentle, because giving benefits to the former can solve all problems, while digging holes for the latter , can save a lot of trouble.
As an exquisite egoist who filmed "Thor" but directly dumped Marvel because of limited space for display, how could Natalie Portman accept that a series has been filmed for more than ten years?
If it was the protagonist, she might grit her teeth and hug Roland's thigh, but the problem is, the little rascal is a supporting role that can never be the protagonist! In this case, when she heard the real situation, she couldn't laugh immediately.
In front of everyone, he asked in a joking tone: "Really?"
"The chairman and president of Universal Music and Universal Pictures are here." Roland didn't answer directly.
Such words made Natalie Portman smile stiffly on the spot, and after Roland asked her to go back and discuss with her mother before making a decision, as she left the scene, everyone at the scene who had already seen the result immediately shook nod.
Who can't see that Natalie Portman has lost interest in the role of Rascal?
"Then, we can only choose among Kirsten Dunst, Sarah Prinz, Christina Ricci, and Anna Paquin." Kevin Feige looked at Roland awkwardly, Because he thought Natalie Portman was a good fit.
But Roland didn't think so. Although he didn't like Natalie Portman very much, he had to admit that this guy was quite suitable for the female Thor. In this case, making the best use of everything is the essence of capital!
She is playing the little rascal now, so where will the female Thor come from in the future?
So, even though he was proud of himself, Roland still said righteously: "If we cheat anyone, we can't cheat our own people!"
"Nata's name is Uncle George after all, so we have to make it clear to her."
"As for which little rascal chooses, you can decide for yourself."
"Anyway, I have three requirements, fit the role, be young, and be willing to sign a ten-part long-term contract..."
...
After finalizing the main candidates and instructing Kevin Fitch to sign contracts with those rookie actors, Roland left all the rest of the work to the other party—if there are tools, people don’t need them, isn’t that stupid?
At noon at the end of , Frank Biondi, the chairman of Universal Music, specially invited him to have a meal.
Although during the meal, the two did not discuss any cooperation or even propose an intention, the old man still had that smiling attitude, saying that he was here to study, but when he asked Roland, "X-Men" When there was a huge gap between the ten-year plan and the trilogy submitted by Warcraft Films and Television to Universal, Roland, who had guessed the meaning of the other party, showed a knowing smile after leaving after lunch.
In this situation, Kate asked curiously, "What are you laughing at?"
"I laugh that Universal can't do it anymore." Roland shrugged.
"What? Didn't they just buy Polygram?" Kate frowned.
"That's right, they just bought Polygram, but this deal can't reverse the loss of Universal Pictures!" Roland opened the car door for Kate, "Since Steven left Universal, Universal's performance, then It’s just not as good as every year.”
"In this case, Panasonic sold Universal to Seagram, but at the same time Seagram took over, the "Future Water World" project caused them a big fall and lost a lot of money for Panasonic .”
"After that, they've been losing money for years."
“Although Polygram acquired Polygram, Polygram couldn’t make their financial report look better.”
"If they can't solve the problem of Universal Pictures' continuous losses, then selling the company is the only option."
"So he came to see if you want to buy it?" Kate asked with a frown, but the next second, she shook her head and said, "Shouldn't it? Even if they knew you were rich, they wouldn't think of selling the company." for you."
"After all, your current industry is concentrated on the Internet."
"Ouch!" Roland was delighted to hear what Kate said, "I didn't expect you to think highly of your husband so much?"
"But you're right. They can't sell it to me. At most, they just want to see if they can find some high-quality projects from me, which can then be used as bargaining chips to sell the company at a better price."
That's right, Frank Biondi's strange behavior reminded Roland of Universal's previous life's show operation - crazy project establishment.
Seagram sold the entire company to Vivendi due to financial problems in the year following Universal Music's annexation of Polygram. In order to raise the company's price, they did one thing, that is, hired big names , smashing a bad check.
Universal Pictures' financial statements are not good-looking?
That's all right! Our next project looks great!
Throughout 2001, we had "A Beautiful Mind" directed by Ron Howard, starring Russell Crowe and Jennifer Connelly!
Spy Game starring Robert Redford and Brad Pitt!
Hannibal with Anthony Hopkins and Julianne Moore!
"Jurassic Park 3" starring Sam Neill!
With Renee Zellweger's "BJ's Diary"!
And Rachel Weisz's The Mummy 2!
And the new series "Fast and Furious" that has received sponsorship from numerous car companies and is about to be developed!
Look, our company’s financial report does have problems, but the problem with the financial report is because we have too many new projects!
so…
You can’t lower the price because of the financial report, right?
Vivendi took a look, hey! It does make sense!
So they didn't get too tangled up in the negotiations, and directly acquired the Seagram Group.
Then…
After they swallowed the Seagram Group and sent people to take over Universal, they realized that this is a huge pit!
It's not that the project is not of high quality! It's not that the plan is all fake! But Seagram didn't inject money into it at all!
Once the project was established and the start-up funds were given, Seagram was out of business.
When all the people from Vivendi were in place, they learned that the money for all projects had to be posted by themselves!
To put it more simply, the tuition fees that Seagram paid when he bought Universal from Panasonic were all recovered from Vivendi. They were scammed for more than one billion, but they got cheated back five years later. !
Although compared with the transaction amount of tens of billions, one billion is simply drizzle, but being played around by others is the most unbearable thing for Vivendi. So, within two years, they put those wealthy The second generation kicked off the board.
These things should have nothing to do with Roland, but who made the "X-Men" projects in Universal?
Meeting with Roland, getting to know people and hearing some news can also add a lot of bargaining chips to their negotiations.
Of course, even though Universal might borrow his name, Roland doesn't care about these things.
In the business field, it is normal to cheat. Sometimes a misleading can bring hundreds of millions of profits.
If you have to worry about these things, then don't let it pass!
What's more, isn't it more delicious to kidnap Anne Hathaway with the time you care about?
Note: ① Ludlow massacred his own wife. In addition to Rockefeller, the federal army also came forward to suppress it. Although the bosses in Hollywood could not compare with Rockefeller, at that time, actors and directors had no choice and would not fight for it. What options. ②Before Seagram sold the company, he did use the project establishment method to extract more than one billion from Vivendi. This kind of thing is too common, just like Paramount acquired DreamWorks in 2005, Paramount and Universal were both put together by DreamWorks. Universal first negotiated the acquisition with DreamWorks, and then the old man also used the method of the year to raise the selling price (from 1.4 billion to 2 billion). After Universal reported the acquisition to the parent company GM, the CEO of Universal pointed out that, Dreamworks used the trick that Seagram pitted Vivendi back then, so GM decisively lowered the price (back to 1.4 billion), and at this time, Dreamworks was very angry, so it also wanted to swallow Paramount of Dreamworks Taking advantage of the opportunity, Universal and DreamWorks reached a slightly lower price of 1.6 billion to complete the deal. However, this is the result that DreamWorks wanted, because Universal CEO Stacy Snyder is Spielberg's man. Pointing out that the asking price of DreamWorks was too high. At this time, Paramount, who felt that he had a chance, wanted to rush to buy it, so he signed the contract directly. Don't look at the extra 200 million, but the extra 200 million went directly into Spielberg's pocket, and Stacy Snyder also left Universal and went directly to DreamWorks after finishing this vote. up.
(end of this chapter)