hunt hollywood

'Catwoman' heard what 'Batman' said, stepped forward again, put her hand on 'Batman''s shoulder lightly, the little wild cat just now had a little more tenderness and pity in her demeanor, and said: "But I don't need your protection."

'Batman' raised his hand, he didn't know whether he wanted to press the back of 'Catwoman''s hand on his shoulder, or to open her again, after a pause, he put his hand down again, saying: "Selena ,I should be going."

'Catwoman' rubbed on 'Batman''s shoulder for a moment, then finally withdrew her hand and said, "Okay, see you next time."

"I don't want to see you again."

"Heh, how is this possible, you are a vigilante in Gotham, and I am a villain, the police must come to catch the villain, right?" After saying this, before 'Batman' could answer, 'Catwoman' He took the initiative to back away, and 'Batman' stood in place watching the figure of 'Catwoman' disappear, then turned and left.

At the end of the performance, everyone in the audition room applauded lightly.

Simon also clapped his hands. After Adam Baldwin and Valerie Golino nodded to everyone and left the audition room temporarily, he asked Terry Semel beside him: "Terry, what do you think?"

"Excellent," Terry Semel nodded affirmatively, and then said: "But, Simon, a $5000 million production, isn't it too hasty to pick the two of them? Valerie Golino is not bad." Okay, but Adam Baldwin, seriously, I wouldn't have known who he was if you hadn't put his profile in front of me."

"Don't you know it now?" Simon said with a smile on his face, "And, by the end of next year, everyone will know this name, just like the actor Christopher Reeve in "Superman" back then."

Terry Semel knew that Simon had made up his mind, and Warner had no right to make a decision on this matter. He simply said a few words and stopped persuading him. The two continued to chat about some production matters. Terry Semel Mel got up to say goodbye and leave.

Adam Baldwin and Valerie Golino were already waiting in another meeting room. Simon sent Terry Semel away and sent away the other staff in the audition room, leaving only Jonathan Friedman and the other two. Matthew Stewart and Illian Borman are the managers of the protagonists of "Batman" respectively.

Although WMA has tried to strengthen the synergy and cooperation mechanism through reforms in the past two years, it is obviously not so easy for a talent agency company that has been established longer than the Big Seven to make changes.Adam Baldwin and Valerie Golino each have their own agents. Although Jonathan Friedman is the vice president of the WMA, he does not get a share from this cooperation.

However, in order to expand his influence and strive for the opportunity to be the next president of WMA, Jonathan Friedman still took the initiative after trying to push Matt Dillon in his hand to the position of Batman during this casting process. After coming forward to coordinate, the other two agents naturally joined Jonathan's faction.

None of the four sat down again. Simon stood by the audition table and said to Adam Baldwin's agent, Matthew Stewart, "I heard that Adam is getting married soon?"

Matthew Steele nodded: "Yes, he has a girlfriend who has been dating for five years."

Simon didn't go around and said, "Let him postpone the wedding for two years. I don't want to see Robin Williams divorce his wife who has been married for many years right after he became popular. If "Batman" is released, he He is still willing to continue to marry his girlfriend, and Daenerys Films will send him a rich wedding gift."

Robin Williams, who rose to the top with "Good Morning Vietnam" late last year, is divorcing his first wife of ten years this year.

Matthew Stewart agreed: "I'll talk to him sometime."

Simon shook his head and said, "Let's talk tonight, and give me a result tomorrow. Tell him, just treat it as a test of feelings. Of course, if he insists on marrying his girlfriend, Daenerys Films will not object. But, As I said just now, I don’t want to see things like divorcing my wife just after becoming popular. So let him sign a richer prenuptial agreement with that girlfriend, the kind that makes a man feel so distressed that he can’t divorce .”

When the three of Jonathan Friedman heard this, they couldn't help showing some wry smiles on their faces.

Simon stopped haggling with them. Just as they were about to leave the audition room, Amy Pascal pushed the door in hastily and walked in. She glanced at the other three and said to Simon, "Simon, just now the Producers Alliance A gag order was issued. The Producers Union said they would no longer buy any TV shows from production companies that signed contracts with the Writers Guild in advance.”

Chapter 180 Pond Fish? ! (build)

Today is December 6th, Friday.

Just yesterday, after a new round of voting, the Screenwriters Guild of America once again rejected the latest contract proposed by the Union of Film and Television Producers, which means that the Hollywood screenwriter strike that has lasted for three and a half months will continue.

The Alliance of Film and Television Producers represents more than 350 film and television entertainment companies in the United States with the seven major Hollywood studios and the four major broadcasting networks as the core, but it cannot represent all of them after all.Due to the unsustainable business due to the prolonged strike, since last month, many small production companies in the second and third tiers have been forced to sign contracts with the screenwriters union, and there are many defected members of the producers union.

The strike has gone on until now, and a situation of mutual losses has been completely formed.

Many people had a premonition that the Producers Union would "settle accounts after the autumn" for those production companies that compromised in advance, and Simon remembered the actual progress of the matter.However, standing at the door of an audition room at the headquarters of Daenerys Films, Simon couldn't help showing a wry smile on his face when he heard the news suddenly announced by Amy, and asked tentatively: "What did the Producers Union announce in the announcement?" No mention of "Who Will Be a Millionaire?"

Neither has Simon joined the Writers Guild, nor has Daenerys Pictures joined the Producers Union for the time being.During the whole strike process, he originally just wanted to watch from the sidelines.However, the emergence of a phenomenon-level reality show like "Who Will Be a Millionaire" that does not require the participation of screenwriters is destined to prevent Daenerys Pictures from staying out of it.

Feeling Simon's hopeful gaze, Amy shook her head regretfully, and also smiled wryly, saying, "I mentioned it."

The three of Jonathan Friedman listened to a few words of the conversation between Simon and Amy, and they roughly understood what was going on, and they all took the initiative to avoid it with interest.

Simon returned to the audition table and sat down, frowning and thinking.

Before the strike, because of his refusal to join the screenwriters union, several of Simon's scripts last year had been ignored by the WGA, so he got nothing in the awards season at the beginning of the year, which is actually not a big deal.

But now, the war between the screenwriters' union and the producers' union has reached a fever pitch. Daenerys Films' launch of "Who Will Be a Millionaire" is a hit show that can completely shake off the screenwriters, which is tantamount to giving the producers A "nuclear weapon" that can determine the outcome of a war.

Moreover, Daenerys Pictures has more than one 'nuclear weapon' in preparation.

The Screenwriters Union once again rejected the contract of the Producers Union yesterday. "Who Will Be a Millionaire" just happened to achieve a brilliant score of 1730 million viewers last night in such an unpopular summer file. This has already shown a certain tit-for-tat situation .

The Producers Union resolutely announced the ban today, and even specifically promoted "Who Will Be a Millionaire", the counterattack can be described as fierce.

It is conceivable that the screenwriters union, which is already at the end of its strength, will definitely not have any advantage in the upcoming negotiations.

Even without any tit-for-tat intentions, under the current situation, Daenerys Pictures has completely offended the screenwriters union to death.

The relationship between the screenwriters’ union and the production company is fundamentally an employee-boss relationship. The producers’ union can block those production companies that sign contracts with WGA in advance. If the screenwriters’ union does not have a definite reason, it is impossible to block Daenerys Films in reverse. .

Reality shows such as "Who Will Be a Millionaire" obviously do not constitute such a reason.

However, as long as there is a chance, the Screenwriters Guild will definitely find trouble with Daenerys Pictures in the future.Most directly, it will become very difficult for the films produced by Daenerys Pictures to win awards such as Oscar for Best Screenplay in the future.

It can be said that Daenerys Films, a pond fish, can no longer stay out of the war between the Producers Union and the Screenwriters Union.

After Amy closed the door and came over to sit down, Simon had already made up his mind to cover up.All the while, it never occurred to him to side with the Writers Guild, which wouldn't do Daenerys Pictures any favors.

Thinking of this, Simon raised his head and asked Amy, "How are you talking with Daniel Burke?"

Amy shook her head and said, "ABC rejected our offer of 200 million US dollars per issue, and they are only willing to give 100 million US dollars."

Based on the calculation of 2000 million viewers, in the 80s, the price of a 30-second ad for such a program in the popular autumn season can reach 20 US dollars. "Who Will Be a Millionaire" is a one-hour program, and the content of the program is actually only 45 minutes, and the other 15 minutes are commercial time.

That would give "Who Would Be a Millionaire" $600 million in ad breaks per issue.

The cost of running a national television network is very high.

Among the more than 200 affiliated TV stations in North America, the number of TV stations directly affiliated to the TV network is actually not many. A large number of local affiliated TV stations broadcast the programs of the TV network at the most prime time every night, just like movie theaters distribute studio films. , must get enough returns.Counting the operating expenses and program purchase expenses of the TV network, the income that the TV network can obtain is actually not much.

Take "Who Will Be a Millionaire" as an example, it is estimated that the advertising fee of each issue is 600 million US dollars, the operating expenses of the TV network itself and the share of the franchised TV stations will account for 50%, and the remaining 50% will be the TV network. And the part of the revenue that the producer can use to share.

It is very reasonable for Daenerys Films to take $300 million out of a $200 million share of revenue.After all, in theory, Daenerys Pictures would also cover the show's production costs.However, the reality is not like this.

"Who Will Be a Millionaire" is not an ordinary fall TV series with 23 episodes per season. If there are only 23 episodes per season and each episode costs 200 million US dollars, Daenerys Pictures can only get a total of 4600 million US dollars. Excluding the theoretical production costs, the net income that Daenerys Pictures can obtain is even lower.

but.

In fact, under the original contract, "Who Will Be a Millionaire" will have 69 episodes per season, three times the number of episodes of a typical one-hour TV series.At $200 million per issue, Daenerys Pictures' total revenue will skyrocket to $1 million.

Let's talk about cost.

According to original estimates, "Who Would Be a Millionaire" cost $2000 million per season to produce.However, Daenerys Pictures also has the right to place advertisements in the show, which is the kind of host Balabala who has a long list of brand names and the bottles and jars on the guests' desktops.

ABC was not optimistic about the ratings prospects of "Who Will Be a Millionaire", so it took the initiative to let go of this part of the income so that Daenerys Pictures could offset part of the production costs.

Now, with the current popularity of "Who Will Be a Millionaire", there are countless brands willing to spend a lot of money on sponsorship, but this part of the income is enough to completely offset the program's production costs and achieve profitability.Daenerys Pictures sells the show to ABC, no matter how much it can get per issue, it is equivalent to net income.

According to Daenerys Films' quotation, ABC can only get less than $7000 million in profits from this project per season, perhaps even less than half of Daenerys Films' revenue.

ABC obviously has a hard time accepting that Daenerys Pictures, a small show producer that is just entering the industry, is making more than twice as much profit as itself.

Simon looked at Amy's expression and found that his female executives didn't seem to be able to accept this, so he asked with a smile: "Amy, how much do you think we can talk about?"

"150 million dollars," Amy noticed the smile on Simon's face. She was a little guilty for no reason, but she still quoted her own price, and added: "The company has recently received ATT, Mars, Hewlett-Packard and Sponsorship applications from many companies such as IBM, among which Mars offered 2000 million US dollars, and they asked to become the main sponsor of "Who Will Be a Millionaire". ABC, each issue is 150 million US dollars, and everyone shares the profits equally , which should be the best outcome."

Simon was noncommittal and said, "What about the others?"

Amy said: "ABC also asked to change the contract. They hope to be able to participate in the production of the show. In addition, they hope to order more episodes of the show, which will be officially broadcast from July. However, I don't think this is a good idea. Putting too many programs in a short period of time will quickly cause audience fatigue and shorten the screen life of the program. Therefore, I think one season per year is enough. The half-year interval between each season can keep the audience fresh as much as possible , we also have more time to adjust and innovate the program."

In Simon's memory, after "Who Will Be a Millionaire" became popular, the ABC television network continued to broadcast this program for many years without restraint, and even increased to four episodes a week. As a result, this reality show became popular in just a few years Time is used up to its full potential.

In comparison, "Survivor", which has better rhythm control, has been produced continuously for more than ten years.

Therefore, Simon very much agrees with Amy's point of view: "You are right, Amy, rushing to produce more shows may bring us a lot of money in the short term, but it is difficult for us in the long run. So, we insist on this, There is no room for bargaining."

Amy nodded, and continued: "In addition, ABC also hopes to get "Survivor."

"It's impossible to give them 'Survivor', and neither can 'Big Brother'," Simon vetoed without hesitation, saying, "The only thing they want is "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills". Have you chosen a few wives?"

Compared with "Who Would Be a Millionaire" and "Survivor", Simon invested much less time and energy in "Big Brother" and "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills".

When Amy heard Simon's question, a different smile appeared on the corner of her mouth, and said: "There were not many people who signed up, but after the broadcast of "Who Will Be a Millionaire", many people have called in recent days to think about it. To participate, the project team is reconfirming some candidates according to the situation. Or, the company is organizing a party and you choose it yourself?"

Simon moved closer to Amy, and asked in a low voice expectantly: "Will their husbands attend?"

Amy obviously rolled her eyes and said, "Boss, if there is nothing else, I'm going to work."

"Okay, just kidding." Simon sat up straight again, his expression turned serious, and said, "Amy, there is no law that stipulates that we cannot make more money than the TV network. So, 200 million US dollars per issue, we No haggling either. ABC can make $100 million per episode, which is more than most of the network can make for it. On top of that, "Who Will Be a Millionaire" is It is actually more meaningful to the TV network to improve the overall ratings of ABC. They cannot be unaware. Therefore, we insist on $200 million. Earn more shows."

Amy's lips moved, but she still nodded and said, "So, Simon, what about "Survivor" and "Big Brother"?"

Amy obviously didn't want to ask Simon's bad taste anymore.

Simon didn't mind either, and said, "I talked to Barry Diller last time. The basic strategy of these two programs is that we make profits and the TV network gets ratings."

"But we haven't proven that 'Survivor' and 'Big Brother' can achieve the success of 'Who Will Be a Millionaire'?"

"So, I can only take a gamble," Simon shrugged, and said, "If the TV network doesn't even have the courage to do so, then it's okay not to talk about it."

After the two chatted, they were about to get up and get busy, when Amy suddenly remembered something, and said, "Simon, it will be July soon, and we should prepare for next year's film project."

"I know this too," Simon spread his hands and said, "But, do you have time recently?"

"No."

Amy shook her head and glanced at Simon, who obviously didn't either.

Studios typically start planning for next year's film projects a year in advance.If it's a blockbuster movie, production will usually start in the second half of the year.

The current production plan of Daenerys Films, if "Batman" is not included, the rest can only be extended until Easter next year at most, and the projects that can be reserved for next year are basically Catherine's "Blue Angel" and the film from Sundance's Cosmopolitan and Sisters, two low-budget indie flicks, clearly don't sell much.

However, although the scale of Daenerys Films has been continuously expanding, but now there are a bunch of projects under the company, and everyone is so busy that their hands are not touching the ground, there is no way to take care of next year.

It takes time to cultivate the company's team. The current projects under Daenerys Films have reached the limit that Simon can take care of. past.Too eager will only meet with failure, and some films will be a pity if they fail.

At the end of the day.

The strength of Daenerys Pictures is still too weak.

Simon couldn't help but want to win New World Entertainment as soon as possible.

After all, in addition to the Marvel that he wants to get anyway, New World Entertainment also has a complete film and television production and distribution team.Even if this team is not top-notch, it is definitely much more reliable than searching for teams with equal pay everywhere.

Thinking of this, Simon still said to Amy: "In this way, you can pay attention to whether there are some good projects in Hollywood recently. If possible, we will participate in the investment."

"When Harry Met Sally" and "Pulp Fiction" have been confirmed to bring huge profits, but the payback cycle is very long, and Amy Pascal has been carefully watching the company's cash flow.Now, with the success of "Who Will Be a Millionaire," those questions are suddenly solved.

Next, whether it is the sponsorship fee of the advertiser or the advance deposit of the ABC TV network, it can bring a large amount of cash flow to Daenerys Films in a short period of time.If it weren't for this, Amy wouldn't have brought up this matter with Simon temporarily.A small company has spread out such a big stall, Amy originally only wanted to finish all the projects in hand seriously.

As for next year, we can only talk about it next year.

Getting up and walking out of the audition room with Simon, Amy nodded and said: "I will pay attention."

Chapter 181 "Rain Man" Finished (Revised)

In the three days of the weekend, the ratings of "Who Will Be a Millionaire" dropped somewhat, but the seven-day average viewership of the show was still as high as 1560 million for the full week of the pilot episode, making it the TV show with the highest ratings in North America this summer. .

However, ABC had a hard time accepting the $200 million per issue Daenerys Films insisted on.

Several negotiations were fruitless, and the negotiating team led by ABC President Daniel Burke simply returned to New York, seeming to intend to stalemate with Daenerys Films.

Daenerys Pictures was more calm, and began to negotiate cooperation with several other TV networks for the remaining three reality shows.

On the other hand, after the Producers Union issued a ban on production companies that signed contracts with the Screenwriters Union in advance, the WGA filed an antitrust lawsuit against the Producers Union’s move to the Federal Supreme Court on the following Monday, demanding that the producers The alliance is suspected of monopolizing unfair competition.

Whether it is the media inside the entertainment industry or onlookers, it is clear that the WGA lawsuit will definitely win.But at the same time, everyone also understands that it is absolutely impossible for the Producers Union to honor the judgment honestly in the future, and those production companies that signed the contract with WGA in advance cannot avoid the fate of being put on small shoes.

After more than three months of strikes, signs of instability have begun to appear within the WGA.

There was no income for a whole season, and some screenwriters who could not persist began to ask the WGA to relax the strike regulations.

On June 6, 27 screenwriters union members jointly submitted a plan to propose to WGA that screenwriters can sign a contract with the production company during the strike period but temporarily not fulfill it.

Being able to sign a contract with the production company, the screenwriter will be able to get a part of the down payment to make ends meet.As for the temporary failure to perform the contract, this is completely deceitful.The relevant proposal was not surprisingly rejected by the WGA.

However, this incident has completely exposed the weak state of the WGA.

Many media began to predict that if this situation continues, the strike organized by the American Screenwriters Union is likely to lead to disastrous consequences. In the worst case, a large number of unsustainable screenwriters announce their withdrawal from the union, and the WGA will therefore face collapse.

This is not without precedent. In the history of the United States, whether it is the textile industry, the automobile industry or the newspaper industry, there have been strikes in which the strike party refused to compromise and failed and led to the disintegration of the labor union.

However, this situation has not yet happened in Hollywood.

Things have progressed to this point, and the Producers Union has also begun to strengthen.

The new contract plan was voted down by the WGA, and the Producers Union proposed that the next negotiation will be held in August.Producers Union representatives will not have any further contact with the WGA until then.

At the same time, the Producers Union also confidently stated that major TV networks will develop more reality shows that do not require the participation of screenwriters based on the successful experience of "Who Will Be a Millionaire" to fill the upcoming autumn schedule of TV dramas .

Such an announcement almost doomed the strike in 1988 to become the longest general strike in Hollywood history.

WGA's situation is bleak, but Daenerys Pictures seems to be thriving.Not only has it been exposed by the media that it is expected to get hundreds of millions of dollars in profits from each season of "Who Will Be a Millionaire", but it is also continuing to provide TV networks with so-called "reality show" programs that can kill screenwriters' jobs.