hunt hollywood

Los Angeles.

With the sudden resignation of Daenerys Entertainment's producer Ron McMillan, Hollywood, which was not peaceful in January, became more lively.

Knowing that he was fired for some 'trivial' incident, Ron MacMillan almost immediately contacted Simon to make the decision for him, and he felt that this was Amy and Janet's self-assessment.

Confirming that this matter was acquiesced by Simon, the angry Ron McMillan also completely tore his face, and asked for 500 million US dollars in resignation compensation.Naturally, Daenerys Entertainment will not pay the money, and there is no fear of Ron McMillan's threat to go to court.

Ron Macmillan's misappropriation of film project funds is completely well-documented. Although the amount is not large, it is enough for Daenerys Entertainment to reasonably fire the other party.

If it really breaks out, no matter how Hollywood views this matter, in the eyes of the media and the public, Ron McMillan will only end up with the same infamous end as David Bergman.

So, after a week of confrontation, Ron McMillan finally signed the resignation agreement without any compensation.

In exchange for another non-disclosure agreement not to discuss the matter publicly, Ron McMillan also received an advance cut of a follow-up cut of $260 million for several of his films with Daenerys Entertainment. , the two sides owe nothing so far.

Inside Daenerys Entertainment, as the financial audit personally supervised by Janet continued to deepen, the company fired a group of employees who were not clean.

Although it inevitably caused some criticism, the entire Daenerys Entertainment also realized that it was absolutely impossible for their company to be as confusing and loose as traditional Hollywood film companies.Of course, because the salary standard of Daenerys Entertainment is obviously higher than that of peers, not many people choose to leave because the company's financial system is too strict.

As for Ron McMillan, although he signed a non-disclosure agreement, complaints about him attacking Simon and Daenerys for being stingy and ruthless in some party situations quickly spread in the circle.

However, because Macmillan did not publicly express these views in the media, Daenerys Entertainment could not seriously care about them.

Now that I can associate my name with "Run Lola Run", "Death Comes" and "Scream", the top ten best-selling works on the annual list, even though I know that the behind-the-scenes leaders of the three films are all It was Simon Westeros, and Ron McMillan immediately caused the whole Hollywood to scramble after his departure.

After several quotations, Universal Pictures finally signed a three-film contract with Ron McMillan with a generous contract of a basic salary of 300 million US dollars plus 10% of the project's net profit.

In addition, Universal also specially provided Ron McMillan with additional subsidies such as corporate vice president-level private jets, personal entertainment, and administrative assistants, and the Mike McMillan specially established for Ron McMillan in Burbank Universal Studios. Mirren Productions opens up offices.

Prior to this, there were only a few companies such as Spielberg's Amberlin Pictures that could have an office in Universal Studios.

Daenerys Entertainment did not deliberately conceal the reasons for Ron McMillan's departure, and the circle is well aware of this.Therefore, Universal Pictures also gave such generous treatment on the basis of Ron McMillan's salary contract, which obviously has a bit of a targeted meaning.

In fact, Daenerys Entertainment is facing more than this one.

Not to mention "Rocketman" and "Firebird Attack", which Paramount Pictures is in a state of fiery preparation for, realizing that "Sex, Lies, and Videotape" may be a dark horse at the box office, the film's main investor MCA/Columbia The two parent companies of Home Entertainment combined several times, and Columbia Pictures finally got the distribution rights of "Sex, Lies and Videotape".

As the Sundance Film Festival approached, Columbia also set up a special publicity team to start pre-heating the promotion for the film.

After the box office earned US$1296 million in the fourth week, the fifth week of its release, because the number of screening screens continued to increase, reaching 1732 yuan, the box office of "Rain Man" once again experienced a reversal.Although the decline rate was only a very weak 2%, the box office revenue of 1319 million US dollars made the total North American box office of "Rain Man" quickly reach 7238 million US dollars.

Moreover, five consecutive weeks, and likely six consecutive weeks of single-week box office over $1000 million, this box office stamina has clearly surpassed all other films produced by Daenerys Entertainment in the past year.

Daenerys Entertainment's "Scream", which had the best box office performance other than "Rain Man" at the end of last year, had a weekly box office of more than 1000 million US dollars for only four weeks.Even "Pulp Fiction", which temporarily ranked first in 1988, only lasted for five weeks at the box office of tens of millions in a single week.

As a big hit in the awards season, with the announcement of Oscar nominations at the end of January and the presentation of various union awards and Oscars in February and March, the box office potential of "Rain Man" has clearly surpassed that of "Pulp Fiction".

Seeing the soaring box office of "Rain Man", MGM, who gave up the script of the film and made "The Hobbit" at the beginning, and then sold the omni-channel distribution rights in North America for a mere US$500 million, couldn't sit still. up.

Crown of the year.

Even if the total cost of the project reaches 4000 million US dollars, the box office potential shown by "Rain Man" is only the domestic and overseas box office revenue. Combined, the profit may still exceed [-] million US dollars, not to mention the follow-up video and TV broadcast revenue. .

This is simply a gold mine.

Just got tricked by Simon Westeros.

So they made a fuss about suing and claiming compensation, and actually hired a law firm to start researching possible loopholes in several contracts between MGM and Daenerys.

In the end, including Fox, Warner and Disney, which have always had a good relationship, almost all of the Big Seven in Hollywood were involved with Daenerys Entertainment in this lively January.

If it's just these simple involvements, it's fine. Even if MGM wants to initiate a lawsuit, it only needs to see the tricks.

Hollywood's best-selling films almost always lead to conflicts of interest, large and small. Even in the original "Run Lola Run", the media once rumored that Simon and Janet turned against each other because of the unequal distribution of benefits.

The most frustrating thing is that any project that Daenerys Entertainment is looking at now will become the focus of the entire Hollywood.

Although Simon hoarded a large number of copyrights with great foresight, they could not meet the needs of Daenerys' entertainment after all, and the company could not put all those copyrights that were expected to sell well on the development agenda, which required other projects to fill in the content shortage.

"Al, I know what you're thinking. Since "Driving Miss Daisy" has been selected by Daenerys Entertainment, with the current trend in Hollywood, other film companies will definitely offer higher prices to compete. But can you Are they sure they can do it well? If you screw it up, you get nothing but a slightly higher royalty fee. But, hand it over to Daenerys Entertainment, if it works, not only will you be in the movie You will gain both fame and fortune, and you will become the top screenwriter in Hollywood, and all your future scripts will become the targets of Hollywood. Think about it, we can give you a future, and this is the most important thing."

New York, inside a coffee shop on Broadway.

Ella Deutschmann talked to the middle-aged man in his 50s who was a little bald, and after he finished speaking, he took out a business card and handed it over, saying: "There is the contact information of my hotel on it, Al , if you are willing to hand over the script to us, give me a call tonight. After today, I can only say sorry."

The middle-aged man opposite Ella Deutschmann is named Alfred Urie, a screenwriter, but mainly creating stage plays on Broadway.A stage play written by Uri two years ago, "Drive Miss Daisy", won critical acclaim on Broadway and won last year's Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

Playing with the business card in his hand, Alfred Uri looked shrewdly at Deutschman who had already stood up, and instead of standing up together, he said in a tone that was determined to win, "Ella, if I don't call This call, are you really going to give up "Driving Miss Daisy"? I think it will probably become another "Steel Magnolia."

Ella Deutschman just smiled and said: "Uri, you are the third screenwriter I have met with today, and I have seven more people to meet next, you may all think that the script in your hands is the next one. There are only one "Steel Magnolia", but unfortunately, there is only one "Steel Magnolia."

"Okay, Ella," Alfred Urie said with a relaxed tone, "why don't you sit down and talk again? Since you want "Driving Miss Daisy", you must introduce you to me How are you going to adapt this movie? Besides, don’t you think the offer of $10 is a bit insincere for a stage play that won a Pulitzer Prize for Drama?”

Ella Deutschman did not sit down, and said: "Al, as I said just now, the 10 US dollars is just an advance payment. If Daenerys Entertainment casts this movie in the next three years, it will pay you another 20 US dollars." If Daenerys Entertainment fails to cast the film, you can choose to redeem the copyright after three years.”

Alfred Uri still didn't give up looking for more information, and said: "So, you don't plan to cast this movie in a short time. If this is the case, I need to think carefully."

Ella Deutschmann didn't say any more, and reached out to Alfred Uri, saying: "If you are willing to sign, Al, we can spend a whole day talking about everything carefully."

After shaking hands with Alfred Uri at last, Ella Deutschmann left the coffee shop without any regrets.

These days, in order to deal with Hollywood's siege, Daenerys Entertainment has begun to use this "ultimatum" strategy in script negotiations that does not give the copyright owner too much time to consider, and once it is given up, it is determined not to turn back, and even more so. There will be no bidding war with the Big Seven.

In addition, Daenerys Entertainment's frequent shots made it impossible for competitors to see the situation clearly, which also largely resolved the siege the company was facing.

Of course, this strategy also has obvious disadvantages. For famous screenwriters, this strategy does not have much effect.Those who are willing to compromise are basically those screenwriters who are eager for opportunities and have not yet made their debut, and the company's recent targets are mainly these people.

Speaking of it, Ella Deutschman didn't know what was special about "Driving Miss Daisy", let alone that this movie was the best picture winner of the 1990nd Oscar in 62 in the original time and space.

After "Steel Magnolia", which was changed from the stage play, was a hit at the box office at the end of the year, Hollywood began to turn more attention to the Broadway stage play. A sum of money was earmarked for the purpose of purchasing the right to adapt literary and artistic stage plays suitable for the development of Gaomen Pictures.

"Driving Miss Daisy", as the winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama last year, naturally became the target of Ella Deutschman's attention.Simon, who was far away in Melbourne, saw the name of "Driving Miss Daisy" from the list listed by Deutschman, and did not give Ella Deutschman a special reminder.

Simon is also aware of the situation facing Daenerys Entertainment.

The company's countermeasures have been effective, and he doesn't intend to make an exception with this movie.

The history of Hollywood has undergone great changes. If "Driving Miss Daisy" falls into the hands of others, it is still uncertain whether it will be as successful as it was in the original time and space.And, as long as the copyright holders have a little foresight, they know that it is more in their own interest to cooperate with Daenerys Entertainment.

After her meeting with Alfred Urie, Ella Deutschmann hurried off to other meetings.

After a busy day, Ella Deutschman returned to his hotel in Midtown in the evening, and the lobby manager reminded him that he had several phone messages.Of the five screenwriters who have met today, three of them called and agreed to sell the copyright, including Alfred Urie of "Driving Miss Daisy".

After returning to the room, Ella Deutschman called several screenwriters one by one, and then called Ireland on the other side of the ocean to routinely inquire about the progress of the filming of "My Left Foot".

It was the work of Deutschmann's last flight to England.

"My Left Foot" is a biopic starring Daniel Day-Lewis. It tells the story of a disabled person who is paralyzed by polio and becomes an artist by relying on his only moving left foot.

In the original time and space, "My Left Foot" is another Miramax turnaround besides "Sex, Lies, and Videotape", and was nominated for Best Picture at the 1990 Oscars.

Now, neither of these works has anything to do with Miramax.

Although I failed to get "Sex, Lies and Videotape", because I worked with Daniel Day-Lewis on "A Room with a View" when I was running the new film company, Ella Deutschman's last UK The trip went smoothly and got the movie.

However, when the film was discovered, Jim Sheridan, the director of "My Left Foot", had already completed the preliminary preparations, and the film was about to start shooting.

Because Simon was very fancy about this project, Ella Deutschman bought out the copyright of the original three investors with a total of 180 million US dollars.This price is already high, because the production cost of "My Left Foot" is only 60 pounds, which is less than 100 million US dollars.

The original three investors also wanted to sell for a price, and Ella Deutschman decisively used the 'ultimatum' strategy to successfully compromise the three companies.

The British news is not as well-informed as Hollywood. This is a film that is not favored by almost everyone, and the filming has not yet officially started, so the final result is unpredictable.You don't have to do anything, and you can make nearly double the profit backhanded. Several small independent filmmakers didn't insist too much.

It's the 'ultimatum' effect seen on My Left Foot that Daenerys Entertainment has used this tactic so frequently in recent times.

Chapter 232 ABC's Rebound (Revised)

A private airport on the south side of Chicago.

Robert Iger and Ella Deutschman enthusiastically disembark a couple after the Daenerys Entertainment-owned Falcon jet lands, where the company is helping John Hughes film Uncle Buck "The team also specially sent a car to pick up people, which seemed to be meticulous.

After the couple left, Iger and Deutschman reboarded, and the Falcon took off and continued eastward.

In the cabin, after the plane entered a stable state, Ella Deutschman took out a thick list of Oscar judges from his briefcase, opened it and found a name, and wrote a few words on the back with a pen.

Today is already January 1, Monday.

In the previous weekend, Deutschman not only negotiated the adaptation rights of six stage plays, but also hosted a reception for the purpose of award public relations for three consecutive days starting from Friday.

The husband and wife who just got off the plane and were judges for the Oscar Photography Awards said at the reception on Saturday that they would go back to Chicago today, and Ella Deutschman very readily invited them to take the company's private jet.

This kind of small favor by the way does not cost much, but it can leave a very deep impression on the couple.

This year's Oscar nominations have not yet been announced, but Daenerys Entertainment's PR campaign has already begun.

Robert Rehm is busy expanding Daenerys Entertainment's overseas distribution channels. The nature of Gaomen Films' operation is doomed to rely on major film awards to survive. Itchman.

After losing out on Sex, Lies, and Videotape, Ella Deutschmann realized her original strategy of buying as many films as possible for distribution would not go so well.While adjusting the plan, the public relations results of this awards season have become the key to whether he can be recognized by Simon during the one-year trial period.

During the last trip to the UK and this business trip to New York, Ella Deutschman did not forget to visit the contacts related to the awards accumulated over the years, and at the same time, the professional public relations company hired by the remote control company Working with the awards marketing team, nothing was spared.

The Golden Globe Awards, which is the wind vane of the Oscars, will be held this Saturday, and the corresponding public relations work has also ended. His next focus is on the Oscars.

Speaking of which, with the current reputation of "Rain Man", under normal circumstances, this movie is destined to be a big winner of the awards season.

However, Simon doesn't want "Rain Man" director Barry Levinson and actor Dustin Hoffman to win, but he wants to secure the best picture, and he also wants "Dead Poets Society" to win the best director award. , This is the biggest difficulty in public relations this year.

Iger and Deutschmann both agree with the synergy mechanism proposed by Simon and practice it personally, so they get along very well. The three-day reception on the weekend is held at Iger's house for two days.

The two chatted about work all the way, and more than two hours later, the Falcon business jet landed again, this time still not Los Angeles, but Salt Lake City, Utah.

The 5th Sundance Film Festival kicked off last Friday. Although knowing that any film that the company is looking at now may be scrambled by other studios, Deutschman intends to see if there are any outstanding films in this year's film festival. Or a cutting-edge filmmaker worth wooing.

Moreover, there should be no shortage of Oscar judges at the film festival who can contact each other face to face.

Simon's explanation to Deutschmann was to follow every step.

There are more than 3000 Oscar judges, one by one, one by one, one by one, and one by one to establish contacts, and one day they will be able to understand them all.

In the original time and space, the reason why the Weinstein brothers are invincible at the Oscars is not that the brothers spend a lot of energy every year in public relations with each judge, but the most important thing is the deep-rooted strong network and profound influence accumulated over the years.

The Falcon business jet finally arrived at Santa Monica Airport in Los Angeles around 11:[-].

Iger sent two entourage employees to Burbank, and came to Daenerys Entertainment headquarters by himself, where Amy's assistant Vanessa was already waiting for him.

After a brief greeting, Vanessa said: "Please come with me, Mr. Iger, Ms. Pascal is attending a meeting, and she said that you can go directly to the meeting room after you come."

Iger was a little confused, so he followed Vanessa to a small meeting room in the company's office building.

Pushing the door open, Nancy Brill, who was in front of the slide screen, saw Iger, temporarily stopped explaining, and said hello, "Good morning, Bob."

"Good morning," Iger nodded to Nancy, shook hands with Amy who got up, sat down next to her, and said to Nancy, "I'm sorry to interrupt you, Nancy, please continue."

Vanessa handed a piece of information to Iger, and Nancy continued: "Blockbuster won the game rental lawsuit with Nintendo two years ago and won the right to sell and rent game cassettes. "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles "After the development is completed, we can also use Blockbuster's channels to distribute products, and we can take the initiative in both local channels and marketing in North America."

Iger listened to Nancy's introduction, and quickly looked through the information Vanessa handed over.

It turned out that this was a development plan for the "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" video game for the Nintendo FC game platform.Seeing this, Iger couldn't help but think of the Atari crash a few years ago.

Atari was originally a game console and software development company owned by Warner Bros.

In 1977, the Atari 2600 game console launched by Atari quickly became popular in the United States. At its peak, it even reached the popularity of an Atari game console in every three American families.

However, after the success of the Atari 2600, Warner began to crazily squeeze profits from this game platform, and unrestrainedly let game manufacturers of good and bad rush to develop a large number of low-quality games.

Countless low-quality games flood the market and continue to consume the patience of users.

In the end, the "Alien ET" video game developed by Warner in 1982 weeks in 6 became the fuse of a major collapse.

Users who have been plagued by various low-quality games originally thought that the reputation of "Alien ET" and the games produced by Warner's official brand must have quality assurance. There are many low-level bugs that do not appear in the most inferior games.

As a result, Warner only sold 400 million copies of the 150 million cassettes prepared for "ET", and the rest were sent to the garbage dump for direct destruction.

But that's not the worst.

After that incident, users completely abandoned Atari.

Sales of Atari game consoles and software fell off a cliff in the following years. In the early 80s, the game market size exceeded US$30 billion. In the most deserted period in 1985, it even shrank to US$1 million.

Some analysts believe it will take at least 20 years for the North American video game market to recover.

However, after a brief market 'ice age', Nintendo, having learned the lessons of Atari's collapse, gradually filled the vacancy in the North American market left by Atari's collapse through a series of restrictive measures such as the royalties system to strictly control the quality of games.

In recent years, the North American video game market has resumed its recovery.Of course, this field has unfortunately become the world of Japanese companies.

Nancy in front of the stage finished her introduction, discussed a few words with Amy, and humbly asked Iger for his opinion.

Rubbing the total budget in his hand of only 200 million U.S. dollars but making a full 28-page planning plan, Iger thought about it and asked: "Nancy, it takes 20 U.S. dollars to buy the video game development rights of "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" , but you only plan to make this game with a budget of 50 dollars, can the quality be guaranteed?"

In the total budget of 200 million US dollars, 20 US dollars are used to purchase the video game development rights of "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles", 50 US dollars are used for production, 30 US dollars are used to maintain the daily operation of the game company, and the last 100 million US dollars are for the completion of game development. Subsequent production and marketing expenses.

Nancy nodded seriously, and said: "The main expenditure of video game development is labor, because it is the first time I am involved in the field of video game development. In the early stage, I only plan to set up a studio with about 10 people. The budget of 50 US dollars is enough."

Iger asked again: "Marvel's "Spider-Man", "Fantastic Four" and other superheroes are also very suitable for adaptation into games, and they are all more famous than "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles". Why did you choose "Ninja God"? What about Turtle?"