Hollywood Drawing

At nine o'clock sharp the next morning, Jimmy and Wayne walked into the Warner Building together.

This was his first time here, but he felt very comfortable. They were greeted by Jeff Robinoff, director of Warner Bros. Film and Television Production Department.

"Hello, Director Greenberg." Jeff smiled and reached out his hand. "Nice to meet you, hope we can reach cooperation."

Wayne also stretched out his hand and shook it: "Hello, Mr. Robinov, of course, I think so too."

After saying hello, Jeff shook hands with Jimmy and then took the two of them to the seventh floor in the elevator. This person made a very deep first impression on him. He didn't look like a Hollywood giant executive, just like a big smiling bear, or a big bear.

He was reminding himself all the way, whoever thinks that the head of a giant film and television company is Xiong Da, he must be not far away from Bald Qiang. Such a person cannot be simple.

After entering the prepared conference room, Jimmy quickly entered the topic on behalf of himself and Warner personnel. Both parties wanted to reach a consensus as soon as possible, and the bottom line was relatively clear.

Warner is very familiar with such negotiations. Maybe Jimmy takes it very seriously, but in their eyes, this is just the most common film cooperation in Hollywood. The biggest reason why Warner is willing to invest in this project is that it is optimistic about the profit prospects of "Get Out".

Somewhat similar to the first cooperation with 20th Century Fox, the negotiations progressed very quickly. Everyone got what they wanted. If there were differences, they tried to compromise with each other. If they couldn't be resolved temporarily, they left it to the final discussion.

Normally, this is just the first meeting and negotiation, and the bottom line of both parties should be tested. But when both parties want to speed up and reach cooperation, the negotiation progress is frighteningly fast.

"Wayne, let them talk first. Let's talk about your movie." Jeff, who was sitting opposite, gently sat next to him and whispered. "If it is officially approved, do you have any special requirements before filming starts? I mean outside of the negotiation table."

"The scene of the film is simple. I believe Warner has a suitable studio. I can just add some outdoor scenes at the end." When the other party asked, he was not polite and started talking about his needs directly.

"The most important thing is the crew and actors, photographers, lighting engineers, assistant directors, and editors. I hope Warner can give priority to my choice. Because of age and seniority issues, I need to be able to suppress them and not because of rights. The struggle affected the shoot.”

Jeff Robinoff touched his chin with his hand while listening. After seeing what he said, he replied: "You can use the person you recommend, but the production manager must be an employee of Warner. This is a Hollywood rule. .”

"No problem, Mr. Robinov." Seeing that he agreed very happily, Wayne continued using the momentum: "The most important issue, I hope that the post-editing and production will be based on my opinions and can be held in-house in advance. If you are not satisfied with the test screening, you can ask the producer to re-edit it.”

Since he chose to cooperate with a large company and did not engage in the high-risk form of independent production, he was ready to give up the final editing rights. As long as he had the right to participate in the end, he was confident that the producer would agree to his decision. plan.

"Yes, this can even be written into the contract." Jeff thought for a moment and said seriously to Wayne: "I can make the decision and agree to you, but the prerequisite for our cooperation is to own your next two to four films. Priority investment rights.”

"I don't think there is any problem. Who can refuse the goodwill of a Hollywood giant?" This condition is not harsh at all. Of course he understands what the other party means. If the film succeeds, he will continue to cooperate. If it fails, there will be no more. investment later.

This was already a very sincere condition, and the way it was proposed completely took into account Wayne's feelings, as if he was very optimistic about him and eagerly hoped that he would succeed.

Until the noon break, the progress of the negotiations was surprisingly fast. Except for some differences about the later share, Jimmy had agreed with the other party on most of the terms.

Because the amount of investment is not large, it does not involve the issue of the treatment of the big names in the crew. Now the biggest star is the director himself. Since most of the crew composition issues have been resolved first, Wayne's rights and obligations are not too troublesome.

It was supposed to be a protracted, time-consuming and energy-consuming negotiation, but on the premise that both parties cooperated sincerely, most of the issues were resolved in half a day.

After leaving the Warner Building, Jimmy came out of the negotiation state. After getting into Wayne's Cadillac, he breathed a sigh of relief and said: "I didn't expect it to be so smooth. I can't believe how smooth it is! This is what I talked about some time ago. The 20th Century Fox negotiations are completely two extremes."

"This is a good thing, isn't it?" Hearing Jimmy's words, he drove towards Beverly Mulholland Drive. "This fully reflects our value, Jimmy. There are always people willing to believe that we can bring him more benefits."

"It's your value, Wayne! It looks like we can discuss your treatment tomorrow. At this rate, it won't take more than a week to sign the contract." Jimmy said, taking out his notebook and looking at it. Terms agreed in the morning.

After watching for a while, he suddenly raised his head, looked out the car window, and shouted "Ah". "Hey, where are you taking me? I should be dropped in Burbank. I have to work overtime in the afternoon to sort out the information."

Looking at Jimmy who was belatedly realizing it, Wayne said helplessly: "Have you forgotten? I'm moving to a new house today. Let's go to my place for a drink and get to know the road. If something happens, you can't find your client's home. Among brokers, you will famous."

The car drove all the way to the manor and parked in the small square in front of the main building. When the two got out of the car, they found that everyone was already waiting for them.

Now, besides Nina and Naomi, there are five white people at the door of the living room. The assistant understands his taste and has not hired any African-American people.

"Boss, this is the housekeeper Hela." When he walked up to him, Nina introduced her first.

"Hello, Mr. Greenberg."

Hela is not tall, has short hair, and has some white-specific freckles on her face. It was impossible to judge their age. These European and American white people developed earlier. According to his observation, they were no more than forty years old.

"Hello, Hela, let's go in and talk." Wayne took the lead and walked into the living room. After everyone sat down, he looked at the other people except Hela.

"Boss, I'm Chef Mike. If you have any special requirements for food, you can ask Hela to tell me." The bearded man sitting next to the butler introduced himself first.

"He and Hela are husband and wife." Nina reminded him in a low voice that this kind of thing is normal in North America. It would be more stable for a husband and wife to work in the same manor. "They used to work here and are quite familiar with it. Henry, the real estate agent, introduced them."

"Okay, Mike, prepare some food for us. Hela, do we have wine here? We need a drink." Wayne doesn't care what kind of people they are, as long as they work well, he will replace them after they stabilize.

"There is still some red wine in the wine cellar, sir." Hela waited for him to finish, then waved a few people out. "Leo and the three of them can maintain the garden, but they are too busy and have to hire a housekeeping company once a month. The manor also needs to hire some security guards, Mr. Greenberg."

"No problem, Nina, help me contact a security company."

When there were only the four of them left in the living room, Jimmy looked at this huge mansion and was a little stunned.

"Oh my gosh, Wayne, this place is so big. I need to take a tour."

"Jimmy, you're welcome to take a look at it. Maybe you will buy one in the future." He didn't care about Jimmy. Now he was thinking about his new project, and it seemed that he would start preparations soon.

Independent production is not in his follow-up plan. This is Hollywood, and his ability to resist risks is too low. Just think about how many ups and downs he went through until the release of "Happy Death Day".

In the battleground between money and fame, making a good movie will never kill all the film companies in the United States. Now he can be sure that he is on the right path. As long as there are no problems with the film, Warner will solve everything in the future.

"Boss, 20th Century Fox, Mr. Townsend Rothman's call." Nina covered the phone and asked him if he wanted to answer.

This phone call made him feel a little strange. They had never contacted each other privately. Even if they had something to do, it would always be through Jimmy.

"Hi Mr. Rothman, I'm Wayne."

"Director Greenberg, I heard that your agent, Jimmy, has started project negotiations with Warner Bros.?"

"Yes, Mr. Rothman, since Fox can't meet my requirements, we can only look for other investors." He has nothing to hide about this. It's all business. It's normal to change people if we can't agree.

"Fox needs time, Wayne. We work very happily together. You don't need to change collaborators. Don't forget, it was Fox who released your first film!"

Listening to the voice coming from the microphone, it was obvious that Townsend Roseman was not in a good mood.

"Listen, Townsend! Yes, Fox gave me a chance, but I also created a lot of profits for you. The conditions you gave me for this project are too harsh. What does Fox want to do? Use my project to make money. Kick me away after filming?

Fox released "Happy Death Day" for a large amount of revenue, and I also created revenue for you. We don't owe each other anything. Townsend, business is just business! "

The other party's attitude made him a little uncomfortable, as if he should hug their thighs and have no other choice. After saying that, he hung up the phone.

Just before answering this call, he had always had a good impression of Townsend Roseman in his heart. After all, he was the one who gave him a chance. Now it seems that the other party completely regarded him as a fool.

"It's okay, Wayne." Jimmy looked at him worriedly.

Seeing that Nina and Naomi also looked at her with concern, she rubbed her face with both hands and said, "No problem, Jimmy, you continue to negotiate with Warner and try to sign the contract as soon as possible. Don't let Fox affect us."