Hollywood Drawing

Jimmy has obviously accelerated the pace of negotiations with Warner, and Warner also wants to start the project as soon as possible. Both parties do not want any more surprises.

After two detailed discussions within five days, Jimmy and Wayne sat in the Warner Tower conference room again.

Different from the previous three negotiations and communications, this time the CEO of Warner Bros. was present in person to participate in the last negotiation before signing the contract.

Compared to the two sides arguing about the director's remuneration share, CEO Kevin Tetsuhara's attention was obviously focused on the detailed shooting plan in front of him.

He had roughly read the script and plan a week ago, and now he was going through the plan carefully again. He wanted to make sure there were no hidden dangers before signing the project.

The plan written by Wayne is not thick, and there are no regulations on the content and length. The key lies in whether the plan is feasible and professional. Can the expression be easy to understand, contain all important information, and be understood by both the producer and the production company?

The plan in his hand now, from the initial preparation of the film project to the post-production concept, is all clear at a glance. The planning is clear and clear. The first impression given is that the feasibility of the project is very high.

Kevin Tesuhara continued to flip through the pages, following the listed options one by one.

‘An overview of the film’s business plan and specific purpose, a brief introduction to the script and production content, the copyright certification document for the script written, recent trends and development trends in thrillers, a survey of the film’s target market and potential audience target groups, a recent box office comparison and budget comparison of similar films of the same type. . . ’

As he watched, he was filled with admiration. Among directors of his age, he had rarely seen such a project plan. The ones who have experienced the most are those fools who just hold a script and think they can ask the film company for investment.

This director can at least be worthy of being considered a top student at the University of Southern California, and his accumulation of professional industry knowledge is beyond the reach of directors who have become a monk by the wayside.

With this kind of knowledge accumulation and industry understanding, it is no exaggeration to say that it is more than enough to directly become a producer.

Everything is written clearly, and a closer look gives people a sense of reliability. It is definitely not the kind of self-deprecating person who talks about art but only has a simple script framework and cannot even make a basic plan. director.

And these are just part of it. Kevin turned to the back and saw more detailed content.

The film's production and shooting team, from the director to the crew and even the actors, have determined the chosen genre in advance. The crew job types that need to be invited have been determined, and a basic resume has been added to each position.

For positions that are not yet confirmed, the requirements are also listed for Warner producers to look for.

There are also estimated production details, desired shooting locations and production standards; fund flow tables, possible basic expenditures of the crew for each week; management methods after and during shooting; marking dates and times according to different stages of preparation, shooting, and production of the film. sheet;

All obtained rights agreements and copies of the director and screenwriter union registrations; art works related to the project, such as some rough shot drafts prepared in advance, and poster concepts drawn in advance. . .

There is not a single flaw in the entire plan. No matter who gets it and reads it, they will feel that it is an excellent and feasible business plan, and it gives people the feeling that it is worth investing.

After reading it twice in a row, Kevin put down the document in his hand and looked at the young director sitting opposite. This could be called a Hollywood-style, producer's template project plan.

He was now very sure that even if the kid failed at directing, he could turn around and become a successful commercial producer.

Looking at the director who was silently listening to the agent's negotiation, Kevin patted the project plan he had made and softly said his first words of the day: "Director Greenberg, I watched your film carefully. Plan, this is an R-rated movie!

We all know that the audience for R-rated films is naturally at a disadvantage. If you are willing to change the scale of the film and remove those large-scale shots and bloody scenes, Warner can guarantee that the MPAA rating will be PG13. "

After hearing what the other party said, Wayne was stunned for a moment before reacting. He thought that the other party was just attending politely and waiting for the final signing. Unexpectedly, he really read the script and plan carefully.

He didn't think anything about the film's rating, and directly said to the president of Warner: "This is impossible, sir! If I remove all the large-scale shots and bloody scenes, the contradictions accumulated by the sensitive racial metaphors in the film will not be released later. , which would ruin the whole story."

After listening to Wayne's words, Kevin leaned back in his chair, pointed at the information and recalled the script with a frown. Yes, from the audience's perspective, if there is no subsequent emotional release, the film will lose its biggest selling point.

This story is inherently absurd. The imaginative setting of brain-changing and the metaphor between races are inherently black, and can only be positioned as an R-rated film.

"Well, you're right, Director Greenberg." Kevin said with a smile on his face after he figured it out.

It’s no wonder that he thinks too much. Although the design of this story is absurd, even just reading the script is a bit nonsense. But the story design is exquisite and just right. Just reading the script makes me feel chills on my back.

If the film ends up with a PG13 rating, it doesn't affect the quality of the film. Compared with an R-rated film, the number of moviegoers will be much larger, and the box office figures will be hugely different.

"Director Greenberg, it seems that the contract can be signed today." Jeff Robinov's words interrupted Kevin and Wayne who were thinking. "You're going to be busy soon. I'm sure you'll do as well as you did last time."

When he turned around, Wayne realized that Jimmy and Jeff had finished their discussion, and everyone's eyes were on him. He picked up the newly printed contract and saw Ryan, the lawyer next to the agent, nodding to him to confirm that there was no problem with the contract.

Then he felt relieved and picked up the contract, with a slight smile on his serious face and said: "No problem, Jeff, shall we sign the contract now?"

"Of course, Kevin will sign a contract with you personally, and I'll go get champagne to celebrate. Even though there is no media, we have to celebrate this happy cooperation ourselves." With that, Jeff stood up and walked out of the conference room.

Wayne and Kevin Tetsuhara were sitting across from each other. After signing the documents in front of them, they exchanged words. After signing their names again, they stood up at the same time, shook hands and said:

"It's a pleasure to work with you Mr. Tsuhara!"

"Director Greenberg was a pleasure to work with. If you have any questions later, you can communicate with Jeff."

"Okay, no problem, thank you again Warner Bros. for your trust." After Wayne finished speaking, Jimmy handed him the champagne glass, clinked it with everyone, and drank it in one gulp.

Seeing Jimmy Wayne and lawyer Ryan walk out of the conference room together, several Warner executives involved in the negotiations breathed a sigh of relief and sat on their chairs.

"Jeff, I think we gave this director too much power, which is completely inconsistent with his status." John Gray from the film and television production department was also a member of the negotiation team. He did not express his opinion before signing the contract. Seeing Do not express any doubts until after signing.

"Listen, John." Before Jeff could speak, CEO Kevin spoke first. "The director is the one who directs this project! The project plan written by a director is more precise than 80% of producers in the industry, which explains a lot of problems.

As a production manager that the company focuses on training, you should understand one thing: never ignore the cost of a film. Compared with the producer-centered system of mainstream commercial films, such low-cost and similar independent films should be produced around the director.

As long as the financial supervision is in place within a certain range, the director should have control over everything on the crew. In order to control the budget, all staff should surround the director and give full play to everyone's wisdom and advantages to ensure that the small investment is spent wisely. "

"So, the most important thing to look at is whether this director is worth the investment." As soon as Kevin finished speaking, Jeff took over his words, paused and continued:

"Okay John, the production manager of this film will be handed over to you. What you have to do is very simple. Monitor the crew's funds and at the same time try your best to cooperate with Director Greenberg and maintain his directorial authority."

John nodded thoughtfully after hearing this. He had been a production manager before and did a pretty good job, but he had never participated in a project with such a small investment.

"Believe me John, this director is very smart. With your help, he can definitely control the work of the crew. Your job won't be difficult. Bring your eyes and notebook. Trust me, this will definitely be a different time." work experience."

After Jeff finished speaking, he patted his shoulder and left the conference room with Kevin, leaving John standing there thinking.

"Hey, Jeff, aren't you afraid that there will be a power struggle between the young director and the talented production manager?" Kevin walked side by side with him, his tone obviously teasing. He knew that Jeff was very optimistic about John's potential.

"No, Kevin. They will get along very well. John is not a strong production manager. His character is like the glue of the crew. There will never be a problem of two powder kegs colliding." Obviously Jeff Very confident in his men.

In a Western restaurant not far from here, Harvey Weinstein hung up the phone with an ugly face, picked up the red wine on the table and drank it in one gulp.

"What happened, Harvey, you don't look very happy." The strong white man sitting opposite him asked in a relaxed tone.

"Small problem, Mel." Harvey put down the quilt and adjusted his emotions. "A little director who doesn't know how to be generous. This is the second time he has rejected my kindness. I bet you have heard of him, and your film was lost in his hands."

"fxxk! Wayne Greenberg?"

"That's right!"