hollywood entertainment mogul

"Hi Duca!"

While watching the video behind the monitor, director Robert Rodriguez came over and sat down next to him.

"Robert, why are you here?"

"I came to the crew as an assistant cinematographer, mainly to learn from Quentin how to shoot movies."

Director Rodriguez shrugged and smiled.

"Don't say that. You are a director with a box office of 100 million yuan, and I only have a box office of 10 million yuan. I have nothing to teach you. The most we can learn from each other."

Quentin curled his lips and said.

Director Rodriguez shook his head and was too lazy to talk to this stingy guy. Ever since "Mexican" sold more than 100 million in box office, this guy was sour every time he spoke, and he was extremely envious.

At first, Rodriguez defended a few words, saying that Duca's plan was entirely due to the good publicity. Later, after listening to it for a long time, he gradually got used to it and didn't bother to refute it.

"Duka, are there any good projects in the company recently? I want to direct one and continue to practice."

Director Rodriguez hesitated and asked.

"Don't you have any movies on hand now? Remember, Carlock New Line and Universal are looking for you to collaborate."

Duka said doubtfully.

Since the hit "Mexican", director Rodriguez has also become popular. The 24-year-old young director's first big movie in his life has received hundreds of millions of dollars at the box office. This achievement is unique in the North American entertainment industry. He has also been

Called the most anticipated new director this year.

"Hahaha, don't mention it anymore."

After hearing his question, before Rodriguez could say anything, Quentin laughed a few times and said,

"Robert is a billionaire box-office director. According to the Hollywood director price list, his salary for directing a movie is at least 1 million. After the film companies calmed down, they did not want to spend that money, so Robert is now in a priceless situation.

The city’s embarrassing situation.”

Quentin winked and smiled.

Director Rodriguez's face turned red when he heard this, and he glared at Quentin angrily, "It's not that my price is too high and no one wants to film with me, it's that I'm not interested in those scripts. I just want to film what I like and suit me."

If it's an aesthetically pleasing movie that suits my script, I can make it without a director's salary."

"Haha~ Look, after this guy became famous, his temper got a lot louder."

Quentin chuckled.

Director Rodriguez's face turned dark.

Duca shook his head, "Quentin, don't talk for now. Robert and I will talk about business later."

"Okay, okay, let's talk."

Quentin shrugged.

"Robert, several films finalized by LV Pictures this year have directors. If you want to direct a new film, you need to write your own script or find a film that suits your style. As long as the script is not bad, the company can invest in it."

Duca said.

"Okay, I've also been writing a script recently, but I've written it many times but I'm still not satisfied with it. "Mexican Killer" had a great impact on me."

Director Rodriguez said helplessly.

"Haha, don't put too much pressure on me. No one requires you to sell hundreds of millions of dollars in box office for every movie. "Mexican Killer" is a special case and there is no possibility of repetition."

Duca comforted.

"I see!"

Director Rodriguez nodded.

The success of "Mexican" not only shocked people in the film industry, but also made him a little confused. He never expected that the box office of that low-budget B-level movie would exceed 100 million. This was a start to his career that he couldn't accept.

"Ahem, are you done? Let me interrupt. When I was writing "Pulp Fiction" this year, I came up with several good ideas. Robert, do you want to cooperate? I will write the script and you will film it?"

Quentin raised his eyebrows and said.

Rodriguez looked at him suspiciously, "I want a good script, I don't want a bad script."

"Nonsense, several major film companies are vying for the script I wrote, how could it be a bad script?"

Quentin said angrily.

"Okay, let's wait until you finish writing."

Director Rodriguez said.

Duca smiled and remembered that the two had collaborated on several good B-level movies, such as "Until Dawn". He hoped that the script this time would not be too bad.

After staying on the set for a while, David Geffen called and wanted to talk to him.

Duca drove to the Kapok Club Bar on Sunset Boulevard.

The bar is very lively in the afternoon. It is in a good location and is very popular. The business area on the first floor is more than twice that of Jasmine Bar. There are thousands of customers who come to the bar every day. Sometimes star bands hold concerts here, and the number of people is often large.

There are three to four thousand people.

The profit of a well-run bar is several times that of Jasmine Bar.

When Duca arrived, David Geffen also arrived, sitting in a corner and drinking quietly.

This guy is not yet fifty years old, is worth more than one billion U.S. dollars, and is considered a senior figure in the entertainment industry. However, this guy's sexual orientation is a bit awkward.

"Hey, Duca, you haven't been to the card game for a long time."

David Geffen waved.

"Yes, I was filming a commercial some time ago."

"Haha, I saw it. You are now more popular than A-list celebrities. Have you never thought of becoming an actor? I think you are suitable for acting in action movies."

David Geffen laughed.

Duca laughed and said, "David, you, who runs a record company, want to guest star as a casting director?"

"I am not a casting director, but I am good at discovering talents, such as John Lennon, Don Henley of the Eagles, and Axl Rose of Guns N' Roses. If you become an actor, your achievements will not be low."

"So you came to me to make a movie?"

Duca asked as she took a bottle of water.

"Haha, no, last time we talked about opening a film company together, are you interested?"

"A little, but not too much. The main reason is that LV Pictures has only been established for two years. Now I have a lot of work at hand. It will be a bit too busy to start a second company."

Duka said calmly.

"I understand your situation, but as far as I know, LV Pictures is not large in scale. It has no studio, no special effects studio, no printing plant, and no distribution department... I have a plan...

"

David Geffen's plan is to incorporate LV Pictures into the new entertainment company and become a production group of the new film company. All future movies will be invested and distributed by the new company.

Duca will become the general manager of the new company's film department.

"Film department? The new company does more than just make movies?"

Duka said doubtfully.

“Yes, the new company is a comprehensive entertainment company whose products include movies, TV shows, records, books, toys and other entertainment peripheral products.

In the future, you will be responsible for investing in and producing movies, I will be responsible for records, books, and distribution, and Steven will be responsible for TV programs and his movies. The three of us will each be responsible for what we are best at. The result of 1+1+1 is definitely greater than three."

David Geffen briefly describes his plan.

Duka thought quietly for a while, feeling a little moved.

Historically, DreamWorks Studios was a company that integrated film development, production and distribution. It was established for more than ten years and has produced many classic films and animated films that are popular around the world.

For example, "The Terminal", "Artificial Intelligence", "Cat and Mouse", "The American Version of Midnight Ring", etc., as well as animated movies "Shrek", "Kung Fu Panda", "Madagascar" and so on.

Before being acquired by Disney, DreamWorks Animation and Pixar Animation Studios produced almost all popular animated films.

When it was first established, DreamWorks had a market value of tens of millions. Later, it was acquired by Paramount and Disney respectively, with a market value of more than 5 billion US dollars.

Joining DreamWorks seems like a good choice.

But there are two problems here. One is the original founder of DreamWorks, Jeffrey Katzenberg, who jumped ship from Disney after failing to compete for the chairman of Disney's board of directors. Almost all the animations produced by DreamWorks are his.

's handwriting.

DreamWorks wouldn't be complete without Katzenberg, and it wouldn't be worth the money.

The second problem is Spielberg. In addition to DreamWorks, he also has Amblin Independent Film Company, which was established in cooperation with the famous producer Kathleen Kennedy.

Amblin Pictures is responsible for the investment and production of almost all of his films, while DreamWorks is only responsible for distribution and sales of peripherals.

When working with such a person, there is absolutely no chance of interfering in his movies.

There is cooperation but it seems like there is no cooperation.

Two of the three giants of DreamWorks have big problems, and Duca has many concerns about joining them.

"David, you just mentioned incorporating LV Pictures into the new company. Have you evaluated the value of LV Pictures?"

Duca thought for a while and asked.

"Haha, Duca, I know you attach great importance to LV Pictures, and I am also optimistic about the development of LV Pictures. After LV Pictures is incorporated into the new company system, we will convert the company into shares, and how many shares will be converted into specifically?

, this needs to be discussed after the company is established."

David Geffen smoked a cigarette and laughed.

Duca thought for a while and still rejected this form of cooperation.

First of all, it takes time to start a new company. DreamWorks in David Geffen's framework is a huge comprehensive entertainment company, including movies, records, animations, TV series, publishing, etc., similar to low-end versions of Disney, Universal, and Warner

.

Things were too complicated, he wasn't good at it, and he didn't have the time to spend on starting a new company.

Secondly, this form of cooperation has too many hidden dangers. The original three founders of DreamWorks were not united enough and each was responsible for one thing.

Finally, due to the trend of interests, Spielberg took DreamWorks Film Company to join Disney, and Katzenberg took Animation Company to join Paramount, and the company was divided.

If he joins it, DreamWorks will be even more divided and troubled. It would be better to stay away from this place as soon as possible.

Third, the profits are not big enough. The most profitable part of DreamWorks is a few animated films. The output and quality of the live-action films are not as profitable as Harvey Weinstein's Miramax.

Duca just wants to make movies and wait for the stock to appreciate, and his other pursuits are not high.

"Duka, please think about it carefully. Although your company is very profitable now and your movies are very popular among distribution companies, can you guarantee that every movie will be a hit?"

David Geffen laughed.

Duca shook his head, not necessarily.

At the beginning, he only needed to select good scripts to shoot, which basically guaranteed not to lose money.

However, directors who have cooperated with the company, such as Quentin, Director Van Sant, and Director Rodriguez, want long-term cooperation. Sometimes they receive scripts that cannot be sold well, and the company also wants to invest. This is a favor.

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You can't get along in Hollywood without being polite.

"That's right. In addition, you also need to recognize the fact that the Hollywood film industry is a monopoly industry. The seven major film companies compete with each other and sometimes are very united.

Although they cannot directly control theaters now, they do control the film promotion and distribution channels. If LV Film Company performs too well, it will sooner or later be targeted by the seven major companies, or even divided up. How should you deal with it then?"

David Geffen spread his hands.

Duca nodded. David Geffen was right. The Hollywood film industry is very monopolized. In the 1980s and 1990s, there were nearly a hundred medium-sized independent production companies and more than a dozen large-scale independent productions.

But later, Carlock Pictures went bankrupt, and New Line was half-acquired by Warner Bros. in April this year. The production was nominally independent. However, after the huge loss of "The Golden Compass", New Line was completely controlled by Warner Bros.

Miramax was sold to Disney by Harvey in 1995. The remaining Summit Entertainment originally belonged to Universal Pictures, Touchstone belonged to Disney, Searchlight belonged to 20th Century Fox, DreamWorks was divided up by Disney Paramount, and MGM was

The Sony merger...almost all independent production companies are under the control of several major film studios.

It is extremely difficult for LV Pictures to survive alone.

However, Duka has no intention of continuing to fight alone. Although eating alone is delicious, it will not last long.

If he has a big tree behind him and a complete film promotion and distribution system, he can make more money by relying on his existing advantages.

That's why he agreed to talk to David Geffen.

"David, you are right, I am also considering these things, but how can you ensure that the newly established company can compete with the seven major film companies?"

Duca asked.

"Haha, I can't guarantee it, but I am confident about it. First of all, I have sufficient funds, a publicity channel that is not inferior to the seven major ones, and many contacts. Secondly, I have confidence in several partners, such as film investment geniuses.

Talented director Spielberg, and I’m still looking for other partners. Why can’t a dream combination like ours succeed?”

David Geffen laughed.

Duca thought about what the other party said, and it seemed to be true. David Geffen is a genius entrepreneur, Spielberg is a genius director, Katzenberg is a genius entrepreneur, and an animation master. He is also a genius.

Cooperation seems to be beneficial.

So he proposed a new way of cooperation——

LV Pictures will not join the new company system, but will hand over the film to the new company for distribution. It can also accept investment from DreamWorks and co-produce, similar to the semi-independent cooperation between Amblin Pictures and DreamWorks.

In addition, he can participate in investing in new companies and become a shareholder without participating in operation and management, using capital to cooperate with David Geffen.

After listening to his suggestion, David Geffen stroked his stubble on his chin and thought about it, his eyes brightened slightly.

"Duka, how much money can you provide?"

"How much do you plan to invest in starting a new company?"

Duca asked.

"We need to acquire studios, printing plants, special effects companies, establish publicity and distribution channels, as well as books, toys, record production and sales channels, etc., with an initial investment of at least US$100 million.

The subsequent production investment will be at least US$200 million, so our plan is not to accept investments below US$20 million."

David Geffen said thoughtfully.

Duca thought for a while and invested tens of millions to get a ride on DreamWorks. At least for the next ten years or so, he would not have to worry about being merged or choked by several major film giants.

After ten years, he will be worth tens of billions, so what do you have to worry about?

"David, I choose to join!"

Duca stretched out his hand and said.

"Haha, welcome, this is definitely a wise choice."

David Geffen laughed, took his hand and shook it.

Preliminary finalization of cooperation.