National Tide 1980

It's really not easy to make such a big deal.

Although the two French film production companies that Ning Weimin favors are both established studios with long experience and rich history, this also means that the procedures are cumbersome and the structure is bloated.

Therefore, with such a large amount of money and complete buyout terms involved, even the presidents of the two production companies were not able to make an easy decision.

In order to avoid criticism and blame afterwards, they believe that the outcome of this matter must be discussed by the board of directors and approved by the majority of directors.

Even when the two parties formally start contact and enter the negotiation process, it is not that simple.

You know, when faced with the sudden appearance of a young man from the East who wanted to do business worth hundreds of millions of francs, no one at the top of the two French film production companies dared to believe it.

What's more, it's during the special season of the Cannes Film Festival.

Don’t forget, originally Ning Weimin just came to Cannes to sell movie copies.

Why did he suddenly turn into someone who wanted to buy a copy as he was talking?

This is too magical, things shouldn’t work like this!

Especially in the European film industry, no one or company has dared to propose such a large deal, which makes this matter inevitably suspicious.

What's the use of having so many copies of old movies?

Go to Asia to promote?

Just kidding.

Why do so many audiences like these old movies?

Today's new movies are getting harder and harder to attract audiences, let alone these old stories.

The most important thing is that the reputation of Fog Film Studio is not obvious.

It's not even popular in Japan, and no one in Europe has heard of it.

Such a studio has no goodwill at all.

Therefore, from a French perspective, it is easy to regard Ning Weimin as an industry liar who talks a lot and intends to play some tricks.

In fact, after the news spread, some people speculated that Ning Weimin might want to use the reputation of the two production companies to release the news about the film library purchase to hype his movie. real purpose.

Needless to say, no one wants to spend too much time and energy on something that has no results, and no one wants to be taken advantage of by others and deceived like a fool.

Therefore, there needs to be a prerequisite for contact on this matter, and the boards of directors of the two French studios must first confirm that Ning Weimin is indeed sincere and really wants to complete this deal.

And he still has to prove that he is indeed rich and has the ability to complete the deal he proposed.

Although Alain Delon has been acting as an introducer, this is not enough. The key is to have Ning Weimin present a letter of credit worth at least 50 million US dollars.

Of course, if Ning Weimin really has the sincerity and strength to complete the transaction, then he must prevent the news from leaking and causing others to disrupt the situation.

After all, everyone's movie copies are thrown away in the warehouse, and it is enough for two companies to compare prices with each other.

Therefore, the feedback information sent back by the two French studios told Ning Weimin their two requirements.

First, this matter must be kept confidential before formal discussions and cannot be publicized to the outside world.

If the media finds out, the matter will be dropped and they will not admit it.

Second, Ning Weimin must provide a letter of credit of US$50 million or a certificate of monetary assets equivalent to 400 million francs as soon as possible to advance this matter, otherwise there will be no discussion.

Of course, these two items are not a problem for Ning Weimin.

Confidentiality is the way to go.

In fact, Ning Weimin also just wanted to negotiate the deal safely.

As the saying goes, he has no intention of getting more film production companies to join the bidding.

He didn't have much money and didn't have much time.

Proof of assets is no longer a problem.

Almost all of his overseas assets are held in accounts at Credit Agricole Suez, a bank whose headquarters is in France.

Therefore, for the requirements of the two studios, he only needs the head office of Credit Agricole Suez to issue a financial guarantee for himself, which can be confirmed by phone and fax.

In fact, what really embarrassed him was another issue - a transaction involving such a huge amount of money, and involving long-term interests in the future, he needed a trustworthy lawyer to help him sign a flawless agreement.

The biggest trouble he currently faces is legal red tape and possible traps in the contract. What should he do in a foreign country where he is unfamiliar?

Of course, you can only rely on the help of trustworthy friends.

So as expected, Ning Weimin spoke to Alain Delon again.

I hope he can recommend me a good lawyer who is good at dealing with film companies and has a good level of experience.

Alain Delon directly recommended his lawyer to Ning Weimin, saying that his lawyer was most familiar with film-related terms and had dealt with both French studios, so he should be able to meet his conditions.

And in order to show sincerity, Alain Delon also took the initiative to suggest that Ning Weimin could use this person to draft the general terms first, and then use the legal counsel of Pierre Cardon Corporation to review the final agreement, and it would be foolproof.

But even so, Alain Delon also bluntly expressed his opposition from a personal point of view, repeatedly admonishing Ning Weimin not to make this loss-making transaction.

In front of two studio representatives, he couldn't say anything.

But after the people from the studio left, and when he was alone with Ning Weimin, Alain Delon couldn't help complaining about Ning Weimin's "stupidity" in order to stop him from the cliff.

"First of all, listen to what I understand, right? You are willing to spend hundreds of millions of francs to buy those movie copies that are about to be buried in the dust in the film libraries of those two production companies. And you only ask them to use three million to buy the copies you want. A movie sold in Cannes?"

"That's almost it, but you have forgotten that they also have to ensure that it will be shown in the five major cities in France for three consecutive weeks..."

"Who cares?"

Regarding Ning Weimin's addition, Alain Delon said angrily. The more he saw Ning Weimin's calm attitude, the angrier he became.

"I really can't believe that you have so much money at your age! What I can't believe even more is that you actually want to waste the money like throwing it into the sea. My friend! You have to spend hundreds of millions. Francs. Not to mention your country, you can live a luxurious life in France. Why would you spend such a huge sum of money to replace thousands of old copies that are of little use? You are a smart man, but I really don’t understand why you are doing this kind of transaction that is bound to lose money!”

Alain Delon's tone became sharp due to his emotional fluctuations, but what Ning Weimin felt was Alain Delon's concern.

He didn't feel dissatisfied at all, still smiling.

"How can you say it is useless? Film is an art. What I bought are works of art created by many art masters. There should be many of them works by you and Kathleen. You will never Are you denying your own movies? Of course, these things may not have much value in Europe, but it is different when I get it in Asia. People in many countries have not seen it. Who knows how big the potential market is? , at least the development of my motherland’s film industry requires watching a large number of films. Europe is the origin of film, and France is a powerful film country in Europe. I believe I will not..."

However, his compliments were in vain.

Instead of being persuaded, Alain Delon lost his patience. He interrupted decisively and criticized bluntly.

"Don't think so! You're still too young! And you don't seem to know much about the movie industry!"

Then, he listed the various disadvantages he thought.

"Did you know that film copies are difficult to preserve? If the warehouse is dry, the film will easily ignite spontaneously. If the warehouse is humid, the film will not be well preserved and will easily become moldy and deteriorate. Therefore, any professional studio must use constant temperature and humidity. To save it in a film library, the storage cost alone will cost a lot of money every year.”

"For this reason, when the film industry was in recession a few years ago, European film companies once destroyed old films on a large scale to recycle the silver ions in the film. Why would you spend such a large sum of money to buy other people's troubles? Let’s go. The money you paid is enough for them to finance the filming for at least several years. But once these copies are in your hands, it’s your problem.”

"How do you monetize it? Even if the size of the Japanese film market is okay, how many tickets can you sell if you get it to be replayed in theaters? Even if it is my movie, it is not enough to even think about the original "Zorro" released in Japan. The box office is 500 million yen. Now, if you just release the video tapes and sublease them to TV stations, you won’t be able to recoup the cost even if it takes a hundred years.”

"Of course, for you, there may be China's film market. I have to say that the market is indeed very large. But the ticket price is too low. Especially for my films, most of them have been licensed to China for free by the French government. You can reflect that. Where is the profit at all? Not to mention that China’s censorship system is so rigid that most French films cannot pass..."

Ning Weimin seriously lacks common sense related to the film industry. This is a fact.

When Alain Delon told him about the difficulty of preserving film copies, he was shocked. This was a security risk that he had never thought of.

And Alain Delon was indeed a big brother who cared deeply about him, almost thinking of all the disadvantages for him.

Ning Weimin sincerely appreciates it. When it comes to the meaning of friendship, Alain Delon has done a great job.

However, even so, he was grateful, but he could not reveal the real reason why he wanted this deal to be concluded to Alain Delon.

After all, his idea is too advanced. In this era of the Internet, there is no way to explain clearly what streaming media is, let alone prove its feasibility.

In addition, the interests contained in the film copyright and derivatives industries are too great. He strictly keeps secrets, not only for fear of affecting his other future transactions, but also for his own safety.

So he could only play the emotional card and try to explain his motives from another perspective and use part of the reasons.

"I do it for my wife."

Ning Weimin paused, deliberately showing his deep love for Qingzi.

"You probably don't know my wife's current status. Now she is not only a movie star in Japan, she also bought a production company last year and became the boss of the movie company. The movie we brought is her The first film produced independently after buying Fog Studios.”

"However, although the film was a big hit, and the videotapes and soundtrack albums also made a lot of money. But in the Japanese film industry, my wife still cannot get the respect that matches her new status. This is because Japan favors men over women, and it is also because the foundation of Fog Studio is too weak. After all, she is the only woman who has become the owner of a film company, and her studio has only produced one movie."

"In fact, my wife's Fog Studio not only does not have its own film library, but also lacks scripts, lacks manpower, and almost everything. It is difficult for Japanese film colleagues to pay attention to her and believe that she can be among the leaders of Japanese films for a long time. So it would be great if we could buy some French movies. Once we have these movies, we can not only effectively expand the business scope of Fog Studio, but also strengthen cooperation with film companies, TV stations and some independent theaters. We can even use some excellent films in these film libraries to remake some new movies that suit Asian tastes. So These copies are very useful for my wife to establish her position in the Japanese film industry. "

"I finally understand." Alain Delon said, "So... you didn't do it on impulse. You did it for your wife?"

"Of course, when my wife married me, we both did property justice and signed an agreement. She didn't ask for a penny from me. Even if we divorce in the future, she won't take any property. But I have always felt sorry for this and always felt that I owed my wife. Therefore, I have decided to buy these copies with my own money and plan to give them to my wife as a gift. I think that with these copies, I can finally increase my wife's income. Although the realization speed is slower, it is better in the long run and can always reduce her management and financial pressure. Isn't this what a husband should do? I can only help her so much. "

Ning Weimin played sentimental in front of the movie emperor, which was definitely a show of skill before an expert.

But the good thing is that he was speaking the truth, especially Alain Delon is also a romantic and has been hurt by love.

After hearing what he said, Alain Delon was silent, and muttered a sentence after a long time.

"True love comes first, right? I really envy you, you are a winner in love and life. Well, it seems that you really don't care about being a sucker. Now I know that my words are completely redundant. Young man, if you have made up your mind, then do it. I wish you good luck and I wish you love each other forever..."

"Don't say that, I am very grateful for your advice. So, what about the thing we talked about? "Crazy Rich Asians", the movie we are about to start shooting, how are you thinking about it?"

Ning Weimin saw that Alain Delon was a little uninterested, and knew that he was moved by the scene and was probably thinking of some things in the past, so he deliberately changed the subject to tease him.

"I'm willing to help, but in terms of time... I just need to show up? Just a few minutes of scenes? That's fine."

"You also need to be a consultant. We need to understand the living habits of the rich in Europe, so at least during the filming stage in France, you need to accompany us on site for guidance. The filming period should be about a week."

"Okay, then it's settled. Ask your people to send me the contract later..."

"Okay, how about the remuneration of $500,000?"

"What? My God! Am I crazy, or are you crazy! Do you want me to play the leading role? My friend, I really suspect that you are mentally ill! Are you not taking drugs? You pay me One hundred thousand dollars is enough..."

"Haha, no, no, you are a big star. You should be paid the price of a big star. Just five hundred thousand! You said that things are different when mixed with emotions. Aren't we friends? I have to be worthy of my friends."

"How come you are more like a playboy than me? I think your wife's studio will really have problems with you as a husband. Let's not talk about the salary for now, let's see how much money you will lose when you buy the film library!"

"Ha, can't you have a little confidence in me? Besides, these are two different things. For this film, I am aiming for the Cannes award. I plan to run it well at the Cannes Film Festival next year..."