~： Six hundred and thirty-nine - a singer who yearns for Hollywood

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In 1998, Warner Bros. had a very good start to the year, and "Batman: The Dark Knight" gradually dropped from overseas regions, allowing the distribution department to start collecting a large amount of cash flow. In addition, the second part of "The Matrix" is also facing a downgrade, and the peripheral and copyright operations of the two films have gradually entered the white-hot process.

Warner Bros. still seems unshakable in the number one position among the six major Hollywood studios. Countless people in the circle know that as long as Wayne is still closely connected with Warner Bros., such results will only continue to be staged.

"Are you sure you don't want to come with me? Kevin and the others have prepared a celebration dinner for me alone."

Outside Madison Square Garden in New York, Wayne waved to George Lucas, who was already in the car, and took the trouble to ask again.

At the end of the award ceremony, he was not interested in all kinds of parties in the music circle at all, so Kevin Tesuhara called and asked him to come over on the grounds that he won the Grammy Award for Best Rookie of the Year. chat.

"No, I have other arrangements. Let's go back to Los Angeles and make an appointment."

George Lucas shrugged, nodded to Nina, who was standing beside Wayne, and signaled the driver to start the car.

The father of Star Wars is not stupid at all. The head of Time Warner, Kevin Tesuhara, doesn't call sooner or later, but he just called after the awards ceremony, obviously to make an appointment with the other party alone. , going to join in the fun will only become an annoying old trouble.

"yo, brother, why don't we go to the party together?"

As soon as the car of the Father of Star Wars drove away, Will Smith didn't have any scruples, he hugged an African-American girl, and swaggered over from behind.

Hollywood black superstar has a great rap voice, chatting in private, with a habit of RAP, especially when he just walked out of the Grammy awards scene, this kind of environment makes the rhythm in his tone stronger. stand up.

"Listen to me, brother." Will-Smith glanced at Nina, winked at Wayne, made an expression that men understand, and whispered: "Trust me, in the music circle in New York, the gameplay is comparable. Hollywood is a lot crazier, and you'll definitely regret it if you don't go."

"I still have an appointment, let's forget it this time."

Reaching out and punching Will Smith, Wayne still shook his head and refused, although he was also very curious now, how crazy are those music superstars who are more bold and bold in private, but after all, they have promised Kai Vin-Tsuhara, there is no way to go back.

For singers who he knew, who had a familiar face, and who had no impression of him, after the awards ceremony, Nina received a stack of business cards one after another, and the assistant lady was playing with these things from the moment she got in the car.

"What do they mean?"

Then she put the selected business card in her briefcase. The assistant lady looked up at her boss and asked curiously, "There hasn't been much connection between them who sing and us, right?"

"Out of ten singers, at least nine want to get into Hollywood and make a movie."

Glancing at the business cards, Wayne didn't take it to heart, he just replied casually, and once again set his eyes on the streets of New York at night.

The thing is so strange, when it comes to personal income in the entertainment industry, even a Hollywood first-line star who has entered the 20 million club is actually not as good as a big singer of the same level. Those who sing are the real volume. It's like a money machine.

But it's strange here, no matter what level of big singers, even those a coffee, seems to want to enter Hollywood to make movies, even if it is about paying money and time, it has never been a problem in this circle. example.

Barbra Streisand's success in many fields has been repeated several times in the entire Hollywood circle, and it has been a rare existence for decades. In fact, everyone knows that the most popular singers who enter the film circle are vitriolic and mean. Irony, but it has never hindered the desire of more singers to enter the film circle.

If you count the singers who follow the shadows, you will find that the small achievers like the ruffian Eminem and Latifah are only a small part of them, and more are like Britney Spears and Mary-A Kelly. Losers, it can be seen that this road has not been smooth.

But why, there are still so many excellent people in the music industry, even the kings and queens, who are rushing to Hollywood movies?

If you analyze it carefully, a small part of it is simply because of the inflated mentality, to play a vote on the big screen, such as Bob Dylan, he is such a mentality. People don't care if the movie has any results or how many bad reviews it gets, they just play it and leave.

Another part is that he really likes acting and regards becoming an actor as a dream, but he just happened to sing and became famous first, for example, Will Smith, after getting Grammy, immediately came to Hollywood to look for opportunities , It's only been a few years since the time passed, and there are already countless audiences, forgetting that this guy was actually a big singer before.

But more singers embark on this road at all costs, in fact, because of the sense of crisis in the music industry. It can be said that the music circle is changing very fast. Today, it is popular all over North America, and tomorrow it may be abandoned by fans and become an outdated singer.

Strictly speaking, the fresh-keeping period of Hollywood actors is not long, but it depends on who they are compared with. If they are compared with the turbulent waves of the music industry, the fresh-keeping period of becoming a movie star is far longer than that of a singer.

People like Zeta Jones, Mark Wahlberg, Ralph Hewitt, etc., if they hadn't switched careers and entered the film industry, they would have been forgotten by now. It is precisely these singers who have seen perfect amphibious superstars like Will Smith and Jennifer Lopez, and have not seen how difficult this road is.

"What do those film companies think? Do you expect these singers to sing well in the movie?"

Nina saw several childhood idols tonight. She was with Wayne in Hollywood. She had contact with a lot of film company executives, so it was very clear that these big singers went to perform on the big screen. It is equivalent to giving up all your own advantages, and the probability of failure is much higher than that of success.

"This question, you can talk to Jeff later." Wayne shook his head with a smile, pointed his finger at the assistant, and said half-seriously and half-jokingly: "I tell you clearly, Hollywood Studios, the So I don't reject these singers, just to let them sing well in the movie."

The film company representing capital has never been stupid, and singers have joined the film, which is not unrelated to the foresight of the film company. Letting singers who are well-known in North America play roles in their own movies can not only introduce new faces, but also attract their fans into the theater. From this point of view, it is much more insurance than simply introducing newcomers.

Most film companies do the same thing. The performance task they assign to singers is to sing well for me in the movie. Film companies and theater companies don't care about the vitriolic abuse from film critics and the media. Besides, it's those singers who are scolding and scolding them. What does it have to do with the behind-the-scenes film company?

Don't watch movies starring singers or supporting roles, they often don't do well at the box office, but once these movies are released from the cinema, they will immediately become the main force in the videotape market. Fans and movie fans have a lot of brain circuits. The big difference is that a large number of fans are willing to pay for their idols.

With the development of time, singers in the music industry have moved to Hollywood, and there is a bigger factor, that is, the short-lived popularity of retro musicals.

Since Nicole Kidman starred in "Moulin Rouge" and became popular all over the world in the way of retro musicals, Hollywood filmmakers like vampires, like sharks who smell blood, have begun to make low-cost productions. 's musical.

Even the enduring Broadway drama "Chicago" was put on the big screen in a short period of time. With the short-lived trend of retro musicals, both the box office and the Oscars have achieved gratifying results.

Facts have also proved that retro musicals are just a trend. After the wind blows past, they really recovered to the point where no one cares. Although Hollywood film companies still take a very cautious attitude towards shooting musicals, no one is willing to let go of this golden mountain easily.

Therefore, the reserve of actors who are competent for this type of film has become a backup choice for many companies. There is always one thing that cannot be denied. To train a singer who is born with singing talent to become an actor who has reached the qualified line. Much easier than simply finding the right actor.

After all, 99% of this type of musicals are low cost, and it is the main reason why film companies are willing to give singers a chance.

A famous singer in North America, the remuneration for acting in a movie may be only one-tenth or even one-hundredth of the same famous Hollywood superstar. It is not a matter of letting the singer pay for himself. Can't do it.

In the eyes of capital, they are the cheapest labor, and they come with a large flow of cheap labor.

"Warner Bros., with Batman: The Dark Knight, is clearly not willing to wait until the Oscars are over."

Seeing that she was about to reach Times Square, Nina seemed to remember something, glanced at the boss who was doing nothing, and talked about work. "The latest news from Colin Howard is that only now, the authorization of postcards, cultural shirts, stationery, toys, and other life-related items has brought more than 300 million US dollars in revenue to Warner Bros.!"

Taking a look at Wayne, I found that he was still indifferent to these numbers that could not bring him any benefits. The assistant lady blinked and said again:

"Just after we set off to New York, Warner Bros. has already contacted the factory. It can be said that as soon as we win any Grammy awards, the single "Somethingjustlikethis" will appear in the surrounding stores in North America tomorrow morning. …”

The biggest difference between Warner Bros. today and before the 1990s is in the channel development of various movie derivatives. With the continuous success of the DC movie series led by Wayne, Warner Bros. has already started to rectify this aspect. Among the major Hollywood film companies, Warner Bros. is second only to Walt in the channel advantages of movie peripherals and derivatives. Disney's presence.

At the beginning, for the promotion and marketing of "Batman: The Dark Knight", during the release of the movie, the single "Something just like this" released by Warner Bros. actually didn't make much money. At that time, everything was for the movie box office service.

Today’s situation is different. “Batman: The Dark Knight” has begun to go down globally on a large scale. Anything that can bring benefits to the company, Warner Bros. can say that it will not easily let go.

Just like Wayne won the Grammy award, they were ready to release additional single albums at the first time. The pricing of the albums released at this time was very different from that of a few months ago, and it did not have the same price as "Bat". A lot of discounts for the linkage between Xia: The Dark Knight.

The income in this area is closely related to Wayne. He is the songwriter and singer. According to the relevant regulations, there will be a large part of the profit, which will be distributed to him in the later stage.

"Nina, compared to these bits and pieces."

Bang, Wayne closed the car door, stood beside the car and said to the assistant lady with a smile, "I am more concerned about the remaining box office share, and let Colin stare at this part of the money."

The global box office of "Batman: The Dark Knight" is about 1.22 billion US dollars. According to the director contract he signed with Warner Bros., he can get 20% of the global box office as the director's post-production share.

The money that Warner Bros. has entered into Greenberg Studios has only a share of 400 million US dollars in the North American box office. It can be said that in terms of his director's remuneration, there is still a large amount of income that has not been realized. This is what he is most concerned about. big money.

"Colin keeps urging."

Nina picked up her briefcase, pushed the glasses on her face habitually, stood beside Wayne, and waved to Sergey in the car.

Then he turned to look at the boss who was observing Times Square, and continued in a low voice: "This part of the income is traceable, and basically there is no way to fake it. The team of accountants led by Colin Howard is mainly focused on " Follow-up revenue from films such as The Matrix and The Departed.”

Nodding his head, Wayne actually understands very well. The box office share of "Batman: The Dark Knight" is a lot of money, but in the long run, it depends on the joint investment between the studio and Warner Bros. The follow-up income from these projects can guarantee that you will have money in ten or twenty years.

"Warner Bros. has no shortage of cash flow right now, not at all."

As the two walked, Nina reported in a low voice. "I don't think it will wait until the end of the sharing period. Before the official release of "The Flash", the financial department of Warner Bros. will enter the "Batman: The Dark Knight" into the studio."

"hope so......"

Compared with Nina, Wayne understands the virtues of the film company better. It has nothing to do with whether he is a major shareholder of Warner Bros. In this position, the two parties are collaborators.

According to his estimation, if Warner Bros. deducts the time limit for the share, and each share is paid according to the most limited time, then at least this time next year will not be able to get all the money.

At least a penny is definitely not less. You must know that Warner Bros. receives the box office share from the theater company, and it is also divided in terms of time. If you calculate it by this time, the time line will be drawn very long, especially the part of the overseas box office, which will inevitably enter the rhythm of waiting slowly.

Times Square, also known as Times Square by the public, is still brightly lit even as it approaches midnight. There are nearly 40 large shopping malls and theaters here, which can be regarded as the core shopping and entertainment center of the entire Big Apple City, and it is also the first choice for tourists from all over the world.

The theaters on Broadway, a large number of dazzling neon advertisements, and TV-like building billboards, in the minds of more ordinary people, this is the symbol of the whole of New York, even Wall Street has to rank behind it.

Wayne and Nina were not in a hurry, they walked slowly on the streets of the square, surrounded by colorful neon lights, different types of street performers, news and song MVs rolling on the building, and a completely different night atmosphere from Los Angeles, making them Both felt a burst of freshness.

The most obvious difference is the number of people. In North America, only Times Square in New York can have so many people at night. Don't look at the big apple city as the famous capital of sin, but in this place, it seems that any sin has been covered up, and only the prosperity that is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people is left.

The headquarters of Time Warner is also in Times Square. It is not only a large entertainment center, but also the headquarters of many world-class news media headed by ABC, as well as news centers and studios in many countries around the world.

"Don't tell me, this is the celebration feast you prepared for me?"

At this time, in the ceo office of Time Warner headquarters, Wayne opened his hands and hugged Kevin Tesuhara enthusiastically. He glanced at the coffee table in the lounge area by the window, and there were several burgers on it. Obviously, this was the dinner of the Time Warner CEO.

"No, of course not."

Gentleman Kevin Tesuhara and Nina nodded, raised their arms and patted Wayne's back, and after the three sat down, proudly took out a bottle of red wine from behind the coffee table. "My collection, Victory Champagne doesn't, but I suggest you try this guy."

"Okay, Nina, let's taste Kevin's treasure together."

Nodding with a smile, Wayne shrugged at the Time Warner CEO, not polite at all. While the other party was opening the red wine, he opened the humidor on the table by himself, selected one to cut off the cigar cap, lit it with a spray gun, and leaned on the sofa and took a sip of it leisurely.

'Ding. ’

The two men didn't ignore the little transparent assistant. The three people's wine glasses came together, and they raised their heads and took a sip together with the flashing neon downstairs.

"In the group, there are people who don't want to see Jeff holding the position of head of Warner Bros. for a long time."

The two of them can be said to be a community of interests. Kevin Tesuhara was not polite. He glanced at the silent Nina at random, turned to look at Wayne seriously, and directly talked about the business. "And, on the DC series, there are people who are also concerned about your presence."

Time Warner is similar to Walt Disney in that it has never been anyone's company, and its equity has long been scattered. What's special is that although Time Warner has a lot of high-quality assets, the importance of Warner Bros. in this group has always been the first, which is completely different from the status of other Hollywood companies in the parent company. .

As Warner Bros. becomes more and more brilliant, in fact, inside Time Warner, there are growing concerns about it. No one wants to see a CEO who controls his own economic lifeline all the year round, and no one wants to see a DC series with a market scale of tens of billions, which will be dominated by a director from beginning to end.

This is a common problem of large companies. Although media groups' restrictions on rights have always been driven by interests, more shareholders are also worried about the risks behind them while making money.

"I see."

Wayne held the wine glass and nodded with an obvious mocking smile at the corner of his mouth.

How could he not be clear about the thoughts of those people? On the one hand, they hope that you can keep making money for them, and they also hope that even if you are kicked out one day, they will not delay the same project and continue to make money. This is the nature of capital.

"I only discovered it recently." Kevin Tesuhara leaned on the sofa and continued in a low voice: "There should be some shareholders who want to choose a more obedient one after Jeff. ceo."

The two here do not want turmoil within Warner Bros., whether it is the DC series, which accounts for an increasing proportion of revenue, or the sequel project that Warner Bros. has always maintained its success rate, or is actively The Little Witcher series, which was promoted and promoted, and even cooperated with Greenberg Studios, gradually started more and more film projects. As long as there is turbulence, it will inevitably be affected.

However, there are many factions in a large company. If you want to control such a world-class media group with one person, Kevin Tesuhara can't do it at all. To put it bluntly, he is also a part-time worker, and shareholders can control it at any time. Cast a vote of no confidence.

"I can't influence Time Warner."

Speaking of this, Wayne's confidence is obviously more than his opponent's. It is also certain that Bruce will take over all the plans that Jeff left behind."

As he said, Time Warner not only has Warner Bros., but also a series of other business sectors including Time Magazine, Sports Illustrated, Life Magazine, Turner Television Network, HBO, etc. Publishing, television, film, music and all related media fields.

Such a huge media giant, Wayne really can't influence, but he only took out Warner Bros. and DC Comics for two companies. His influence is the top level. If he supports someone with a clear-cut stand, the other competitors basically have nothing to do. Opportunity to struggle.

"Hopefully."

Kevin Tesuhara nodded. In fact, he had a headache when he talked about it. Jeff Robinoff, who was appointed by himself, was too sharp and smart, and he didn't let others chase him at all. The opportunity to step down is precisely the most sensible path chosen.

And this time he wanted to chat with Wayne, just to find out the specific attitude of the other party. According to the concept of a capitalist, he would not choose to support anyone with a clear-cut stand before the dispute arises, because Wayne has no need to help in the snow for a long time. Interests.

When personal feelings conflict with interests, private feelings count as farts? How can there be a lot of green Franklin attractive.

Obviously Wayne also understood what the other party meant, and from the very beginning, he gave his own promise. Only in this way can the two stay in the same boat all the time, and those plans that have just begun and require long-term operation can be smoothly implemented.