182 Riding the wind
“Hello, this is Renly Hall. I think I missed your call. Please leave a message if you have any questions..”
The voice of the recorder came from the phone. Andy Rogers did not leave a message. He hung up the phone and looked at Rodrigo Cortez who was sitting in front of him. "He went for a walk. Today is another full day." Work, need some time to rest and adjust.”
After three consecutive days of interviews, one group of media outlets left and then another group came. Renly had been interviewed by more than 120 media outlets. Naturally, this number could not be compared with "Black Swan" and "The Thief in the City". "Compared with these popular works, it is far ahead among independent films. Such a situation was far from expected by Rodrigo and Andy..
Rodrigo didn't mind at all and nodded, "I understand. I've only been interviewing for half a day today, and I feel like I'm starting to have a headache." He still looked frightened now, "I heard others say that interviews are very tiring, and I still feel tired. I didn’t understand, but now I finally understand that interviewing is a physical job.”
From the perspective of outsiders, interviews are just sitting on the sofa asking questions, but after personal experience, you know that interviews require not only mental power, but also physical strength. By the second half of the interview, my brain felt so groggy that it was really foggy..
“He should be back soon. Is there something urgent about your coming? " Andy always has a warm smile on his face, but his acting style is vigorous and resolute, without any delay, and he quickly gets to the point..
The Toronto Film Festival ends in one day. Although it is almost impossible for "Buried Alive" to win the People's Choice Award, the focus is not on the awards, but on the fact that Toronto is part of the entire awards season map. So, he will still There is a lot of paving work to be done.
Rodrigo and Andy had been in contact several times. After brushing off the Spaniard's lazy style, he immediately said, "Actually, I'm here to ask for your opinion. So far, I have received a total of four quotations for issuance, each with its own characteristics. Pros and cons, I really don’t know much about distribution. I was a little dizzy for a while. I need some reference opinions that can calm me down..”
“Four servings? "Andy felt a little surprised, because the quantity was still a little less than expected..
This is Toronto, not Sundance or Venice. Toronto itself is a huge issuance and trading market, and it is also the last large trading market of the year. After missing this place, there are still a few sparse ones after that. film festival, but after the big wave, there are no distributors left, and the quality is bound to be unsatisfactory. Therefore, almost all distributors are looking here for Taobao..
Judging from the development momentum and trajectory in the past few days, "Buried Alive" is on a rising curve, both in terms of topical effect and audience reputation. The distribution company should be more optimistic about this work. Although "Buried Alive" itself is not a gimmick enough. , even Renly’s bonus is still limited, but it also means that the transaction amount for publishing copyright will not be too high, and even some small publishing companies can join the competition..
But now there are only four? This is not a positive sign.
“Yes, four." Rodrigo did not hear the confusion in Andy's words, and a bright smile appeared on his face, "One is Focus Pictures, and the other is Fox Searchlight..”
Andy's eyebrows raised slightly, and there was a hint of understanding in his eyes..
These are currently the two largest independent labels in the industry in North America. They are as competitive as Weinstein Pictures during the awards season, not to mention who will win the awards each year. However, in terms of nominations, these three labels They are all well-deserved leaders. "Buried Alive" can be recognized by these two distribution labels, which is a happy thing in itself. As long as the news is spread, other distribution companies that are waiting to see will be willing to join the competition..
The invitations from two publishing companies are even worth twenty companies..
“Then there are two companies, Lionsgate Pictures and Roadside Attraction." Rodrigo recalled it carefully, and then said, "I haven't heard their names, and I'm not sure if I'm right..”
Andy nodded to express his understanding. The reputation of these two companies is not as good as the previous two, but they are definitely not unknown..
Lionsgate Pictures is slightly more famous. This Canadian company started out as a distributor and then also produced. It is known for its thriller, horror, and suspense genres such as "Saw", "American Psycho", and "Requiem for a Dream". It started with movies, and in recent years has gradually become a leading second-tier distribution company..
Curbside appeal may be slightly less popular, but this company is more focused and only does distribution. After years of precipitation and lag in development, it ushered in a full rise last year, with two works: "The Cove" and "I Love You Maurice" During the awards season, the former even won the Academy Award for Best Documentary..
These four distribution companies are definitely not inferior in strength, and this far exceeded Andy's expectations..
As he expected, the strong topicality and rising reputation curve of "Buried Alive" in recent days are undoubtedly very attractive to the distribution company. Not to mention the prospects of the awards season, at least it can attract enough box office when it is released; In addition, the distribution rights of this work will definitely not be too expensive, and many distribution companies are willing to take action..
Now it seems that the four companies involved are all well-known in the industry, which is really a surprise..
“What's your opinion? Andy didn't jump to conclusions immediately. He was just Renly's agent, not the producer of "Buried Alive". He couldn't overstep his authority to make decisions for Rodrigo, so he still needed a strategy during the discussion..
Rodrigo showed a bright smile, a little honest, but did not hide his excitement, "If it were up to me to choose, I would definitely choose the famous one. Isn't it true that the greater the reputation, the more resources?？”
Andy was amused by such a frank and simple answer, "Yes, but again, the greater the fame, the more cards they have. For example, Fox Searchlight.”
Because of Natalie's incident, Andy conducted a lot of investigations behind the scenes and gained an in-depth understanding of "Black Swan" and Fox Searchlight. He was not planning to target them, but to prevent them from taking advantage of Renly again - Renly is now He is in a completely passive position as a newcomer. If he is not fully prepared, the situation can easily fall into an unfavorable situation..
“They have now confirmed the distribution rights for 'Black Swan', '127 Hours', and 'Never Let Me Go'. The three works have one thing in common: the performance of the protagonist has been unanimously recognized. They Publicity resources are limited. When allocating and utilizing them, what position do you think Buried Alive can occupy?？”
Andy's words made Rodrigo look astonished, "'127 Hours' also belongs to them? Then why do they want to come and contact us? Isn't the current momentum of '127 Hours' far better than ours?"？”
Faced with Rodrigo's question, Andy did not have an accurate answer. He had several guesses. For example, for the award season operation of "Black Swan", Fox Searchlight could buy the distribution rights of "Buried Alive" and then demand Renly and Natalie cooperated in the promotion, which was a win-win situation. Andy knew that he would not refuse; for another example, they could wait for the price and see the follow-up trend of "127 Hours" and "Buried Alive" , playing the role of double insurance. After entering January, they will abandon the weak one to ensure their overall strength this year..
“This is not important. What is important is, do you have the confidence to occupy an advantageous position among the competition? Andy pointed to the point, which made Rodrigo stunned for a moment, then shook his head, looking a little lonely, and asked, "Then should we choose two other small distribution companies?"？”
“The advantage of small distribution companies is that they have limited resources, so they will focus all the resources on one work to ensure that this work can win." Andy explained, which rekindled Rodrigo's hope. "But curb appeal is gone this year. Now that they won 'Winter's Bone' at Sundance and then 'Beauty' in Europe, they've reached the limit of what they can do.".”
What Andy did not say is that it is very likely that one of the two works will be sacrificed. If nothing else, it will be "Beautiful Wrong" - because it is a foreign language film, and the Oscar's best foreign language film selection system is independent. Yes, the way public relations operates is also different..
In other words, no matter what the awards season prospects of "Winter's Bone" are, curb appeal is now at saturation. The tentative offer to "Buried Alive" is probably just a strategic inquiry on their part. After all, " The distribution rights for "Buried Alive" are not expected to be too expensive..
Rodrigo's shoulders visibly slumped, as if he had been struck. Independent films are indeed struggling..
Andy smiled, "What I just said is only for the awards season. If you just want your work to be released in theaters, then choose any one, I believe you will not be disappointed. The distribution capabilities of these four companies They are all worthy of recognition. You only need to choose a price range and package services. Once you are satisfied, you can sign the contract directly..”
Rodrigo let out a long sigh, "I know I'm still greedy. But……”
Before the Toronto Film Festival, he just thought that the best result would be if the film could find a distributor. Once he missed Toronto, the next few film festivals would be even more hopeless. However, after the film landed in Toronto, it received so many The past few days have been as bizarre as a dream, and he has inevitably developed ambitions: If "Buried Alive" can go further in the awards season, if he can win a nomination for an award ceremony, What if the movie could still become a high-profile film during awards season?……
The mentality of worrying about gains and losses makes it really difficult to balance.
Looking at Rodrigo's expression, Andy knew that the emotions he wanted to brew were almost over, so he spoke again, "Do you want to hear my opinion?"？”
Rodrigo immediately raised his head, a glimmer of hope flashed in the confusion in his eyes, "Of course, this is the purpose of my coming here today! Do you have any opinions?？”
Before Andy could speak, the door to the room was opened, and Andy and Rodrigo looked over at the same time..
It's Renly.
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