363 Full of sincerity
Within an hour, Renly and Drake were back at the same hotel, meeting another giant of independent cinema..
If the Weinstein brothers were born for Oscars, and all their works have only one goal: the Oscar; then Focus Features and Fox Searchlight were born for independent films, and these two companies are also affiliated with the top A major film company, as an independent label, specializing in the independent field.
The goal of these two labels is not to win the Oscars, but to continuously tap out more potential works and film practitioners from the independent film industry. To put it simply, it is the brand effect, which provides benefits to their parent companies. Brand building cannot be measured in money, and Oscars are just additional products..
Fox Searchlight's style is relatively fresher, and the warm and healing route is the mainstream. All of Wes Anderson's works are distributed by them. In addition, "500 Days of Summer", "127 Hours", They are also responsible for the operation and distribution of works such as "Slumdog Millionaire", "Juno", and "Little Miss Sunshine". Although there are occasionally dark works such as "Black Swan" and "Shame", in the end Just a few.
Fox Searchlight is rumored to be pursuing Another Earth and Masha Two at this year's Sundance.
In comparison, Focus Features' style is more open and closed, and often makes some unexpected choices. In their release history, you can see such films as "Motorcycle Diaries", "Into the Wild" and "Atonement". For orthodox independent films, you can also see works that challenge traditional concepts such as "Brokeback Mountain", "Eastern Promises", and "Pirate Radio". Of course, there is also Renly's first big-screen work, "Buried Alive"”.
However, the overall publicity methods of Fox Searchlight and Focus Features are more formal and traditional. In layman's terms, they are aboveboard and win with absolute strength; while the Weinstein brothers use all means to win, even if they get their hands dirty. no matter what.
This can be seen from some actual cases. In 2005, Focus Pictures' "Brokeback Mountain" lost to Lionsgate Pictures' "Crash", and in 2007, Focus Pictures' "Atonement" lost to Miramax's "The old man is homeless”——
Miramax was a company founded by the Weinstein brothers and was later merged by Disney. However, the two brothers broke up with Disney in 2005 and left the company to start their own business..
Standing at the door of the hotel room, Drake nervously adjusted his tie, then faced Renly and asked anxiously, "How is it? Do I look formal enough?" Although this was not the first time, Drake's nervousness still hasn't been relieved much..
“You remind me of a waiter in a restaurant." Renly replied seriously, making Drake nod with satisfaction, and then raised his hand to knock on the door of the room..
In about fifteen seconds, the door to the room opened, and what appeared in front of him was a middle-aged man about forty years old, with a friendly smile on his face, expressing his welcome..
The balding forehead is shiny, but there is still a half circle of short dark gray hair on the back of the head, which should be able to keep warm in the winter; the stubble on the chin is neatly trimmed, and a pair of gold-rimmed glasses is placed on the bridge of the nose. Paired with the lake blue shirt, he doesn't look like a person working in the film industry, but more like an assistant professor working in a university..
“Welcome, welcome." The man opened the door and made way for the passage. "Thank you for agreeing to my request to meet so quickly. I was originally worried that I might not be able to make a reservation for dinner tonight." He said politely. With a touch of affectionate humor, "The weather in Park City has been really bad these past two days. It just snowed in the morning. It's very troublesome to even go out.".”
The man guided Drake and Renly to sit down in the hall. "I'm going to make a pot of coffee. Do you want it? Or should we follow British tradition and have some afternoon tea?" The second half of the sentence was directed at him. Renly said.
Renly responded with a polite smile, "Having afternoon tea in Park City is not a good idea." His voice rose slightly, and there was a hint of joking in his eyes, and the teasing taste could not help but flow out.：
The area where Salt Lake City is located is a holy land for Mormonism. More than 80% or even 90% of the residents are believers. Therefore, the customs here are hugely different from other cities. The most obvious The important thing is that alcohol is not sold here, not in any public place, not even on the supermarket shelves - the beers on the shelves are non-alcoholic.
The man immediately tasted the humor in Renly's words and nodded, "Fortunately, my wife doesn't know the destination of my business trip this week." Another famous Mormon teaching is polygamy..
The subtle humor in this sentence immediately made the scene harmonious. The humor frequency of both parties was on the same channel, which was really helpful. The man turned back and asked his assistant to make coffee, and then he was talking to Renly and Drake. Sitting down opposite, "Nice to meet you, I am Douglas-Fellner, I am in charge of the management of the distribution department at Focus Features.”
“I have heard from colleagues talking about the grand movie-going scene in Toronto before, and I always wanted to see with my own eyes the person who has been the focus of recent discussions, and today I finally saw it in Park City." Douglas looked at Renly with a smile, his familiar enthusiasm The appearance, coupled with the topic of "buried alive", easily eliminated the estrangement between the two parties..
Just when Renly thought that Douglas would continue to get closer to each other on this topic, he changed the topic, "However, I can let go of my personal situation for a moment. I hope there will be time to discuss it in detail later, but Saint But the enthusiasm of the dance audience can't wait. I invite you here today specifically to talk about matters related to the North American distribution rights of 'Crazy Love'.”
Straight to the point, crisp and concise, and at the same time, it inadvertently reminded the cooperation of "Buried Alive" and hit the mark. It just set off the atmosphere and expressed enough sincerity..
Judging from the mere thirty seconds of meeting each other, Douglas and Harvey have completely different styles..
Drake was still a little nervous, but he no longer had the uncontrollable feeling of excitement just now. He looked at Douglas seriously and said cautiously but firmly, "Uh, excuse me, Focus Features wants to buy it." North American distribution rights for 'Crazy in Love'?？”
Douglas smiled and nodded in affirmation..
Renly had almost guessed the content of Drake's next sentence, but before he could stop him, Drake said directly, "My only request is that Renly can get 10% of the box office dividend." ." After saying that, Drake folded his hands on his chest and made a defensive posture, as if he would no longer accept any other form of negotiation..
Renly couldn't help but want to hold his head. Real negotiations don't work like this. No one will reveal all their trump cards at the first time. This is equivalent to directly pushing himself into a position of being passively beaten..
However, Renly could understand Drake's mood. To be honest, Renly felt warmly moved by Drake's firm friendship. The salary came second, and through the movie "Crazy Love", he made friends A group of friends, this is the most rare thing.
“What Drake means is that compared to buying out, we prefer sharing." Renly had to take the initiative to stand up. Although he couldn't undo what he just said, he could at least explain it briefly..
Douglas nodded with enlightenment, his eyes fell on Renly, and then his smile rose and he said to Derek, "In fact, I think so too. Renly is a very good actor, 'Love is crazy' He definitely deserves a lot of credit for the success of this movie..”
Drake showed a satisfied smile, nodded repeatedly, and then patted Renly on the shoulder, a hint of joy flashed in his eyes, as if to say, "I told you, right?" This made Renly also laugh..
“However, we still need to discuss the proportion of dividends." Since Drake got straight to the point, Douglas did not beat around the bush and took the lead in expressing his views. Seeing Drake's open mouth to defend himself, Douglas did not panic. Stopping Drake without hesitation, "How about you listen to our proposal first, and then we will express our opinions slowly?？”
That gentle gesture made Derek think carefully, and then nodded in agreement..
Douglas slowly leaned back on the chair and crossed his legs. However, he did not have the temperament of a superior person. Instead, he looked more like a professor's assistant participating in an academic discussion in class. As expected, everyone's temperament is different. , the impressions and effects brought about are also completely different.
Before the negotiation, Douglas was naturally fully prepared. Just now, Drake made a temporary request and he needed to adjust the plan slightly. "We have three plans. The first is a buyout. We are willing to pay five million in copyright fees." , buying out the North American distribution rights of the work in one fell swoop.”
Douglas noticed the look in Drake's eyes trying to argue, and he added calmly, "As for how to allocate this fee within the crew, you can discuss it yourself. Of course, Focus Features will take care of the subsequent publicity expenses for the film." Solely responsible.”
After hearing this, Drake calmed down a little and continued to listen..
“Second, share." Douglas said methodically, obviously fully prepared, confident and determined to win, "We will pay 2.5 million in copyright fees, and the crew will get 25% of the box office. Dividends. This ratio includes the dividend income of everyone including directors, actors, screenwriters, producers, etc. As for the specific ratio, that is a matter within the crew. But in this way, during the promotion period, the crew needs Bear part of your own expenses.”
“The last option is to divide the money. However, the situation is slightly different." Douglas paused for a moment, looked at Renly, and then at Drake, "The copyright fee is four million, but the crew's box office dividend ratio is 100. Fifteen points. Similarly, the crew members need to bear part of the promotional expenses themselves. Of course, Focus Features can guarantee that we will still treat the promotional schedule with the highest standards..”
After saying that, Douglas showed a big smile, "What do you think?？”
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