Movie Master

Facing Lance's ridicule, Cole chuckled and shook his head, "No, this job can be done by any top agent, and I'm not the only one who can do it." Cole retreated The answer made the corners of Lance's mouth slightly twitch, "But I have to admit, I hope I can get this job, and I think I'm capable enough to be worthy of this job."

At this moment, Cole did not hide anymore, but showed strong confidence, met Lance's scrutiny gaze upright, and conveyed his firmness with his head held high.

To be honest, Lance's understanding of the agent is indeed limited, and his understanding of the actor's contract is even more limited. When filming "City of God", he hardly needed to worry about these things. The small group of Brazilian actors settled in cash, and there were no contract issues at all; Far from being an important person.

Obviously, Cole taught him a good lesson. Even though he has been in Hollywood for many years, his understanding of this industry is still only the tip of the iceberg.

"Let's go back to the issue of profit distribution." Cole knew that he had already taken the initiative at this time, so he naturally wouldn't miss the opportunity to strike while the iron is hot. , which is also a matter of course, because you participate in the sharing as a co-production with the production company. But as your career becomes more and more successful, in the future you will participate in the share of adjusted gross income, in other words In short, it is pure profit sharing. In addition, there are reward sharing for overseas distribution rights, bonuses for outstanding box office performance at the premiere, etc., etc., which need to be negotiated by me.”

Lance raised his eyes slightly and opened his mouth to refute, but Cole didn't give him a chance, raised his hand to stop Lance's words, and then said, "I know what you mean, you will definitely say, this is up to you You have absolutely no problem negotiating by yourself. Yes, it is true, especially if you are negotiating as a production company, I am only an agent and can't play any role. But you have to realize that, It's cumbersome and embarrassing for the big studios to talk about profits, not to mention the nitty-gritty rights and interests I just mentioned. , still need to sit down again and continue to talk. So, you need a character who plays the bad guy and is responsible for fighting with the studio, and then you play the good guy and cooperate with the studio.”

There are some things that the agent can say, but the artist can’t say; there are some conditions that the agent can raise, but the artist can’t ignore his face; some contradictions, the agent can pick things up, but the artist must be scrupulous.

"So, you are the bad guy." Lance smiled meaningfully.

Cole spread his hands and did not speak. He just expressed his affirmation with this action, and then looked at Lance calmly, as if he had already played all his cards and was now waiting for Lance's judgment. But Lance believes that Cole is far from fully showing his cards.

The dirty and tiresome things that an agent can handle for an artist are far beyond imagination. At the same time, the services and opportunities that an agent can obtain for an artist by relying on their own connections are also far beyond imagination.

There used to be a saying in the circle that in the late 1990s, after each of the eight major Hollywood film companies came out with a film project, the Creative Artists Agency would immediately take over, and after they had selected it internally, they would then leak it. Come out, and the William Morris Brokerage Company or the International Innovation Management Company will take over. After they have been screened, it will be the turn of other brokerage companies. There are only a handful of opportunities to end up in the Screen Actors Guild of America. Therefore, it is even more difficult for an actor without an agent to win an audition.

Of course, this kind of statement is to describe the situation of the innovative artist management company as a single dominant company in the late 1990s, which is a bit exaggerated.

But it is undeniable that the existence of brokerage companies has greatly improved the status of artists in front of film companies. The salary of actors has been capped at 5 million U.S. dollars in the mid-1980s. In Wanshidai, the brokerage industry led by innovative artist brokerage companies has made great contributions. At the same time, driven by the pursuit of more self-interest, the agent also seeks more benefits for the artist.

Although it is said that many actors have rejected the help of their agents and independently took on their own businesses; but it must be admitted that the existence of agents has greatly changed the structure of the entire industry. In today's Hollywood, a check and balance triangle has formed between the artist, the agent and the producer.

Lance has always underestimated the contribution of the agent, but now it seems that if Chaos Pictures wants to develop further, he really needs the help of the agent. Originally, contract negotiation was his shortcoming. It was only with the help of Theo and Ian that the "day after tomorrow" contract was negotiated. But the problem is that Theo and Ian are professionals in their respective fields. people, but their understanding of Hollywood is really limited. Especially when he started to get involved in the field of actors, the role of the agent became more and more obvious.

However, as Cole said, there is no shortage of suitors in Lance now.

William Morris Agency, as the best agency in Hollywood history, has been established for more than a century. However, in the late 1980s, their lack of progress was overtaken by the up-and-coming innovative artist agency. Within five years, he achieved dominance over Hollywood, and he is still the top five Hollywood agency companies.

Tom is an artist under the Creative Artists Agency.

In addition to Cole, the brokers of Innovative Artist Agency, William Morris Agency, and International Innovation Management Agency have also contacted Lance one after another. It can be said that Lance has many choices, and Cole may not be the best partner.

Choosing the right agent not only means a community of interests, but the agent will also determine the direction and height of the artist's development. Although it is said that the two parties have a cooperative relationship of interests, it is not uncommon to change agents, but Lance knows that a real top agent is still very rare.

So why should Lance choose Cole as his agent? Just because of a friendship over the past year or so? No, Lance wasn't that softhearted. Now, it's time for Cole to show his cards.

"Two conditions." Lance is not a novice, and he is entangled in those subtle things, such as how Cole learned about "killing with a borrowed knife", such as why Cole started negotiations with Tom as the entry point, these things are not important. Importantly, a stable and trustworthy cooperative relationship, in the final analysis, is the collision of each other's capabilities and the division of interests. As for friendship, it can only be regarded as a lubricant-it doesn't matter if you don't have it, but it's better if you have it.

Cole straightened his back and looked at the two fingers of Lance's right hand. He knew that the real success or failure depended on this moment. He came to visit in person today, in order to persuade Lance before anyone else, and hold Lance's brokerage contract in his hands. Because Cole firmly believes that the future of Lance is definitely more than that, and "City of God" and "The Day After Tomorrow" can only be regarded as small trials.

"Number one." Lance shook his index finger. "I don't know how much you know about the work of 'Borrowing a Knife', but my definition is that this is a work that hits the awards season. They fully complied with my request.”

"Totally? Be specific." Cole was a little surprised, surprised by Lance's self-confidence, and also surprised by Lance's position, but he didn't ask why. He believed that Lance could convince Paramount and Tom. That's enough.

"Tom hasn't given any great performances since 'Magnolia' and I need him to break out of the way he used to be, maybe even change his acting habits, lose his charming smile, twinkle dog eyes , Throw it all away. Perform as I want, my way.”

Lance's unscrupulous words made Cole gasp, not only because of Lance's request, but also because of Lance's big breath. You know, as a director who has only filmed two works, Lance has no evidence of acting that people can trust, but he asks actors to perform exactly his way-and the object is still Tom, which is definitely a lion Wide open.

However, Cole did not jump to the conclusion in a hurry. He realized that Tom had agreed to play "Murder with a Borrowed Knife" under Lance's persuasion. So, how did Lance convince Tom? Is it an Oscar statuette? If so, it might not be impossible—Tom was almost a puppet of Paul Thomas Anderson when he starred in "Magnolia," and Paul was just a freshman directing his second film.

So, Cole swallowed the surprise that came to his lips, nodded, and signaled Lance to continue.

"Second." Lance nodded his middle finger, "I want the right to adapt 'Sin City'." Now that "Murder with a Borrowing Knife" has been filmed according to Lance's idea, why not be bolder and put the crime The third part of the trilogy is also in the bag?

Of course, Lance knew that this matter was very difficult, he just wanted to see how capable Cole was. If it fails, he won't mind too much, Robert Rodriguez, Quentin Tarantino's ambition to win "Sin City", Lance is very impressed; but if it succeeds...

After Cole was astonished to the extreme, he calmed down instead. "Sin City" is Frank Miller's classic comic book, which belongs to Dark Horse Comics. Lance's request for the right to adapt this work is obviously not without purpose. On the contrary, it also proves his thinking again: Lance has a clear goal and a clear mind, and it is clear that his acting career is by no means a pool.

When he chose Lance, he was waiting for Lance to choose him. This is a two-way competition, with challenges and a sense of accomplishment.

"Huh... I'll record it in my notepad." Cole knew that he had taken an important step today. Although he failed to persuade Lance to sign up as his artist, at least it showed that before he succeeded, , Lance will not accept other people as agents, this is a huge success. As for the next thing, although I have no certainty or clue, at least this is a beginning. "So, we can now talk about the 'Borrowing Knife' cast."