Chapter 742 The sought-after cake
Although Edgar had his own ideas and plans, he still made judgments and choices in the blink of an eye——
Anyway, all five script projects It's all the same. Since he decided to bring them to Anson, it means that he can accept any choice.
“So, we should go all out to fight for it?”
Anson quickly captured the verb, “Strive for it? I thought that these scripts were all invitations from producers or screenwriters. Want me to join?”
Sure enough, Anson was still as sharp and witty as ever.
Edgar let out a breath, "Yes, and no, it's similar to the situation in 'Ocean's Twelve'. The attitudes between the producers are slightly different."
Anson He raised his chin slightly, showing a thoughtful look, but did not interrupt Edgar. He remained patient and waited quietly for Edgar's follow-up.
Things are not complicated -
Although Charlie Kaufman's screenwriting works have always had mediocre box office performance, this genius screenwriter has an excellent reputation in the industry, coupled with the "adapted script" The reputation has been rising during this year's awards season. Not only the best original screenplay, but also other awards such as best actor and best supporting actor are also competitive, which has made Charlie Kaufman famous far and wide.
The script "Warmth and Light Within" has not yet been completed. Charlie is still in the process of writing it, but colleagues in the industry have begun to discuss it. The news has spread like wildfire and word of mouth has aroused a lot of interest.
After some negotiations and competition, Focus Features stood out from the competition and defeated Sony Columbia, the production company that "adapted the script", to obtain the production rights. They will be responsible for investment, production and distribution.
Focus Features, formerly known as Good Machine Films, started out by producing and distributing Ang Lee's directorial debut "Pushing Hands". It has worked in Hollywood for ten years and made a name for itself by producing and distributing films. It has a series of With good performance, it was acquired by Universal Pictures this year and has evolved into what it is now, becoming a professional label for Universal Pictures to open up the independent film market.
The predecessor has already established a foothold in Hollywood and has a good reputation in the industry; after being acquired by Universal Pictures, it is currently in the early stages of exploration. No one knows whether this new company can continue its previous success.
Judging from Focus Features’ actions, it is still full of uncertainty.
Not long ago, Focus Features invested in Francis Ford Coppola's daughter Sofia Coppola to go to Neon to film "Lost in Translation". This investment caused controversy in Hollywood. Some people agreed and some opposed it. , but can’t understand their investment strategy.
Now, Focus Features has moved Charlie Kaufman to join forces to produce "Warm and Bright", which is another very risky step.
From a purely screenwriting perspective, Charlie Kaufman is indeed worthy of trust. Even if the script is not completed, it is still worth taking a risk.
But that’s not the point.
It is rumored that Charlie Kaufman said that this work requires a lot of computer special effects, so the production cost is required to be at least 20 million US dollars.
It was this request that made Sony Columbia Pictures hesitate.
"Adapted Screenplay" is a project invested and produced by Sony Columbia. Although there are no computer special effects, the film uses Nicolas Cage and Meryl Streep as the protagonists, and the final production cost is still as high as 2,000 million dollars.
However.
So far, the North American box office of "Adapted Screenplay" is only a meager US$4.5 million, which is obviously not a satisfactory figure.
Even if "Adapted Screenplay" is an awards season product, with its eyes on the Oscars, box office numbers are not that important; but film companies also need to find a balance. They chase the end of the awards season, but they still chase profits.
If "Nuan Nuan Inner Light" once again requires a production cost of 20 million US dollars, will they need to face the current predicament?
Sony Columbia hesitated.
Focus Features simply agreed.
As a result, Focus Features secured Charlie Kaufman.
However, there is a question here - is Focus Features stupid and rich, or is it rich?
Twenty million US dollars, not much, but not a lot, is not a small number for an independent literary and artistic work; especially when the box office is weak, the investment in this film is equivalent to betting all on awards. Quarter on.
If you win a prize, then at least your efforts are rewarded; but what if you don’t?
Also, Focus Features has just been acquired by Universal Pictures.
Among the seven major Hollywood film companies, Warner Bros. is the richest, while Universal Pictures is the most frugal, even stingy.
To be precise, since Ron-Meyer became the president of Universal Pictures in 1995, they have completely changed their production policy, no longer targeting large-scale productions, turning to medium-sized productions as the main body, adhering to a small and broad attitude. , adjust their position in Hollywood.
Over the years, Universal Pictures has been at the bottom of the seven major Hollywood film companies in terms of the number of large-scale production projects exceeding US$100 million. It is not that there are none at all, but the number is controlled. The company's focus is still on small and medium-sized productions.
So.
Universal Pictures’ ranking among the seven major Hollywood film companies is gradually declining; but miraculously, the streamlined and pragmatic business strategy has reduced risks and further consolidated their position at the top of the pyramid.
Now that Focus Features has been acquired by Universal Pictures, whether the investment strategy will be affected is also one of the focuses that Hollywood is waiting to see.
From a professional perspective, Universal Pictures and Focus Pictures are parent and subsidiary companies, and their operating rights do not interfere with each other. Focus Pictures still maintains its independence, and production and distribution are separate from Universal Pictures.
But this is only a theoretical possibility.
Just look at Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema. On the surface, this is what they say; but in the actual operation process, New Line Cinema still needs to cooperate with Warner Bros.’s strategy, and Warner Bros. to a certain extent Interfere with certain decisions of New Line Cinema.
Now, the same goes for Focus Features and Universal Pictures.
So, Focus Features promised Charlie Kaufman an investment budget of US$20 million. What is going on? Does Universal know?
The answer will be revealed soon-
Anson Wood.
It has to be said that Universal Pictures’ plan was successful.
In front of us, the "cat and mouse game" is making a lot of money. Universal Pictures didn't spend any thought or effort at all. It was just a simple and routine operation, and Universal Pictures made a lot of money.
Moreover, Universal Pictures has shrewdly captured the details. There is a gap and a gap in front of them. Now Anson still has not increased the salary. If it can be fully utilized, it may be able to reverse the unprofitable situation of Charlie Kaufman's movies. situation.
In turn, Universal Pictures could also use Charlie Kaufman's name to fool Anson and convince the young man to join the crew at a low price because of the name Charlie Kaufman. After all, for a young actor like Anson who has a status as an idol, Charlie -The name Kaufman is very attractive.
Thus, a win-win situation was born.
The most important thing is that Universal Pictures has proposed a bold strategy:
Make full use of Anson’s youth, popularity and popularity to redefine the work "Warmth and Light", Put aside the middle-aged temperament of "puppet life" and "adapted script", and create a new love book for the younger generation.
Whatever you think, how perfect.
(End of this chapter)