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Text Chapter 41: Invincible

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    "Call me Bruce, Verge. I read the script for "Little Miss Sunshine" last night and discussed it with my team today. We think the script is pretty good. I originally planned to give it to you after the Thanksgiving holiday.  I¡¯ll reply, but I¡¯ll give it to you to think about it in the next few days.¡±

    Hearing what Willis said, Ye Wei was so excited that he almost shouted that the big shot liked this script and was obviously very interested in it!  There is hope, there is great hope for this!  But I immediately wondered what to consider?

    While he was thinking about it, he smiled and said: "Yes, I am too happy to get your reply so quickly. What do you think?"

    Willis' voice came from the phone again: "I asked my assistant to ask Focus Movies. They sold you the "Little Miss Sunshine" project for $500,000, right. How about selling it to us for $650,000? Young people  , it¡¯s a fair price.¡±

    What!  ?  Ye Wei's eyes widened, as if someone had poured cold water on him, and he felt a chill all over his body. Oops, Willis misunderstood. He was not in the business of flipping scripts!

    He naturally knew that Willis had his own film production company called "Cheyenne-Enterprises".

    It has been more than three years since it opened in October 2000. Daily affairs are fully managed by Arnold Rifkin, Willis's friend and company partner. In the past three years, it has participated in the production of four movies: "The Perfect Thief"  , "Hart's War," "Crocodile Hunters: Passionate Journey" and "Tears of the Sun."

    In terms of box office alone, only "Crocodile Hunter" made a small profit, and the others all suffered huge losses. Fortunately, there is not only one producer, but also income from other channels to make up for the losses, let alone Willis.  My wallet is bulging.

    So Cheyenne Enterprises continues to produce, with "The Whole 10 Yards" and "Hot Fuzz" scheduled for release next year; it has also taken a stake in the action film "The Wire," which will start shooting in January next year with a production budget of 50 million.  Last year, they also bought the adaptation rights of nine novels and planned to make 2-4 movies. This is all old news.

    This is an ambitious company.

    Ye Wei has long thought that as long as he can get Willis to join the franchise, he can use financing, co-production and other production methods without doing overseas pre-sales. The key is the distribution of equity, and that he will serve as producer and director

    But now Willis thinks that the Dream Alliance is just a middleman that buys and sells movie projects, which is not good.

    He pondered for a while, walked to the window, and said: "Bruce, our company is committed to film production, and we attach great importance to the project of "Little Miss Sunshine". We are not looking for you to read the script to sell it, but to invite you."  and Cheyenne Enterprises join it.¡±

    "Oh?" Willis was startled over there. After all, he was an old actor, and he immediately said: "This way we can set up a project and give it a try. Whether we really want to put it into production, and who the cast and crew will find, we will talk about this later."

    Ye Wei looked at the night sky and frowned even higher. This so-called "project establishment" was just an intention. No money was spent, no filming was done, there were only meetings one after another. Instead of talking to Willis, he would not even meet Wei Lis.  On the other hand, Leith talked with Arnold Rifkin and others, and then talked about it for a year and a half, but the result was probably not filming.

    He didn't have the time or leisure to get stuck in the quagmire of Hollywood's commercial production, and tried: "I don't know if you know one thing, but the contract we signed with Focus has a limited clause, and filming must start within two years, otherwise the project will be lost again."  It¡¯s the focus.¡±

    "Weige, you know something about movies, so I'll just say it bluntly. It's not a problem with Focus. Just let them take shares. But if my company joins "Little Miss Sunshine", it must be the main producer. How to make it by  We'll decide. And I can't give you any guarantees. Projects that have been prepared for a long time may or may not be made. If you don't agree, then I have no interest in cooperation between the two parties.

    But I really like this script. If you give it to us, it will be in the first echelon of our production plan.  If it is actually produced, if you have enough funds, you can participate in the stock, about 10%; I will also advocate giving you the title of Assistant Producer (Associate-Producer), which is already very good for you.  "

    Willis¡¯s words not only did not make Ye Wei excited, but made him even more helpless.

    To be fair, this is a fair and righteous statement.

    First of all, Willis thought highly of him, because this call could have been made by an assistant, agent, etc., but he made it in person, and it had to be done on the eve of Thanksgiving by a superstar who is currently among the top five paid Hollywood stars.  Isn't it a reward?

    Secondly, the resale price of 650,000 is very high. In less than a week, it has increased by 150,000, 30%!  They are also willing to allow Dream Chaser Alliance to participate in 10% of the shares.

    Third, an assistant producer title!

    The Assistant Producer is located atThere are two types of people at the lowest level in the film pyramid. One type is the one who really works, doing the most and getting the least; the other type does nothing and is used as a gift to the big shot, which sounds worse like bribery or bribery.  What benefit transactions are made.  There are also many times where it is just to make big shots feel good. For example, Willis was not involved in the production of a certain film, but was an assistant producer (planner). This makes it look powerful and can even be used as a selling point for the film during promotions.  .

    In David Mamet's "Small Town", one character asks, "What's the use of the title of assistant producer?" Another character replies, "If you promise to give it to your lover,  If the secretary gets a raise, then it is a substitute for the salary.¡±

    Therefore, the Producers Guild continues to crack down on this trend. When "Shakespeare in Love" received the Oscar for Best Picture in 1999, five producers swarmed toward the stage. Subsequently, the Academy and the Producers Guild decided that every film nominated in the future would  A film can only be signed by three producers, three who "occupy a dominant position in the production activities."

    So the atmosphere has changed, and now the title of assistant producer is worthless, and the big shots don¡¯t like it anymore, and even think it is an insult.

    But for him, for a 15-year-old boy with a blank list of works, this is priceless!

    With this title, he will apply to USC, UCLA, NYU which university will not accept him?  He will become a star student!

    This is really a huge temptation. If it had been anyone else, they would have agreed hastily. Otherwise, what, reject it?  Want more?  Who do you think you are?

    ??Limited terms?  Forget it, with Willis joining, the Focus group will regret it to death on the one hand, and on the other hand they will drool over the 15% stake. Who cares about the terms and conditions.

    This is why Ye Wei is helpless. Logically, he should agree, but he doesn't know how to appreciate it!

    "Bruce, I'm very, very grateful for your proposal. As you said, it's great, but I still can't accept it. I don't just want a title When I say this, you may think I'm crazy, but I  I still have to say"

    Ye Wei's eyes narrowed, and he couldn't say anything anymore: "I want to be the producer and director of "Little Miss Sunshine", and I can do it. If Cheyenne Enterprises is willing to invest in this, whether you will appear or not, chasing  Whether it¡¯s 10% of the shares of Dream Alliance or any other amount, I¡¯ll gladly accept it.¡±

    "You? Producer and director?" Willis's voice was full of absurd surprise, "Do you know what you are talking about?"

    The kindness in his tone was gone, and there was annoyance in the coldness. It was as if he was talking to a polite, humble, mature and promising young man who knew movies one second, and the next second he was talking to a stupid and arrogant person.  , a guy who doesn¡¯t understand the world and doesn¡¯t understand movies is rambling.

    Negotiate terms?  The conditions he offered were not good enough?  Giving millions of dollars worth of business to a ninth grader?  !  Who is crazy!

    ¡°Boy, boy, are you kidding me? I don¡¯t like to joke around when we¡¯re talking about business.¡±

    "No, sir" Ye Wei had expected this and did not panic. He said sincerely: "I know this is crazy. It is impossible to convince others of my talent with just a few words, so I am making  I am writing, directing, editing and scoring a 10-minute short film to show my abilities.¡±

    ¡°Haha, you have courage, but that¡¯s not how the world works.¡±

    Willis no longer wanted to waste any more time, and said in a very calm voice: "No matter who told you this, he is wrong. You have to think carefully again. That's it. If you change your mind, you can contact our company,  The plan I opened before is still valid, but it may change after a while, and every company¡¯s production schedule will not wait for anyone.¡±

    Hearing that the other party was about to say "goodbye", Ye Wei quickly said: "I know, I implore you one thing. When my short film is finished, please spare 10 minutes to watch it! Mr.  , you have always been a person who is willing to give young people a chance. If you are willing to give Shyamalan a chance, please give me a chance! "

    "I've already given it to you. You should know that opportunities don't always come around. Think about it carefully these days. Goodbye."

    As soon as Willis finished speaking, he ended the call and a beep came from the phone¡ª¡ª

    "Huh!" Ye Wei raised his head and exhaled. The situation on Willis's side was completely different. But what can be done? As long as he insists on his request, this situation will happen again in the future.  All he can do is continue at his own pace, shoot the short film as soon as possible, and convince the big shots!

    It was just that he was always depressed. He wanted to talk to someone. Seeing that it was still early, he called Lily: "Hi, good evening. The big shot just replied to me"

    Hearing him talk about rejecting Willis' plan, Lily couldn't help but exclaimed "What", sheSomewhat short of breath: "Why don't you agree? This plan is very good for us!"

    "Because I want to be a producer and director, he thinks I'm crazy." Ye Wei pressed his forehead helplessly.

    "Oh Wei, Wei Ge, I don't know what should I say"

    Lily immediately laughed and sighed, as if she was distressed: "This is indeed crazy. If you agree, we will already have nearly 30% of the income, anddon't you really know the level of "Good People Are Rewarded"  How far is it from a professional film?¡±

    "Yes, I know, but it's just for fun. It's different when I'm serious." Ye Wei could only explain it this way, seeking encouragement: "Lily, I need your trust, believe me, okay?"

    "I" Lily paused for a short while, then spoke softly but resolutely: "I believe you! Wei, you are walking on a tightrope now. If your short film is not so good, it will ruin a lot of everyone's hard work.  , You have a very good future. I just thought about it in a bad direction, and I felt scared. As an assistant producer of the film that Bruce Willis may star in, do you know how rare this is?  An idiot arrogant who was laughed at by everyone.

    But I thought, screw them!  What do those people know? They dare not dream, but you dare That's why you are so different, and you make me believe in you!  "

    "Thank youLily, thank you." Ye Wei was very moved when she heard this. She chose emotion, she chose to believe and support me!

    "Well, try your best!" Lily's clear laughter came from the mobile phone. You can imagine that she must have a sweet smile. "No one can make professional movies at the age of 15 or 16. That's a mortal, but you are a VIY.  ¡±

    "I may not be able to do it either. How about being 17? Hahaha!"

    "You're still laughing, my God! Look what I said Wait, I have to get on the plane, let's stop talking here. I don't have time to talk on the phone these days. Let's talk about it when we get back, okay?"

    ¡°Well, have a nice trip, have fun, and may the Force be with you.¡±

    "May the Force be with you, good night."

    Toot, toot¡ª

    After hanging up the phone for a long time, Ye Wei was still looking at the phone screen, smiling for a long time, something was tumbling in his heart, and even he couldn't tell it clearly. He only knew that he was full of energy now!  He murmured with a smile: "Girl, for your trust, I have to do a damn good job! GO! GO! GO!"

    He rushed a few steps and returned to the computer desk to work. The script had almost been revised. The next step was to prepare for many things, one of which was to find the leading actor.

    There are many characters who appear in the script, but it is not difficult to find Anne¡¯s parents. The USC actor database has a lot of suitable amateur, semi-professional and professional actors. The key is the two leading actors.  Toto can be played by Toto's true self. If he really doesn't have the talent, he will have to spend money to find a professional dog actor.

    The most difficult thing is to choose Annie. Of course Duoduo can¡¯t do it. She is too young and has never taken acting classes. He wants a professional actor aged 7-10!

    Invite well-known child actors?  Dakota Fanning?  That's the same difficulty as asking Willis to play Richard.  There is no need to worry about production funds, so there is no need to worry about it. It is better to set a practical goal: an outstanding little girl who has not yet made her mark!
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