Chapter 41: Negotiations

After chatting in the Performance Department for a while, everyone was very enthusiastic, and Lin Nan received many contact details.

Keeping an eye on the time, he left that area; there were clear signs for the exchange meeting, so Lin Nan went over alone, while Hu Ge stayed in the Performance Department.

"Should we go over there and take a look? Didn't our class teacher say there would be many film and television companies, producers, and directors coming?"

It was unclear who mentioned it, but everyone looked in that direction with a tacit understanding; the school's intention was obvious, as this was effectively a semi-promotional event.

The sharp students had understood the implication as soon as the teacher first greeted them.

Lin Nan ran into an acquaintance from Shanghai Film Group.

"Director Lin, now that you've come to the Magic City, why didn't you say you were coming to visit the group? President Ren was just talking about you a while ago."

This was no lie; Lin Nan's first film was helped by Shanghai Film Group, but he had grown closer to China Film Group afterward.

The post-production and distribution of *Blind Mountain*, along with Enlight Media's promotion of *Crazy Stone*, suddenly left Shanghai Film Group with nothing to do.

President Ren would certainly mention him, but the Film Academy was in the north after all, and China Film Group was closer, giving them an inherent advantage.

"It'll have to be next time. After the exchange meeting, I have to catch a flight. Come to think of it, it really has been a long time since I last saw President Ren."

"Then next time it is. Let's head in first..."

The person from Shanghai Film Group smiled, and the two of them signed the register together.

The Shanghai Theatre Academy had made quite a show of it, even inviting some media.

Lin Nan saw many signatures: Huayi, China Film Group, Western Film Group, and other film companies, famous directors and screenwriters, as well as cultural troupes, drama troupes, and some television production companies.

The venue was already very lively; taking advantage of the host's platform, everyone was chatting excitedly, though it was impossible to tell how much was genuine and how much was fake.

Cai Yinong from Tang Ren was also there, chatting with a few screenwriters, and Lin Nan also saw Lu Chuan.

Although the box office for *Kekexili* had flopped badly and the copyright hadn't sold well, the Golden Horse Award for Best Picture and the Jury Prize at the Tokyo International Film Festival had naturally made him a well-known director.

Lin Nan's entry attracted a batch of gazes, including those of this senior, Lu Chuan, who turned and walked toward the Huayi crowd in the distance.

Many people greeted Lin Nan, mostly heads of film companies, as well as some directors and screenwriters.

The exchange meeting entered its main topic, starting with data on films and television dramas from the past two years, as well as outstanding works and awards in drama and opera, which were presented to everyone in the form of a report.

The first half was quite official, but the second half contained some personal agendas, detailing the achievements of the Shanghai Theatre Academy in recent years, especially by citing some excellent students.

Lin Nan looked at the person from Shanghai Film Group beside him with a puzzled expression, thinking to himself that they shouldn't be so direct—it was, after all, one of the three major art institutions.

Who knew the person from Shanghai Film Group would smile and lower their voice, "Film and television exchange meetings, especially those held by institutions, are actually about this. You haven't been to your Film Academy's exchange meeting, have you?"

The other person looked at Lin Nan with a certain expression, convinced that this was Lin Nan's first time attending such an exchange meeting.

"It was my rashness..."

Lin Nan turned his head and continued listening to the speaker.

"The film and television industry is changing with each passing day and developing vigorously. Everyone here is a pillar of the domestic film and television industry, and we hope you can give the academy's students a chance to showcase themselves and give young people a stage..."

Lin Nan did take it to heart; the number of film crews was growing every year, but it was far from keeping pace with the growth rate of industry personnel. Art institutions were also worried about employment rates; it wasn't enough to just produce a few frontrunners.

There were too many examples of students from art institutions graduating but being unable to work in their field. It wasn't that they didn't want to, but that they had no opportunity. The school's efforts in this regard were highly commendable.

Cultural troupes and drama troupes generally preferred students from drama academies, and the two drama academies had indeed produced many excellent stage actors, but after all, the mainstream wasn't stage drama.

The latter part was the real exchange meeting. Many companies brought out projects and quotas, though certainly not major resources, but this was enough; there would be dedicated audition channels left for the students here afterward.

Companies, as well as companies and directors or screenwriters, used this opportunity to network for cooperation or recruitment.

Lin Nan socialized for a while before taking the opportunity to slip out of the venue.

There were many students outside, which was also the academy's intention.

Seeing Lin Nan's figure emerge, many people's eyes lit up.

A young girl ran over, "Hello, Director Lin, I'm Wang Xiaochen from the 2004 Acting Class at the Shanghai Theatre Academy..."

"I'm Jiang Shuying from the 2004 class..."

By the time Lin Nan saw Hu Ge, five people had already greeted him.

"Isn't there a reception banquet later? Why did you come out?"

"I'm not really used to that kind of setting. I have a flight tomorrow, a long journey, so I need to rest up tonight. I came to let you know."

"Where to? A long journey at that," Hu Ge asked curiously.

"California."

Hu Ge nodded, "Then let me treat you to another meal this afternoon as a farewell."

"No problem."

The next morning, Hu Ge drove Lin Nan to the airport.

In the waiting lounge, Lin Nan contacted Tang Mu; he would arrive in Los Angeles around eight o'clock on the morning of the fifth.

During the twelve-hour flight, Lin Nan slept for eight hours, and by the time he landed, a new day had just begun.

"The air isn't exactly sweet, either..."

As the crowd surged out, he could see many people from afar holding signs to pick up passengers. Lin Nan scanned the area, looking for his target.

Someone was waving a sign and shouting loudly, "Line here..."

A slightly chubby man who looked to be in his thirties, with short brown hair and glasses, half a head shorter than Lin Nan, was none other than Tang Mu.

"Welcome to Los Angeles."

After walking closer, Tang Mu spoke in standard Mandarin and gave Lin Nan a hug.

When they first met, Lin Nan was surprised by the other's Mandarin, only to learn later that he had proactively hired a Chinese teacher to learn the language, with a simple goal: to facilitate work and communication with Eastern clients.

"Lin, they've urged me several times. They've taken a liking to your script; you are simply a genius..."

Tang Mu did not stint on his praise. Working for Lin Nan for so long had not only been easy but had also earned him quite a few greenbacks.

"This time, I need you to help me find a professional lawyer. We can't have any issues with the contract," Lin Nan said while sitting in Tang Mu's car.

Tang Mu, who was driving, was visibly excited upon hearing this, "Does this mean you've decided to sell the script?"

"Let's talk about the first one for now; the others are a matter for later. What about the other companies?"

"There are quite a few companies contacting me, and many directors have inquired, but none have made a clear offer. However, I am sixty percent sure they won't give up."

Lin Nan nodded. Previously, Tang Mu had always been the one relaying messages for him, and the conditions he quoted were certainly not the asking price of a newcomer. At the very least, over here, he was a newcomer at the time.

"No rush. At worst, I'll invest the money to do it myself and find a company to distribute it, don't you think?" Lin Nan laughed.

"Yes. I've read every script you've sent over. You really should come to Hollywood; you belong here."

"Congratulations again on your Best Director award in Berlin. My god, you're still so young. Back then, I was still taking my professional qualification exam..."

Tang Mu chattered on the whole way; he was a talkative American.

Lin Nan checked into a star-rated hotel. Tang Mu asked if he wanted to go see Hollywood, where the giants of the film industry were, along with beautiful movie stars.

"No, you can contact the people at Lionsgate now and tell them I've arrived."

Sightseeing could be done anytime, but he had to take care of business first.

"Okay, shall we schedule it for tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow it is. We'll go to Santa Monica."

"OK."

Staying in the hotel, Lin Nan prepared for the next day's meeting.

Santa Monica, 22 kilometers away from downtown Los Angeles, was the destination for Lin Nan's trip.

A resort town with famous coastal attractions, it was also the headquarters of Lionsgate in America.

The next day, Tang Mu arrived very early; as Lin Nan's agent here, he was obligated to attend to his every need.

"Lin, I already communicated with the people at Lionsgate yesterday. They will meet us at the company."

"Then let's go," Lin Nan said, fastening his seatbelt.

The car drove all the way to Santa Monica. Lin Nan was still pondering his terms; Lionsgate had always wanted to spend a sum of money to buy out the script copyright, but Lin Nan had not agreed.

After much back-and-forth for a long time, Lionsgate finally compromised and invited Lin Nan for a face-to-face meeting, which was the purpose of Lin Nan's trip to the US.

Lionsgate was an independent film company that originated in Vancouver. Last year, *Saw* had achieved a box office legend by winning big with a small budget.

The script the other party had taken a fancy to this time was the *Insidious* series. When Tang Mu told Lin Nan about this, the latter could only think of the word "fate"—it was too much of a coincidence.

Arriving at the Lionsgate headquarters in Santa Monica, the people receiving Lin Nan and Tang Mu were a head of the production department and the director of *Saw*, James Wan.

"Welcome, Director Lin Nan," James Wan greeted him.

"Hello, Director Wan." As an ethnic Chinese, Lin Nan had no problem addressing him this way.

"When Tang Mu told us the script came from a young director, we couldn't believe it, until the news from Berlin arrived. Director Lin is truly a genius."

"You're too kind. *Saw* was stunning."

"Thank you. But come to think of it, Leigh Whannell didn't come today. He really loves your script; it's reached a fanatical level..."

Lin Nan felt quite awkward at this moment.

"James, don't be in such a hurry to chat; we still have business to discuss," the person from Lionsgate interrupted James Wan at the right moment.

In a conference room, Lin Nan and Tang Mu sat together, facing James Wan and two Lionsgate executives; the importance placed on James Wan was immediately apparent.

"Director Lin, if we can successfully cooperate today, it will likely be me directing it," James Wan said.

One of the Lionsgate executives spoke first, "Lin, it's a pleasure to meet you in person. Previously, our offer for the two *Insidious* scripts was one million dollars, and Tang Mu said you refused at the time.

You should know that for many senior screenwriters in the Writers Guild, a single film earns at most one or two hundred thousand dollars.

Given this, we specifically looked into you. You have currently written and directed three films, two of which have been released and were both big hits, and the third won a Silver Bear. You are very excellent."