Chapter 113: Do they really think I

Wanting a share of the film's profits is no different from cutting flesh off the film company; they certainly won't be happy about it. Once the film makes money, they might try every possible way to manipulate the numbers, trying to pay out as little as possible, or even nothing at all.

But Cao Yang only wants the European copyright. First of all, this is "invisible" money—an expected return. Only if the film is shot well can the European copyright become valuable.

Who wants Cao Yang to shoot the film well the most? Without a doubt, it's the studio investing in his film.

The bulk of a Hollywood film's profit still comes from the domestic market. Undeniably, the U. S. is currently the world's largest film market, accounting for about 45% of the global share.

Only in the domestic market can one get the highest share of film revenue. For screenings abroad, even if the box office is high, the average share one gets is only about 20%, and that's just gross profit.

Cao Yang has another purpose in doing this; it's actually telling the film company: "I've shot the film well, and I'm in charge of the European side. I'm responsible for winning awards."

As for the U. S. domestic market, the copyright is yours. The box office will certainly be different if it wins an award versus if it doesn't.

If you want to make money—big money—and there's an expected chance of winning an award, then go and conquer the market. This is also for your own sake.

As long as the benefits are great enough, there's never any need to worry about the enthusiasm of Hollywood film companies.

Upon learning that Cao Yang intended to develop his career in Hollywood, many Hollywood talent agencies couldn't wait to contact him, all wanting to sign him.

This included the "Big Three": CAA (Creative Artists Agency), WMA (William Morris Agency), and ICM (International Creative Management).

These three are known as the "10% agencies," meaning they charge their clients a 10% commission, and they are the only ones who dare to charge 10%.

There were also two up-and-comers who frequently contacted Cao Yang, showing great sincerity and even making some concessions.

UTA (United Talent Agency), founded in 1991, now has a scale of development second only to the Big Three.

Endeavor, founded in 1995, is also a rapidly growing agency second only to the Big Three.

To develop in Hollywood, not signing with an agency is definitely not an option; there are many things that require an agency to step in and negotiate.

CAA is adept at centering around the director, assembling a team of screenwriters, actors, and other key creative personnel, and then pushing the entire team as a whole into the market.

This bundling sales method causes studios to lose a great deal of autonomy when selecting the creative lineup, which allows CAA to occupy an advantageous position in negotiations, ensuring its clients receive higher compensation and more rights.

However, Cao Yang is in no rush. Once this film is a success, he will go and negotiate a contract with an agency, and he believes he will definitely get a better result.

Otherwise, if he joins an agency now, what if they insist on bundling? By then, he wouldn't be able to choose actors or anything else; he would only be able to use people from their own company.

It's better to wait until this film is a success; then, the autonomy he can negotiate for will be infinitely greater.

What agencies value most is always the big directors.

Not long after, the negotiations on Bei Er Man's side finally yielded results.

To Cao Yang's surprise, Bei Er Man brought in two film companies.

One was Miramax Films, whose boss is Harvey Weinstein, who specializes in producing and distributing niche films with high artistic value or those that are less mainstream.

Harvey Weinstein—Cao Yang certainly knows this person. In the future, he could be said to be notorious, infamous, disgraced, and eventually thrown into prison.

Regardless of whether he got what he deserved or was a scapegoat, it is undeniable that he was very adept at maneuvering when it came to award campaigns; he was Hollywood's most famous behind-the-scenes pusher.

Miramax Films, under the guise of an independent studio, often produced some low-budget "independent" films, achieving considerable success and remarkable results.

However, this company had been acquired by Disney as early as 1993, and almost all of their important works were filmed after the acquisition, including several films that won Oscars.

It's easier to enjoy the shade under a big tree; without the background of the Hollywood Big Seven, it is truly very difficult to win an award at the Oscars.

The other company was Sony Pictures Classics. They had confidence in Cao Yang, so they also participated in the investment. For this film, titled *Milk*, the two companies invested a total of 26 million U. S. dollars.

After negotiations, as the project initiator and producer, as well as the director and screenwriter, Cao Yang could receive a total compensation of 2 million U. S. dollars, with no participation in subsequent film profit sharing.

Regarding copyright, Cao Yang fully owns the film copyright for Europe, while the remaining copyright for other regions belongs to the two film companies jointly.

Cao Yang doesn't know if Bei Er Man participated in the profit sharing; he assumes he did, but as a producer, his compensation shouldn't be too high.

Bei Er Man told Cao Yang himself that he received 300,000 in compensation. Cao Yang estimates that as a novice producer, that's about the going rate.

The film's investment is not provided in a lump sum; it is divided into several stages. Only when the film's shooting meets the established plan and the audit is problem-free can the second installment of funds be obtained.

Only if the film is finished on time or ahead of schedule and meets expectations can the third installment of funds be obtained for post-production. Everything is conducted strictly according to the contract.

With the first installment of funds arriving, the film's preparation began to launch: hiring staff, scouting locations, making props, and if on-location shooting wasn't possible, building or renting a studio.

Everything was on the right track, and the next step was to sign contracts with the main actors and then hire other supporting roles.

Then, Cao Yang received a phone call from Tim Luo Binsi.

On the phone, the other party kept apologizing, saying he didn't know his agent had kept it from him and had long ago agreed with Eastwood to star in his new film.

!

He had no choice, and he hoped they would have a chance to cooperate next time.

Cao Yang put down the phone and took a deep breath. Fine, so everyone thinks I'm a soft persimmon, right?

Following that, Bei Er Man brought even worse news.

Upon learning that Tim Luo Binsi would not be starring, Harvey Weinstein clamored to withdraw his investment and demanded compensation for their losses, saying that since the project had already launched, the copyright should also be fulfilled according to the previous contract.

In other words, he not only wanted to withdraw his investment and get compensation, but he also wanted the copyright.

Cao Yang was so angry he laughed. Everyone thinks I'm easy to bully, right?

"What does Harvey Weinstein want? What is his goal?" Cao Yang muttered to himself.

"He definitely wants to take advantage of the situation to take over the project and become the lead controller," Bei Er Man replied.

"When you signed the investment contract with him, did you specify who the male lead would be?"

Cao Yang asked. He intended to probe whether Bei Er Man was colluding with others to screw him over.

Bei Er Man shook his head. "No. Tim Luo Binsi doesn't have much box office appeal these days, so it definitely wouldn't have been written into the contract."

"Then what is there to be afraid of? You mention the contract to Harvey Weinstein, and by the way, tell him I allow him to withdraw his investment and I'll waive his breach-of-contract penalty."

Cao Yang stared at Bei Er Man, sneered, and said, "Heh, doesn't the U. S. pride itself on the spirit of contract? Since it wasn't written into the contract, I don't care what method you use, just handle him. I'll handle the actors. If you can't handle it, then damn it, I'm not playing anymore; I'll pack my bags and go home right now!"

He even wanted compensation for losses. Since it wasn't written in the contract, he could take it or leave it. If he didn't want to invest, he could withdraw, and I could even waive his penalty—that's much more generous than him.

Bei Er Man gritted his teeth and said, "Don't worry, leave it to me. I'll get it done."

Subsequently, Cao Yang found the list Bei Er Man had given him earlier, looked at it for a while, and then pointed to a name. "Johnny Depp. Help me set up a meeting with him; I want to talk to him."

Damn it, regardless of how the follow-up talks with Harvey Weinstein go, I'm signing Johnny Depp first.

I'll give you all a little revenge first.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 114 =====