Three Hundred and Thirty-Seven - a Place of Racial Discrimination
Just the day after the audition, Ector-Henri hurried back from Boston without any rest, and immediately began intense negotiations with the actor's agent regarding salary and treatment.
Because all the actors participating in this film already knew their purpose and knew that the crew would not be able to give a high salary, they were already prepared to take a salary cut to star in the film, which made his work progress astonishingly fast.
On the same day, Jennifer Connelly's agent Ronisia first reached an agreement with the crew on behalf of her client. She called her client and lawyer before leaving get off work, and simply settled the contract for less than one million US dollars. He wrote his name on the contract.
Such an easy signing negotiation is completely different from the preparation of Hector Henry. It was originally the most time-consuming and fussy part about salary, but he didn't put any effort into it at all. The persuasive excuses he prepared after staying up late the day before were completely useless. None of it was used at all.
You know, he has been working in this industry for two years and is very familiar with the normal negotiation procedures. Maybe those actors are easier to persuade, but the team of agents behind them are all a group of vampires who can earn an extra cent. I struggled with the crew for two months.
These are just ordinary second-, third- and fourth-tier actors. At most, they will only have a little bit of trouble with their pay. As long as the crew insists, there will usually be no big surprises. The trouble is the daily treatment after joining the crew.
For example, which star-rated hotel to stay in according to the coffee position regulations, the hotel room level, the amount of daily meals, whether there is a professional trailer for resting, whether there is a makeup trailer specially used by one person, and other trivial matters in the shooting work, This must be clearly reflected in the contract.
The more famous actors are, the more they care about these things. In this extremely realistic circle, they are always comparing themselves to other actors, and it is almost common for them to have too high expectations of themselves.
After a period of wrangling, this kind of contract will eventually be successfully signed, but the headache-inducing negotiations in the middle are something that every producer cannot avoid.
This is just a small actor. If the crew happens to want to sign a contract with an A-list celebrity, then it is not something that can be negotiated in a short time. As long as it involves the kind of scarce resources in Hollywood, such negotiations will last at least three or two months. , like the contract Wayne signed, may be more than a few hundred pages long, like a tome.
In fact, it's not bad these days. The box office appeal of each superstar is amazing. As long as they confirm to join the film, they can get basic guarantee at the box office. Compared with the high salary paid and the sky-high post-production share, the production Film companies are also willing to pinch their noses and spend money.
But in another ten or eight years, after entering the new century, Hollywood studios will become more and more tired of the return on investment of blockbusters, because superstars like Big Tom and Steven Spielberg Famous directors have become the biggest winners because of the box office sharing contract system.
In this period when their appeal is strongest, in order for them to successfully sign a contract, in addition to those monetary figures that would scare people to death, there are also a series of other bizarre conditions and benefits.
When Johnny Depp was in the last two movies of "Caribbean", not only did he receive a sky-high salary that made Disney vomit blood, but the treatment at work was even more unimaginable. Not only did a group of his assistants, friends, etc. have to get salary from the crew, but the crew also He also needs to hire caregivers for his pet dogs.
Coupled with Johnny Depp's weird and difficult character and his behavior of finding trouble from time to time during filming, he has become the most famous difficult character in the industry. Others at most show off their big names, but he took his showmanship to another level.
But this is just the way he looks when facing the crew. When facing his ardent fans, he will turn into a different look. He is kind and kind. He is definitely a high-quality idol, but he is so weird and naughty.
These are not just a few special cases. Most actors who have reached the A-level are more or less difficult to deal with. These people have to show their special treatment at all times, especially in the crew, their status is even higher than A normal director.
This is one of the main reasons why Wayne never considers even if he has the capital to invite A-level superstars to join him. They will indeed bring great benefits, but behind the scenes they may bring much trouble to the work.
"Done? Good job!"
Before getting off work, Ector-Henry sent the contract to Wayne's office. Faced with the praise from his idol, he just smiled sheepishly.
After half a day of careful thinking, he knew that the main reason why he could successfully complete the signing was the person in front of him. The reason why those actors couldn't wait to sign had nothing to do with their professional abilities. They wanted to join Wayne's project as soon as possible to avoid any unforeseen surprises.
"I just had a phone call with Brad Pitt's agent, and it should go smoothly based on the other person's tone." Hector Henry put away his smile and began to report to his idol. "It looks like it will only take half a month at most for all the actors to join the crew."
Having said this, he glanced carefully across the desk. "only……"
Wayne was reading the contract and listening to his report again and again, but he began to hesitate halfway through what he said and raised his head to look over. "If you have any questions, just tell me. I will devote my energy to the shooting after the work starts. If you have any problems, ask them now, otherwise you will have to solve them by yourself after the shooting starts."
"No, you misunderstood." Ector Henry quickly shook his head, knowing that the other party did not understand what he meant. "I want to ask you, how should we negotiate about Christian Bale's contract? The actor's salary and treatment will be the same as everyone else's standards?"
This question was what made him scratch his head the most. Everyone in the cast knew that Christian Bale did not audition at all. He was one of Wayne's hand-picked leading actors.
Moreover, Ector Henry specifically inquired that the British "Batman" had a very good relationship with the director. As early as the filming of "Batman Begins" had just ended, this role had already been decided for him. Christian - Bell has also been waiting to prepare for this role and has not accepted other invitations.
To put it bluntly, this crew belongs to Wayne, and he must be consulted before making decisions on everything. Who can guarantee what kind of treatment the crew controller wants to give his love?
Ector Henry didn't want to offend his idol invisibly in his first important job. Think about another alternative director, Tim Burton, who carries Johnny Depp with him wherever he goes. In his perception, Christian Bale is obviously Johnny Depp's kind of character. .
"Let's talk about it how we want to talk, Ector." Wayne looked at his cautious expression and probably knew what he was thinking.
"Christian's salary and treatment should be based on the standards of Brad Pitt and Jack Nicholson. Keeping their salary as low as possible is what you have to consider, instead of guessing what I think. Don’t worry, you are now the producer of the crew, no one but me can question your work, am I clear enough?”
"Huh." He took a long breath, and Ector Henry nodded solemnly. "I know exactly what to do. I guarantee that within half a month at most, all the actors will be on the set to prepare for filming."
He understands that this is the first step for him to transform into a producer. Now that Wayne, the big boss, is standing behind him, his work has become infinitely easier. He must seize this good opportunity and do as much as possible. Learn how to become a competent producer.
As long as I can successfully complete my work, with Wayne's success rate in producing projects, there is a high probability that I will follow his success, and then return to Warner Bros., and become a veritable producer. In the future, various projects invested by the company will Every project has the opportunity for him to be the leader.
Other projects are not as special as Wayne's. More than 90% of them are centered on film company producers. The director is just a tool for shooting footage. It depends on whether he can participate in post-production work. What the producer means.
"Mr. Greenberg, oh, okay, Wayne." Ector Henry shrugged, his body completely relaxed, and his nervousness gradually calmed down. "Compared to Los Angeles, Boston is much more unfriendly to workers of other skin colors. We have to inform everyone about this before departure, especially the lower-level workers, otherwise there will definitely be trouble! "
This time he went to Boston to scout locations, book logistics hotels, etc. What impressed him most was not the economy or living conditions, but the local social atmosphere and the widespread discrimination against people of color. It was Lao Bai’s world there. Other than that, You can feel the unfriendliness in all aspects.
Wayne nodded, turned around as he spoke, and put the contract he just signed into the safe. "No problem. Remind Schwartz and Gilmore later and ask them to remind the heads of all departments to restrain their employees."
He knew that the other party's reminder was right. Boston is famous for its discrimination problem. Those old-school white men can even be compared with the red necks in DZ.
Not to mention ordinary people of color, even the heroes of that city, the legendary stars of the Boston Celtics, didn't get any respect at all, and they did more than DZ did.
From King of the Ring Bill Russell, the first generation Iron King John Havlicek, to Tom Heinsohn and others, they have never been treated as city heroes. The irony is that these great stars, In places other than Boston, he has a huge reputation and has gained enough respect.
The two then chatted a few more words about the local situation. Wayne looked at the time and happily ended their first conversation, preparing to go home from get off work.