Chapter 918 914 Equality

Chapter 918 914. Equivalence

"Director Xu...isn't interested in Oscar?"

Seeing Xu Xin deep in thought, Zhong Changyou asked.

"So be it."

Xu Xin didn't hide it either.

This thing is not a secret, there is nothing to hide:

"When I didn't enter this industry before, I thought the Oscar was the most powerful award... Actually, Brother Zhong, haven't you noticed? The mentality of our generation of 80... or those born in 1985 is just stuck at a juncture. You go Ten years ago, in the minds of those born around 1975, America and strength are absolutely equated.

But if you ask those born in the 1990s what their impression of the United States is, they would probably tell you: let it wash its neck in the number one position and wait.

In fact, if we want to talk about this issue, it involves cultural self-confidence and the awakening of the consciousness of a strong nation. It’s too big, let’s leave it alone. Speaking for myself personally, after entering this industry, after I understood that the essence of movies was spiritual entertainment from the beginning, and was endowed with artistry bit by bit, I became a loyal believer in the three major European movies.

Regardless of whether the Oscars are good or bad, the three major European awards are not actually about how great their awards are. Instead, it was countless film artists who pushed them to where they are now through their own works. The fact that I can win an award does not mean that I have received recognition from the three major awards. It is more like... I stand together with those seniors and artists, and we all feel like a "family".

But I really don’t feel that way about Oscar. I've seen too many films that just missed out on Oscars. Even though there are always so many controversies at the Oscars every year, I don’t really like the hype. "

Holding the wine glass in his hand, Xu Xin shook his head slightly:

"Although it's a bit of armchair talk, and the rules go against market demand. But I really feel that the artistry of the Oscars is not as strong as the top three. I can even say now that if I collect the best picture and best director from the top three in the future, Two honors, then I would be ecstatic. But if I were standing on the Oscar stage now, holding a statuette in my hand... I actually can't think of what I would say to win the award, just because I'm too lazy to go to China. Those awards are the same.”

Hearing his words, Zhong Changyou smiled and said:

"But more people don't see it that way."

"That's for sure. It's definitely true that the Oscars have a stronger commercial flavor and are more widely known. But time has passed, and just this time, if "Perfect" was allowed to appear on the Oscar stage, would I be willing? I would definitely be willing. Apart from anything else, I still owe my friends compensation for Tokyo’s withdrawal, but I cannot accept this condition from Paramount.”

He informed Zhong Changyou:

"I guess Brother Qi definitely wants me to go. I can go, but this condition... is not good."

"Director Xu thinks they want too much?"

"On the one hand. On the other hand, everyone should cooperate on an equal footing, but I feel something... unequal from their conditions."

He didn't say the word "exploitation".

But it showed on his expression.

"That's it now, Brother Zhong. Personally, I don't care how much the overseas box office of "Perfect" is. Money is actually not the first thing I need to consider."

Zhong Changyou looked understanding.

really.

Although from his own perspective, Director Xu's movies can easily earn hundreds of millions at the box office, as well as Mimi's various endorsements, TV series, business contracts, etc. These two people earn at least one to two hundred million a year, which is really profitable.

But everyone in the West Film Studio felt the same as Ming Jing.

Director Xu really doesn't make money from this.

My family has several mines, and my brother also has a large real estate company.

Everyone was chatting privately, and they all estimated that Director Xu's family business could make a profit of at least one billion yuan a year!

Regardless of whether Director Xu can make money, he is really not short of money.

And even if "Perfect" this time has a box office of 100 million U.S. dollars, the real share to Director Xu may only be 10 million yuan.

Because this film was produced by Cloud Atlas.

Among Yuntu's shares, the headwind is only 10%.

As for the 10% of Headwind, there are other people's shares, and Director Xu's shares are very small.

Moreover, in all the movies, Director Xu never mentioned anything about "director's share".

You invest, I shoot.

Ever since Director Xu entered Xiying Film Studio, no one had ever heard of him arguing with anyone over money.

People's "not caring about money" is not something they say in words, but something they actually do for everyone to see.

"In "Perfect", there is Philip's screenwriter share and the actors' share. I don't care about money, but it doesn't mean that others don't care. And, I say this in two ways. If I ignore my friends because of my personal pursuit, I am not being kind to the benefits I got.

But if the interests of my friends are also ignored because of the pursuit of our factory, this is also unkind on my part.

Oscar, I can participate. Don't worry about being shortlisted or not. No matter how much I don't care, I won't have trouble with these things. But the problem is, if all this is based on harming the interests of friends, that won't work.

This is where I really feel uncomfortable.

Whether Paramount has the strength to win an Oscar is one thing. But it is another matter that they use this condition to make the lion open his mouth. I said this, Brother Zhong, do you understand? "

"I see. To put it bluntly... Director Xu, you don't accept this kind of arrogance with a bit of American imperialism, right?"

"Right. At worst, we can find an agency like Director Zhang to run it. I remember that those two companies were quite powerful. Even if they want the same 40% standard as Director Zhang, it's still 3% more than Paramount. If you want to talk, let's talk it out at the table. Don't act like we'll get the biggest share whether we win the award or not. That's too ugly. Winning the award or not is one thing, kneeling down for the award is another."

At this point, Zhong Changyou actually understood all of Xu Xin's opinions.

His attitude was to refuse.

That's for sure.

But it's not to refuse the Oscars, but to refuse Paramount's outrageous conditions.

Even if this condition is just a bet.

But the premise of this bet should at least be based on equality that both parties can accept.

From Director Xu's personal perspective, it doesn't matter if he doesn't participate in the Oscars.

But because of his friends, he won't refuse to participate.

But this condition is not acceptable.

Paramount is not going to treat a director who "doesn't care" with such an ugly attitude.

If you really want to cooperate, show your sincerity.

Don't fool the vulgar people who have never seen the world.

After figuring out Director Xu's attitude, he said:

"Then... Director Xu, Mr. Qi is resting now. How about you wake up tomorrow..."

The time difference between Germany and China is 6 hours.

It's almost 12 o'clock in the morning, and it should be more than 5 o'clock in the morning in China.

In this matter, although Zhong Changyou is the one in charge of negotiations and understands Xu Xin's meaning. But in the final analysis, the factory has to show its attitude.

Without the factory's attitude, even if he thinks Xu Xin's words make sense, he can't talk to Paramount.

If the factory doesn't give a bottom line, he doesn't have the right to make a decision.

"I know."

Xu Xin nodded:

"Let's talk about it when we wake up tomorrow. Is there anything else about "Perfect" that needs my opinion?"

"Nothing else. In addition to the release in various countries, it's the remake rights..."

Speaking of this, Zhong Changyou's spirit became obviously excited:

"Director Xu, many people want to buy the remake rights! At least 15 people have asked me in the past two days! This theme is too universal, even countries with different cultural backgrounds can find very suitable topics. They are particularly interested in this movie!"

"It doesn't matter about the remake rights. Just sell it if the price is right~"

"Are there any specific requirements?"

"As long as the script doesn't blacken our country, there's no problem."

"Okay."

After talking about "Perfect", Zhong Changyou took out his mobile phone and looked it up, and Xu Xin's WeChat rang:

"Director Xu, let's check the schedule for the next few days..."

"Yeah."

...

This time, the schedule in Berlin is still quite full.

The most of them are cocktail parties in the evening.

There are official ones and film distributors.

Others are okay, there are also some interviews, but they all require the crew to attend.

While he was on the itinerary, a message came.

It turned out to be Zhang Songwen.

"Director Xu, I have arrived at the hotel. What time will I meet you tomorrow?"

Seeing this message, Xu Xin replied:

"You have arrived? Didn't you say that you can arrive on the third day of the Chinese New Year?"

Zhang Songwen took a civil aviation flight.

Civil aviation requires a transfer. When he was on the plane, Liu Zhishi was still complaining to his wife that the flight from Yanjing to Berlin generally takes about 20 hours. The shortest transfer is also 3 hours, and the total flight is 17 hours.

If she had known earlier, she would have come by plane together.

No matter how good the first class cabin is, it is definitely not as comfortable as a private plane.

And Zhang Songwen has arrived now... In other words, he may have boarded the plane on the night of New Year's Eve.

This...

Xu Xin looked up and asked Zhong Changyou:

"Are the crew members' tickets economy class or first class?"

"Staff are in economy class, and actors are in first class."

"...What time is Zhang Songwen's ticket?"

"It's on New Year's Eve. We were supposed to book him on the first day of the new year and we would all leave from Yanjing together... His family is in Guangdong, and he wanted to spend the Spring Festival with his family. But the flights there are basically more than 22 hours, and he was afraid that he would not be able to get to Yanjing in time, so he booked a flight directly from Guangzhou... at 11:30 pm."

Okay.

He looked at the reply in WeChat that was exactly the same as Zhong Changyou's, thought for a moment, and said:

"Go back to your room and rest first. There's nothing to do tomorrow, so take a good rest in the morning. There's an interview in the afternoon, so come with me. I'll take you to the cocktail party in the evening."

"Okay, Director Xu. I'll go to rest then, and you should rest early too."

"Okay, Teacher Zhang, you've worked hard."

"Thank you Director Xu for your concern."

"/Moon"

After sending the message, he looked up and said to Zhong Changyou:

"Zhang Songwen will follow you on your schedule these days. Say hello to the domestic reporters... and post more photos of him. Especially when the crew is traveling as a whole, take photos of everyone, don't take them out of context, or take screenshots and only give half of them."

Zhong Changyou instantly understood what Xu Xin meant, and nodded with a smile:

"Yeah, okay."

...

It was a little after 12 o'clock.

Xu Xin tiptoed back to the room.

The night light was still on.

He didn't care at first, but when he finished taking a shower and was about to go to bed, he lifted the quilt and found that this time his wife brought not only her pillow, but also a set of bedding.

Between the pure white sheets and quilt cover, there was also a mattress sheet and a quilt.

The style was obviously taken from home.

It was equivalent to isolating the quilt that had been used and washed countless times by who knows how many people.

Even the familiar touch saved Xu Xin the trouble of re-adapting.

"... Hehe."

Unconsciously, he laughed out loud.

I thought to myself that it has to be my wife.

She is really considerate.

Mengmeng, that idiot, can't do anything except hanging clothes!

Yeah.

Deduct 500 from her this month!

With this idea in mind, he naturally wanted to pass his arm under his wife's neck.

Hold her for a while first, smell her sister's fragrance~

Then kick her away when his arm is numb.

But who would have thought that just as his arm passed through, Yang Mi, who was clearly fast asleep, pushed his arm away in annoyance, muttering:

"Get lost! You're pressing my hair!"

After that, he wrapped himself in the blanket, twisted his body, and fell into a deep sleep.

"..."

The rough duvet rubbed against Xu Xin's body. He opened the quilt and watched his wife wrap the whole bed of blankets brought from home tightly and clamp them with her legs. He sighed speechlessly and turned off the table lamp directly.

Meng Meng is still the best.

He thought to himself.

...

8 am on February 11th, Berlin time.

"I understand what you mean. So let's prepare for both situations? Paramount is indeed strong. If there is a chance of winning an Oscar, I would actually suggest choosing them. But since you said so, let's look for another one. How about it?"

"Well, I don't care whether I win an Oscar or not. As I said before, if we want to talk, we must be equal. At least we have to stand from the perspective of the distributor and the film company, not like now. It's not right."

"Okay... Actually, this is the main reason why I didn't tell you in advance. When Lao Zhong talked to me about this, I felt it was not appropriate. But the problem is the Oscars The status of the film is there. If "Perfect" can succeed, it means that you have completely opened up the international market. Not to mention the domestic market, I think that as long as it is nominated, it will greatly improve your status. With this goal, giving up 5% of the profit point is acceptable. To be honest, I have never thought about winning the Best Foreign Language Film Award. Just the nomination will give us a lot of room to operate in China. "

"Indeed, but I really don't think it's necessary. Besides, if I want to go for it, it will also be the best film and best director."

"Hahaha, that's for sure."

In the joke, this matter was completely finalized.

Xu Xin took off the Bluetooth headset hanging on his ears, and Yang Mi, who had finished eating early and was sitting on a chair playing with her phone, asked:

"Are you done talking?"

"Yeah."

"I was just thinking about something."

"What?"

"Will "Perfect" withdraw from Tokyo last time... have any impact?"

"Maybe."

Yang Mi was stunned.

She raised her head and glanced at her husband...

She seemed to think that he didn't understand what she meant, and continued:

"What I mean is...you protested to the United States last time, right?"

"Yes. Why?"

"Let's not discuss the Oscars' position, just talk about this matter...if "Perfect" really wins the Oscar..."

"It may have an impact, didn't I answer you?"

He asked puzzledly while cutting sausages.

It's true that German sausages taste really good.

He must be a little bit foreign here.

The so-called "Golden Gong" and "King of Kings" in China are really far inferior to German sausages.

There's really meat in them!

But Yang Mi looked at her slow-witted husband and showed a helpless look:

"I mean, if it has an impact, why bother to go for an Oscar?"

"... When did I say I was going for an Oscar?"

Xu Xin was speechless:

"Paramount found us to release it in the United States. They may think that this movie has the potential to go for an Oscar, so they made a bet agreement. Brother Qi meant that I could go for it. If I am nominated, my status will be raised to a higher level. It doesn't matter if I win the award or not, as long as it can be linked to the Oscar, it will have an effect. When did I say I was going for an Oscar?"

"Then you still express this kind of equal negotiation position in this matter... It's best not to express your position, right? Leave it to the factory to handle it."

"If I don't express my position, how can I raise my head when I have dinner with Jesse and others in the future? Although I don't know the Italian film industry, I don't know the Italian film industry. What is the process of Oscar nomination? But...what if I win the award, and then I find out after receiving my share of the profits, why is it so little? I wonder if I, as a director, have sacrificed the interests of everyone for my own selfish desires and increased the share given to Paramount to achieve my own success?

...You have to understand that the best foreign language film is not eligible to compete for the best actor, actress, director, or best picture. Only films produced and distributed by the United States, or even if invested by multiple countries, must have a dominant position in the United States. Therefore, no matter how good "The Perfection" is, even if it can beat American films for a whole year, the ceiling is still only the best foreign language film.

No matter how superb the acting skills of the actors are, they are just foils at the Oscars, and they are born with the foil attribute of "green leaves". If I sacrifice everyone's dividends again..."

"I understand."

Yang Mi nodded.

"That's right, let the factory discuss this matter. In fact, it doesn't have much to do with us~"

"Um...Teacher Zhang, here."

Yang Mi, who responded, suddenly saw two people walking into the restaurant with some restraint, and she waved.

Xu Xin turned around and saw Zhang Songwen and the buddy next to him who looked about the same age as Zhang Songwen.

Smile and wave.

"Director Xu, Teacher Yang."

Zhang Songwen came over, and his title remained unchanged.

Yang Mi and Xu Xin stood up:

"Teacher Zhang, have you eaten?"

Zhang Songwen taught her acting, even though she had already graduated from Beijing Film Academy.

And there is indeed a big gap in status between the two.

But some etiquette has become instinctive.

While talking, everyone shook hands.

When Xu Xin took the hand of the strange guy next to Zhang Songwen, he heard the other person bow and introduce:

"Hello, Director Xu, I am Zhao Yude, Zhang Songwen's agent."

"Well, hello, Manager Zhao."

Xu Xin smiled and nodded.

"Hello, Agent Zhao."

"Hello, Teacher Yang Mi."

Yang Mi did not respond to the title, but naturally changed the subject and said considerately:

"Go and eat quickly. The film festival is responsible for our meals. Show the person the guest card given by the film festival and then take the plate. The sausages they have here are quite delicious..."

She didn't know what their English proficiency was, but she still explained the process in detail so that they could feel confident.

"Hey, okay."

Zhao Yude responded first.

Zhang Songwen glanced at the two empty dishes on the table, and then said:

"I'm actually not too hungry..."

"Then you have to eat. Let's just try the special dishes. You have an interview in the morning, so you can't go without something to eat. Go quickly, the time is almost up."

Yang Mi, who noticed his little moves, didn't let him continue.

In fact, this situation is easy to understand.

Both myself and my husband had finished eating, and the other party must have thought that they couldn't be kept waiting.

After all... In terms of status, if you don't mention it yourself, let Director Xu wait for you to eat?

Is there anyone in the entertainment industry who can make her husband wait until he finishes eating?

have.

But Zhang Songwen is definitely not qualified.

Yang Mixin said that Teacher Zhang is really a sensitive and meticulous person...but unfortunately, he is too "social".

Although you can be diplomatic, sometimes doing so can ignore the genuine good intentions of others.

And when Zhang Songwen saw that she had said so, he knew he couldn't refuse. He nodded and took Zhao Yude to get the dinner plate.

At this time, Xu Xin heard his wife’s words:

"Make a bet?"

"What?"

Xu Xin, who had just sat down again, asked casually.

I saw my wife pouting in the direction of those two people:

"I bet they won't take much food. And they'll finish it within five minutes of sitting here."

Xu Xin was stunned.

He glanced in the direction of Zhang Songwen and Zhao Yude and realized what his wife meant.

He smiled and said:

"You don't know Teacher Zhang very well. Three minutes at most. I bet you can wear the dress you brought tonight..."

"Go and have your Spring and Autumn Big Head Dream!"

Seeing that this bitch was going to ruin her dress, Yang Mi rolled her eyes and refused the bet.

This person...

Absolutely hilarious!

You can mess with me.

The dresses I got this time are all unique, one set for each banquet.

If any of the sets fails, you may have to run naked.

Want to ruin my dress?

impossible!

Absolutely impossible!

"...Tsk."

Xu Xin, whose treacherous plan failed, smacked his lips with regret.

Therefore, it is really not okay for a woman to be too smart.

Life is no longer interesting.

While thinking about it, he waited for Zhang Songwen and Zhao Yude to come over together.

The couple glanced at their food at the same time.

Zhang Songwen is a glass of milk, a sausage, some mashed potatoes, and some corn kernels.

The same goes for Zhao Yude, the only difference is that there is more salad.

All are one bite size.

Xu Xin glanced at his wife and found that she was also looking at him.

This amount...

To say three minutes is an overestimation.

This game...let's call it a draw.