The Greatest Showman - Chapter 219

[218 Going Forward]

“I think they might just use you as a whetstone.???”

Renly was not surprised, he had guessed this possibility before the audition. Compared with Dwayne Johnson, his advantages and disadvantages It’s all very obvious, mainly depends on how the crew chooses the positioning; what’s more, after the impact of yesterday’s “evil boss”, hearing such news today, I feel much calmer.

Andy turned his head to look at Renly, and then saw the calm expression on his face, he couldn’t help laughing, he thought that Renly would be disappointed by the continuous blows, but he forgot that Renly couldn’t follow common sense. to judge.

“Things unfolded too quickly.” Andy explained, feeling a little more relaxed, “In less than thirty-six hours, there were too many news reports in all aspects, and it was too hot. In an occasion like Telluride, ‘degree and passion’ can’t take advantage of it at all, and if no one is behind the scenes, it is impossible to seize so many resources.”

Renly did not speak, but carefully recalled listening to yesterday. message to arrive.

Although it is said that it is the age of the Internet, the dissemination of news has entered a stage measured in days, and often within 24 hours, things can change dramatically; but the utilization rate of Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube has not yet been reached. So high, the update of news still relies on portal websites, online news and traditional media. In this way, Andy’s concerns are not without reason.

“It is very likely that they just want to use you to stimulate Dwayne Johnson. From beginning to end, they have no plans to change roles.” Andy expressed his judgment, “If it is really In this case, Neil is a little too hasty.”

First, the “evil boss” was sentenced to death before the effort began, and then the cooperation of “Du Yuqi / Qing 5” changed again. In just two days, it was Like a roller coaster, it reached it suddenly, and then fell to the bottom of the valley. The ups and downs from extreme to extreme are really unbearable.

However, now Andy did not panic at all and remained calm as always. “Evil Boss” has become a thing of the past, but “Degree and Passion 5” is not yet, and they still retain a glimmer of hope. Even in the face of a behemoth like Universal Pictures, they are not only passively beaten.

He doesn’t know how the pre-shooting of “Degree and Passion/Passion 5” is progressing now, and what is the consumption and investment every day, but he knows that Dawn’s agent is not a fool, and this tug of war is expected to continue. go down. The most important thing is, I don’t know what the opinions of Universal Pictures are: whether they support changing roles.

What Andy is worried about is not that Renly is being used as a whetstone, even if that is the case, Renly won the publicity resources without any effort, which is both for the subsequent release of “Buried Alive” and for raising Renly’s awareness. There are advantages and disadvantages; what he is thinking about is how to use this trend to successfully put Renly on the shoulders of Dwayne Johnson, and truly seize the opportunity to perform “Degree and Passion 5”. hands.

Since Neil and Dawn are suspicious of each other and calculating each other, on the one hand, Dawn will not easily believe the news of the past two days, but will become more and more fearless, Andy can contact the friends or assistants around Dawn. , to spread the news that Neil is using Renly as a whetstone, or he himself made rumors that Neil and the others are not sincere enough and have doubts about cooperation…

On the other hand, Neil is trying to create a situation where Renly will soon be To replace Dawn’s illusion, then he might as well continue to fan the flames and cooperate with the media’s performance to really make everyone think that Renly’s performance in “Degree and Passion 5” is a certainty, and this matter will be implemented unofficially. However, he couldn’t come forward in this aspect, otherwise he would be contradicting himself. Compared to him, Renly is the most suitable person to be involved. What’s more, now the media are eager to interview Renly, isn’t it?

“I’m contacting a few media now…” A framework gradually formed in Andy’s mind, “No, I can’t contact me.” Otherwise, it would be too hungry/thirsty, “Renly, do you know any reporters? ? I mean, the kind of friend.”

Renly naturally couldn’t keep up with the professional Andy, he asked suspiciously, “What’s wrong?”

“I need you to call this reporter and reveal your excitement about being able to star in ‘Degree and Passion 5’.” Andy didn’t make it clear about the future, he just said simply, “However, it’s better to be skillful, Let the other party take the initiative to mention it, and then you can talk about your expectations, but you still have to show an uncertain tone in your words.”

“In short, that is to say, I am looking forward to appearing in this work, and I hope that the degree and excitement /Love 5′ The crew can see my positivity.” Renly understood at once, just like a football transfer, the big-name star publicly expressed that he was looking forward to joining a new team, and then cast a / wink / eye in the air, and then the agent People are working behind the scenes, adding fuel to the flames, and letting the star’s current team lower the price and let people go.

Andy nodded in satisfaction, affirming.

“Does that mean that the casting of ‘Degree and Passion 5’ won’t come to fruition in the next few days?” Renly asked his own question after understanding Andy’s plan.

Andy pondered for a moment, “It’s up to you. Let’s see what the other producers of ‘Degree and Passion/Passion 5’ have to say.”

For a large-scale commercial film with an investment of over 100 million yuan, there will naturally be more than one producer. It is not uncommon for the production crew to have a double-digit number of producers, but they perform their own duties and do not interfere with each other. For things like changing roles, it is estimated that a consensus between two or three producers is enough. Now there are two producers they have contacted, Neil and Fan. As for their internal opinions, Andy has not been able to inquire for the time being.

“If it is fast, it is estimated to be three or five days; but if there is a tug-of-war, it depends on how much the crew has invested in the pre-shooting and how long they can hold on.” In fact, according to the principle of the supremacy of interests In other words, for every day that is delayed, the crew will lose a day. If you wait a week, it is estimated that the difference between Dwayne-Johnson’s remuneration has already come out, but the game of interests is not that simple. This is actually a battle of momentum.

For producers, they don’t like actors staring at them. Hollywood is a system where producers come first. Once Dawn is successfully threatened this time, it will be a change of momentum. It will not be so easy to continue to suppress Dawn.

For agents and actors, they must grasp the timing accurately, because the inertial rule of Hollywood is: once the salary increases, it will not drop. This refers to the industry average. Actors take the initiative to reduce the salary in order to cooperate with top directors. Pay, that’s another story.

For a simple example, Universal Pictures offered Dawn a salary of 3.5 million this time, so Dawn’s salary as the lead actor must also increase. When other film companies seek Dawn’s cooperation, they must also be equal to Universal Pictures. standard. Therefore, it is very difficult to increase the salary. It requires not only skills, but also opportunities. The agent will not give up easily, and the producer will not give up easily.

So, as Andy said, it remains to be seen how this game will play out.

“What about now?” Renly’s question made Andy turn his head, showing a puzzled look, and Renly continued to explain, “What’s next? Follow-up news?”

Andy reacted immediately, the iconic smile on his face rising, “When did you become so reserved?”

“Now.” Renly retracted his chin and smiled. answered.

Andy laughed outright, “No, let’s not wait passively. Meet Drake tomorrow and sign the contract.”

The subtext of Renly’s question just now was, so what if “love is crazy”?

Andy met with Drake Doremus yesterday, and the two had a further conversation about “crazy in love”. Drake’s sincerity is beyond doubt. Facing Andy’s request, he almost Without thinking, they all nodded and agreed, hoping that Renly would join the crew.

Andy wanted the lion to speak up, but he also knew that such a small independent film crew was really limited. If he offered too much remuneration, Drake nodded recklessly and agreed. As a result, the crew filmed Being stretched, maybe it will also affect the quality of the finished product.

So, in the end, after Andy weighed it, he only offered a salary of 20,000 US dollars, and then reserved the priority of box office dividends. Drake said that when he signed a contract with the company, if the company refused to pay dividends, he was willing to share his share. Come out and give some to Renly.

Even so, the pay was too shabby, and if Renly insisted, Andy would never have agreed. Now, it can only be regarded as a low-cost independent work with a charitable investment of 250,000 US dollars. Even if it fails, it will not have much impact, but if it succeeds, the return will be extremely rich. . That’s why Andy chose to trust Renly.

Drake said that the entire crew was ready to start shooting whenever Renly was open. The film will be shot in Los Angeles and London, respectively. The crew has already borrowed all the houses and props, not renting them, but borrowing the venues of Drake’s friends. This is how independent film crews save money.

That’s why Renly asked just now: Should they temporarily put “Love Crazy” on hold and wait for the decision of “Degree and Passion/Love 5” to avoid schedule conflicts and pass by. After all, they knew before the audition that time was precious to the “Degree and Furious 5” crew.

Renly originally thought that Andy would be more inclined to “Degree and Passion/Love 5”, after all, “Love Crazy” really can’t be put on the table. But I didn’t expect that Andy gave another answer simply and neatly, without even hesitating too much.

“Okay.” Renly nodded, feeling that their cooperation was on the right track, which was a good thing. The curvature of the corners of his mouth rose involuntarily, “I’m calling a reporter now, what do you think, Bradley Adams of ‘The New York Times’?”8

[End of this Chapter]