[US Entertainment] Superstar

Chapter 309

The tactic of retreating and advancing seems very reliable. If Sophia is really willing to come to Charleston to negotiate, it proves that she must be very optimistic about Eve, and she is reluctant to part with such a good actor.

There are indeed many actresses in Hollywood who can not pay or get a little pay, after all, Coppola's name is still very famous.

Even if Francis Coppola is not the director, he will definitely participate in the shooting of the film as a producer. If the cost and quality are too poor, he may interfere quietly behind the scenes.

Don't take 400 million US dollars as money, the Coppola family's money is not for nothing, since the investment must be expected to recover the cost or even make a small profit.

There are many actors who like Sofia's script, but the Coppola family doesn't like that group of actors.

The leading actor, Bill Murray, has not yet been settled. If Eve is persuaded to join the crew, there is such an opponent who can act and can carry the box office. Maybe Bill Murray will agree soon.

It happened that Sophia was also a little dissatisfied with the investment scale of the film. She went to film in a foreign country. Although the script revolved around the male and female protagonists, 400 million was still a bit stretched.

Many people think that she is able to get investment in filming because of her family background. She wants to prove herself. Eve is the first actor who expresses her appreciation for her script.

Not only do they want to act in a movie, but they also want to convert the remuneration into the investment, and inject a corresponding part of the funds into the movie to improve the shooting.

This kind of appreciation makes her a little happy, because Eve is not an ordinary actress, but a real first-line actress, even qualified to sprint for A cafe.

Sophia actually only wants to get investment, but doesn't want to share the ownership. On the one hand, how to explain to the actor after setting this precedent, and on the other hand, she wants to maintain the integrity of the work.

Now that Eve has taken a fancy to this script, the investment of 300 million US dollars and the remuneration for participating in the film will account for 30% of the film's full copyright sales dividend, not just the film's box office.

What she wants is to negotiate, drag it out, and use up Eve's patience.

As a result, Eve turned around and started talking about "Bond 20" with MGM, and then flew directly to Charleston to start filming. It seemed that "Lost in Translation" had been left behind.

This is completely a state of a game between the two sides. It's just that Eve has more cards in his hand and is more able to endure the suffering, so he waited until Sophia let go.

Eve can do without "Lost in Translation". Although that movie is a good one, it is not irreplaceable.

But Sophia wants Eve's box office appeal and acting skills to prove to Hollywood that she doesn't just rely on her family background.

Under the ebb and flow, when Sophia appeared at the Charleston airport, she naturally didn't have a good face.

It was impossible for her to really accept Eve's purchase of the plane ticket. It was really not a last resort, and she didn't want to come to negotiate, so she felt that she was inferior in terms of momentum.

If it weren't for Eve's stay in Charleston until the Golden Globes, Sophia wouldn't be here at all.

Eve knew that Sophia was dissatisfied, so she simply stepped up and went to the airport to meet the female director to show her respect and attention.

Sofia Coppola, wearing sunglasses, saw Eve's presence in the crowd at a glance, because the female star was so dazzling and eye-catching.Even if it's just an ordinary black windbreaker, standing out from the crowd feels like a stand out from the crowd. Many people around are looking around, recognizing this female star, wondering who she is waiting for.

There are almost no paparazzi in Charleston, only reporters from local TV stations or newspapers. Such people are far less motivated to work than paparazzi.

If it was an airport in Los Angeles or New York, Eve would be photographed all the time just after she showed up. How could it be that ordinary passengers are paying attention like now, and occasionally people with cameras ask for a group photo or autograph.

Sophia has seen Eve's movies, and also seen some interviews and photos of her, but when she saw the real person, she immediately made up her mind. The woman in front of her has all the temperament that Charlotte in "Lost in Translation" should have. .

She is a little alienated in the crowd, as if she is not in a world with the people around her, she looks a little lonely and bored, and even looks at the watch on her wrist from time to time.

With just one glance, Sophia took a fancy to Eve, and at the same time, the dissatisfaction in her heart almost dissipated.

Most of the famous directors can't make A-line stars wait for themselves in the busy airport. Eve's sincerity is indeed very good.

Sophia dragged a small suitcase to Eve, then took off her sunglasses and hung them on the collar of her shirt, "Sorry, the plane is late, you didn't wait too long, did you?"

"I just drank a cup of coffee at Starbucks. Actually, I haven't been here for a long time." Eve hugged the other party, "Thank you for coming to Charleston. I have a heavy shooting task and can't go back to Los Angeles."

A group of people around were a little disappointed when they saw Sophia. They originally thought that Eve was waiting for Keanu, so even though many people received their friends and family, they did not leave and kept waiting.

In the end, Eve actually chatted and laughed with a strange woman, who she didn't know at all, and felt that it was a waste of time.

Not to mention the general public, I am afraid that many Hollywood paparazzi may not be able to recognize Sophia.

The long-awaited gossip scene did not appear, so one by one had to leave.

Eve took Sofia to a Mercedes-Benz G-class off-road vehicle. This is a car she rented specially. It doesn't look like it fits her. It's too mighty, and it's a must-have for a macho.

"I have been on vacation in Aspen before, and I have less contact with the outside world, but when I heard that you liked this script very much, I felt like meeting a confidant. Have you ever lived alone in a foreign country? ?”

"I went to other countries when I was filming before, but because of the language barrier, I had to go out and play alone. Many people in Switzerland actually don't understand English, and they can't understand the German and French they speak."

Eve replied while driving. In fact, she can understand the feeling of language and cultural barriers. The world is so big and there are so many people around, but she doesn't understand anything, and she can only do everything alone.

Sophia asked with a smile: "I had a similar feeling when I went to Japan. I like Japanese culture and the city of Tokyo very much. In a foreign country, two men and women who speak the same language and have the same mood will always have a different feeling. An indescribable intimacy, and then developed into an ambiguous feeling."

When the villagers saw the villagers, their eyes were full of tears, and they were talking about this situation.

It is precisely because she can understand Charlotte's mood that Eve feels that Sophia's script is indeed quite good, with ambiguity and restraint.

Life will more or less encounter such confused moments, and there may even be an encounter between Charlotte and Bob in a bar, but after all, they are just passers-by in each other's lives, and there will be no results.

Since Eve wants to play a good role, she must understand the director's thinking, otherwise the way of acting will be completely different from the director's desired effect.

When they returned to the hotel, they sat down in the hotel's coffee shop and started chatting about the script.

"I think Charlotte and Bob have actually been assimilated by Japanese culture. When the relationship between the two gradually warmed up, they were not as free and easy as Westerners, but were very reserved and restrained all the time."

Eve's soul is a Chinese, and Japanese culture itself was passed down from China, so there are similarities between Eastern cultures, and she can deeply understand this.

At the same time, it also has Western memory and culture. For example, "American Beauty" is about extramarital affairs, and that movie is about the life contradictions of a typical American family.

But Lost in Translation was nothing like that movie.

"I know you have always wanted to find Bill Murray as the leading actor. He is indeed very suitable for the role of Bob. He must be able to play the loneliness and helplessness of a middle-aged man. But in terms of salary, how do you What is the plan? Do you want him to go to Tokyo to make a movie for free?"

Sophia shook her head: "We will definitely be paid, but the scale of our film is actually not large, and the commercial prospects are not very good. So I originally planned to let you each get a salary of 30 US dollars."

After hearing this, Eve directly picked up the coffee cup, smiled without saying a word, and shook her head at the same time.

This is totally unrealistic!

Two A cafes, first-line actors with a salary of tens of millions, risked the consequences of being influenced by public opinion to star in a literary film, but in the end the $30 salary was dismissed. It was really a power call for love.

Eve has not received such a low salary for a long time.

"I know this number is very small, so I'm considering whether to give you box office dividends." Sophia is not a business wizard, she will not rush to agree to any conditions, she must go back and discuss it with her family, after all, the producer is Francis.

"Box office dividends are definitely necessary, and the salary must not be low. Otherwise, the salary for filming in Tokyo may not be enough for me to go shopping or Bill to buy whiskey. How do you think about my investment?"

Literary films do not mean that actors must not be able to get high salaries. "Lost in Translation" can obviously do better.

Sophia shrugged and said: "In principle, I agree with you to participate in the investment, but the investment ratio cannot exceed 30%. At the same time, you cannot influence any of my decisions during film preparation, shooting, and post-production. In addition, the investment amount has to be negotiated again." Discuss."

This is her movie, and I definitely don't want others to point fingers.

Of course Eve didn't have that kind of idea, she just wanted to play a good role and make some money from this movie by the way.

So he readily agreed: "There is no problem with these, only you know your movie best. How much do you value your own film? How much do you estimate my salary?"

"The result of our accountant's calculation is to let you actually invest 400 million, and then convert it to the figure of 100 million US dollars, accounting for 30%."

Eve can get this number at most. It's not that Coppola can't get the investment, but he just doesn't want it.

She was able to participate in the investment purely because of her status as an actress.

Because if the actor is changed, the price of the movie will not exceed this price.

30% full copyright dividend is remarkable, and it is also a bold choice, without any remuneration, if the box office and word of mouth hit the street, the final dividend may not even be 100 million US dollars, maybe only hundreds of thousands or even tens of thousands.

"Then it's settled. I'll let the accountant and the lawyer work out the contract later." Sophia just wanted to get Eve done quickly so that she could convince the male god Bill Murray.

Eve reached out to shake hands with her, and replied: "That's it, but I hope the specific shooting time can be determined as soon as possible, because I will shoot Spielberg's new film in the second half of the year, from March to October." Basically all available."

Sophia carefully calculated the time, "If your actors can be in place as soon as possible, we can go to Tokyo in March or April. I have an idea, that is, not to bring too many staff there, on the one hand to reduce expenses, on the other hand On the one hand, it allows the entire crew to experience the feeling of being in a foreign country."

"This kind of experience is a good thing, but what about shooting? The movie has a lot of exterior scenes to shoot, and it also needs to be connected with the Japanese side. If the number of people is not enough, shooting will be a big problem."

"There will definitely be a Japanese translation, but I don't want to find extras for the location. It would be great if it was a live-action shoot. When the time comes, we will throw you on the streets of Tokyo. Let's take the camera and follow along. That's the only way to be real."

Sophia was elated when talking about the shooting. She wanted to create this sense of reality, but she didn't take into account Eve's popularity.

"I understand what you mean, but this is too risky. If they recognize me, won't they directly disrupt the shooting plan?" Eve didn't know how well-known she was in Tokyo, Japan, but she felt that this way Some take risks, "It's better to have a backup plan."

Now that Eve has become famous so fast, it's not sure if anyone will recognize her on the streets of Tokyo.I have never been to Japan, so I have no idea about my popularity.

This reminded Sophia that she really hadn't thought about it.

"I'll keep an eye out."

Sophia confirmed the cooperation at this time, and her relationship with Eve became a little closer, and she asked curiously: "I heard that you are a director of the USC Academy of Film Arts, have you ever thought about making a movie of your own?" ?”

This question made Eve a little confused. In fact, she has always said that she will be a director and make a movie in the future, but she has always only stayed at the level of talk, and has no practical actions at all.

In fact, I have been avoiding and procrastinating all the time, it seems that this can delay the arrival of that day.

Acting is what she is good at and likes. Being a director is a bit novel and risky, and she is not sure if she can do it well.

Facing Sophia's question, Eve was silent for a moment, and said in a low voice, "I've always thought about it, but I've become more and more successful as an actor, but I've become less and less afraid to direct movies. Things don’t get everyone’s liking.”

This is the truth, without a trace of hypocrisy.

The success of actors is not a good thing for directors, because there are too few people in Hollywood who can act and direct, and not everyone can play like Clint Eastwood and Mel Gibson change.

Many actors who turn to directors end in failure, and the failure of their director career will even affect his career as an actor.

Sophia didn't expect Eve to be so real, and she faced her fears without any excuses.

She thought for a while, and said comfortingly: "Actually, I understand your thoughts very well. If my performance in "The Godfather 3" had not been criticized by the audience and film critics, maybe I would have become the same as my cousin Nicolas Cage. Actors. There are so few female directors in Hollywood now that there are almost no female directors, even fewer than the number of women in Congress."

Not only now, but also in the past and future, there are indeed very few female directors. In the history of Oscars for so many years, there has not been any woman who can win the best director award, and it has even continued until Catherine Bigelow's "Demolition" in 2008. Bomb Squad broke the monopoly of men.

"Maybe I'm too cautious. There must be a few adventures in life." Eve said, "If the filming of "Lost in Translation" can be finished quickly, maybe I can prepare my personal movie this year."

She already had a small goal in her heart, and it happened that the Eternal Pictures she founded had a good script.And I was still struggling with which director I should find to film "Little Miss Sunshine", but I didn't expect that the director was far away and right in front of me.

If you're going to make a movie anyway, why not make it yourself?

When I first made the evaluation, I knew that the production cost of "Little Miss Sunshine" does not need to be high, and it may even be cheaper than "Lost in Translation".

There are no other film companies as shackles, and there will be no producers behind the scenes telling how to shoot and edit. Everything is borne by the company itself.

Risks definitely exist. There is no suitable role for her in the movie, so she can only be a pure director, which will be much less attractive to the audience.

Sophia could see that Eve's eyes gradually changed from confusion and shame to firmness, and she must have a goal in her heart.

"I have to say at this time that it is a good thing to want to make a movie, but we must be cautious. Because basically Hollywood will not give us another chance. So don't worry, don't rush to shoot the movie right away, get ready As much as possible."

Sophia herself was born into a family of performers, and was taught by the director's father through precepts and deeds. Rao such a film has taken a long time from the preparation to the present, and it did not happen overnight.

If the first work of a female director is successful, then there may be projects.If the first work fails, there will certainly not be a second chance to do it all over again.

Just because the opportunity is hard to come by, you can't make a movie rashly.There was a rush to start filming and then there was no then.

Not every female director can have family investment like Sophia, nor can she earn money to make movies like Eve.

Among the box office champions for so many weeks last year, only "I Know Women's Hearts" was filmed by a female director, and Nancy Meyers is setting a North American box office record for a female director!

The previous North American box office record for a female director was $1.26 million held by Nora Ephron, the director of "Sleepless in Seattle." One of the lowest grossing movies ever.

This shows how weak female directors are in Hollywood. Under normal circumstances, it is impossible for Eve to get the opportunity to make a movie, unless she invests herself!

"Thank you for your reminder. I will definitely make good preparations and plans." Eve is not in a hurry. She plans to start preparations now to see if she can find a large company that has been producing and distributing literary films for a long time to cooperate.

Because Eternal Pictures is too weak, it simply doesn't have the ability to independently produce and distribute films. It has to rely on big companies, even if they want to distribute part of the profits.

It is basically impossible for Hollywood to go it alone. Every film needs cooperation, even large studios such as Universal, Warner Bros., and Disney have to cooperate and exchange interests.

Eve silently thought about this year's schedule. After the filming of "The Notebook", "Lost in Translation" will be released, and the gap in the next half a year is enough to shoot a movie.

In the second half of the year, there were only supporting actresses in "How to Get Away with Law", so the filming was not difficult, and the time was short, which allowed me to do post-production and publicity of the film.

I have a lot of film stocks in my hands, and it takes more than half a year to make a film, which is not necessarily a bad thing.

It is not a good thing to be too active on the big screen. The audience must be rested to avoid aesthetic fatigue.

The author has something to say: This is the addition of one hundred and five thousand nutrient solutions, little angels, see if there is any nutrient solution~~~ The next addition does not look far away