America: Starting with the acquisition of MGM

Chapter 34 The next king of the world

Super Burger King is a fast-food restaurant located on the roadside of West Hollywood. It is characterized by high cost performance and large quantity. Its main target customers are young people who come to Hollywood to pursue their dreams.

It doesn’t matter if you are short on money, come here to eat a high-calorie wall-mounted meal, one meal can last a whole day.

Considering the predicament of James Wan and Ray Whannal at this time, Eric did not choose those high-end restaurants, but decided to meet here.

In the United States, if you want to talk about things at work, you need to have an AA to eat. This is completely different from China.

Because if one party treats guests, it will be suspected of bribery and being soft-spoken, so it is generally avoided.

Similarly, when friends are invited to have a dinner at home, they usually bring some cheap things such as food or wine, and no expensive items.

Another advantage of eating at Super Burger King is that you don’t need to tip, because you do everything yourself such as picking up and ordering food. But as long as you go to a slightly higher-end restaurant, tipping is inevitable.

After a meal, a tip of about 15% is also a huge expense. Moreover, in the United States, it is not just restaurants that accept tips.

Except for a few places such as fast food restaurants, government departments, hospitals, schools, supermarkets, etc., tipping is required for almost all other services. It is so exaggerated that Americans themselves often complain about tipping culture.

Eric and Judy sat around a round table on the street. After waiting for a while, Judy raised her chin: "Look behind, they are coming."

Eric turned around and saw two young men in their 20s hurriedly coming here.

The white young man in front is handsome and well-dressed in a white shirt and trousers.

The Asian young man at the back is a bit undervalued. His thin and dry figure coupled with a somewhat short body, especially the exaggerated non-mainstream hairstyle on his head, make him a conspicuous bag among the public at all times.

Sighing, as a time traveler, Eric really can't appreciate this outrageous hairstyle. Judging from the movie, James Wan must understand aesthetics, but when it comes to his own hair, it is very abstract, and he seems to particularly like non-mainstream washing. Cut and blow.

Eric waved to them: "Wen, Lei, here!"

The two of them didn't know him, but they understood Judy when they saw him. They hurriedly came over and reached out their hands.

"Wan Ziren, Mr. Eric, nice to meet you."

"Levonard, Mr. Eric, nice to meet you."

"Eric Cooper, nice to meet you too."

The two ordered food and chatted while eating. They were not fools for a big boss like Eric to choose to meet here. They were clearly accommodating themselves, and they felt good about it.

"Lei, I've read your script. Although I'm just browsing, good ideas cannot be concealed. I think it's very good."

Levonard and James Wan looked at each other. When they received the call, they felt that good luck was coming, and it seemed that was the case.

Ray Whannell got straight to the point: "Mr. Eric, you mean, MGM is interested in "Saw"?"

"Of course, otherwise why would I invite you? Let me tell you clearly, MGM is interested in investing, and I want to film this story about life.

A gust of wind blew, and his vision went dark. James Wan hurriedly grabbed his flowing hair: "Mr. Eric, that director?"

Eric looked at him with a smile: "Don't worry, I won't break you up. I think no one knows this story better than you."

His heart tightened, and James Wan suddenly began to tremble all over.

Revonard patted him on the shoulder: "Don't get excited, this is what you have always wanted, isn't it?"

Wen Ziren took a hard bite of the hamburger on the plate, swallowed it whole, and looked gratefully at the handsome guy opposite him who was younger than him.

"Mr. Eric, I really don't know what to say. We have visited almost all small companies, but no one is willing even if we only need 1 million in funding."

"Then we went to Warner, Universal, and Paramount. What was waiting for us was to be turned away. Even if they wanted the script, they would never agree to let me be the director."

James Wan choked up a little when he said that. In Hollywood, new actors are the easiest to get along with, followed by new screenwriters, and the most difficult thing is new directors.

Actors can start with small supporting roles, and it won't hurt if they are used incorrectly. It doesn't matter if you buy the wrong script, the worst thing you can do is throw it in the warehouse.

But if the director uses it wrongly, it will definitely be a disaster. The investment of a small-budget film is several million US dollars, and a loss may directly bring down a small film and television company.

Take Josh Trank, for example. The low-budget sci-fi movie "Superman" made him famous in one fell swoop.

Then 20th Century Fox handed him "The New Fantastic Four", and the result was a piece of shit, causing Fox to lose more than hundreds of millions of dollars.

Superhero blockbusters like this do not have so high requirements for screenwriters. After all, everyone knows the story, and the director is the key. And this is the result of using the wrong director.

Of course, this guy didn't fare much better. All subsequent contracts were cancelled, and he plummeted to the bottom. It wasn't until Eric crossed over that we heard news about him again. This time, he disappeared for five years, which shows the sequelae. terrible.

"Mr. Eric, your courage is definitely among the best in Hollywood. It's only been a few hours since we entered MGM, and I already don't know what I'm talking about." Ray Whannell excitedly and clumsily wanted to flatter you. .

Eric laughed: "I'm really grateful, so the best way to repay is to make a good movie, but before that, we have to talk about the details."

"The first is the remuneration issue. In business terms, I don't want to be troubled by the union afterwards."

Ray Whannell asked tentatively: "Can I really play the leading role?"

"If you insist on doing this, I agree. No one knows what the movie wants to express better than you, but I hope you will think clearly about your positioning, whether you are an actor or a screenwriter. This is related to your future career plan."

Levonar nodded: "I will consider your opinion. The script fee should be based on the union's minimum standards. I am really grateful that you are willing to give us this opportunity."

Eric looked at James Wan again, he hesitated and said, "Can I ask first, what is MGM's budget?"

Eric opened his palms: "No more than 5 million US dollars, but the specific number needs to be discussed within the company."

A smile suddenly appeared on James Wan's face: "Then, like Whannell, I will only get the minimum salary."

Eric was a little surprised: "So, what is the purpose of you asking this question?"

"Mr. Eric, Ray and I have also made mental expectations. If MGM's investment is less than 2 million, we will not receive remuneration and only take a share. This can save costs."

"But if it's 4 million or even 5 million US dollars, we can go all out and make the soundtrack, props, editing and other aspects more perfect."

"Mr. Eric, what Ray and I really want is a chance, a chance to prove ourselves, especially since I'm Chinese, you know."

Eric nodded. It is well known how difficult it is for Chinese Americans to get ahead in the United States. This is already an open unspoken rule.

"Wen, when Cameron was willing to pay $1 for the right to direct "Terminator", he should have become the king of the world. I believe you will be the next king of the world!"

On the second day of testing, the editor said that he wanted to advance to the bottom 300, which means that the number will increase by more than 200 in three days. I am still far away.

I hope all brothers can help me more!

I beg you to collect, read, reward, vote, recommend, and comment. Thank you all!