What should I do if the system forces me to copy books?

A big word "Danger" instantly appeared above Evans' head.

Even Rodnick, who also serves as an interpreter, can detect the slightest bit of crisis, because anyone who is not blind can see that the other party has no expression or fluctuation at all for their so-called "sincerity", but For them, no expression is the greatest expression, which undoubtedly shows that Li Chungang is not very satisfied with this sincerity.

Just as the two of them guessed...

Li Chungang really thinks so. The price of 5000 million US dollars is indeed the highest copyright fee among his many works. System] unlocked a lot of related books, and knows better than anyone how huge their market value is!

Part 93: $000 Worldwide $000

Part Two: $94 Worldwide $000

Part Three: $94 Worldwide $000

In another plane, the three movies produced by "Lord of the Rings" almost reached nearly ten times the box office. This is still under the circumstances of limited special effects technology and limited capital investment. The effect of star shooting is definitely more than ten times that of the former, so the box office is also more than ten times.

In addition, there is also the global copyright of the "Lord of the Rings" series of TV series, but it sold a sky-high copyright fee of 2.5 million US dollars!

5000 million is only one-fifth of that transaction fee, and the film copyright has always been higher than the TV series copyright asking price.

Of course, things cannot be compared so simply. The sky-high price of the "Lord of the Rings" series TV series on another plane, Earth, is based on the popularity of the series that has been spread for decades and the popularity of the three Lord of the Rings and three Hobbit movies. The number of global fans and the favorability of passers-by are very high.

The current "Lord of the Rings" is just a new book that has just been published and sold globally. It is really conscientious for Universal Pictures to offer such a price to a new writer.

"I am very grateful to Mr. Evans for giving such excellent conditions, but there are some clauses in it that we probably cannot accept. Qi Tong, come and have a detailed discussion with them later."

You must know that this is not a bargain of a few cents in the vegetable market, but a slight touch of the upper lip and the lower lip is a profit starting from tens of millions. Note that the currency unit must be US dollars.

It can be expected that this kind of war of words and swordsmanship cannot be negotiated in a short period of time, and Li Chungang, who is also involved in other matters, is really not suitable for him to end in person. It just so happens that Rodnick on the other side probably understands. It was in Chinese, so Qi Tong simply took off the simultaneous translation earphone on the left, took the piece of paper from Li Chungang's hand, and sketched the specific terms on the paper.

—

"Mr. Evans, let's not talk about copyright fees for now. First, let's talk about the box office dividend. We hope that the share ratio is not 5%, but 10%, and this share ratio cannot be 10% of the film's profits. %, and if it is 10% of the global box office! I believe that there is a difference between movie profits and global box office, you know better than me!"

The share of the global box office and the share of the film's profits, there should not be too many twists and turns!

The world of capital can eat people. A film with a box office of 10 billion US dollars may be made into a loss account by the film company. How can there be dividends when there is no profit at all?

A film company with a slightly better conscience would not make it so obvious, but false reporting of profits will definitely happen.

Only people who are new to Hollywood will be fooled. Those movie stars, directors, and producers all get the box office dividends directly!

Profit can be changed, but the box office figure is under the eyes of people all over the world, so it cannot be faked.

Qi Tong directly opened his mouth and doubled to help Li Chungang ask for 10%. If the box office of a single "Lord of the Rings" movie is 10 billion US dollars, then this dividend alone can get 1 million, so they don't care about the copyright fee. , but to entangle in the dividend ratio.

Of course, negotiation is a process of asking for prices and repaying the money after landing. He directly doubled the 10% sharing ratio when he came up. He has his own intentions in it——

First, you can test where the other party’s bottom line is, even if there is more space between 5% and 10% of the next counter-offer; second, you are more testing Universal Pictures, or specifically Evan How much attention the gold medal producer attaches to making "The Lord of the Rings" into a movie.

Different negotiation situations are suitable for different negotiation skills. The current situation is obviously that Li Chungang, who holds the copyright, will have an absolute advantage. Even if the negotiation with Universal Pictures finally collapses, Sony Pictures, [-] Century Fox, Disney, Lionsgate and other famous Hollywood film and television companies are used as alternatives, and Paramount is not the last "guarantee".

Paramount: ? ? ?

Of course, a box office of 10 billion US dollars is a threshold, and only a few movies in the world can reach this figure every year.Li Chungang himself is not sure that his version of "The Lord of the Rings" will have as good a reputation and box office as another plane, Earth, everything is unknown.

"10% is too much! When we are looking for actors and directors, we will always consider box office dividends, and the company also needs to make profits. How about 6% box office dividends?"

Rodney simply translated Evans' words into Chinese. It was a bit difficult to translate verbatim, but it was still possible to express the specific meaning clearly, and they began to bargain with Qi Tong in this way.

Box office dividends are almost a symbol of status. Only the most important actors in a crew can enjoy the treatment of box office dividends. Many big star actors use the "20+20" method, with a salary of 2000 million US dollars plus 20%. The global box office share, otherwise, how is the salary of those actors on the annual Forbes actor list, which is worth 8000 to [-] million U.S. dollars, calculated.

Qi Tong said with a smile: "With all due respect, Mr. Evans plans to use top Hollywood actors in this "Lord of the Rings"? I'm afraid this is not a good idea, and it is estimated that other people will not agree."

You must know that this is the era when IP is king, and there are very few actors with strong personal appeal. Most of the actors seem to be famous, but they are actually tied to the series of movies.

To put it simply, you already have a fixed image with the audience, for example, actors who have played well-known characters such as Iron Man and Captain America in the Marvel Universe, but you let them put aside the huge fame of their roles in the Marvel Universe After that, he moved to another series of movies that were unfamiliar and had no foundation. Will the box office appeal really be that strong?

Not necessarily~

It is not impossible to spend limited funds on top actors, but the price/performance ratio is really bad. You must know that the protagonist in "Lord of the Rings" is a hobbit, plus short dwarves and handsome elves are needed everywhere. When it comes to special effects for production, it is definitely more appropriate to find that kind of high-quality and cheap new actor.

Moreover, there may be a new Hollywood actor who has won a lot of popularity through a series of movies. This aspect is also an intangible investment and gain.

Evans laughed, and it was clearly stated in his schedule that he was mainly looking for actors with certain acting experience but low prices. The combined salary of these actors may not be as high as that of a top superstar, and they are also easy to manage. Some, superstars have too many demands!

"Well, I have a simple proposal here. Presumably Evans must have read "The Lord of the Rings" and knows that the content of the book is divided into three parts, and if it is made into a series of movies, we will also It can be three films, we can only pay 8% of the box office dividend for the first film, but each of the following films will increase by 3% on the basis of the previous film, what do you think?"

Incremental clauses are relatively common in series works, and the third film usually does not have a bad box office.

Instead of signing contracts one by one, it is better to come together in three.

In Hollywood, there have been precedents where the author of the original work sits on the ground and raises the price after the success of the first film.

It also happened that after filming a film, it was cut off by other Hollywood companies.

In the world of capital, any benevolence may not necessarily bring goodwill and forgiveness. The greater chance is that wolves will stare at them. Even Universal Pictures has done such a thing, let alone other companies.

The most important thing to consider is that time is money!

What Evans lacks most at this time is time. The longer this negotiation with Li Chungang drags on, the more unfavorable it will be for them Universal. Once other Hollywood film and television companies join in, this negotiation will be very difficult. The double-reverse negotiation has directly evolved into a multi-party wrestling.

Such a scene was something he didn't want to see, and it was also the main reason why he rushed to Yanjing, Huaguo.

And Qi Tong's proposal caused the atmosphere to fall into silence...

Chapter 592

As the saying goes: If you hit a snake and hit seven inches, if you scratch it, you have to scratch at the itchy place.

There is one thing to say, Qi Tong's suggestion just "scratched" at Evans' "itch", and the 8% share of the global box office also happened to step on his bottom line. Are you uncomfortable? !

"This proposal is debatable, but I can't guarantee it will be passed. Everything has to be sent back to the company at a later date!" Although Evans is similar to the "imperial envoy" who holds great power in his hands, such a big project has reached the stage of real decision-making. It needs to be reviewed by the president and even the board of directors. As a producer, he will be restrained when the project is approved.

Qi Tong breathed a sigh of relief, a good start is half the battle.

Next, they continued to reach a preliminary agreement on the dividends of peripheral products. Not to mention the dividends of peripheral products as high as 8%, Li Chungang still has the right to make decisions.

The authorization and listing of any peripheral products must go through his official written authorization, and Universal Pictures is not at a disadvantage here, and Li Chungang is also required not to refuse the sale of conventional peripheral products to check and balance each other.

What is a routine, this has to be explained with notes.

Star Wars has authorized Mentholatum to make lip balms, and these unbeatable products can be combined. Isn’t lip balm a regular product?

This is a veritable word pick, and each project requires extra detail.

For example, Universal Pictures cannot develop derivative films and TV series of "Lord of the Rings" by itself. This point was emphasized by Li Chungang.

He didn't expect that before his derivative work "The Hobbit" came out, Universal would come up with a Middle-earth story about the grievances between elves and dwarves.

In short: the interests that should be fought for must be fought for with reason, and the bottom line that should be insisted must be adhered to!

In particular, such things as picking up sesame seeds and throwing watermelons must never happen, and you must not lose thousands of billions of dollars in the future just because of a little gain or loss in front of you.

Several people discussed from around four o'clock in the afternoon until after eight o'clock in the evening. The customers in Starbucks changed from batch to batch, the coffee in front of them changed from cup to cup, and the same A4 paper was repeatedly ticked off. Gu Huahua recorded densely packed words, and the content of the original contract was changed beyond recognition.

"You are too difficult to deal with."

"Mr. Evans, you are being polite. We are just fighting for interests within a reasonable range. Besides, I believe that "Lord of the Rings" can also afford the price!"

Evans felt that this long-distance negotiation was very irritating. On the one hand, the language barrier was on the one hand, and on the other hand, his side was at a disadvantage throughout the whole process.

In stark contrast, Qi Tong is more confident and forceful in terms of momentum and language offensive, which also reflects that he and Guan Yulan have done enough preparation in advance, and they are not afraid of the acquisition of works by Hollywood film and television companies. After understanding the price range of copyright, it is finally a matter of on-the-spot performance and negotiation skills.

Whoever takes the initiative first is at a disadvantage.This sentence applies not only to the relationship between a man and a woman, but also to negotiations.

Universal Pictures insisted on it, and Wen Siquanyong's side naturally seized the opportunity and insisted on it. If it's a big deal, they won't talk about it. Anyway, they have nothing to lose!

On the contrary, what can be met is that as time goes by, as the number of fans and readers of "The Lord of the Rings" increases, the value of the entire copyright will also increase, and everyone understands the truth of "shop around", and maybe follow up Other Hollywood The company will make more profits after joining the competition, so Qi Tong's quotation seems to have increased a lot, but in fact it is still stepping on the psychological bottom line that Evans can accept.

We must know that Hollywood giant-level film and television companies such as Universal Pictures, Sony, and Disney have always had an extremely arrogant attitude when dealing with best-selling writers in Europe and the United States when purchasing copyrights. It’s up to you, whether the copyright is for sale or not, there are many best-selling literary works around the world, and it’s only your own loss if you reject it... But this time Universal Pictures is really bleeding out.

"I hope we can reach this cooperation! My agent has personally submitted the revised contract content to the president of the company, and will send a copy to my mailbox for everyone to browse. Regardless of the final What is the result, I believe there will be an answer from the United States soon!"

The sun rises in the east and sets in the west, the night falls on Yanjing, and the sun rises on the American side, so the twelve-hour time difference is just right.

Congestion has become a "common problem" in almost all big cities around the world, and Los Angeles in the morning is no exception. Every household in this sparsely populated country relies on driving to go out.

When the ordinary employees of Universal Pictures parked their cars into the company's dedicated parking spaces one after another, they suddenly realized that the cars of several "big bosses" in the company had been parked in the garage for a long time.

"Isn't it because I'm dazzled or still asleep?"

"What happened? When I left after get off work yesterday, I remembered that the garage was already empty!"

"I saw them there when I arrived at eight o'clock in the morning. Obviously, these bigwigs are gathering together to plan something important."

"Fortunately, I went out 10 minutes earlier today and I was not late."

"One thing to say, I got out of the car at that time, I was stupid!"

"..."

The performance of Universal Pictures employees today is particularly active and serious because of the appearance of so many big bosses. People who used to secretly read newspapers, read news, watch the stock market, and drink coffee and blow water during working hours all disappeared at once. While busy with work, they were also waiting for the news of the meeting to come out.

At this time, in the conference room on the top floor of the Universal Pictures headquarters, Charles Ashley, the only female president of the six major Hollywood companies, took off the reading glasses on the bridge of her nose, and asked her subordinates: "Will Evans The final result of his negotiation with the other party has been sent back, what do you guys think about the terms of this contract?"

The people present here include the heads of planning department, production department, finance department, global distribution department, derivatives development department, legal department and other major departments. They arrived at the company uncharacteristically early today because the president, Charles Ashley, was early in the morning. So they informed them to come to the company to discuss the copyright of the "Lord of the Rings" series in advance.

This decision is crucial to the entire world.

Therefore, Charles Ashley had to be cautious, cautious and cautious, and if there was any mistake, it would be difficult to explain to the group head office and major shareholders.

Quells Ivors shook his head solemnly and said, "I have to say, I am very disappointed in Producer Evans. He would bring back such harsh terms. Could it be that he was mysteriously Is the oriental witchcraft under control? Or is it that he reached a cooperation agreement with this writer from the east in private, otherwise I don't think it should be given to a new author who is only a little famous in the world Such an exaggerated condition."

"The copyright fee of US$5000 million seems reasonable and understandable, but they ask for a share of all subsequent profits, which is obviously impossible. Global box office dividends are available, but 8% of derivative sales revenue is too high. We The department thinks it’s best not to have this part. If the other party insists, 5% is the highest level. I hope Evans can do his best in China!” Qualls from the Derivatives Development Department took the lead in launching an attack and began to question The ability of that gold medal producer.

Almost all of them have the same idea. After showing the name "Universal Pictures" and throwing out a sky-high copyright fee of up to 5000 million US dollars, the young Huaguo kid shouldn't be so nonchalant Do you mean to start signing directly?

Ronald from the Global Distribution Department drank the coffee next to him, refreshed himself, and then said: "From the perspective of film distribution, because of the author's point of view, there will definitely be a good box office in China, and "" The content of The Lord of the Rings will also have a strong sense of identity in Europe and the United States.

Now his works are selling well, which will lay a strong foundation for us to release movies.Taken together, the incremental terms of 10%, 13%, and 16% are still acceptable.Do you remember that sci-fi movie from before?After the success of the first film, the author started negotiating directly from 10% when he wanted to sign another contract! "

This old man said a lot in one breath, which may sound a bit long-winded, but everyone is not stupid, so they can naturally understand the meaning.

If you don't take the opportunity to sign the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, you will have to pay more benefits at that time.

At the beginning of the development of this project, these departments made estimates and financial trial calculation models from different aspects such as market demand, artistic value, production difficulty, budget size, release wave, derivative product output, and legal risks, and formed The result of the data!

The standards of each company are different. Universal here needs to achieve a 15% profit return target before passing the review. Now the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy involves a huge amount of investment, and the difficulty of filming is not low. , the requirements for special effects are even higher.

If...it means that if the two parties reach a cooperation, Universal will focus on this work in the next few years, so we must be cautious.

"In addition to the ratio of derivatives, I actually have another question. Everyone knows that we want to make these three works into something similar to the movie universe. But in this contract, if our company wants to launch Any derivative movie or TV series must be authorized by their side. It can be expected that this authorization must be to collect benefits from it, and it is impossible to directly give it to us."

Scott patted the table with his hand, "If we have a tense relationship with him during the filming of this film, then shooting a derivative film will naturally become impossible, right, he can control everything."

Those who do not plan for the world are not enough for a moment; those who do not plan for the overall situation are not enough for one area.

This is also what Charles Ashley is worried about. Although the derivative film and television works of "Lord of the Rings" are far away, it does not mean that she cannot plan ahead, and she does not want to be mermaid.

"Now you have collected all your opinions and handed them over to Evans. I think we can connect with Evans for a video chat and communicate directly with him about the cooperation plan."

It's already past eight o'clock in the morning in Los Angeles, and Yanjing's side is also at the beginning of the night, and the streets are full of ordinary people who come out to go shopping in twos and threes.

Evans, who had just arrived in Yanjing, the capital of China, did not have the opportunity to enjoy the nightlife in this strange place. After finishing the communication with Li Chungang and the others, he sat on the sofa of the hotel obediently and waited for the company's response.

After receiving the Facetime video connection, he quickly put down the beer bottle in his hand, wiped his face with his hands, and sat upright.

Charles Ashley said: "We are all very disappointed in you. The content of this contract is beyond what you promised us and what we can accept."

heard.

Evans couldn't help but shudder in his heart. Although he had expected this new contract before submitting it to the company, such a serious and harsh reply was indeed not what he expected.

But there are some things that cannot be easily explained by just talking about them. Without personal contact with Li Chungang and Qi Tong, it is impossible to explain clearly and understand the lingering self-confidence in the other party, let alone in him. It seems that even this condition is completely acceptable to Universal Pictures, but at this time, they can only defend bitterly:

"President Ashley, I can only say that I have tried my best! Everyone can't regard this Li Chungang as an ordinary Chinese writer who is only 22 years old. They know more about Hollywood than many European and American writers, and I After coming to Huaguo, I learned that the other party's annual income from works in Huaguo alone exceeded [-] million US dollars. Under such circumstances, the other party has confidence and enough confidence to reject us. In addition, in Before I arrived in Huaguo, they had already rejected Paramount's offer, so it's normal to reject us this time."

Although there were high-level executives on the phone, Evans was not bad either. As a gold medal producer, he was a rare talent in any film company.

Evans doesn't worry too much. If Universal Pictures is not willing to pay this price, he can take "The Lord of the Rings" and switch to Sony and Disney, which have not yet sold it. I believe they will be very happy and willing to take over!

"Dude, what we mean is that you can keep the price and share ratio lower." A familiar voice came over. Peter Parker, who has the same name as a certain Marvel hero Spider-Man, is one of the people in the company who usually deals with Evans. The most people now speak out the aspirations of the rest of the people present.

"Believe me, this is the final result after I have argued hard. They have also sent you the original conditions, which is too much. Since you choose to let me come to Yanjing, you have to trust me. I can't be here When negotiating with others, I was questioned by my own people."

Evans was somewhat dissatisfied, and couldn't help complaining directly in front of the president.

Most of the heads of these departments seldom talk about projects in person, they just talk on paper, saying that this is bad and that is not good, and the provocation skills are full, but if they really ask them to do it in person, they will only mess things up!

Chapter 593