Chapter 357 Exciting Scene

"Brother Sheng, besides the legal team, who else should we look for?"

Wang Yaoyang hurriedly finished his breakfast and prepared to go to work.

Although he didn't know what Du Sheng was going to do, he just followed his instructions.

"I have already contacted the Ye family's business team. Please contact them first and draft some documents..."

In order to have a showdown in the afternoon, Du Sheng would naturally not be unprepared.

It is guaranteed to make Bradt and Timo "ecstatic".

After giving the order, Du Sheng thought for a moment and said:

"I'm going to the Sony Records branch to record a song soon. We'll meet at the nearby Li's Restaurant at 2pm."

In response to the scandal caused by Du Sheng, Sony Music responded quickly and directly stated that it would be the agent for the release of the single "Just the way you are".
And we plan to strike while the iron is hot, record it as soon as possible, and release it quickly.

Du Sheng had no objection to this.

After all, the two parties have already had a cooperation agreement, so it doesn't make much difference to him which company is the agent for distribution.

It is indeed a good opportunity to release a single at this time with the help of public opinion.

Seeing that the time was almost up, Du Sheng didn't say much and took a taxi directly to the Avenue of Stars.

After entering the Sony Music headquarters, he was greeted by a middle-aged white man with a beard.

Du Sheng didn't exchange too many pleasantries. After a brief greeting with the person in charge, he walked into the recording studio.

Compared with Chen Tao's studio, the recording studio here is obviously much more luxurious.

The area is nearly 100 square meters. Considering the high land price here, a recording studio of this size fully demonstrates the heritage of Sony Music.

The equipment in the recording studio is all world-class.

Since the song "Just the way you are" still needs to be arranged, the recording work cannot be completed overnight.

Fortunately, when Du Sheng reviewed the stock trends last time, he specifically went through the popular songs in Europe and the United States.

Although there are not many songs he can remember, most of them are classics as long as they are spread to the East.

With the original song as a reference, the arrangement work progressed quickly.

Before 1pm, the arrangement part was completed successfully.

For the rest of the MV, Du Sheng obtained Niqi's consent and directly chose the live version that she had filmed last night.

This rich young lady has always been very enthusiastic about anything that can bring her popularity, and she was even overjoyed to say that it doesn't cost any money.

After all, Du Sheng also has a share in the portrait and copyright, so she can't have it all to herself.

But Du Sheng took into consideration possible disagreements that might arise in the future and decided to finish the job.

I have to say that the photographer they hired was quite professional. Whether it was the part where he played and sang, or the scene where Nicki was moved to tears, everything was captured very well in the shot.

Sony Music only needs to do some simple editing and add part of Du Sheng's recording footage, and the single is complete.

The subsequent distribution and promotion can be left to Sony, and there is no need for his cooperation.

That afternoon, Du Sheng met up with Wang Yaoyang and the Ye family's business and legal team and went to a private room in a hotel.

Bradt and Timo were already waiting there with an evaluation report issued by a professional organization.

The two sides briefly greeted each other and sat together to discuss the matter.

"Look, there's no problem with the script adaptation, and subsequent priority is also included."

Bradt laid out several documents.

Du Sheng picked it up and glanced at it. The authorization for the comic adaptation of "Wanted" would last for about 2 years, and there were no major problems in other aspects.

“Besides the regular filming here in Hollywood, where are you planning to film the scene?”

He handed it to the team behind him and asked them to carefully identify it.

“Because the film involves scenes such as city streets, skyscrapers, and abandoned factories, it is best to shoot in an ancient city with a long history.

The most important textile factory, I plan to look at it from the Czech side.”

Teemo obviously had a plan in mind and blurted it out.

There are many Western-style textile factories preserved in the Czech Republic, which can be used in some fighting scenes.

Du Sheng did not comment.

According to his idea of ​​saving money and promoting the film, there is actually no need to shoot in the Czech Republic, as there are too many alternatives in the East.

Even some less important actors can try to use their own.

However, these are not the focus at the moment, and we can do them step by step in the future.

Seeing the lawyer nod in confirmation, he signaled the Ye family representative to hand over a contract.

Bradt and Timo looked at each other, both showing some joy.

Timo smiled and said:

"Du, I didn't expect you to be so well prepared that you even printed out the contract."

Bradt took the contract and looked through it carefully without saying anything.

Du Sheng smiled faintly:
"I have to get back to Las Vegas to take care of some things, so I hope to get this done as soon as possible."

"Du, why can't you pay the full amount in one lump sum?"

Bradt discussed with the young lawyer and suddenly said:
"A sufficient budget will help us prepare the crew and build or rent shooting locations."

Du Sheng pointed to the team around him and said:

“I asked someone to do the math, and it turns out that the initial preparations don’t require that much.

And I am also following the Hollywood model, with a down payment of 2000 million.

1500 million will be paid halfway through the shooting, and another 1500 million will be paid at the end.

These instalments are clearly marked in the contract.”

"Hey, something's wrong."

Timo looked sideways at the contract and asked in confusion:

"This is only 5000 million. Wasn't it agreed to be 6000 million?"

Du Sheng said lightly:
"The remaining 1 million will be used for publicity and distribution expenses."

"NONONO, this is totally inconsistent with what you said before."

Bradt was a little angry and put the contract aside:
"The 6000 million we are talking about should be the pure production cost!"

"Bradett, you don't think that the 6000 million that Universal gave you was totally inflated, right?" Du Sheng looked at him calmly, revealing a hint of sarcasm:
"You have served Universal for so many years, you should be well aware of the tricks!"

Bradt was speechless for a moment and didn't know how to refute.

In fact, among the eight major film studios in Hollywood, a billion-dollar blockbuster production will include at least 20 to 30 million in publicity and distribution costs.

And this part of the fee will be deducted from the box office revenue first.

Foreign investors want to take advantage of them?

Obviously overthinking it.

Du Sheng's tens of millions may not be enough to cover all publicity and promotion costs, but setting aside money is an unwritten rule in Hollywood.

"Duh, Wanted is a big gun-and-gun action movie."

Seeing his partner blushing, Timo couldn't help but retort:
"It also involves a lot of special effects, explosions, car chases, etc. 5000 million is simply not enough!"

Du Sheng has always been a reasonable person. He asked Wang Yaoyang to bring a document:
"According to the preliminary budget, the special effects cost less than 1000 million, and the salary of the entire crew is only about 2500 million.
The remaining 1500 million is more than enough for setting up the exterior scenes and crew expenses.

Now tell me, what other big expenses are there?"

If we take into account the fact that he plans to build the exterior scenes such as the Loom of Destiny and the textile factory in the East, the expenses can be saved even more.

But now there is no point in saying anything.

Bradt naturally understood this, but he still felt unhappy.

Because this leaves little room for Bra to make money.

So he has to fight for it with all his might both in public and in private.

As a director, Timo naturally doesn't want to be restricted by budget issues during filming.

In addition, he also has the copyright signature, and his relationship with Bradt is even closer, so he is also helping out.

But Du Sheng's expression remained calm and he remained unmoved.

For a moment, both sides were talking excitedly and were just about to roll up their sleeves and go into battle.

In the quiet room nearby, each team was carefully reviewing the contract.

This contract is more than ten pages long and was prepared and faxed to Wang Jinhua by Du Sheng.

Although it looks complicated, it mainly includes several aspects.

First, Du Sheng spent 40 yuan as an investor to buy the script from the two. The agreement stipulated that he would invest in filming before the authorization ended.
If any of the above conditions is not met, Du Sheng will lose ownership of the production.

Secondly, Du Sheng needs to invest 5000 million to the Bula Production Company, and the ownership will belong to Star Media after the production is completed.

Then, the photographer, art director, editor, costume designer, makeup artist, etc. are formed into a tripartite team, and the producer has a veto over important matters and casting.

The last part is a series of detailed clauses and supplementary provisions.

By the time both teams came back, the three had almost finished their "negotiations" and had roughly reached an agreement.

The net production cost is set at 5500 million, while the publicity and distribution expenses will be arranged by Du Sheng himself.

When Bradt and Timo saw the lawyer nod to them, they signed and stamped the contract.

Du Sheng waited for them to finish signing, and finally smiled:

"You two, I believe this is a good start towards success."

He had good intentions in getting the two of them to join the game.

"Du, it's really tiring to work with you."

Bradt felt a little bit at a loss, after all, his money had shrunk by $500 million.

Even if one hundred points are cut off, that would still be 5!
Du Sheng didn't care:

"If I were a producer at Big Eight Pictures, let alone 5 million, you would be laughing if I could get 1 million approved within half a year."

This is also the reason why Bradt agreed to sign.

Large companies have to report every expense, so there is no room for false accounting.

So he didn't bother to haggle over it anymore. Seeing Du Sheng signed, he was overwhelmed with joy.

"Mr. Du, when will the first payment arrive?"

Timo asked anxiously:
"The comic adaptation license only lasts for two years, so we'd better form a crew as soon as possible!"

Although the contract stipulates that the funds will be paid in installments and that the other party must complete the investment before the end of the authorization, such things should naturally be done sooner rather than later.

Du Sheng smiled and said:
"Of course, but before I transfer the money, I would like to consult a few more points."

Bradt was stunned, and the joy in his heart faded a little, but he didn't doubt anything.

Amid the doubts of the two, Du Sheng asked the first question:
"What do you think is the selling point of our show?"

Timo was a little confused. These were all mentioned in the script outline, but he still said:
“This movie has all kinds of exciting scenes, such as car chases and gun fights.

There are also surreal action scenes such as bullet turning characteristics, jumping 100 meters, jumping from a train, etc., which can bring strong visual impact and shocking effects to the audience.

In addition, the mysterious killer organization, the ancient "weaving machine of fate" and other settings also add fantasy and mystery to the plot..."

Du Sheng did not comment and continued:

"So what's the selling point in terms of the storyline?"

Timo thought Du Sheng had not read the script much, and added:

“The story revolves around the ‘weaving machine of fate’ of a killer organization, abandoning personal heroes and warmth, and violence, blood, and adrenaline rush throughout the film.”

Du Sheng suddenly asked:
“That is to say, this is not a film centered around individual heroes.

It can even be said that compared to the protagonist's old-fashioned revenge plot, the surreal and exciting scenes that occur when being wanted are more attractive to the audience? "

Bradt was confused and didn't understand why Du Sheng said this.

Timo smiled when he heard this:

“That’s the whole idea of ​​the film.

After all, this is a surreal revenge movie with a sense of fantasy and mystery.

The way I shoot is to try to immerse the audience in this adventure of wanted and betrayal."

Du Sheng nodded with satisfaction, as if he had gotten what he wanted, and asked calmly:
"So who are the candidates for the protagonist in your mind?"

Although the crew will eventually hold auditions, the producer, director and screenwriter all have their own plans in mind.

Hasn't he?

.........

(End of this chapter)