1978 Synthetic Writers

Chapter 622 Poet or Businessman?

This year's Oscars had a bit of a mishap.

Or rather, something has happened in the American film industry recently.

American screenwriters have a Writers Guild that covers almost all screenwriting professionals in North America. It can be considered a "protective umbrella" for screenwriters and has a lot of influence.

Corresponding to the Writers Guild of America, American filmmakers also have a Producers Union.

Initially, it was because of the residual value of a one-hour program.

The producers felt the shows were not performing well on the syndicate platform and wanted a percentage-based revenue split.

The Writers Guild, however, wanted to reach a long-term agreement and then proposed expanding creative rights, hoping that writers would have the right to participate in the selection of actors and directors on certain projects, and hoping that producers would reduce other expenditures.
There's nothing we can do; screenwriters in a capitalist society are just too low-class.

His status was similar to that of screenwriters in later generations in China, but he couldn't compare to screenwriters in China today.

This incident sparked a war between the two sides.

In fact, the Writers Guild of America and the Producers Union have fought several times in the history of American films.

This is an old tradition.

For example, in 1960, the producers negotiated with the producers' union several times over the revenue sharing from the sale of film and television broadcasting rights, but all the negotiations broke down. So the screenwriters collectively staged a protest, and in the end, the producers' union had no choice but to give in.

In 1973, the hope was for higher salaries for talk shows and soap operas.

In 1981, another dispute arose over revenue sharing between cable television and home video.

In 1985, the Writers Guild of America started making trouble again over the issue of videotape royalty sharing, but fortunately a new contract was quickly finalized.

Not long after, the Writers Guild of America started demanding that the Producers Union provide screenwriters with higher additional compensation from the revenue generated from reruns, international television broadcasts, and videotape sales, all because of this incident.

Previously, each screenwriter received a lump sum payment, but their scripts were sold to various local and foreign television stations, or rebroadcast and compressed into videotapes for profit.

So it's very unfair.

However, the producers' alliance is definitely not going to back down.

The producers felt the screenwriter's demands were too outrageous.

Because if they previously received a one-time payment of $9,000, they are now demanding an additional $20,000.

How can this be? !
The two sides were originally negotiating, but as the talks went on, nearly two thousand screenwriters thought, "What's the point of negotiating anymore?" and decided to go back to the old tradition.

—Let's get started!
Don't underestimate the power of a screenwriter's creative approach.

If screenwriters don't work, it could wreak havoc on the American film and television industry.

Because if screenwriters don't work, some soap operas won't get scripts, and what's worse, just because screenwriters don't write doesn't mean that others can just write a few scripts to fill in.

Just like an incident that added fuel to the fire this year, the re-airing of "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" is another example. The show has no content written by any writers from the Writers Guild of America; it is all produced by independent production companies.

After that, the Writers Guild immediately approached these independent production companies, showering them with both sweet talk and empty promises. These independent production companies were afraid of offending the Writers Guild; if they were blacklisted, they would be left with no screenwriters. So they had no choice but to immediately bow their heads and compromise.

The end result was that many TV series were canceled or even permanently stopped from production.

The funniest example is the TV series "Blue Moonlight" starring Bruce Willis. Coca-Cola and the show's producers agreed to insert a 10-minute 3D commercial during the show's breaks to encourage viewers to buy Coca-Cola glasses that could be used to watch "Blue Moonlight" in 3D.

As a result, the screenwriters gave up, and "Blue Moonlight" had no choice but to be canceled. Coca-Cola's wishful thinking failed, and the warehouse was full of glasses for watching "Blue Moonlight", which could not be sold.

In short, some later estimates put the Writers Guild's shutdown at $5 million, while incomplete statistics suggest the actual losses exceeded $10 billion.

So what does this have to do with the Oscars?

Yeah, that just goes to show how powerful the Writers Guild is.

Oscar was just an innocent bystander caught in the crossfire.

Since it was an awards ceremony, a screenwriter was hired to write the script for the Hong Kong Film Awards ceremony.

As a result, the screenwriter only wrote about 70% of the script before abandoning it, leaving the Oscar organizers dumbfounded with the incomplete script.

What the hell do we do now?
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences quickly appealed to the Writers Guild of America, requesting that the screenwriters continue writing the remaining script.

But he was immediately rejected.

Even now, they're still worrying about the unfinished script, unsure how to proceed with the awards ceremony.

"These Americans are all like a makeshift troupe," Zhu Lin said, puzzled after Jiang Xian shared the story with her.

"Sigh, sometimes you have to admit that this world is a huge makeshift operation."

Jiang Xian wasn't surprised; Oscar's mishaps were nothing new.

On the day of the awards ceremony, many guests were unable to arrive at the venue on time due to traffic congestion in Los Angeles.

The host kept everyone in suspense for a long time before finally announcing "La La Land" as the Best Picture winner. The creative team then gave a lengthy acceptance speech, only to be interrupted by the organizers who said there was a mistake; it was actually "Moonlight."

There's also Will Smith's "raging for love," charging into battle and delivering a shocking slap.

In short, calling it a makeshift operation wouldn't be too far off.

The couple rested at the hotel for a while and soon received a notification that Bertolucci and Smith had also arrived in Los Angeles. Jiang Xian soon met with them at the hotel.

"Director Bertolucci, it's been a long time. How have you been resting?" Jiang Xian and Bertolucci hugged.

Bertolucci hesitated for a long time before finally managing to utter a broken Beijing dialect phrase, "Absolutely fantastic."

This amused everyone, especially the main creators from China.

Ryuichi Sakamoto arrived quite late. Even though filming had ended a long time ago, his relationship with John Lone was still quite strained. As soon as they met, John Lone deliberately avoided him, showing great resistance.

However, Ryuichi Sakamoto didn't care. This guy really had that kind of rebellious spirit; as soon as he saw Jiang Xian, he started chatting with him:
"Hey Jiang, how have you been lately?"

"Mr. Sakamoto." Jiang Xian had no choice but to greet him, knowing that this guy would definitely want to go drinking as soon as he found him.

Sure enough, Sakamoto immediately extended an invitation, "How about we find a place to have a drink together? By the way, I'm having a solo concert in Japan this year, and I specially brought some tickets for you and your wife. If you have the chance, please come and attend."

"Thank you, Mr. Sakamoto. I'll definitely go if I have the chance," Zhu Lin expressed her gratitude. Jiang Xian was pulled by this guy to find a place to sit down and drink whiskey, and chat with him.

Sakamoto said he plans to expand overseas and will join Virgin Records.

Virgin Records is an international record label that has signed a host of internationally renowned artists, including the Rolling Stones, David Bowie, and Phil Collins.

Later, they opened a branch in the province and signed Elva Hsiao and Miriam Yeung. Speaking of Elva Hsiao, Virgin Records was definitely her former record label. They single-handedly created Elva Hsiao and made her sweep across Asia with millions of sales as soon as she debuted.

However, the company was still relatively small. Later, it joined EMI and signed Sandy Lam, David Tao, and Phil Chang.
"A record company."

Jiang Xian put down his wine glass, thought for a moment, and said, "Sakamoto-san, what do you think about me starting a record company in the United States?"

"You? You own a record company?" Ryuichi Sakamoto scratched his head, thinking Jiang Xian was drunk.

“I’m serious, if I started a record company, I would sign you as our first artist,” Jiang Xian said.

"Me?" Sakamoto Ryuichi glanced at Jiang Xian warily, feeling as if he were a hostess in a bar, at Jiang Xian's mercy.

“I’m very expensive!”

"What kind of relationship do we have? Did you drink all that alcohol for free?" Jiang Xian pulled Sakamoto Ryuichi along, as if they were sworn brothers. "No matter what, you have to come. Name your price. But before that, I have a movie I'd like you to help with the soundtrack for."

"."

Ryuichi Sakamoto was almost completely sober.

how so!
I was just trying to get you, Jiang Xian, to have a drink. How come it's all about taking advantage of you and there's not a drop of alcohol in it?
Jiang Xian is definitely going to get involved in the record company business. If he wants to become a giant in the American entertainment industry today, how can he neglect the music industry, which is a pillar of the cultural and entertainment industry besides publishing and film and television?

This matter isn't urgent for now; he plans to talk to Zhao Zhenkai and Zhu Hong after he meets them.

After having drinks with Ryuichi Sakamoto, Jiang Xian went to Bertolucci's room.

He made his intentions clear from the start: he wanted Bertolucci to direct a film that Today Films was preparing to shoot.

Bertolucci said yes, but he didn't like being controlled by Hollywood and didn't want his freedom to make films restricted.

Jiang Xian said it was totally okay, and he would give you as much freedom as possible.

His plan was to fool Bertolucci first, and then increase his strength once Bertolucci was on board.

As they chatted, Bertolucci reminded him to prepare for the Golden Globe Awards banquet.

The so-called Golden Globe Award is not the football Golden Globe that Ronaldo wants, but the American film and television Golden Globe Award, which is an American film and television award.

The Academy Awards (Oscars) are organized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

The Golden Globe Awards are organized by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.

The Golden Globe Awards usually mark the start of the annual awards season, kicking off the entire film and television industry and serving as a prelude to the Oscars.

Therefore, the Golden Globe Awards are hailed as the most important awards after the Oscars, and their influence is self-evident.

At the same time, the Golden Globe Awards are also regarded as the first serious and authoritative indicator, foreshadowing which films and actors may receive greater honors in the future.

Typically, films that win Best Picture in a Drama category are expected to win Best Picture at the subsequent Academy Awards, and the winners of the Golden Globe Awards for Best Actor and Actress are often strong contenders for the Academy Awards.

But there are exceptions.

For example, 2011's "The Social Network" and 2009's "Avatar" both won Best Picture and Best Director at the Golden Globes, but surprisingly failed to win at the Oscars.

In short, this award is different from the Oscars. For example, the hosts of the Golden Globes are usually more outspoken.

Like the famously outspoken host Ricky Gervais, who would come on stage with a wine glass in hand and not say a single kind word, his bluntness actually attracted a large audience, resulting in consistently high ratings. He was eventually invited to host the Golden Globe Awards for four years.

Furthermore, at a Golden Globe Awards ceremony sometime in the future, Meryl Streep made a noteworthy statement, jokingly saying that what troubles A-Chuan the most right now is probably the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, because it gathers the three types of people he dislikes the most: Hollywood people, foreigners, and journalists.

In short, this award isn't as politically correct as the Oscars.

For example, John Lone, who starred in "The Last Emperor," was nominated for Best Actor in a Drama at this year's Golden Globe Awards, while Zhu Lin, who also starred in "The Last Emperor," was nominated for Best Actress in a Drama.

It's impossible for Zhu Lin to compete for an Oscar, but she might have a chance at a Golden Globe.

Most importantly, although the winners have not yet been announced, Zhu Lin already has a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in a Drama, which is already a great honor.

Jiang Xian went back and shared the good news with Zhu Lin. Zhu Lin was very happy to receive the award nomination and was quite enthusiastic at the hotel that night.

In a foreign land, a beautiful woman lies in bed.

Overwhelmed with emotion, Jiang Xian led Zhu Lin to the floor-to-ceiling window, where the Los Angeles nightscape stretched out before them, while inside stood a stunningly beautiful woman.
The next day, Jiang Xian, exhausted, was still fast asleep when his capable assistants Zhao Zhenkai, Zhu Hong, and Zhong Acheng arrived in Los Angeles to meet him. Also arriving was Jiang Xian's former agent, Marshall of William Morris.

He has now moved to "Today" and is working as a senior executive there.
"Jiang, I really didn't expect this day to come," Marshall said with great emotion.

At first, I only thought Jiang Xian was a talented Chinese writer.

But no one could have imagined that in the blink of an eye, this writer would embark on a similar path to Stephen King in making money, building his own business empire on American soil.

These current management members sat together and had a traditional Chinese-style dinner.

After a satisfying meal, Jiang Xian patted Zhao Zhenkai, who was dressed in a suit and tie, on the shoulder and said, "Thank you for your hard work, Zhenkai."

"What's so hard about it?"

Zhao Zhenkai smiled and said, "I think this is a life experience I never expected. I always thought I would only be a poet full of grief and indignation. Who would have thought that one day in America, drinking red wine, talking business, and eating steak, I would not know whether I am a businessman or a poet."

"He's a businessman and a poet," Jiang Xian said with a smile.

“I still prefer to be a poet,” Zhao Zhenkai said. “I’ve thought it through very clearly. I’m just here in the United States to write poetry and help you manage the company. Today, it’s yours, don’t worry. I’ve never had any ulterior motives regarding ownership.”

"."

Jiang Xian didn't speak. He knew that any polite words would be meaningless at this moment, so he simply made a promise:
"Don't worry, I remember everything you did."

After having dinner with several people, Jiang Xian had only been resting at home for a short while when someone else came to visit.

(End of this chapter)