Chinese Entertainment: Academic Director

Chapter 470 High-Level Games with Different Gameplay
Cao Yang's rejection did not deter Deng Wendi.

The word "give up" does not exist in Wendi Deng's dictionary.

She firmly believes that no one is insurmountable; it's just that the conditions haven't been met yet.

"Director Cao, I have a good relationship with Fox Searchlight. They are an organization that specializes in making art films and independent films."

As you probably know, their film "Slumdog Millionaire," which they produced this year, like your "Joker," also won five Academy Awards.

"Snow Flower and the Secret Fan" is a very good book. Americans are very interested in this kind of content. If it is adapted well, it is easy to win awards and the box office will not be bad.

This book has two female leads, and I already have a preliminary plan. I can ask Zhang Ziyi and Bingbing to play these two female leads. You know how popular they are in Hollywood.

As for the aunt role, Gong Li could be cast; for the butcher role, Jackie Chan could play him; and for the other foreign male lead, Johnny Depp or Jim Carrey could be chosen… Such a cast would definitely be exceptionally appealing.

Deng Wendi, holding her wine glass, raised her head and continued confidently:

"Director Cao, you should know my identity. In America, in Hollywood, there's nothing News Corporation can't handle... We are all Chinese, we should unite and help each other to become a force that no one can ignore."

Is this a threat to me?

Cao Yang couldn't understand where Deng Wendi got her confidence that she could threaten him.

Or perhaps it wasn't a threat, but rather an indication that she was the wife of the News Corporation owner, very powerful in Hollywood, and wanted to subdue him and make him work for her.
Yes, News Corporation is indeed very powerful in the United States, and 20th Century Fox is one of the six major Hollywood studios.

But let alone News Corporation, could you command even 20th Century Fox, or its subsidiary Fox Searchlight?
Leaving aside News Corp.'s shareholding structure, in the US, when you marry the owner of these big companies, especially if it's not your first marriage, you almost always sign a prenuptial agreement and a whole host of restrictive clauses.

To think that one can command a company or its subsidiaries solely based on the title of "boss's wife" is simply wishful thinking.

Besides, even if that old man Murdoch came in person, would he dare to threaten me?

I don't have a production company or a distribution company in the US. I only bring absolute profits to Hollywood film companies without posing any threat to them.

These big bosses aren't idiots. They're too busy trying to befriend me to threaten me.

Okay, even if Murdoch gets old and senile and tries to threaten me, do you think the other Hollywood film companies and the forces behind them will join forces with Murdoch to attack me, or protect me?
Putting everything else aside, Cao Yang was absolutely confident that Disney and Warner would do everything in their power to protect him.

Disney has "New Pirates of the Caribbean," and Cao Yang has told Disney CEO Robert Iger that the series will have at least four movies.

If the remaining films are as successful as the first one, the impact will be far more than just the billions of dollars in box office revenue. Including the theme parks and related merchandise, as well as the stock market, the total assets involved will be tens of billions of dollars.

Needless to say, Warner Music also did so.

It's worth noting that Cao Yang's "Joker" is currently the second highest-grossing film worldwide, and "The Dark Knight," which he produced and wrote, is the third highest-grossing film worldwide. Doesn't Warner Bros. want a sequel and to continue working with Cao Yang?

Columbia Pictures will most likely do the same, because when Cao Yang first came to Hollywood, his first three films were all collaborations with Columbia Pictures, and they have a good relationship.

It's even possible that 20th Century Fox and Fox Searchlight will go against the parent company.

In a society like the United States, profit always comes first; whoever can bring in huge profits is the boss.

"Ms. Deng, you just mentioned wanting to collaborate with Jackie Chan, Fan Bingbing, Johnny Depp, or Jim Carrey. I'd like to ask if you can invite them?"

Cao Yang asked with a smile.

Deng Wendi looked at Cao Yang with some surprise and asked, "Didn't you promote them all? You're the director, of course you invited them, I think they would definitely give you face."

After speaking, she hesitated for a moment before saying, "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan will definitely be made into an art film, so the salary can't be too high."

I'll handle Zhang Ziyi. I can get her to accept a symbolic fee, definitely no more than a million. As for Jackie Chan and Bingbing, you have a good relationship with them, so giving them a friendly price shouldn't be a problem.

I know that Depp and Jim Carrey are both big stars in the $20 million club, so they're a bit harder to deal with. But you're the one who made them Oscar winners, so they should give you face. We can lower their salaries and give them more of their profit share..."

At this moment, Cao Yang finally gained a new understanding and insight into the phrase "getting something for nothing".

"And me? What are your terms for me?"

Cao Yang asked with a smile.

This was also what he was curious about.

Deng Wendi smiled. Usually, when it comes to negotiating terms, it usually means that the other party is interested.

"What is your current quoted price? We're on the same side, and I always have a principle: I will never let my people suffer losses. I can add two percentage points to your actual price."

Deng Wendi spoke these words with great confidence. In recent years, thanks to her status as Murdoch's wife, she has begun to integrate into the high-end circles of Europe and America.

However, she knew that without a career, this identity wouldn't provide her with much security.

After much thought, she felt that the film industry was the easiest to succeed in. In recent years, she has tried her best to integrate into Hollywood, so she has gotten to know many Hollywood celebrities, as well as Chinese stars such as Zhang Ziyi and Vivian Wu.

What she lacks now is a capable director.

Cao Yang is undoubtedly the best candidate.

In her opinion, even with her own background, she had encountered many setbacks in Hollywood. Looking at Zhang Ziyi and Vivian Wu, it was also difficult for them to succeed.

Li An and Wu Yusen also have almost no resources available.

Hollywood is too xenophobic.

Cao Yang might be in a better position, but he can definitely feel the invisible exclusion he's being subjected to, so it should be possible to win him over.

What is my current asking price?

This stumped Cao Yang.

He is usually offered as a package deal for producers, directors, and screenwriters, or a package deal for producers and screenwriters.

For commercial films, unless it's a mega-production, the normal price is 15% of the global box office. For mega-productions, which have a production cost of over $2 million, the price is about 13% of the global box office.

If I don't direct myself, but only produce and write the script, the revenue share will be reduced a bit more.

For art films, the usual percentage is 20% of the global box office revenue.

These are all normal quotes and do not involve any other methods such as betting.

Now he has achieved the triple crown of the three major European awards, becoming the only living person in the world to have this achievement, in addition to winning Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Director, and Best Picture at this year's Oscars.

And that doesn't even include the consecutive blockbusters of "Pirates of the Caribbean," "The Dark Knight," and "Joker"...

To be honest, Cao Yang didn't know how much to raise the revenue share to at the moment, because there was no precedent for it.

“I used to have a 20% share of the box office.”

Cao Yang said that "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan" is an art film, so of course he should report the box office revenue share of art films.

Deng Wendi frowned, suspecting that Cao Yang was playing a trick on her. Wasn't this asking for an exorbitant amount?

As far as she knows, even big directors like Spielberg and Cameron only receive this much of the revenue share at most.

She had also specifically inquired about it, and it seemed that Cao Yang's share was only around 13%, which was already the highest possible share.

As far as she knows, there aren't many directors in Hollywood who can get more than 10% of the revenue.

However, there is a full 7 percentage points difference between 13% and 20%. Isn't that just taking a fool out of your money?

She considered for almost a full minute before taking a deep breath and saying meaningfully:

"Young people certainly have big appetites... Haha, okay, I can give you 20% of the profits. I hope you can get to work as soon as possible and negotiate with Depp or Jim Carrey. Try to keep his share around 10%. We're doing this in a more relaxed way..."

Didn't you say you'd add two points to my initial allocation? Why is that?

Cao Yang interrupted Deng Wendi, who was already preparing to arrange the work, and explained with a smile: "Ms. Deng, I think you have misunderstood. My offer has never been a profit sharing, but a share of the global box office and subsequent merchandise."

"This is impossible!"

Deng Wendi blurted out her words, perhaps realizing that her voice was a bit too loud and detrimental to her image, so she quickly lowered her voice and said:

"That's absolutely impossible. If you take a share of the total box office revenue, then you won't bear any risk at all. All the risk will be mine. Your request is too much."

Let's not talk about me. If you collaborate with other film companies and you take 20% of the total box office revenue, they not only have to bear the risk, but also give you more than half of the box office profits they receive. What do they earn?
Hollywood isn't a charity; how could they possibly agree to such conditions? Not even Spielberg, let alone you. Look at you, a big shot, the wife of News Corporation boss Rupert Murdoch—is there any need for you to be in such a hurry?

"Spielberg is definitely out of the question right now. If he were to ask for 20% of the global box office revenue, that would be asking for the moon."

Cao Yang said with a smile, "Besides, Hollywood listed film companies, including the Big Six and their subsidiaries, earn much more than just box office revenue. How much is that? Do you understand what I mean?"

Well, let me put it this way, do you know why Li Lianjie's movies in Hollywood in the past few years almost all lost money at the box office, and why he was still able to get so many opportunities?

Ms. Deng, Hollywood isn't a place where you can just show your identity and get around without any obstacles. They operate differently from what you imagine, and their methods are fundamentally different from those in other countries that rely on box office revenue. You might need to learn more about it.

Also, that was before, and it depended on whether I was willing to give it to them. As for now, I can't get 20% of that amount.

By the way, I meant global box office revenue sharing, don't misunderstand.

Then, he raised his glass to Deng Wendi, smiled, and said, "Excuse me, I have something to attend to. Please excuse me."

After Cao Yang left, Deng Wendi stood there for a full two minutes before taking a deep breath, forcibly suppressing her anger, and forcing a seemingly normal smile onto her face before walking towards Zhang Ziyi and her boyfriend.

"Sister Deng, has it been settled?"

When Zhang Ziyi saw Deng Wendi approaching, her eyes lit up, and she quickly asked.

Deng Wendi frowned slightly; she got angry just thinking about it.

Instead of directly answering Zhang Ziyi's question, she asked, "Cao Yang said he could get a 20% cut, is that true?"

Zhang Ziyi hesitated. How much of a share these big directors actually get is usually a secret; who knows?

At least I certainly don't know it.

"Sister Deng, I don't know much about this. Cao Yang is a big director in Hollywood, so his share of the profits must be high."

"That's what Zhang Ziyi said."

Then, Zhang Ziyi turned to her boyfriend and asked, "Honey, do you know what?"

Ivy Nivo shook her head and said, "Sorry, I don't know much about these things either."

Having no other choice, Wendi Deng looked around, hesitated for a moment, nodded to Zhang Ziyi and her boyfriend, and walked toward Jason Simmons, the president of Fox Searchlight.

"Hi, Jason."

"Hi, Wendi."

Jason Simmons smiled and nodded casually to Wendi Deng, and said...

"Jason, can I ask you a question?"

Deng Wendi said directly.

“Please say 'Madam'.” Jason Simmons, while not showing excessive respect to Wendi Deng, was at least gentlemanly.

"I'd like to know, if Director Cao Yang directs a movie, how much of the profits does he get?"

"That's hard to say. It depends on the specific circumstances. So, Wendi, you'd like to invite Director Cao Yang to direct a movie?"

Jason Simmons chuckled and advised, "I think you should give up on that idea. Right now, everyone who wants to hire him... well, let's put it this way, every single Hollywood film company wants to work with Director Cao Yang, including Fox Searchlight."

Deng Wendi frowned slightly, but she still said, "I wanted to ask him to direct a movie, but he asked for an exorbitant 20% of the box office revenue, which is 20% of the global box office. This is simply robbery."

"What? 20%? Are you sure?"

Jason Simmons stopped laughing, his expression turned serious, and his tone became somewhat urgent.

Deng Wendi nodded, "I'm sure. He said he used to get 20% of the global box office revenue, which means he's treating me like..."

"Wendi, are you really sure you can get him with 20% of the box office revenue?"

Jason Simmons interrupted Wendi Deng and asked directly.

“Jason, it’s not 20% of the profits, it’s 20% of the global box office revenue…”

Wendi Deng is a smart woman. She sensed urgency in Jason Simmons' tone, which was different from what she had imagined.

"Nonsense, of course I know it's a 20% share of the global box office. Do you really think you can hire Director Cao Yang with a 20% share of the profits? Please, that's Director Cao Yang. Two of his films are in the top three highest-grossing films worldwide."

Jason Simmons said directly, "I'll ask you one more time, are you sure you can get Cao Yang with 20% of the global box office revenue? Here's the deal: if that price can get Cao Yang, I can give you a 2% cut of the global box office revenue."

"2% of the global box office revenue?"

Deng Wendi was dumbfounded. In other words, as long as Cao Yang agreed, she could get 2% of the global box office revenue for free.
Am I dreaming?

At that moment, Deng Wendi suddenly remembered what Cao Yang had said: Hollywood operates differently from other places...

They are definitely different!
But he seemed to say at the end that there was a 20% chance they couldn't hire him... Turns out they really couldn't.

……

As the principal of Beijing Film Academy, Hou Keming is once again caught in a dilemma—a happy dilemma.

Just a week ago, the huge banners and posters that were hung all over the campus were still fresh in people's minds, and now Cao Yang has won the Oscar for Best Director and Best Picture again. What are we going to do?

Some people keep shouting "go for the Olympics"...

Hou Keming quickly recalled the images of two of the most outstanding directors in the history of Beijing Film Academy, but he quickly shook off the thought.

Well, most directors in the world strive to get an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Language Film, but Cao Yang is off to the Oscars to buy them in bulk!

It's worth noting that among this year's awards, Cao Yang not only tied the record for the most screenplay awards, but also won Best Picture for the fourth time, which is a new record in Oscar history.

Even the Best Director award was won for the second time.

It also produced another Oscar-winning actor.

And he even mentored another teacher at the Beijing Film Academy who won an Oscar...

To be honest, Hou Keming didn't know much about Huang Liqi before, because Huang Liqi wasn't very famous.

It wasn't until the nominations for the 81st Academy Awards were announced that he specifically looked it up and learned that Huang Liqi was not only a makeup artist and stylist at the Qingying Film Studio, but also a young teacher teaching character design at the Art Department of the Beijing Film Academy.

In fact, although Hou Keming had also dreamed of the Beijing Film Academy producing another teacher who won an Oscar, he didn't have much hope for Huang Liqi.

Little did I know, a pleasant surprise was about to unfold.

Beijing Film Academy has gained another young backbone teacher who has won an Oscar!

Hou Keming thought with a touch of wicked humor, wondering what those big-name directors who are always shouting "Oscar-contending" would think when they learned that the Beijing Film Academy had produced another teacher who won an Oscar.

It's worth noting that Cao Yang has already helped three teachers at the Beijing Film Academy win Oscars: Gu Changwei, who won Best Cinematography twice; Huang Haipeng, who won Best Sound Effects; and Huang Liqi, who won Best Makeup.

Thank you, Cao Yang!
Given Cao Yang's achievements at this year's Oscars, how could they not give him banners and posters?
The key question is, where should we hang it?

The banners and vertical banners that were hung up a week ago represent the three major European awards, a grand slam that is absolutely the highest honor for a film and television arts school.

Don't even mention hanging it for a week; it would be too short to hang it for a whole year.

But Cao Yang's awards and achievements at the 81st Academy Awards were also amazing. What's more, "Joker" was a film that grossed over $15 billion worldwide. All these achievements combined are definitely worthy of a red banner of celebration.

So another question arises: Where to hang it? How to hang it?
This is so worrying!

Oh, right.

Hou Keming was happily troubled when he suddenly thought, why not call the principals of the Central Academy of Drama and the Shanghai Theatre Academy to ask them if they have any good ideas?
You can also ask if you can borrow their space, such as the school gate, gymnasium, canteen, dormitory, etc., to hang up a red banner.

Well, our Beijing Film Academy is a small place, and every year we have endless red banners for celebrations, which is really difficult. As a sister school, your space is just sitting idle anyway, so please consider it helping us solve this problem.

Nortel won't just occupy your space for nothing. We can lease it out, yes, at a high price. We absolutely won't let you lose out.

(End of this chapter)