Entertainment 2000: Supporting female stars will bring you a hundredfold return

Chapter 333: Surprises Galore, Rewards from the Scriptwriting Competition
"Are we going to have to work overtime?"

Seeing Lin Chih-ling open her laptop again, Alyssa Chia removed the $200 La Mer face mask from her face and leaned over.

"Read the script."

"A new movie?"

"No, we held a script competition, and I was in charge of the initial review."

Alyssa Chia poked her own fair cheek, then secretly poked Lin Chih-ling's, comparing them. This annoyed the latter, who laughed and said, "This face mask is expensive for a reason. It's just—a bit too expensive."

It's so expensive that even a popular actress like her thinks it's too expensive.

After all, converted to RMB, it costs about 1,600 or 1,700 yuan per piece.

"There will be people staying every day." Lin Zhiling hoped that Jia Jingwen would stay and share the burden.

As long as Alyssa Chia practices her English well, with her intelligence, she will definitely be able to become a qualified secretary.

She no longer needs to go through the trouble of recruiting people; if she were to recruit someone with malicious intentions, it would be another problem.

"I'm taking a suitcase with me when I leave," Jia Jingwen changed the subject: "Any interesting scripts?"

"Yes, I saw one this afternoon."

"say what?"

"Both husband and wife are secret agents, and they have to hide their identities from each other..."

The story is not finished.

The three girls were fast asleep, and I couldn't bear to make them do their morning exercise, so I went for a swim by myself to burn off some energy.

After several days of fermentation.

All three songs from the English album debuted on Billboard.

"Because of U" ranked highest, making it into the top ten.

Currently ranked ninth.

In tenth place is Beyoncé's solo debut, "Crazy in Love."

The song's ability to break into the top ten is largely thanks to the duet singer, her future husband, Jay-Z.

"Because of U" benefited from the popularity of its music video and Nicole Kidman, as well as the promotional efforts of its writers.

They barely managed to gain the upper hand over them.

Two new songs, "b what u wanna b"

Cry on My Shoulder

It barely made it into the top 100.

The former ranked 97th.

The latter ranked 81st.

That's a pretty good start.

Three singles from one album made it onto the charts.

It attracted a lot of attention.

Many singers expressed their interest and anticipation for the entire album in interviews.

Avril Lavigne and Scarlett Johansson were excited, saying that they had contacted Tang Wen and that the three songs he released were of the lowest quality.

They couldn't imagine how wonderful Tang Wen's remaining songs would be!

The two women also stirred up some controversy by creating a love triangle with Tang Wen.

Scarlett's fame has seen a slight increase.

On Tang Wen's side, the number of media outlets and reporters chasing after him increased.

He gives several interviews every day, which not only promotes his new book and album, but also makes the movie "Pirates of the Caribbean" frequently mentioned by major media outlets.

Disney executives, Galaxy Entertainment executives, and several lead actors watched the entire film together.

When the movie ended, the lights in the small screening room came back on.

Applause erupted in the hall.

"An outstanding film!"

"Tang, it seems I should congratulate you in advance."

Tang Wen: "We should congratulate ourselves."

"Yeah"

Johnny Depp and two others gathered around and shook hands and hugged Tang Wen.

For the three actors, the benefits are even greater!
The success or failure of this film will directly impact their acting careers.

Seeing that the atmosphere had reached a certain point, Lin Chih-ling brought out a few bottles of champagne, and everyone raised their glasses to drink together.

After seeing most of the people off, Tang Wen stayed behind to talk with Aiger and Robert.

"Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the Pirates of the Caribbean series will get off to a good start. We should start preparing for our next big production."

Iger was somewhat surprised: "You want to continue working with Disney?"

"No, it's about continuing to work with you, buddy. If you become the CEO of Disney, you'll need to boost Disney's stock price to stabilize your position. I just happened to be reading a novel that's perfect for Disney."

Tang Wen pulled a yellowed book from the drawer: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

A few words from Tang warmed Aiger's heart: Tang was indeed a true friend.

He took the novel, flipped through a few pages, and recalled: "This book seems to have been adapted into a movie."

"That was in the 70s. Go check who has the adaptation rights. Once I get them, I'll be the producer, and I guarantee it will be a box office hit."

Tang Wen values ​​the adaptation of bestselling novels and screenplays.

Besides the script competition.

Galaxy Entertainment's copyright department has been actively researching and acquiring suitable adaptation rights to bestselling books.

I've had some success lately; I managed to snag a copy of "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants."

In a competition with 20th Century Fox, they also won the adaptation rights to the novel "The Devil Wears Prada" by paying a higher price.

Hollywood directors and producers have a keen eye and act swiftly.

If it weren't for Tang Wen's foresight and decisive investment of tens of millions of US dollars...

These two novels are simply too difficult to read.

Although it cost a bit more, it was worth it.

In comparison, acquiring "Brokeback Mountain" went much more smoothly.

It was published in 96 and was just a short story.

Due to the sensitive subject matter, the adaptation rights changed hands several times.

It should have gone to the producer that Li An often worked with, but Tang Wen made his move earlier.

If Li An wants to make this movie in the future, he can only come to Tang Wen.

During the shopping spree.

Staff members discovered this copy of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory".

It has been published for a long time and has been adapted, so the copyright information could not be found at the moment.

This is a story full of fantasy, and if it were to be adapted, it would require a lot of special effects, making it undoubtedly a big-budget production.

The cost is at least hundreds of millions of US dollars.

In terms of profitability, however, it is not very high.

Tang Wen naturally wanted to find a partner.

“Okay! I’ll check. As long as it’s not in the hands of a big company, we should be able to get it.” After saying that, Iger looked down and sent a message to his assistant, asking him to do it immediately.

Iger has left.

Robert went to work on Facebook.

Facebook is about to launch.

Robert is busy building relationships.

After everyone left, Tang Wen returned to his office and began to review the scripts that Lin Zhiling had selected.

The scriptwriting competition has only been going on for a short time.

But Hollywood brings together screenwriters from all over the world. Many of these screenwriters are from humble backgrounds and rely on odd jobs to make a living. So when there are competitions that offer extra prize money, they are naturally eager to submit their work.

There aren't many good scripts available.

Tang Wen frowned more and more as he read, and after more than an hour, he finally found something of value.

[Horror Theme: A Story That Happened in a Wax Museum]

A creepy wax museum?

He slowed down the mouse scrolling speed and carefully read the story.

It matches the horror movies I remember. However, the story is unpolished.

The content and dialogue are somewhat verbose.

Tang Wen recalled that "House of Wax" required the production of wax figures, and the cost was not small.

The story is only moderately engaging and is rated R.

What impressed him most was that actress and American socialite Paris Hilton participated in the filming of this movie.

He received tens of thousands of dollars in salary but generated a lot of buzz.

The film ultimately grossed over $7000 million.

If handled properly, it can be profitable.

After a moment's thought, Tang Wen gave it a B rating and forwarded the email to the copyright department, instructing them to immediately contact the submitting screenwriter and buy out the script.

The second prize money for the "Script Competition" was distributed to the scriptwriters in advance.

This means that in addition to the money from the script buyout, the screenwriter can receive an extra $3 bonus.

In 2003, $3 was a considerable sum for most screenwriters.

It's enough to cover their living expenses for more than half a year, or even a year.

With his success, Tang Wen became even more patient and continued panning for gold in the vast expanse of sand...

Upon receiving the instructions, the copyright department immediately contacted the Hayes Brothers. Hearing that there was a bonus, the two were very willing to sell the script to Galaxy Entertainment.

They simply requested that filming begin within two years.

They will be working as on-set screenwriters.

These are all reasonable requests.

The copyright department agreed and arranged for them to sign the contract as soon as possible.

The House of Wax is based on a real story, but the Hayes brothers managed to get the original screenwriter to agree to the story.

The other party only wants credit, not a share of the script's profits.

Sitting in the office from noon until night, I finally found another decent horror story.

But why are they all horror movies?
Do these Hollywood screenwriters think I made my name with horror movies and that I'm only good at horror movies?

This horror story has no name, and its core theme is split personality.

The content can be summarized as follows:
After his wife's suicide, psychiatrist David moves to the countryside with his daughter. His daughter becomes obsessed with playing hide-and-seek with a fictional friend named "Charlie." Subsequently, a series of bizarre deaths occur, and the truth is suspected to be David's own split personality.

Tang Wen rummaged through his memory for a while and finally found the corresponding movie—"Hide and Seek".

The lead actor is the renowned Oscar-winning actor Robert De Niro, who played the young version of The Godfather.

In other words, this film is heavily reliant on the other party's fame and box office appeal.

The investment will not be small.

【B-】

The score has been given and the email has been forwarded to the copyright department.

Tang Wen ate dinner in his office.

There aren't many scripts left.

He plans to watch it all today.

Unexpectedly, the surprise came out of nowhere.

After dinner, the first script I flipped through was surprisingly "Mr. & Mrs. Smith".

Overjoyed, he confirmed the content was correct and then picked up the phone to call the head of the copyright department.

"Guys, I'm afraid you'll have to work overtime."

"Boss, it seems we're on the same page," the copyright manager joked, and they didn't leave work.

"Haha, check your email. If we land this project, I'll give you guys a bonus at the end of the month!"

"Thank you, Boss!"

"Don't rush. This script was inspired by an old Hitchcock film. Just in case, we should also acquire the rights to that old film."

"Understood. I'll do it right away."

After hanging up the phone, Tang Wen was in a great mood and ordered barbecue, pizza, and Red Bull for his employees who were working overtime.

As for overtime pay?
Stop joking. The United States doesn't have labor laws, so where would overtime pay come from?
Being able to order some food for the employees is already a sign of a conscientious capitalist.

The movie "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" is familiar to audiences both at home and abroad.

It is about:
A married couple conceal their identities and work for a rival spy organization.

After their identities were exposed due to assassinating the same target, they went from being enemies to falling in love, and eventually joined forces to fight against the organization.

The male and female leads are both very famous – Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.

Tang Wen is now in charge of this project, and they may not need to use them again.

"Still not done?" At some point, Sister Lin came up behind Tang Wen, took the cold tea from the table, and replaced it with a new cup.

Tang Wen cupped her face and kissed her: "You did a good job, I'll reward you tonight!"

Lin Zhiling's smile froze on her face. Just hearing these words made her thighs ache. She quickly shifted the blame, saying, "Reward Jingwen. She's leaving in a couple of days. We should reward her properly! And Xuanxuan too."

Seeing her mixed feelings of joy and fear, Tang Wen chuckled and patted her lower back, then pulled her into his arms and cuddled with her for a while.

Only when Sister Lin's eyes welled up with tears did she let go.

Just as the two were about to leave.

Robert returned with Sun Chao.

Lin Chih-ling brewed the tea and left the office, leaving them alone.

Facebook is preparing to test the waters at USC.

The school has already reached an agreement; Tang Wen and Robert have spent millions of US dollars to secure a graduate student spot for Sun Chao.

Now, Lao Sun has transformed into a graduate student in the Department of Art at the University of Southern California.

He will create Facebook on campus, and the school will provide assistance and strong support.

The website is scheduled to launch in a week.

Its early development strategy was similar to that of Renren.com in China.

The plan is to cover 2000 universities in North America and reach 1000 million users within one to two years.

Initially, only university students could register.

Create a closed and exclusive environment.

Users can invite friends to register using their email addresses.

Registration restrictions will be lifted once the initial goals are achieved.

In the original timeline, founder Mark Zuckerberg leveraged the fertile ground of university campuses to complete the initial development and user accumulation.

Tang Wen patted Sun Chao on the shoulder and said with a smile, "Study hard."

Sun Chao shrugged: "At worst, I'll just drop out of school. Didn't Bill Gates drop out of school to start his business? I'll drop out of school and found Facebook. Maybe that will become a legendary story."

All beginnings are hard.

The three reviewed the "campus activities" that attracted users after the website went live—the Goddess and God Contest.

This gimmick alone is enough to entice these hormone-fueled college students to participate enthusiastically...

Actually, there are faster ways to promote on Facebook.

That is to become a news website, attract users by digging up exclusive news, and quickly complete the initial user accumulation.

Tang Wen had plenty of related news in his mind:

Will Smith and his wife each do their own thing.

Puff Daddy's shady party.

Epstein's island.

The untold story of Leonardo DiCaprio and Hillary Clinton, among others, were explosive news stories that shook the entire United States and even the world!
If you can find professionals to approach and infiltrate the area, obtain the video, and then release it, it will definitely attract a huge amount of attention.

However, the level of popularity is too explosive.

Even Robert and Sun Chao could be blown up together.

After all, too many politicians are involved!
This person hiding behind the scenes won't escape unless he goes back to his country and stays there.

The risks were too great, so he had no choice but to reluctantly abandon this "fast track" and adopt a more cautious and "underhanded" development path.

the next day.

A trailer for "Pirates of the Caribbean" has been released.

Zhang Yan, who was on the other side of the world, arrived at the company with two women on his left and right, personally taking charge and directing operations.

Cans of Red Bull were handed out.

After a busy day, the Southeast Asian writers are once again invigorated, typing away on their keyboards and mice!
(End of this chapter)