Huayu Entertainment: Tianxian really wants to improve

Chapter 282 Is this the power of capital?
Black Swan is a rare film that presents a hexagonal female perspective.

It achieves both commercial and artistic success, while also providing ample room for the female lead to showcase her talent.
This kind of movie is very rare even in Hollywood. Natalie waited nine years for this project, and was still willing to wait even after it was delayed twice, because she saw that it had a lot of potential for development.

Gu Bei first threw out a bait in order to get the Black Swan, and next he needs to persuade Darren to accept Liu Yifei as the lead actress.

"Bruce..."

Darren pondered for a moment, then finally looked up at Gu Bei.

This time, seeing the different treatment between artists and wrestlers...
Both are niche subjects, but isn't silent film just as niche as wrestling?
But it was Gu Bei who invited a top star like Leonardo DiCaprio, making the artist receive attention from both the art and business fields, and smoothly treating him like a protagonist.

Even if it means more creative constraints, I would not find it unacceptable to work with Anthony Hopkins!

He said earnestly, "I am very interested in the project 'Father Trapped in Time.' When can I speak with Mr. Hopkins and the producer?"

Hooked!
Gu Bei revealed a slight smile.

He wasn't particularly interested in his father, who was trapped in time, or the black swan.
One is a small-space, theatrical production; the other is a story similar to Whiplash.

Neither story presented much of a challenge or room for Gu Bei to develop his skills, and handing it over to Darren would lighten his workload somewhat.

at this time,

Liu Yifei is finally back.

She walked back happily, holding a gelato ice cream cone covered in pistachio crumbs.

When he saw Darren opposite Gu Bei, he was slightly taken aback.
Then I regained that natural feeling of relaxation.

"Hello, Mr. Aronofsky!"

Liu Yifei greeted Darren.

"Who is this?"

Darren glanced at Liu Yifei and asked curiously.

“My girlfriend Crystal!” Gu Bei smiled and glanced at Liu Yifei, then continued, “She’s also an actress, and also…”

"She is not suitable to be Mr. Hopkins' daughter, I'm very sorry!"

Darren said it very bluntly.

Gu Bei was slightly taken aback after being interrupted.

This guy has a pretty straightforward personality!

No wonder he dared to directly confront investors who were blind to his worth after winning the Golden Lion Award; his personality is quite different from his mild appearance.

However, Darren guessed Gu Bei's purpose correctly, but he guessed the movie wrong!

Gu Bei continued, "...He is also the founder of Rose Pictures, and the investor and producer of the project 'Father Trapped in Time'!"

After Gu Bei finished listing all of Liu Yifei's titles...
He could see with his own eyes that Darren's face showed an embarrassed expression.

After all, Darren never imagined that the twenty-year-old girl sitting across from him with an ice cream was the founder of Rose Pictures and soon to be his big sugar daddy!

"After Gu Bei recommended you to me..."

I went to see your work.
I really admire the exquisite use of audiovisual language in your work.

Liu Yifei spoke first, easing Darren's embarrassment.

Thank you for your appreciation.

Darren breathed a sigh of relief; thankfully, the investors didn't mind.

At the same time, I was also a little envious of Gu Bei. It's so pleasant to work with investors who respect creators. No wonder Gu Bei's creative work has been so successful since his debut.

"I heard you have a project involving ballet dancers that you're developing?"

Hearing Liu Yifei mention the black swan seemingly casually,

Gu Bei looked at Liu Yifei's profile, a slight smile playing on his lips.
In this state, Liu Yifei truly exudes a more intellectual and professional aura, somewhat reminiscent of her modern dramas. The only thing missing is a formal women's suit; a uniform would be even better.

"A substitute actor?"

Darren wasn't surprised that the two knew about the Black Swan project.

The Black Swan project has been in the works since 2000, but it has already been stalled twice.

Gu Bei was approached by Eric, the president of Summit Entertainment. Summit Entertainment had distributed Darren's first feature film, Pi, and Gu Bei had once tried to get Summit Entertainment to take over the project.

After a pause, Darren continued about the project's current status: "However, after the wrestler was completed, I had the script rewritten and renamed it Black Swan!"

Upon hearing this, Gu Bei had an idea.

This should be the time when the final version of the Black Swan scenario was born.

Darren, as a close associate of the Venice Film Festival,
Black Swan participated in the 2010 Venice Film Festival.

Working backwards, the black swan event should have already begun in the first half of next year.
The script will be completed in the next few months.

He patted Liu Yifei's thigh, indicating that she was the one for this project.

Liu Yifei received Gu Bei's signal.

But she still couldn't help but glare at Gu Bei.
Then he said to Darren, "I'm also very interested in the Black Swan movie. Rose Pictures is interested in packaging both projects with your Protozoa Pictures."

Darren immediately showed a hint of joy.

He never expected that this time he would not only get the directing rights to the project he was interested in, but also...
At the same time, it can also push forward projects that have been stalled twice.

This truly demonstrates Rose Pictures' respect for creators!

Pack,

Or rather, a film list.
This is a very common contract in Hollywood.

This means the production company values ​​your creative abilities.
So we can work directly with your studio to produce a series of films that reflect your style.

This is also a way for film studios to mitigate risk.

Investing in your project is like buying stocks; you could make a fortune or suffer a huge loss.

But investing in several of your projects is essentially buying an index.
While you may still make a profit or a loss, the fluctuations will be smoothed out considerably.
That means you weren't given a chance; it's just a matter of whether your creative style is accepted by the market.

Darren has always been known for his straightforward personality, and he doesn't seem to have much hesitation now: "I can totally accept it, and I can discuss it in detail with my agent later!"

"Wait a minute, don't agree yet!"

After Liu Yifei saw Darren agree,
Instead, a single, simple sentence was enough to push Darren out.

"Any questions?"

Darren suddenly became a little anxious.

Weren't we having a good chat before?
Why does the other side suddenly seem to be changing their minds?
He glanced at Gu Bei, seemingly wanting Gu Bei to speak on his behalf.

Liu Yifei then slowly began, "Actually, I'm also an actress, and I'm very interested in the female lead in Black Swan."
From the synopsis alone, I could feel the powerful surge of emotion it represented!

Darren's mind began to calm down, and a hint of hesitation appeared on his face.

The movie Black Swan is almost a one-woman show by the female lead, so the choice of the female lead is very important, and may even be the key to the success of the movie.

He hesitated for a moment: "Actually, I had been in contact with Natalie about this movie before. She has been very interested in playing a ballet dancer for a long time." Liu Yifei glanced at Gu Bei.

Gu Bei had revealed this information to her once, but she didn't know how he found out.

After a pause, she didn't respond to Darren's words, but instead started a new conversation: "I've been learning dance since I was little, although not ballet..."
But to meet the filming requirements, all you need is a few months!

Read but replied randomly!

Darren looked somewhat helpless.

But since the other party is an investor, why would he nitpick over such a small detail?

He still tried to resist: "This is a story that takes place in a ballet company, and Crystal's image is somewhat different from that of the female lead in the story."

"Darren, you may not have enough faith in Crystal's performance."

But she had already played the lead role in one of my films.
Not like in Whiplash, but this movie is mainly carried by two female leads, one of whom is Crystal.

Gu Bei spoke up, using the movie "The Message" to endorse Liu Yifei.

“Mr. Aronofsky, we can start by cooperating with the father who is trapped in time.”

Liu Yifei also took the initiative to speak up, taking a step back, "If my audition doesn't meet your requirements after my father, who is trapped in time, is over, then I can voluntarily withdraw from the Black Swan Project."

Darren was somewhat tempted by this.

Liu Yifei's initiative to back down, coupled with the good impression she had previously made,
It gave him the feeling that the power to choose the female lead had returned to his own hands.

At the same time, he was not worried that Liu Yifei would break the contract. After all, Black Swan was invested in by Liu Yifei herself. If Liu Yifei broke the contract and ruined the movie, then the money loss would fall on her own.

No investor would turn down money!
Based on this idea, Darren nodded: "I still hope that I can keep the creative control of the film. If you can meet my requirements, then it is not impossible for you to play the lead role of Black Swan."

Liu Yifei nodded.
She finished the rest of the ice cream.

Then a sweet smile appeared on her face:

"Actually, our cooperation doesn't necessarily have to wait until after Venice to begin."
How about $300 million for the North American distribution rights to a wrestler?

Darren felt a little dizzy.

The wrestler movie hasn't even started showing yet.
The only offer he can refer to right now is the one investors are willing to pay for, which is why they're unwilling to release the film in North America.
Rose Pictures, on the other hand, casually offered $300 million, which was already far beyond his initial offer before he came to Venice.

Is this the power of capital?
Darren already has an urge to sign Liu Yifei right now.
Not only a wrestler, but also a father trapped in time, and the Black Swan—these three films directly shaped his career for the next five years.

But in the end,
Darren still didn't agree.

Unlike Gu Bei and Liu Yifei, he doesn't own the copyright. If he wants to sell the North American distribution rights, he has to discuss it with other investors.

At the same time, he invited Gu Bei and Liu Yifei to participate in the wrestler screening event on the 4th.

The Wrestler was one of the films in the main competition that was screened last at this year's Venice Film Festival.

After the screenings on the 4th,
The awards ceremony in Venice is in two days, on the 6th.

After Darren left,

Liu Yifei turned her head, slightly raising her face towards Gu Bei, with an expression that suggested she was waiting for praise:

"How was it? I did a good job, didn't I!"

"not bad!"

Gu Bei clapped his hands and joked with a smile, "I see a capitalist rising up!"

"Snapped!"

Liu Yifei gritted her teeth and angrily slapped Gu Bei's shoulder: "Am I not doing what you said I was doing?"

First, finalize the film slate with him for collaboration with Rose Pictures. Once he's hooked, then discuss the female lead. That way, you won't have to worry about him running away.

"Yes, that was my plan!"

Gu Bei nodded, "But what you did afterward was much better than I planned. You took a step back to move forward, seemingly giving him a choice."
In reality, after the collaboration, your power as the producer will definitely be greater than that of the director.

"Is that so?"

Liu Yifei blinked her big eyes.

She hadn't thought that far ahead, but she felt it wasn't good to pressure Darren into making a choice.

Furthermore, if Darren is ultimately unwilling to continue directing the project due to her acting skills, then it would be better for her to withdraw.

After all, she just liked the role and the opportunities it offered.

But it wasn't to the point where he absolutely needed this role.

Haven't you thought about it?

Gu Bei was somewhat surprised, "What about your last move of buying the wrestler's publishing rights?"

Liu Yifei continued to blink her big eyes: "You said there's profit potential in wrestling, so buying them to enrich Rose Pictures' copyright library wouldn't be a bad idea!"

"Great!"

Gu Bei raised his thumbs up.

Although Liu Yifei didn't think that much about it.
But each of these casual attempts, though seemingly insignificant, ultimately achieved their intended effect.
It turned out even better than Gu Bei had planned!

a few days later.

Gu Bei and Liu Yifei went together to attend a wrestler screening event.
Compared to Gu Bei and his group's screening event at the Film Palace, where they even had an official red carpet to walk on,

The wrestlers were just in a regular theater, and the red carpet was only a small section of the theater. There weren't many media outlets taking photos.

This treatment is slightly better than Gu Bei's time as a wrench drummer, but not by much!
"Bruce, I didn't expect to see you here!"

A surprised voice came from the side. Natalie walked over with a smile and greeted Gu Bei and the other person, "And who is this?"

Gu Bei introduced Liu Yifei: "My girlfriend Crystal is also an actress."

"Crystal, you're so beautiful!"

Natalie greeted Liu Yifei very warmly.

"you are beautiful too!"

Liu Yifei also showed a slight smile.

She had also studied in North America for several years, and even though she wasn't particularly outgoing, she knew what that fake enthusiasm from North Americans was like.

However, looking at Natalie's face, an idea popped into his head.

She suddenly remembered that Darren had mentioned Natalie before, saying that Natalie had been interested in the female lead of Black Swan for a long time.

So isn't she just trying to steal Natalie's leading lady?

Not just prying,

And it was obtained by using money!

Three projects were used to create a leading actress.
I really am an evil capitalist!

(End of this chapter)