Director of Photography Department of Huayu

Chapter 279 Black Swan

The California sun still shines.

In the passenger seat of the Cadillac, Wu Chen stretched slightly. He had taken a nap on the plane and was mostly jet-lagged, so he felt relaxed.

Outside the window are rows of neatly trimmed palm trees.

“Wu, you’ve really scheduled this time. You didn’t even take a day off before going to Paramount.” Jason Blum chuckled, his hands on the steering wheel as the car smoothly drove down Melrose Avenue.

"I slept for twelve hours."

Wu Chen looked out the window and caught a glimpse of the signs of major film and television companies on the roadside—Warner Bros., Disney subsidiaries, and so on were all gathered in this vicinity.

Paramount's iconic "Paramount Hill" and Arch logo flashed past the car window, and Jason Blum pointed to the park in the distance:
"Look, that's the studio where they filmed 'Transformers.' Paramount is going to make a killing with this IP. It's already grossed over $500 million worldwide, and $600 million or 700 million shouldn't be a problem. Michael Bay is probably going to be worshipped as a god of wealth."

At this point, a hint of obvious envy appeared in Jason Blum's eyes.

“Your Blenhouse will also have a chance.” Wu Chen smiled, then changed the subject, “How’s your company doing lately?”

"Progress is going well!"

Jason Blum grinned broadly. "By the way, you'll have to take a look at Lionsgate's script later; they've been pressuring you!"

"Mm!" Wu Chen nodded slightly.

The two got out of the car, and Paramount sent someone to pick them up.

As we ascended the elevator, the doors to the high-floor conference room slowly opened, and the morning California sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, illuminating the long, solid wood conference table and creating a dignified atmosphere.

Rebecca Sarkin, who greeted him at the entrance, was the first to extend her hand: "Wu, welcome to Paramount!"

Then, Rebecca pointed to the middle-aged man beside her: "This is Craig Holmes, who is in charge of international copyright cooperation and is also the main executor of the 'Kip Thorne Science Concept Development Agreement'."

“Rebecca Sarkin, Vice President of International Development at Paramount, and also the Copyright Director!” Jason Blum whispered to Wu Chen.

"Hello, Miss Rebecca, Mr. Holmes."

Wu Chen nodded slightly and shook hands with the two of them.

Craig Holmes sized up the director, whose reputation in Hollywood was growing.

To be honest, he thought that Spielberg should have been the best choice to direct this idea, but he didn't expect that Spielberg would actually impress Linda Obbs and Kip Thorne, and even managed to reach a swap deal with Paramount.

"I'm sure you've already seen our terms. The exchange is not a problem. Paramount welcomes this win-win option."

After sitting down, Rebecca Sarkin spoke first.

It must be said that they spoke fluently and grandly in every context.

The current situation is that the probability of "Black Swan" making money is far greater than that of "Kip Thorne Science Concept Development Agreement," which is still in the development stage.

Wu Chen raised an eyebrow: "A win-win situation isn't necessarily true; my risks are actually greater."

Since it's a face-to-face meeting, the approach will naturally be to do what's best for oneself.

Rebecca Sarkin was not annoyed, clearly having anticipated this situation. She immediately called her secretary, poured coffee for everyone, and prepared for a protracted battle.

Jason Blum whispered a reminder from the side: "Black Swan is a low-to-medium budget project with little flexibility in terms of salary. If you take the role, the $800-1000 million range is fixed. The only thing you can do more of is to share profits and provide incentives."
"And if you want 'Black Peony' to compete for this year's Oscars, now is the best time to negotiate."

Wu Chen nodded upon hearing this.

The atmosphere in the Paramount conference room was tense for a moment, and then the two sides pulled at each other for a long time.

“Wu, we need you to direct.” Rebecca Sarkin rubbed her temples, speaking with a smile, but her tone carried an undeniable firmness:

"Paramount needs to minimize risk, and you are the most suitable person to direct Black Swan."

"As both the original author and a Cannes Film Festival award-winning director, your box office appeal and artistic reputation have already proven this." She gently pushed the documents in front of her: "The script is complete, and Paramount is handling production and pre-production. I'm sure it won't take up too much of your energy or time."

Wu Chen raised an eyebrow slightly and looked at the contract on the table.

Rebecca Sarkin added, "We have prepared box office milestone and award achievement bonus clauses, you can take a look, and if there are any questions, we can discuss them further."

Wu Chen glanced down at the key clauses of the contract:

North American box office surpasses $5000 million: $1 million incentive bonus; Global box office surpasses $100 million: an additional $100 million incentive bonus;

An additional $2 million will be awarded if the North American box office surpasses $1 million and the global box office surpasses $200 million.

If a film is nominated for an Oscar for Best Picture, Best Director, or Best Actress, it will receive a reward of $100 million to $200 million for each nomination.
If the director did not receive a screenwriter's fee, they can apply for a 3% share of the film's net profit (after the production company has recovered its costs).

When Wu Chen saw the last message, his eyelids twitched.

In Hollywood, the biggest fear isn't about how much money you have, but about the "net profit sharing." It all depends on the conscience of the production company when it comes to settling accounts. If they do a little bit of accounting, you won't get a single penny.

With that in mind, Wu Chen decided to forgo the screenwriting fee altogether and slowly closed the contract: "If 'Black Peony' is to participate in this year's Oscars, I need Paramount's assistance. In exchange, I can forgo the screenwriting fee."

Craig Holmes then whispered to Rebecca Sarkin:

"One of the two Oscar nominees for next year has already been decided: Paul Thomas Anderson's 'There Will Be Blood'."

Rebecca Sarkin frowned slightly, then stood up and nodded to the two of them, saying, "Excuse me, I'll go get the agreement!"

Wu Chen nodded. He knew that the other party was actually asking for instructions from above. He was confident about the outcome because Paramount had many commercial blockbusters this year, but only a few of them could compete for the Oscars.

After a while, Rebecca Sarkin came back in: "This is Paramount's Oscar referral agreement. Take a look. We can't guarantee an award."
There's another condition: the lead actress in *Black Swan* must be a top-tier or near-top-tier international actress. You'll audition for the role, but Paramount reserves the right to participate.

Wu Chen nodded slightly: "Okay."

Paramount clearly has high standards for actresses, but he doesn't mind as long as the cast is suitable and doesn't make filming more difficult.

"When will filming start?"

"Regarding the start date, if your schedule is right, we can be ready to start filming within two or three months after the contract is signed. Paramount's operating system is very mature for this kind of low-to-mid-budget film," Rebecca Zargin stated confidently.

"Oh!"

Wu Chen looked on with a hint of doubt.

Although this timing is actually quite good for him, after all, even if "The Martian" were to be approved and enter the preparation stage in just one or two months, the preliminary preparation alone would take several months to half a year, if not a year. This just happens to give him time to finish "Black Swan".

But if Black Swan is completed too quickly, wouldn't the release date of Black Peony be too far apart? Wouldn't that be a loss for Paramount?
Seemingly noticing Wu Chen's confusion, Rebecca explained, "Don't worry, it won't conflict with 'Black Peony' and cause you any financial loss."

Paramount needs a backlog of films, and even if they're finished, they might not be released immediately. We'll choose more suitable release dates, such as during Oscar-contending periods or avoiding similar films, to maximize box office and awards returns.

After the meeting, Wu Chen and Jason Blum walked out of the glass doors of Paramount headquarters together.

The California sun was still intense, and Wu Chen was somewhat excited because once the contract was signed, the development rights that Paramount owned for "Interstellar" would be transferred to his hands.

But Jason Blum remains obsessed with "Black Swan," prompting the following observation:
"The script for 'Black Swan' is fantastic. Your 'Black Peony' has already sold its global rights for over 2000 million US dollars, and it even won the Cannes Film Festival Award. 'Black Swan' is being filmed in Hollywood, so its value is definitely not low."

"Out with the old, in with the new. No need for sentimentality." Wu Chen smiled and patted Jason Blum. "Maybe the new one will be even better."

“That’s hard to say. Good things are hard to come by. Otherwise, why do you think Paramount would have agreed so easily?” Jason Blum still felt that Wu Chen had been taken advantage of, but it was too late now, and the contract was already half finalized.

"So you started developing this story right after you finished filming 'Black Swan'?"

"No, I plan to start by making a sci-fi film to practice."

(End of this chapter)