Seven Hundred and Twenty-Four - Weighted Bait

Those who have achieved little in Hollywood are basically not short of money. The reason why people flock to this circle is because the income is much higher than in other industries.

Fame and fortune have always been complementary things. As the latest Oscar-winning actress, Helen Hunt naturally has no shortage of fame and money.

Of course, not lacking money is only relative, everything depends on who you compare with. Compared with most ordinary practitioners in the industry, she is definitely considered a successful person, but compared with the top bosses in the industry, her income from filming or endorsements is still completely insufficient.

Beverly Hills is generally the choice of practitioners in the industry. It is a traditional wealthy area in Los Angeles.

There are only a few affluent areas in Los Angeles. Compared to the Santa Monica Valley, where wildfires inexplicably burn every year, and the relatively distant Malibu Beach, Beverly Hills is within the circle in every aspect. The number one ideal place to live for successful people.

There are even countless men and women who come to Los Angeles from all over the world and come to Hollywood to pursue their dreams. Many people’s dream is to own a house of their own in Beverly Hills.

The living environment and safety here have a top-notch experience. The only drawback is that the top-tier luxury homes also have top-tier prices that far exceed the market price.

For today's Christopher and Rockencourt, from the moment their car drove into Mulholland Drive, they witnessed what the top luxury house is.

Unlike Helen Hunt, Christopher Rockencourt did not show envy even when he was driving the car and faced the security check at the entrance of Greenberg Manor. At least his face remained calm and completely In line with the well-informed persona of a descendant of an ancient earl.

"Haney, this place is so shocking."

Looking at the marble columns on both sides of the manor's gate, the Oscar-winning actress murmured to herself with yearning in her eyes. Different from the mansions they saw on the road, the pillars of the large porch of this manor were full of traces of time. All the pillars were carved with simple floral patterns, and they were extremely clean. There were no common stains accumulated by time. feel.

Faced with his girlfriend's mutterings, Christopher Rockencourt shrugged and said nothing. After a brief inspection by the security personnel, his car finally slowly entered the manor. In fact, there was also a trace of imperceptible shock hidden deep in his eyes.

Living here, you can avoid all prying eyes from the outside! This was the feeling the two of them shared after entering the gate of the manor.

The car has slowly entered the manor, but it can still only see the guard room and acres of woods in front of it. The view directly ahead is also blocked by a huge garden. I’m afraid no practitioner in the industry wouldn’t like this kind of privacy design.

The car drove along the winding main road. In addition to the garden that was slowly left behind, the two people saw that the manor was built on the mountain, and the main buildings built completely using the mountain began to come into view. At the end of the line of sight of the two people, there was a huge crape myrtle tree connected together.

It is precisely these crape myrtle trees surrounding the manor that perfectly cover the prying eyes. It is easy to draw the conclusion that if you want to enter here without the owner's permission, you have to either fall from the sky or climb to the back of the main building of the manor. cliff.

Christopher Rockencourt drove the car and slowly stopped by the fountain in the small square in front of the main building. Facing the car door opened by the housekeeper Hela, he thanked him like a gentleman and stood beside the car and raised his head. Looking towards the main building.

This is a huge three-story villa main building made entirely of granite and marble. The deep walls are full of the sense of time. The first impression given is that of heritage and precipitation.

"This way please, Mr. Greenberg is waiting for you."

Unfortunately, Hela completely ignored the exploration of the main building in the eyes of the man and woman, and politely invited the two of them to walk towards the awning on the lawn.

Following the footsteps of the housekeeper, Helen Hunt curiously observed the interior of the manor. Not only did she feel it, but the men around her also felt an invisible pressure when they entered the manor.

Christopher Rockencourt's eyes were a little wandering, and his mind became confused at this time. He already regretted accepting this invitation. But as soon as he thought of the seeds he had planted before, and then looked at his surroundings, an uncontrollable throbbing and excitement slowly rose from the bottom of his heart.

"Hi, Wayne."

When he came under the awning and looked at the young boss lying on the lounge chair, his eyes instantly became firm. After nodding and thanking the housekeeper, he said hello in a very familiar manner. "The environment of your manor is great. Well, the scenery is so beautiful that it's amazing."

"Hi, Chris."

Reaching out and taking off the large sunglasses on his face, Wayne turned his head slightly and looked at the man and woman beside him with the same smile. "Hi, Ms. Hunter, I'm sorry, I just fell asleep. Welcome."

As he spoke, he pointed to the chair next to him. "Sit down and chat. There is something to drink in the ice bucket. You can help yourself."

In the short time they met, the two men were observing each other, especially Wayne. Faced with the stranger's acquaintance, he did not show the slightest bit of displeasure. Instead, he was as enthusiastic as an old friend he hadn't seen for a long time. greeting each other.

Looking at Christopher Rockencourt, he couldn't help but nodded secretly. In terms of appearance and etiquette, this guy really couldn't fault him.

"Seeing that the movies you invested in continue to sell well, and peripheral products like "The Matrix" are popular."

Pulling out a bottle of beer from the ice bucket, Christopher Rockencourt raised his head and took a big sip. Then he put down the bottle. He looked at Wayne who had already sat up and said cheerfully and directly: "It will always happen. It gives film investors like me the illusion that they can always make a lot of money by investing in Hollywood movies.”

Speaking of this, he shrugged and complimented the other person without any trace. When he saw the smile on the face of the man sitting opposite, he continued: "It's just that every time this kind of illusion comes into my mind, I will forcefully remind him. Myself, the continuous success of film investments is just an exception for a genius like you."

Wayne raised the wine bottle in his hand, shook his head with a smile and touched it with the other party. He did not pick up the topic. He knew that these seemed to be superficial exclamations, but also a kind of temptation from the other party.

But what the other party said is also true. Not to mention other films, "The Matrix" has been driving the sales of peripheral products since the first film was released, with gratifying box office numbers.

Similar to the special phenomenon of "The Matrix" peripheral products selling well, it is difficult to appear even in family movies, let alone R-rated movies. And once peripheral products explode, the so-called box office revenue will become less important.

Peripheral products will become the protagonist at this time and become the main income point for production companies and distribution companies, which can be called a low-input and high-output income guarantee.

The most obvious point is that Warner Bros. has signed manufacturing and sales contracts with dozens of peripheral manufacturers before the official filming of the two projects "Wonder Woman" and "Superman" in preparation has begun.

Even in order to sign a contract with Warner Bros. in advance, countless peripheral product manufacturers are willing to accept Warner Bros.'s commission.

The reason for this phenomenon is simple: the director and producer of the film is named Wayne Greenberg. No one can deny that as long as the name of the film producer is listed, the peripheral products will often show a trend of explosion, and basically there will be no accidents.

"Okay, let's talk business."

After the two exchanged pleasantries, Wayne nodded to the inconspicuous Nina beside him, and the assistant took out a few documents at the right time and placed them on the table between the two men.

"Chris, Greenberg Studio has launched a series of cooperation projects with Warner Bros. this year. I believe you must have known about it before you came to me."

Christopher Rockencourt nodded slightly and turned the top page under Wayne's gaze. Yes, in fact, he had been paying attention to the relevant news. When he learned that Greenberg Studio would face financial difficulties, he made a self-recommendation call as soon as possible.

"This year, my studio has invested in and produced two projects in a row." Seeing the other party open the prepared information, Wayne lit a cigarette and introduced the relevant information in a leisurely manner. "The two projects of "John Wick" and "King Kong", as well as the upcoming filming of "Lord of the Rings", basically emptied most of the studio's cash flow..."

After listening to the introduction, Christopher Rockencourt looked through the information on the table. Placed in front of him were two project plans that had not been reported by the media.

The first thing that catches your eye is a genre film that is different from mainstream commercial films. To be more precise, it is a feature film about animals. Of course, there is definitely no very specific information in this plan. After all, this is different from the detailed plan handed over to the film company. The main purpose is to let investors understand the background of the film and the market prospects it will face.

"$18 million?"

Without any hesitation, he turned directly to the last page. When he saw the estimated investment figure of the project, he raised his head in surprise and looked at the man across the table.

"Yes, the investment in this project is not large." Exhaling a cloud of smoke, Wayne shrugged and replied: "This is just a feature film. As long as no big stars are invited to join, the production cost will not be particularly high."

Nodding slightly, Christopher Rockencourt lowered his head again and continued to look through the information at the back. He knew very well that even though the production cost of a feature film was close to 20 million US dollars, it was considered an extreme luxury in the industry. But once the producer was replaced by the man opposite him, everything made sense.

It is well known throughout Hollywood that Wayne Greenberg likes to spend a lot of money. This is a filmmaker who knows how to spend money and make money.

And if it is just this feature film project, this amount of money is unlikely to be worth the other party's financing. There is no doubt that the majority of the funding gap is still in the subsequent projects.

When he saw the second game adaptation project, Christopher Rockencourt sighed inwardly, and it turned out to be true. This game "Tomb Raider" was released just two years ago. Unexpectedly, the film adaptation rights were obtained by the other party early.

When he saw the terrifying investment of up to 80 million US dollars on the last page of the project, he was not surprised, nor did he choose to ask again, but continued to flip through the pages.

Later on, he discovered that it was still a game adaptation project. In this game-changing project with a zombie background, the protagonist was still a woman, and the production cost was also as high as $3,500. When he saw this, he inevitably frowned slightly.

Putting together the information on the table, Christopher Rockencourt looked at Wayne. If these three projects were brought out by others, he would definitely throw them back in the other person's face immediately, and then severely Spit thick phlegm and tell the other person to get out.

Regardless of how long he has been in Hollywood, to a certain extent, he can definitely be regarded as a qualified film investor, and at least he has basic common sense.

But any qualified investor can see that the three projects in front of them are not normal mainstream films.

Comparatively speaking, the first animal drama film with a relatively small investment turned out to be the most reliable among them. As for the latter two projects, one is too good and the other is outrageous.

Game-adapted movies are a genre that has been thought up by countless people in Hollywood, but as long as you know a little bit more about it, you will find that so far, there is not a single one that can be called a success. What's even more amazing is that the absolute protagonists of these two game adaptation projects are actually women.

That is to say, the person who took it out was Wayne, but if it had been anyone else, Christopher Rockencourt would have saved even the superficial effort.

"How's it going?" The slowly changing emotions on the other person's face were clearly seen by Wayne. He didn't try to explain anything. Instead, he held a cigarette in his mouth and asked casually: "Are you interested?"

Obviously Christopher Rockencourt also figured this out. Sitting across from him was Wayne Greenberg, and there was no need to explain the specific issues of the project to him. He was sure that if he expressed no interest now, someone else would come to the door tomorrow with money.

"Three projects..."

He picked up the cold beer and took a sip. With a trace of hesitation on his face, he looked into the other person's eyes and said, "Wayne, I'll tell you the truth."

"Just say it, Chris."

"According to your plan, these three projects will be co-produced with Warner Bros., so how big is your funding gap?"

After being stunned for a moment, Wayne nodded thoughtfully, looked across the table and asked, "It seems that you are very interested in these three projects."

Seeing that the other party nodded without hesitation, he thought about it for a moment and said with a smile: "In order to obtain cash flow from my studio, I must give priority to the three projects that have been launched, so... the balance of these three projects The funding gap will be around 50 million US dollars!”

Since he dared to make an appointment with the other party, Wayne was not afraid of the other party's big appetite. From his point of view, the bigger the appetite of this descendant of a European earl, the better.

After hearing his words, Christopher Rockencourt immediately smiled, giving the impression to those present that an investment of fifty million US dollars was no problem to him at all.

"I need a moment to think about it, Wayne."

Gently patting the three-point project information on the table, he cheerfully raised the beer bottle. "You know, Wayne, this isn't a small amount of money, and I need time to think about it."

"Can."

The two clinked the bottles and Wayne nodded. "But the time cannot be too long. Chris, I can tell you clearly that there are other people who have also expressed their strong willingness to raise funds to me. I can't wait for you for too long. The reason why I am the first to talk to you is Because you are the first one to be willing to invest.”

In the eyes of Christopher Rockencourt and Helen Hunt, it is normal for the other party to behave like this. After all, this person is called Wayne Greenberg, as long as the project produced by the other party does not fail for the first time. Before, there was no shortage of potential investors.

"Three days at most."

Touching the three project materials, he looked at Wayne and said, "I will give you an accurate answer within three days at the latest."

"Okay, I'll wait for you." Wayne was very talkative.

Even Helen Hunt on the side sighed in her heart. Everyone said that Wayne Greenberg was not easy to get in touch with in private, but in fact the rumors were just rumors.

What appeared in front of her was a young gentleman who was gentle, polite, stable in appearance, tough and handsome, and not at all as domineering as the rumors in the circle said. And the reason why the other party was so talkative was attributed to her boyfriend's face.

"Well......"

Even he didn't expect that things would go so smoothly. Christopher Rockencourt glanced at the three project documents again, and a trace of struggle flashed across his eyes, and then was hidden deep down. "Wayne, can I take these three things back..."

"no problem."

Waving his hand generously, Wayne directly indicated that the other party could be taken away. "Although there is nothing particularly confidential here, Chris, I still have to remind you to keep it confidential."

After saying that, he secretly looked at the assistant lady. In fact, even he did not expect that this descendant of a European earl would behave so happily. Unexpectedly, the investment of 50 million US dollars did not cause the other party to hesitate at all.

In their eyes, the two exchanged a message almost at the same time. This guy's appetite was either larger or smaller than they had previously imagined.

"Chris, actually..."

Seeing that the business was about to be finished, Wayne showed hesitation on his face. He looked at the man sitting across the table and said slowly: "Actually, I didn't expect that your cash flow was so abundant, nor did I expect that these three Projects, you are all so interested in them.”

Although he didn't know what the other party wanted to express, Christopher Rockencourt still shrugged exaggeratedly and joked cheerfully: "Hey, this is a project produced by Wayne Greenberg. Who in the entire Hollywood Would you refuse to invest in a project produced by Wayne Greenberg? Right?"

His exaggerated teasing made both men smile.

After laughing, Wayne seemed to have made an impromptu decision. He looked across the table and said, "Actually, Greenberg Studio has a bigger project plan. Steven Spielberg was originally interested in investing. Yes, if you are also interested..."

Christopher Rockencourt was stunned for a moment and said subconsciously: "Ah, of course."

After reacting immediately, he nodded without hesitation. "You know, Wayne, I have great confidence in your project. Although the cash flow on my hand may not be abundant, as long as you give me a little time, I can raise a large amount of cash in a short time."

Wayne waved to Nina, and the assistant took out another thick document from her briefcase and placed it on the table between the two of them.

Just when Christopher Rockencourt was about to reach out and open the project information, Wayne uncharacteristically stretched out his hand and pressed it on the information.

In the surprised eyes of the other party, he put away all the expressions on his face and said seriously: "Chris, whether you participate in this thing or not, I don't want any news about this project to the outside world, okay? "

"Okay, I understand the rules, Wayne." The more cautious Wayne showed, the more excited Christopher Rockencourt became, and he nodded unceremoniously. "I can sign a confidentiality agreement if you want."

Immediately, the hand that was pressing on the information was retracted. "No, I trust you, Chris."

About half an hour later, the second piece of information that Nina took out was placed intact, and Christopher Rockencourt brought Helen Hunt and the first three project information. , left the manor in a hurry.

It wasn't that he didn't want to take away what was on the table, but Wayne made it clear that he could only take it away after making a firm investment decision. There is no way, this thing is too important.

Looking at the black Hummingbird sports car started next to the small fountain, Nina habitually pushed up the glasses on her face and turned her head to look at the man on the lounge chair. "I thought you wouldn't initiate Plan 2."

"no way."

Wayne sighed and took a long drag of his cigarette. "I shouldn't have invited him to the manor. I believe you have noticed. This guy has been trying his best to hide some uneasiness since he sat down. But his appetite is so big, so I will give it to him. Provide the best stage.”

It was obvious that the entire manor was putting a lot of pressure on Christopher Rockencourt. Wayne even suspected that the pressure would be so great that the bait taken out earlier would not work. Therefore, he simply increased the weight of the bait again to prevent Nina from having to cancel the plan she had worked so hard to come up with.

"You must keep an eye on him."

The assistant lady sneered, looked at the project information on the table, and said in a sarcastic tone: "Don't worry, as long as he still has desire, no matter what he chooses, he will not be able to escape the big net I compiled."

Seeing Wayne put his black sunglasses on his face again, seizing the opportunity to enjoy the rare free time, she picked up the project information on the table and threw it into her briefcase.

To put it bluntly, this thing did not come from Wayne at all, but Avi Adela, who used the Marvel copyright in their hands to formulate a small part of the plan. But as soon as you take it out, it will be full of confusion.

Think about it, Wayne Greenberg production, superhero project, when these two terms are put together, even Christopher Rockencourt still doesn’t think of the 150 million production cost. high. What's more, Nina herself explained that this superhero project is not a joint production with Warner Bros.!