Hollywood Domination Chapter 292: Sowing melons to reap melons

"It seems that the effect of this wave of publicity is unexpectedly good." When people around the world were enthusiastically discussing "Monroe" and its derived topics, in a luxurious office near Century City, a follow-up The meeting was also being held, and Harvey Weinstein said with some emotion while flipping through the report provided by Dameng, "After all, movies are still king at the box office."

On the other side of the conference table, Jenny and Cesare exchanged glances, and neither of them said much: Although Harvey took over the "Monroe" Olympic public relations consultation, but the one who is really getting the share It's still "Life and Death Reading", and the box office of "Reading" is not particularly good at present. Compared with "Monroe", it must be false to say that he has no envy and jealousy, especially Harvey. I made a mistake and left Bao. He wanted to intervene in the operation of "Monroe", so it's best to avoid discussing the box office with Harvey.

"To get to this point, there must be some elements of luck." Jenny said, indeed, she did not know that "Monroe" would bring such attention, "A large part of it is still consuming Marilyn The popularity accumulated over the years, but what we mainly want to know now is how to convert such public attention into the support of the judges."

"Before I joined, what were your thoughts?" Harvey asked, a subtle expression appeared on his face, he seemed to be smiling, but it was hard to tell whether it was a commercial smile or a sneer.

Jenny couldn't help but look at Cesare again, but the other party was digging through the report and looking through the data, and didn't give her much support—"Monroe" is just a part of the many affairs of Dameng now, Cesare After resigning and officially becoming the owner of the Dream, some adjustments must be made to the personnel of the Dream. The financial system also does not need to be mysterious because the equity is unified, which can save a lot of costs, and this is just internal affairs. The film has not yet been released. Film marketing, settlement, and global distribution all require a lot of decision-making. In addition, there is also the development of the sequel of "Twilight", as well as the payment and follow-up extension work of the previous joint development project. Saray only provided one or two ideas for Monroe's Olympic strategy, and she directed Jim and Mary to complete most of the work. After all, she hasn't made a film recently, and her only job is to attend Oscar's various public relations activities. As the producer of "Monroe" and a partner of the company, she can and should be on her own in this matter, instead of continuing to demand Cesare's intellectual support.

I have to say that bringing out a movie alone is indeed very beneficial to Jenny. If it is said that a year ago, she would still be very afraid and nervous about this kind of confrontation with real swords and guns. After so many things she went through last year, and after "Monroe" achieved such a blockbuster box office under her completely independent decision-making, now this kind of tension has only left a faint trace. At a glance, it's just a remnant of years of habit. In fact, after she independently created this legendary film, her self-confidence has also been greatly developed-Jenny certainly doesn't remember the specific box office of this film in the original world How much, but she will definitely never have as many people as now, and her influence will definitely not be as great as it is now, otherwise it is absolutely impossible for her not to know. It can be said that compared with the one in the performing arts space, "Monroe" In fact, the only thing that matters is the same theme, it is completely a new movie, and Jenny really brought out such a global hit movie by virtue of her own ability.

So, although she knew that Harvey asked this question with some 'bad intentions', and even knew that the decision she made might affect the relationship between the two of them and the two companies, Jenny still didn't feel flustered by it. , after getting no opinion from Cesare, she also understood what Cesare meant—this is her movie, her rush, Cesare let her do it before, and now he Maybe she also thinks that she can’t give any more constructive advice, and it’s up to her to decide the future relationship between Dameng and Weinstein, whether she chooses to reveal the whole truth, continue to cooperate with Weinstein, or avoid the important ones. Answering this question, not revealing his hole cards, and drifting away from Weinstein, he will have no objection.

Different from other industrial projects, the atmosphere in the film industry is still relatively strong, which also makes the interpersonal relationship in Hollywood particularly chaotic-maybe in Wall Street and the White House, this situation is better, because regardless of personal No matter how powerful you are, you are still restricted by the interests you represent. It can be said that before doing anything, your position is limited, and there is not much room for free play. No matter how powerful a politician is, it is impossible for him to abandon his political party Can continue to be arrogant. But in Hollywood, the top movie stars and top producers are almost the overlords in the circle. They themselves are the core productivity, and others rely on them for food. This also makes the restrictions on them too small, just like Jenny. Iger fell out and betrayed Disney, that's not a problem at all, the remaining five will definitely invite her to join with better conditions than Disney, and this kind of obedience and obedience to whatever they ask for also makes the top people All of them are full of personality, coupled with the spirit of the law of the jungle and the money-oriented spirit that prevails in the United States, it is conceivable how chaotic the Hollywood circle is. The relationship history of these top figures is all a bad debt. Today, they turned their faces because of impulsiveness. Tomorrow, it is possible to hold hands again because of interests, and everyone will smile at each other again and cooperate sincerely. The cost of turning over is extremely low. There is often a lack of mutual trust between them, and the basis for cooperation is quite fragile. For example, Weinstein and Dameng were partners who exchanged shares before, but because there were no suitable films for cooperation in the past two years, Jenny rejected Harvey once again. Harvey immediately approached Kate and planned to ambush She looked like she was overreacting and couldn't wait to protect herself. If Jenny hadn't taken the initiative to make this phone call, I am afraid that the cooperative relationship between Dameng and Weinstein would be difficult to continue.

After all these years in Hollywood, Jenny has a good understanding of Harvey's defensive mentality. As a producer who relies solely on his ability to operate awards, he must have been kicked a lot, and of course he has been kicked a lot He was just kicked out of Miramax by Disney a few years ago, and he only took away a few hundred million yuan. It must be an instinct written into his genes to strike first. In fact, from this point of view, Harvey still has a little affection for Dameng. At least his attitude of turning his face is not so firm. After Dameng proposed an exchange condition, he also agreed to it. Actively spying on Dameng's attitude towards Weinstein, the intention to repair the relationship is quite obvious. If Dameng shows the corresponding sincerity, then she believes that there will be no obstacles on the road between Harvey and her to rebuild the old relationship. In Dameng's next Olympic film, share a piece of cake with Harvey, and the relationship between the two parties should be restored to its original state.

Because Jenny has no plans for her next Olympic film, and she doesn't think she can win another Oscar in a short time, or create another "Monroe", emotionally, she is very concerned about the cake. The feeling of reluctance is not so strong. The main factor hindering her decision is actually similar to Harvey's idea-Harvey doesn't trust her and Dameng because he has been in Hollywood for too long, and the same in How can she trust Harvey after staying in Hollywood for eight years? What Harvey wants to hear now is actually her plan for her preparation for the Olympic Games, which includes her basic data in the academy jury. As long as she leaks this kind of data, it is tantamount to giving Harvey the bottom line. It was a late start, and now it has exposed its fundamentals. How can Dameng be competitive with Weinstein in running the Olympic Games in the future? As for the Olympics, we can only rely on Weinstein forever, and keep giving him the cake.

Of course, this is also Harvey's intention. The prerequisite for maintaining the relationship between the two parties is that Dameng can't **** his monopoly position. If you admit this, then everyone can discuss it, and he is unlikely to sell it instead. She went to run "Revolutionary Road". After all, from the moment Kate got the double nomination, the two sides were really tightly bound together. From this perspective, Harvey raised this issue after the nomination was announced. It's still a bit sincere...

This is often the case with development companies. The situation cannot give you a perfect choice. After all, no one is a fool. Now Dameng only wants to bribe Harvey to pass this critical moment and ensure that "Monroe" has a certain role in the Oscars. It was won, but Harvey was sure. Now that the nomination battle is over, the most important award battle is about to begin. Big Dream has the weakness of the double award in the past. It cannot withstand the precise attack of others. It just wants to force Jenny to cede and confess. ——After he knows the names of some people, with his contacts, there must be a way to infiltrate and transform the legacy left by Sidney. It is not bad to keep 30% or 40% of Dameng's contacts by then.

Otherwise, she will pass the test with lies first, try to hold Harvey back, and wait until after this year's Oscars. Anyway, after winning this year's award, she will definitely not be able to win the award for several years. The next time she wins the acting award, maybe even Twenty years later, there is no harm in turning against Harvey. It is impossible for Harvey to snipe the big dream of the Olympic film every year in the future, and the contacts left by Sidney can not only be used in her own starring role. Aren't all the movies she made and the movies produced by Dameng available? Although it is just the beginning, five or ten years from now, it is hard to say whether the big dream or Weinstein will have more say in the field of Olympic awards...

This tempting idea flashed through her mind, and she hummed a very beautiful tone, as if she was sketching out a wonderful vision for Jenny five or ten years later, but Jenny stared at Harvey for a while, and she swallowed After a while, I still swallowed this idea with difficulty: For Harvey, an Oscar expert, lying is very risky first of all, and besides, doing so really makes her feel very uncomfortable.

Well, Jenny has never thought of herself as a good person. Her bottom line is really low sometimes, but she really feels that she can't do some things. If Harvey really manipulates Kate and starts to attack her, use water She wouldn't feel guilty if Jun blacked him out so much that he couldn't get along in this business, but she took the initiative to ask for peace, and then tricked Harvey to shake hands with her in person, in fact, she developed her strength secretly, and finally replaced him in one fell swoop. She felt that something was wrong. Of course, this has nothing to do with morality and feelings. If there is a reason, Jenny still likes to separate confrontation from cooperation. After all, if you even cooperate with yourself If you didn't have a good idea at the time, how can you trust others? This vicious cycle continues, and in the end you are likely to find that there is no one you can trust, and Jenny now has to cooperate with others to develop her career. Once she starts to have this mentality, she will live very well. It's painful, now I keep the last bit of persistence, at least I can find some support psychologically and have some sense of security.

"Our initial plan is to impress the judges with a nostalgic style." She had paused for a long time, and it seemed a little insincere to hesitate any longer. Jenny let out a long breath, and said Dream’s strategy for the Olympics, “Monroe’s high restoration of the 1950s is a strong point, and these judges are all older, many of whom are over 70 years old. For them, the 1950s is very memorable In an era, and the jury is dominated by men, we can get from Sidney..."

Jenny hesitated for a moment, and said a vague number, "Nearly 100 basic disks, if the nostalgic style lobbying, it should not be difficult to get another 400, after all, "Monroe" still has inherent advantages, Many judges are very interested in this movie, and even took the initiative to come to watch it, and doing this is basically equivalent to getting more than half of the votes."

The Actors Association has about 1,500 votes, and 500 is nearly one-third of the number. This ratio is already quite high. Besides, Jenny will always have some free votes. A resource trades, or has no opinion, waiting to be persuaded by others. Moreover, since the rest of the finalists this year do not have the confidence to win the award, the box office of "Monroe" and the top spot in the Sentinel Awards have also made the film studio lose confidence and are unwilling to spend money on unnecessary public relations. Anne Hathaway Originally, he had a rich boyfriend who might spend money on public relations, but he was imprisoned in the middle of the year. Hathaway is still in trouble until now, and has been badly criticized by public opinion. She has not won a single outpost award. The current situation is even worse. There is no need for Harvey anymore, as long as he does not come forward to obstruct and develop according to this momentum, then Jenny will definitely win the Oscar.

As for the basic number of nearly 100 cards, she said a little less, and she didn't intend to reveal the specific names. Deni has worked together, and the numbers come out, and he can guess the name more or less. After that, no matter how much public relations are used to win over and maintain his influence on these people, Jenny is powerless to stop them. They can only fight how strong the public relations methods of Dameng are. , she is not too confident about this, these actors take care of her, it is all because of Sidney's emotional points, and this kind of emotional points are the most erratic, and the most difficult to be related to interests and money , You don’t know if these individual winners in life will be furious because you offer some benefits, thinking that you are not worthy of being Sidney’s disciple at all.

Thanks to the sophisticated information system of human beings, Jenny's complex emotions and mentality were successfully conveyed to Harvey through her tone of voice and expression. Harvey's expression also changed slightly, and the line of his jaw softened significantly. , It seems that a layer of invisible armor has been removed, and a burst of dust has been stirred up in the room-although no one spoke, the atmosphere in the meeting room has obviously relaxed a lot. It was melted away by Jenny's words.

"Nostalgia is a good entry point, but it's not enough to overcome your previous disadvantages," said Harvey, who has been an Oscar expert for many years. As soon as Harvey opened his mouth, Jenny straightened her back unconsciously and listened attentively. His review. "Last year, your "Michael Clayton" lost to the release at the beginning of the year, and "La Vie en Rose" spanned a full year. This is a movie with no public relations, and Maria never thought that she would have such good luck. , so you should be aware that the judges have great doubts about giving you another major performance award in the short term. This year is still very close to the judges. The concerns of last year should still exist this year. Even this will have an impact on the best film of "Monroe". You have been on stage last year, but this year I noticed that, You are the only one on the producer list."

Jenny made a noncommittal expression, and did not comment on Harvey's meaningful tone: It is indeed a bit 'independent' to report only one person in the producer column, but Jenny doesn't just swallow whoever's production credit According to the usual practice, the production director is not included in this column, so it is true that she is the producer of "Monroe". She just wants to monopolize the honor of producing, she knows Hollywood too well, as an actor and a woman, any male producer who is listed as a producer will immediately become the hero behind the scenes of "Monroe" , and she will only be the foil who pays for her fame, others will never admit how much she contributed to the production of "Monroe", even if the director and the co-producer say good things about her, they will not Only take these as evidence of her good public relations.

"Should you be allowed to go on the podium again? Will it be another double award? Although this time it is not two acting awards, will Oscar choose to avoid suspicion? Weaknesses in this competition," Obviously, Harvey had his own analysis of Jenny's Olympic situation, but he couldn't show it until Jenny showed her dry goods and made her attitude clear—he relied on These sharp professional opinions have opened up his own world in Hollywood. Of course, he will not give away such a precious wealth. "If you continue to use nostalgia for publicity, it is still unknown whether you will win the award. Of course, your analysis is correct. Nostalgia can indeed arouse the judges' favor and sympathy for "Monroe", but it is ultimately It is a kind of private interest—in the face of such an important event as the credibility of Oscar, few people will use interest to override business, which is a kind of selfishness with confidence—maintaining Oscar’s credibility, so sacrificing one’s own personal goodwill, then It is a sense of mission, between a sense of mission and selfishness, if there is no personal interest to hinder, most people will choose to be a selfless good person, this is basic human nature.”

Resisting the urge to take notes, Jenny chuckled softly and said, "Harvey, I already feel that the consulting fee I paid was worth it."

Of course she wasn't talking about pure money——Harvey exchanged a look with her and smiled confidently. He moved his somewhat fat body and continued, "Of course, "Monroe" is now erupting." The degree of attention gives us a lot of options to promote and operate. Nostalgia is just one of them. If we give up it, we have many other options, and we don’t even need to give up it completely, we just need to make some new combinations. "

He raised a finger and said seemingly casually, "For example... "Monroe" is one of the best commercial and artistic films ever made. Choosing "Monroe" can save Oscar from Niche and marginalized, Oscar has always been looking for a balance between commerciality and artistry, "Monroe" should be rewarded - this is a way of thinking, using the sense of mission of "saving Oscar" against the mission of "maintaining credibility" In this way, what the judges need is to choose between two kinds of selflessness, and at this time, the interest and goodwill aroused by nostalgia can play a role.”

This is indeed a very effective way of thinking, Jenny nodded as she listened, "We have also had similar ideas, but this requires relatively high PR requirements, and it is difficult for the judges to be influenced by topics related to movie quality. The influence of laymen, nostalgia is easier to develop, so we finally gave up this idea. Of course..."

She laughed, stared at Harvey and sincerely complimented, "Now we have no shortage of authoritative speakers."

Harvey bowed and expressed his modesty, "I'm here for you at any time, my dear, you just need to give me a list."

Jenny opened her mouth, about to agree to Harvey's reasonable request, but Cesare suddenly turned her head and looked at her, which made her hesitate for a moment—and once her vigilance was aroused, she soon understood Come over: The list that Harvey wants must be written on the targets that can be captured but have not yet been captured. After all, there are countless targets that Sidney makes friends with. As long as he gets this list, he can do it again With the elimination method, isn't the name of the person who has been confirmed to be captured already ready to be revealed? This old guy, in order to ensure his monopoly position, has already calculated to this point...

"Let's think of something else first," she said tactfully, giving Harvey a genuinely commercial smile, "you know, you're charging by the piece, Harvey, and we're already racing towards the Olympics. There is too much investment in public relations fees."

"Based on the current box office of "Monroe", no amount of money can cause losses." Jenny has just seen through the trick, "In addition, the third point we can use to publicize is of course the old and new inheritance between you and Sidney. I wonder why you didn't think of this trick before, after all——you two last year He touched many people on the stage of the Oscars, and he just passed away this year-although it is a bit too sensational, the judges just like this kind of plot. There won't be more favors than there are now, just grab this hype - tell your story with Sidney in an interview, why did you have to get an Oscar this year?' Because it's for Sid Ni's best parting gift'—”

Noticing the change in Jenny's expression, he stopped and said with a smile, "Oh, Jenny, don't tell me that when you were fighting for the Oscar this year, you really didn't think that this award would make Sidney proud of you .”

Jennie does not deny what Harvey said—this is not the first time she has nominated for an Oscar, and she has passed the period of needing an Oscar to improve her style. With her current momentum, the importance of the Oscar has already However, unlike the previous times when she was nominated, she had the idea of ​​'as long as she is nominated, she wins'. This time her desire to win the award is indeed very strong, except that she thinks that "Monroe" deserves the award In addition, there is indeed a large part of the reason. She wants to tell Sidney that she has lived up to his support, and she wants to stand on the award stage and tell the world how much Sidney has inspired and helped her. ...

And did Sidney help her in her Olympic bid? Indeed, when the rough cut version of "Monroe" first came out, although Jenny thought it was a good movie, she didn't think about how much it could achieve. After "Monroe" got Venice, she even I didn't even think it could compete for an Oscar. The reason is similar to what Harvey said just now. As a young filmmaker, she has already received too many awards. If it wasn't for Sidney's old friends who took the initiative to extend an olive branch, Jenny would not have realized how precious the gift Sidney gave her on the 2008 Oscar stage. This well-known Hollywood producer has a wide range of contacts, and many people owe him favors, and Jenny is the last disciple of his mantle recognized before his death. To some extent, it can even be regarded as his admiration. The successor of the point... This connection would even make Weinstein feel uneasy. It goes without saying how valuable it is...

Having worked in Hollywood for so long, in order to become famous and popular, she has sold her private life, her past, and even her personality and dreams. Under the Hollywood atmosphere of 'everything is a commodity' , Harvey's suggestion seems to be taken for granted. In the final analysis, it is not a lie after all. She really wants to win the Oscar because she really wants to make Sidney proud of her...

But...

"Yes, part of the reason I want to win the award is for Sidney, because of our relationship." In the end, Jenny shook her head, and she said calmly, "But it doesn't mean I will sell This feeling came to get me an award, Harvey, you know, there is a difference between these two things after all.”

Harvey Weinstein fell silent, and in front of his silence, for the first time since the beginning of the meeting, Jenny actually felt slightly embarrassed.

"I'm not trying to take the moral high ground," she said flusteredly, "I didn't mean to accuse you, Harvey—it's actually good advice, if because I didn't take it And losing Oscar, that is entirely my problem, it is only natural to do so, I fully understand..."

Feeling that she seems to be getting more and more wrong, Jenny smiled sheepishly, and ended her incoherent explanation, "Take it as my bad temper, it's a correct choice, but maybe it's character As a result, I would not choose to do this-let's skip this topic, shall we?"

Harvey looked at her with a mysterious expression, and after a while, he nodded slowly.

"Okay," he said, dismissing the subject surprisingly lightly, "let's talk about the next drink you're supposed to be attending."

For Oscar promotion, any commercial reception is very important. Many judges not only listen to PR's lobbying, but also want to actually contact the candidates before making a judgment. How to make a good impression on these judges , Let them feel their desire for Oscars, this is also a compulsory course for actors, many actors have not been recognized by Oscars for a long time, and it is not unrelated to the negligence in this regard. In this regard, Weinstein is undoubtedly the unparalleled expert in the world, and even Cesare also participated in giving his own opinions on the sensitive topics that are likely to be brought up during the reception and the standard answers that Jenny must give .

The financial crisis, the Beijing Olympics, and the recent presidential election. On these issues, Jenny's position must be consistent. The difference is that she is an American, and many problems cannot be avoided. Even with the help of Cesare, the meeting lasted for a long time. When they finally concluded the discussion, it was already night outside the window and it was dinner time.

"Come to dinner with us, Harvey?" Jenny asked politely, but didn't expect Harvey to say yes. Their relationship with Harvey hadn't recovered to the point where they had dinner together, and work dinners were another story.

"No." Harvey shook his head and rejected Jenny as expected. However, he didn't seem to get up, but put down the pen in his hand, leaned back on the back of the chair, and He looked back and forth between Jeanne and Cesare from a distance—a half-smile appeared on his face again.

Jenny raised her eyebrows at him and questioned silently. She had a vague premonition that Harvey was going to mention something, but she couldn't grasp his purpose yet.

"You know, your question just now reminded me of a few very interesting things." Harvey didn't let her wonder for too long, he adjusted his posture and asked leisurely, "Do you know the recent Los Angeles Have the paparazzi ambushed at the gate of the county government? Although the possibility is very small, they obviously don’t want to miss this explosive news.”

Sure enough, it was about Cesare and her 'marriage' again, and Jenny sighed helplessly in her heart—she didn't believe that Harvey would have no clue about it, as long as she knew a little bit about Cesare and Dave's marriage. The source of the dream, as well as the people of the big dream's shareholding structure, must have guessed about this marriage-she just didn't know why Harvey had to bring it up at this time. In her opinion, the second half of the meeting Duan's atmosphere has been quite good, he doesn't have to spoil all of this, and use this as an excuse to continue to take the initiative.

"Then they're bound to be disappointed," she said dryly. "If you're reminding us of this, Harvey, before the Oscars, obviously we're not going to let a new piece of news distract the public's attention." .”

"No no no, don't get me wrong." Harvey smiled easily, for some reason, he seemed quite sure of himself, "I just want to congratulate you and Cesare, you know, you and Cesare He's a perfect match, and I have every confidence in your genuine affection—"

He looked back and forth between the expressions of the two, and Harvey's smile gradually widened.

"You know," he suddenly changed the subject abruptly, and dropped a bomb in a leisurely manner, "irs is already paying attention to you."