Hollywood Domination Chapter 112: A-lister standard life

"The most complicated negotiation around an A-lister is of course about his salary and share, so I will keep your manager position. Most of the contracts that your manager decides for you are made by the other party To impress you, this kind of negotiation is often very simple. Japanese—or Korean companies come to your door and quote an astronomical figure—usually that is their highest asking price, and then you decide whether to accept this advertisement to earn some money Money. Jim’s ability can still handle it, you don’t need to worry about that.” Cesare drew a branch on the paper, “This is the endorsement part—in the local area, you will have one or two luxury goods Endorsement, except for Valentino’s entire line, I will fight for a watch endorsement for you. Patek Philippe and Van Cleef & Arpels do not invite spokespersons. It is best to form a tacit cooperative relationship, but it is also good to be the brand ambassador of Omega. I have to say, you are a Lucky girl, "Prada" let you enter the field of vision of these first-line brands, it would be a pity not to take advantage of the east wind to settle these two contracts. For these two endorsement contracts, money is not the key point, one or two hundred less It doesn't matter if you don't want to - remember this, luxury endorsement is like first love, usually only once in a lifetime, if you manage well, you can hold hands for a long time, or even cooperate for a lifetime. It's good to have a high-end brand that provides you with dresses all the time It will improve your style in many ways.”

The endorsement part is over, and then Cesare naturally talked about the Foundation.

"Caring about charity, environmental protection and world peace, it is also very important to choose a charitable foundation you support." He said, "Valentino offered to cooperate with your foundation, which is very good, because you set up your own The foundation can save taxes and money for Dameng and you to the maximum extent—this is a very common practice, and return the company's donations through various forms such as foundation accounting and job creation, even if you don't do it , can also save taxes for the big dream. Of course, if you need money very much, you can also attract public donations. Some celebrities will indeed do this, using their own influence to make a name for the foundation, and then not disclosing the accounts and donation objects. Usually To put it bluntly, as long as 20% of the charity money is allocated, the facade projects can be done well, and the remaining 80% can be returned to the stars themselves with legitimate investment income through various channels, or used for other purposes.”

Under Jenny’s stare, he shrugged, “It’s very common. Charities and lotteries can be called IQ taxes in many cases, and the titles of charitable organizations that exist in Hollywood can almost circle the world. If they really If everyone was doing good deeds, the United States—or even the world—would be much better off than it is now, but unfortunately, people often never think about it.”

"Is it true that the more familiar you are with Hollywood, the more disappointed you are with human nature?" Jenny said sarcastically, "No, I don't want to use charity to make money - continue."

"It should be said that when you reach the top level in any industry, you will gradually lose confidence in human nature." Cesare replied, "Of course, Jefferson, when people are scrambling to ruin morality, your persistence makes people lose their confidence." The world has become a better place. Regarding your foundation, I think you can start from your own experience and help some students who are determined to get out of the slums, subsidize living expenses and provide a certain amount of scholarships. This will be a good publicity stunt and also It matches your personal image quite well, and you can let Jim and the charitable foundation experts handle this matter, and we can talk more about this topic on the next "Oprah Show."

"Okay." Jenny said indifferently, "Don't spend too much money on me and it will be fine."

"The company will calculate the appropriate donation amount based on the big dream and your taxes." Cesare replied, "OK, now that you have chosen your charity field, all you have to do is continue to discuss among several themes. Choose between famine, environmental protection, peace and anti-war, animal welfare, women's rights, choose a main direction of attack, and show your support on relevant occasions. After a while, you may receive an invitation from the United Nations to go to a few poor countries— ——If you choose to fight against war and famine, or attend some publicity activities, you will be the ambassador of the United Nations. Of course, this will make your resume more beautiful, and it will also make your A-list title more shining .”

"Uh, I don't know...anti-famine? I guess? Environmental protection is a bit too demanding for individuals after all," Jenny said, remembering the news she had vaguely seen before, as if there was an unlucky former vice president, Made a documentary about environmental protection, and then it was pointed out that his mansion's average electricity consumption was several times higher than the average level or something. "Animal welfare seems to be too extreme, and women's rights seem to go to extremes."

"Women's rights are hardly arousing waves. Famine is a good topic. Go to Africa a few times, take some promotional photos, and you will quickly get the title." Cesare agreed, "Besides, There are also religious denominations, political camps, and domestic issues, which are also very important for some A-lists, especially A-listers who are interested in political development, but this has nothing to do with you. ——The last point, you have to choose a Suitable for your social circle, I am not talking about celebrity connections, top producers, top directors, these all mean important roles with hundreds of millions of investment, often also mean award nominations, you are expected to invest more money in this regard , James Cameron likes diving, Spielberg likes one-man sailing boats-if you want to talk to them about this topic, at least you should have a villa with a private dock in Malibu.”

"Circle." Jenny quickly accepted this point. This is like Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business. It doesn't necessarily say what to teach. The important thing is to read and find common topics with these famous directors. After all, for famous directors and top producers, there is no shortage of actors for their projects. Whether they can be appointed by them, in addition to acting skills, they also need certain outside tricks.

"Yes, this is the small social circle," said Cesare, who had listed the branches on paper and then brought them together. "I think you have noticed that A-listers do All of this is to ensure one thing - style, they need style to convince the market that they are A-lister - this is like a god-making game, at the beginning, you get a huge box office, this is Your stepping stones, and then you ascend to the altar, all this is gold powder applied on you. So that you don't need success after success to prove yourself, the thicker the gold powder is applied, the more times you will bear Do you understand what I mean? I taught you, even if it sounds absurd at first, as long as you repeat it a few times, you will be confident enough—"

"The negotiating partner will take your word for it," Jenny repeated instinctively. "The public and filmmakers are the negotiating objects here."

"Volkswagen is the bargaining chip, title after title and press is your bargaining chip, 'I'm a superstar, I'm a UN ambassador, so I have social influence' - said a hundred times , let the audience believe in you—then you really have social influence.” Cesare shrugged, “As for the studios, they know it well, don’t forget the era of big studios in Hollywood , They have already played this set... However, since it helps the box office, why not do it? As long as your gold powder is thick enough and your social influence is strong enough to realize, even if you fail several times, they will still Will give you an A-list price tag, so don't think it's all meaningless, it's just a vanity game, and unless you're confident you'll never fail, every link counts."

"Okay." Jenny grimaced, "But you did wipe out the aura of the A-list, and from what you said, becoming an A-list doesn't seem to be a big deal, there is no mystery. "

"If in my eyes, entering the A-list is still a very mysterious thing, then you should worry about your future." Cesare said mockingly, "Of course, you don't need to share these experiences with me." Anyone share, for most agents, to get this knowledge, they have to go through **** in the mail room and then spend years in the industry. Even most A-listers don't know why they are doing this all they know is that everyone is doing it—herd mentality.”

Jenny laughed loudly, "You do have your own set of theories, don't you? Psychology and big data, don't worry, your industry secrets are safe with me, and I won't leak them out. But I don't guarantee that Mary, who is determined to be a good manager, will come to eavesdrop."

Cesare actually opened the door to check, and Jenny couldn't help laughing, "Please, it's just a joke!"

"Who knows?" Cesare closed the door and checked the doorknob again, "If it was me, I would eavesdrop—a good manager would eavesdrop."

As soon as Cesare returned to Hollywood, Jenny was in a joking mood. For Cesare, the problems that troubled her were like delicious chocolates, which were thrown into the mouth one by one and then melted. Now, she finally felt the happiness of becoming an A-lister, and even shook her legs on purpose—until Cesare gave her a disgusted look, then moved her feet off the coffee table, Smiling and pulling out the drawer, "Cigars?"

"Thank you, I just need one." Cesare took it and put it on. After preheating and lighting it, he took a deep breath, and a rare trace of fatigue flashed across his handsome face. "Problem solved? Let's talk about Finch. Regarding tonight's dinner, what you need to remember is—"

"Wow," Jenny quickly raised her hand, "Slow down, Chesa, your speed is a bit too fast—can you smoke a cigarette and let me digest your lesson just now?"

Cesare shrugged, "Sure."

Jenny actually wanted to be lazy. According to her mind, with Cesare to accompany him tonight, Finch can leave the greetings to him. After all, actors still talk about their works. With acting skills, as long as the performance is not too stupid, there will be no major problems in communication. Whether she and Finch can come to an agreement depends on whether the two can agree on the understanding of the script. So this kind of preparatory work of striving for perfection can be delayed for a while.

Through the large skylight, the sunlight shines into the living room. The temperature and atmosphere in the room are pleasant. Jenny squinted her eyes and swallowed the clouds, enjoying a few cigars in infinite relaxation. She raised her head by chance, and suddenly found that Cesare was already leaning on the armrest, half an inch of cigar ash had condensed, and the cigarette **** was quietly extinguished—he was asleep.

It should be the rest time for the Maldives, right? Jenny calculated the jet lag, and suddenly wanted to laugh: It is really hard to believe that Cesare would have such a human side, not only needing to overcome the jet lag, but also thinking that the scene of him rushing to the restaurant after getting off the plane should be quite interesting Funny.

Flying back to Los Angeles from the Maldives is always a flight of more than ten hours. After getting off the plane, I rush to deal with business, and there is no time to rest along the way-just thinking that there are people around me who are just as busy as her. Tight, although it's a bit selfish to say this, but Jenny's mood really improved a lot. She picked up the laptop, picked up the Finch information that Ino gave, put a blanket on Cesare, and left silently. living room.

#

"Don't tell me he's not up yet." At the breakfast table, Jenny asked Mary, "Are you sure he's still in the living room?"

"At least he was there when I went to see him half an hour ago." Mary snickered, "He doesn't seem to have woken up—it's a shame you didn't take this opportunity to take some prank photos."

"Don't say stupid things." Jenny scolded, but couldn't help laughing, "If you want to die, find a cliff and jump off, don't cause trouble for us."

There was a faint sound of heavy objects falling to the ground upstairs, Marie laughed, and after a while, Cesare rushed down the stairs.

"You should have woken me up." He grumbled as he took off his wrinkled suit. "Now I have to go home and change into a suit—shall we meet at Finch's house?"

"Cesare." Jenny suppressed a smile and said, "It's already the next morning - calm down, last night's dinner was a success, Finch and I had a good chat. Five Sally's, we're fairly unanimous that it's going to be a good thriller."

Cesare paused for a rare moment, then he turned his wrist and looked at his watch, "Shoot, I forgot to adjust the time in Maldives."

Although he had tousled his blond hair and there were no sleep marks on his face, the crumpled shirt still betrayed his majesty, and Mary could hardly straighten her back from laughing. Jenny bit her tongue, trying to stay normal and said, "If you need to use the bathroom, there is everything in the guest bathroom, and Mary can come to your house and get you a suit."

"These can wait." Cesare rubbed his face, then changed his mind - this person's cleanliness is no secret, "wait for me for a few minutes."

For a long time, Cesare has been taking care of (or interfering with) her daily life. It is a rare opportunity to entertain Cesare, but Jenny decided to be a good host. Muffin powder, discussed with Mary to make a few muffins, but neither she nor Mary has any skill points for cooking, and the finished product is quite horrible.

"This is milk cereal, fresh juice, and white bread." When Cesare returned to the kitchen, Jenny said, "Are you sure you don't need Mary to get you a suit?"

"I'll go home later." Although Cesare hadn't eaten for almost 24 hours, he glanced at the dining table and still didn't choose to eat first, "Tell me about you and Finch first. What are you talking about?"

"We all talked about our understanding of the script and Sally. Fincher thought the same as me. In this film, he intends to give up too obvious violent images, and draw more materials from oriental horror films, drawing on "Midnight" The soundtrack and atmosphere of The Ring," Jenny recounted, "I think this is a very genius idea, very suitable for "The Fifth Sally", and he also agrees with my understanding of Sally-basically these What, what?"

"You should have woken me up yesterday." Cesare's brows gathered briefly, "——I had re-listed the third part of "Pirates of the Caribbean" when I was in the Maldives, if nothing unexpected happened, You can get 20/10 numbers for the third part, which is as much as Johnny. In fact, if there is no Johnny, I am sure to get 20/20 for you-Disney doesn't have much opinion on this asking price, but They want you to think more about The Fifth Sally."

"The Fifth Sally" has not found a funder yet, and it is in the stage of contacting various film companies. It is normal for Disney to understand the inside story of the project, but Jenny doesn't understand why they want to hinder her from taking this film, "Did they feel that Sally's image was too negative and worried that it would affect Elizabeth?"

"That's true." Cesare replied, "Disney believes that the female images you have taken over since your debut are mainly gray and negative, and even Ellie in "The Notebook" has a criticized side. This will affect the brand image of "Pirates of the Caribbean"-but they have no intention of wanting you to give up the project, but offer you a package contract. They want you to shoot in a main movie in the next schedule. The G-rated film invested and produced by the company is similar to "Fairy Godmother", mainly aimed at the children's market, and the plot is cheerful and relaxed-they provide you with several choices, and then Touchstone Company invests in the production of "The Fifth Sally" , will start filming in July next year, and hit the Oscars in 2008."

Disney's opinion undoubtedly completely disrupted Jenny and Cesare's previous plan for this year's itinerary, she raised her head in surprise, "But Finch may not be able to wait until then—"

"I haven't finished yet," Cesare raised a finger, "There is another piece of news that I must let you know: Christopher and I watched "Prada" in Male, and he was very impressed by your performance. I am interested in taking over "The Fifth Sally", and I have been discussing the script with me throughout the flight. However, Christopher has already scheduled to shoot James Cameron's untitled work in the second half of next year, so if you want to cooperate with him, then We can only shoot during the three-month gap this year, otherwise the project will be postponed to the distant future.”

"Shit." Jenny couldn't help scolding, "What's your opinion?"

"I have to go back to the office to contact some key people before I can make a decision." Cesare said, "If you're okay, find me at CAA in two hours."

"I'll go to CAA with you," Jenny quickly decided, "while you're on the phone, I can still read the scripts you listed yesterday."

"OK." Cesare had no objection, "Then let's go."

"Are you sure you don't want to eat a few bites of breakfast first?" Jenny has already adjusted to the battle mode, she quickly put on her baseball cap, mask, and sunglasses, "Damn——I really should have woken you up yesterday."

Cesare gave her an expression of "what do you think?", "It's not that serious, let's talk about it in the office."

Mary swallowed a few mouthfuls of breakfast casually, "I'm going to drive."

Jenny opened the door and walked out of the hall, and glanced at the paparazzi in the front yard as usual, waiting for Mary to drive the car, "Cesare?"

Cesare walked out the door while making a phone call, "It's me, Vijay, listen, I need..."

Sudden and slight clicking sound and the buzzing sound of equipment running suddenly sounded from high in the sky. Jenny and he stopped, including Mary. Amidst the clamor of the paparazzi, Cesare suddenly cursed—this was the first time Jenny heard Cesare actually say Fword out of his mouth.

"We were photographed." He said, pressing Jenny's head and sending her into the car, "Those **** paparazzi, they actually made a remote control plane!"

The author has something to say:

Note: 1 The paragraph about charity and the UN ambassador, you can read it as private goods... because you still can't produce any dry goods for this kind of thing, and if you can produce dry goods, most celebrities themselves will go in. However, domestic fraudulent donations and so on can also prove my private goods. In short, everyone is free to testify...

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Updated

Hahaha, I don't know if you have guessed the development after reading the middle part of this chapter. My two betas guessed it first when they read it.