Hollywood Domination Chapter 393: Forcing the palace

After her time travel, of course, Jenny met many legendary characters, and even became friends with stars or directors she liked very much before. In the political circles, not to attend an event at the same time, but to actually sit down and have dinner with the second- and third-in-command figures in the president’s cabinet to exchange affairs-this sense of disobedience is still a bit strong, after all, the whole of Big Dream The plate, if it is bigger, it is billions, and it is incomparable with big groups such as Disney. Even in Hollywood, it cannot be said to be a big company. I feel that she and the Secretary of State, or even the government, are not on an equal footing. Series——and Jenny still retains some oriental thinking inertia, and always feels that there is a clear distinction between those who engage in business and those who play politics, especially the current Secretary of State Hillary Clinton used to be the first lady. The status and status of the two parties are different It seems a little big.

Of course, objectively speaking, her thoughts can’t be wrong, at least if the discussion this time is not about the Chinese market, Jenny’s identity is indeed not qualified to be the speaker in the industry association led by the six majors , let alone being a guest of the Secretary of State: In terms of the net property value of Hollywood, if the cultural cause it represents does not have extremely strong political significance, Robert and Jeff Bewkes cannot represent the company and Federation, sit at this private party with the Secretary of State. After all, the promotion of Hollywood movies means countless profits for the six major film companies, and for the US government, it also means the promotion of American values, which is a soft aggression-of course, the Americans themselves cannot do this. Calling—it’s part of the cultural strategy, so it’s no surprise that the Secretary of State ended up sitting with the directors of the trade unions.

"What is this, an enlarged version of domestic lobbying?" Perhaps aware of her discomfort, as soon as he boarded the plane in New York and greeted Jenny, Cesare discussed with Robert in a low voice— — Judging from his well-thought-out performance, this matter is nothing to him, and this question is mainly for Jenny. "I thought you were going to do this through lobbyists—or shareholders. You and Jeff went to Washington at the same time, which is a bit unusual."

"You know, a lobbyist can usually only get in touch with a congressman, or he can find an old guy on Capitol Hill for us," Robert replied steadily, "but these old guys with a way eventually Still looking for the cabinet or the president, so yeah, if you can get the secretary of state directly, why not?"

Cesare nodded, as if sitting down and chatting with a senior official like the Secretary of State is a very common thing, he changed the subject, "Then this time, maybe we can find enough important companions, and then Let’s implement the copyright protection period of Mickey Mouse one by one...”

He and Robert discussed the intersection of Hollywood and Capitol Hill with ease. As for Jenny, although she was a little apprehensive about stepping into an unfamiliar territory, she was taught by Cesare on the voyage from Los Angeles to New York. Li has always been quite indifferent—she knew that if she opened her mouth, she would reveal her secrets, so she simply didn't mention Washington, as if it was just an ordinary dinner date. The trend of commercial blockbusters, and now even more exhausted, opened the laptop, leaned leisurely by the window, entered a few words from time to time, and searched for the keywords in the conversation as if nothing had happened...

For a long time, Jenny has rarely expressed her political inclinations publicly, because she basically has no inclinations, and she doesn't care about the political environment in the United States, so Jenny's knowledge reserve in this area is almost equivalent to zero , while she googled 'Mickey Mouse Proposal', 'International and International Business Bureau', 'Patton Boggs Company', and checked related news and introductions, she was distracted by listening to Bob and Cesare's During the conversation, the operating rules of the entire Hollywood-Capitol Hill system were more or less quickly pieced together, and I finally understood why I was so involuntarily asked to go to Washington. It is no wonder that the first one to call is Bob, and Jeff Robinov also sent an email, saying that he will wait for her in Washington: He probably wants to be in this favor. A share of the pie.

As long as you can watch some political-themed movies and TV shows, you can know that the United States is an out-and-out bourgeois society. The advantage is that such sweatshops have been moved by capitalists to places where they are allowed to exist. Rather, the operation of the American political system is very convenient for capitalists to seek benefits, and even the industry of politicians is actually speaking for major capitalists, so politics in the United States is indeed not as sacred as it is in China, at least in two countries, The status of businessmen is completely different, which is why in China, rich people always want to immigrate. No matter which system is more correct and relatively fair, as a rich person, think of a place where their status is higher There is nothing wrong with going there.

As far as domestic political activities in the United States are concerned, the fact that politicians speak for capitalists does not mean that bribery is commonplace, and that everything has to be solved with money. There are clear rules recognized by the whole country, so the operation of the whole system should be relatively fair. Bribery is not non-existent, but it is impossible to be overly arrogant. After the channels for capital appeals are opened up, it is more economical to go formal, so of course there is no need for companies to play tricks. Shady stories, relationships, as far as the "Mickey Mouse Proposal" that Robert and Cesare are talking about, this whole thing is a very typical domestic political event: all Hollywood media groups attach great importance to copyright protection, and generally hope to extend The duration of copyright protection, especially Disney’s appeal on this point is the most urgent, because their Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and other cartoon characters will expire 50 years after the death of founder Walt Disney, which also means that the world Everyone can try out this cute mouse to make money without any scruples, and if Disney wants to stop it, it is bound to fall into one lawsuit after another.

Walter passed away in 1966. In this calculation, Disney will lose a lot of money when the copyright expires in 2016. Therefore, as the largest stakeholder, Disney has the most sufficient motivation to promote the revision of the copyright law and extend the copyright law. Duration of copyright protection - Of course, the remaining film manufacturers are also happy to see this. Through the American Motion Picture Association, they have provided a certain amount of financial assistance to Disney's lobbying, coupled with Disney's own huge lobbying budget, a benefit That's how the group is formed.

After the establishment of an interest group, the first thing to do is to choose a lobbying company, let them contact the senators in Congress, gather enough people to propose amendments, and the only weapon wielded by the lobbyists of the lobbying company is money ——If senators and representatives want to win the election, they need campaign funds, and they are also willing to express their views on such issues that are almost harmless to humans and animals and will not offend specific groups. Of course, the more campaign funds, the better. There are also some constituencies located in Disney headquarters, branches, or various film production bases. A large part of the votes come from Disney employees and practitioners. They dare not refuse at all, otherwise they are very likely to step down in the general election next year.

After the bill was put forward, the Film Association also expressed its opinion through the Film Department of the Trade and Development Agency, which is connected with the Motion Picture Association of America, and supported the proposal to pass the vote. In 2003, Congress passed a proposal to amend the protection time limit in the "Copyright Act", expanding it from 50 years to 70 years, allowing Disney to own Mickey Mouse for 20 more years. ——This is a typical example of a large company's interest appeal-law change. Everyone is familiar with this. Even if there are some caricatures, it is not aimed at such a system, but more of an emotional catharsis.

In such a case, of course, the CEO of Disney does not have to come forward in person, everything is done by the lobbying company, and they make a lot of money because of it. That's why politicians love lobbyists. They have money and luxuries, and few people ask who pays the bills. ——However, as Robert said, this matter involves China's film policy, which is no longer feasible through formal channels. I want the United States to speak out for the interests of the film industry on diplomatic occasions and urge China to open up the market , it does not have much effect on the TDA’s expressing its demands. It must take a high-level route and directly contact senior officials at the level of the Secretary of State. In that case, it would be a bit impolite to just lobby the company. There are also a few big names here.

"If it's the European market, the Trade Development Agency is enough to solve everything." Cesare said, he and Jenny walked into the hotel's presidential suite one after the other. "This is because—"

"There is no cultural barrier between the United States and European countries, and of course there is no strategic offensive and defensive consideration of cultural export." Jenny said, she rolled her eyes, "However, the whole of Europe is basically the back garden of Hollywood, and their The film industry has been impacted to pieces, and the business chain is in jeopardy—I’ve always wondered why practitioners don’t consider the ‘money out of Hollywood’ movement.”

"Because they have a better way, that is to join Hollywood." Cesare said, "Besides, the population of European countries is generally too small. Even if the film policy is changed, it is difficult to support the industry of the country with its own population. The ecological chain, and their communication channels are weaker, the unions are more bureaucratic, and the possibility of changing policies is almost zero—it’s a vicious circle.”

"In addition, it is also because there are almost no obstacles for them to join Hollywood." Jenny pointed out, "Cultural barriers are two-way. Japanese and Korean filmmakers are keen to protect their own rights, and this is also because they have almost no There is nowhere to go, Hollywood doesn't need so many yellow people."

Although there are sometimes eye-catching art films in Europe, commercial films are basically at the level of a box office masterpiece that occasionally flashes, and they cannot compete with the Hollywood film pipeline. From this point of view, South Korea and Japan The film industry is still relatively intact, at least it can be 'self-sufficient'. Even in the good years of Hollywood films, it can account for at least half of the country's box office rankings. Of course, the film policies of these two countries are also extremely conservative, and they have always been trade development. The research focus of the department's film department.

"Yes, China not only has the weakness of the two island countries in Northeast Asia, but also has ideological considerations," Cesare shook his head, "With its strong national style and unique culture, strong and good In terms of the military style of war, I am not optimistic about the short-term results of this matter-if the cabinet does not make exchanges and sacrifices, China will not be pressured to open the market to us, they are not so weak.”

Although he does not think that China is a member of the axis of evil, his evaluation of China is also contrary to the Chinese people's own consistent views-but Jenny can also understand the thinking of the United States: at least for the "don't do it with me" I'll hit you for business', 'for oil, we have to mess up the Middle East, so that we can always have cheap oil and arms dumping countries, and maintain our world hegemony' for Americans, China It is a very uncomfortable country. Although it has been coerced by them, it has always occupied the numerical advantage and has never been completely defeated. It always gives people a feeling of ambition. The speed of development in recent years is so fast The United States has also lost control of the first island chain in the Asia-Pacific, and now it feels like it wants to buy the whole world. Generally speaking, this feeling is very similar to Japan in the 90s, but this time the American father can’t Unscrupulously forced to sign another "Plaza Agreement" - Japan will be drawn if it doesn't sign, wool should be cut as soon as it needs to be cut, China is a nuclear country, once the two major countries go to war, it is very likely that the world will be destroyed Rhythm up.

For such a difficult China, it is impossible to fight tough battles. In soft wars, when the United States still has an advantage, we must seize opportunities. This is a very basic strategic thinking-cultural input is extremely important in soft wars One ring, so at the family dinner tomorrow night, Christopher Dodd, the chairman of the Film Association, the representative of General Electric on the Disney board of directors, Rochelle Lazaros, who is also a member of the board of directors of General Electric, will attend, plus Robert And Bewkes, the two powerful CEOs of the group, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, this time the party can be described as star-studded, absolutely representing high-level figures in both political and business circles in the United States-you know, General Electric is the industry with the highest market value in the United States Group, the presence of Rochelle will undoubtedly make Hillary pay more attention to this "tough action" against China, and being able to participate in it, no matter whether your strength is qualified or not, and what role you play, it will have a good effect on your style Extremely high promotion - from the standpoint of an actor, Jenny can dismiss this, but for a film company operator, this is a very obvious promotion, at least in terms of connections in the future, everyone Meng already has a crushing advantage over competitors such as Lions Gate: Don’t think that political connections are useless. This is a very naive idea. If Jenny knew Hillary in 2008 and successfully established a relationship, Paramount Want to mess with her from taxation? She can stop IRS with a single phone call, and even if they are confident that they will continue to be popular, they don't need to use fake marriages to launder the money. They just wash it in rough and fast, and maybe no one will ask anything...

After reading the photos of the entire circle of people, and listening to Cesare explain the identities and basic conditions of these people, Jenny already understands what level of affairs she wants to get involved in, and what she can get , she just didn't know what she had to give, "What should I say, Chesa, what they need is my special relationship in China-but I don't have a special relationship, and our privileges are very limited. In terms of personal friendship, isn't it?"

"I don't think what they need is consistent." Cesare tapped on the table as he said, obviously he was also sorting out his thoughts - it seems that the conversation he had with Robert just now was not without tentative intentions. The purpose is to collect information. "For the government, what they hope to get is the name, or a list, of the senior official in Beijing who has a good impression of American culture and hopes to further open up the film market and introduce a competition mechanism—maybe you can only Give one or two names, but it doesn't matter, it's a very valuable target for them-this kind of ideological weakness is sometimes more beneficial than nuclear bombs, and the turning point may appear inadvertently- Think about Khrushchev, how much he has contributed to the world situation? Plus your fame may be very powerful for Hillary, think about your popularity and influence - her ambition for the president has hardly stopped , getting to know more public figures with a good image will be of great benefit to her campaign in the future. So they must be happy to establish a personal relationship with you, which is also a mutual benefit for us—as for the Film Association..."

"They don't care if the list I come up with can reverse Beijing's cultural policy, do they?" Jenny said, now she's getting a feel for it—after a series of inquiries and conversations, the sense of awe has worn off and she's already Get the rhythm of this kind of political activity - in fact, compared with ordinary business activities, it is really not that strange, even the word secretary of state does not sound so high and high. "Of course, it would be even better if I could. If I don't actually have high-ranking officials, I just rely on the synchronous privileges obtained by dealing with a few key people who have the right to speak—"

"At the dinner, Bob and Jeff will also get these two precious names." Cesare spread his hands, "So far, the market in Beijing is still ignorant to us, and we can pass It is much more convenient to obtain an accurate list in this way than to go around a long way, and they did pay for it-this dinner is enough to raise our social circle to a higher level. For them, this rare The glory is enough to pay for the little advantage we lost."

Political considerations aside, this is also a point of concern for Jenny. If she were to say that after being a company boss for so many years, she would of course wish that China would only import her own films. The profit is definitely greater than the open market—and if the relationship in Director Zhang's hands can be used indefinitely, her worries will not be so deep, but now it is clear that Director Zhang can only cover up for a while at most. Two little brothers and younger sisters, for the domestic market, he has not yet reached the point where he can cover the sky with one hand, and the chain of interest exchange between Dameng and Director Zhang is quite fragile: for Director Zhang's care, Dameng's reward is to replace him. He is going through needles and threads in Hollywood, or looking for actors, or working on public relations in the Olympics... But in terms of these resources, Big Dream is not on the same level as Disney and Time Warner. If there is a competitive relationship with Director Zhang, then Big Dream I really can only burn incense and pray to Buddha, begging Director Zhang to forget the old love.

However, to put it another way, even without her guidance, the Sixth National Congress would still be able to hit the road in the end-refusal to provide information at the dinner party, the risks that need to be taken must also be counted: As for the stupid things like lying There is no need to think about the choice. Jenny frowned and looked at Cesare, who spread his hands. He seemed to have seen through Jenny's thoughts, and Jenny also understood his meaning: What Bob said was true, for the sake of "Code Shero" They can do anything for the profits. In a market where the regular box office can reach 200 million yuan, the six major film studios should be determined to win. However, under the pressure of their unanimity, it seems that there is no other way for Dameng except to give in. gone.

But... this is a 200 million market! In the near future, the highest box office will become 300 million, 400 million... This is a 400 million market!

Jenny stood up, paced back and forth on the carpet, and looked at Cesare from time to time, hoping that he could provide some opinions, but she also knew that she was the Chinese expert on this matter, so don’t worry. The help that Sare can provide is indeed not that much.

The time for China to increase the share and increase the number of imported movies should be 2 or 3 years later, and in terms of the current interest demands of Big Dream, they should sincerely hope to speed up this process, so that they can increase the share, And can maintain her synchronization advantage... If she can come up with a name... come up with a name to replace Director Zhang...

A bold plan slowly emerged in her mind. Jenny stood still and felt her heartbeat gradually speeding up. Almost instinctively, she mechanically unfolded the logical chains of the plan in her heart, deliberating over the possible results. Risks and benefits...

"What." Cesare asked suspiciously when Jenny looked at him.

"Let's go to Robert now." Jenny said in an unquestionable tone, "I found that we missed a very important fact just now - we must talk to Robert right away."

Seeing Cesare's somewhat surprised expression, she suddenly realized that this was the first time she had stepped ahead of Cesare in the game—it wasn't that he deliberately hid and cultivated her thinking habits, but He really found a place that he had overlooked: Although it cannot be said that she is better than Cesare because of this, her weakness may not be so obvious in this kind of game.

She could be happy about it later, Jenny reminded herself: But it's best to stay focused now—she's got work to do.