Global Film Emperor

Chapter 377 Night Talk
The writing gradually faded, eventually leaving a white mark on the paper. I unscrewed the pen tip, threw the empty refill into the trash can, and found that the box of refills in the drawer was half full. I took out a new refill, opened the packaging, reinstalled it, and then peeled off the red sealing wax from the pen tip.

Connecting the white marks on the notebook, the ballpoint pen rolled continuously, producing strings of not-so-good-looking English characters. Occasionally, it would pause briefly, think for a moment, and then start writing again.

The storyboarding for "Rebirth" is nearing completion, with only two scenes left to be written. Who knows why the male lead would take on the storyboarding work himself? He can only secretly resent Mickey for using Lu Ze's superior storyboarding skills as an excuse to push all the work onto Lu Ze.

Having an exceptionally strong ability to understand scripts can sometimes be... not a good thing.

Of course, Mickey didn't just push all the work onto Lu Ze and then go out and have fun. He also had his own things to do, such as attracting investment and scouting locations. Otherwise, Lu Ze would definitely go on strike. Right now, there's not enough manpower, so there's really no other way.

By the time he finished writing this scene, he looked at the clock and it was already past one in the morning. His work for the day was over. He put the notebook away and returned it to its original place. Lu Ze stretched and yawned, and the cracking of his joints brought a slightly drowsy feeling to his body.

The coffee beside him had gone cold, so he got up and went into the kitchen. After pouring out the coffee and washing the cup, he went to the bathroom and let the floodgates open. Just as he was about to go back to his room to sleep, he heard Mickey's voice behind him.

"Ready to go to bed?"

"Hmm, what are you waiting for if you're not asleep yet?"

"I just got back. Sober up. I had dinner with the investors and Camilla tonight. They asked you to come, but you wouldn't. The Australian lobster was especially delicious tonight. It's too late for you to regret it now."

Mickey didn't go to the dinner with Lu Ze tonight not because he started to exclude Lu Ze, but simply because Lu Ze didn't want to go. After all, it was a dinner with investors and directors, and he had no need to go. As for why Camilla went, what did that have to do with him?
"Stop talking nonsense, drink some warm water, get some rest. There are still more than thirty actors to audition tomorrow, so let's finish watching them as soon as possible so we can start working. I'm going to sleep."

"and many more."

The living room lights were off, which is why Lu Ze didn't see Mickey sitting on the sofa. Lu Ze stopped pushing open the bedroom door. The bedside lamp cast a dim yellow light, which entered the living room through the half-open door, adding a little color to the dark space.

The cheap disposable lighter made a sound, and the flame, about five or six centimeters high, shone on Mickey's face from below. This unnatural angle of light refraction, which does not exist in natural light sources, causes a cognitive bias, resulting in anxiety and fear. This type of light source often appears in horror movies. In other words, Mickey is now lighting a cigarette like a ghost.

The burning cigarette glowed red when inhaled. Once it was fully burned, he methodically stuffed it into a soft-pack cigarette box and gently patted it on the table.

"Kamia has signed, and the female lead has been cast."

"How much is the pay?"

He is a shareholder of the company, not just the male lead, so he has the right to inquire about the female lead's contract. Mickey also has an obligation to inform him about the flow of the company's assets. That's why Mickey chose tonight's living room as the time and place for this incident.

"Three million pounds, not euros."

"So... you gave her all the profits from 'The Effect'? But is three million enough? I heard her salary starts at eight million dollars."

After returning from Berlin, Mickey's first priority was securing funding for "Afterlife." An investment and production company, a theater chain, and Universal Brothers became co-producers, with each party contributing three million pounds to the film.

Now, Kamiya alone has taken a third of the total investment. This percentage is absolutely unreasonable for a well-run film crew. However, considering Kamiya's value, ability, box office appeal, and other factors, Lu Ze did not reject Mickey's decision. He just suspected that Mickey's offer of a salary would include other promises and guarantees besides the three million in cash.

Actors generally don't lower their fees, not even to close friends. They pay what they're owed, no less, because doing so would affect their future film fees. Therefore, an actor with a rising career trajectory will always see their fees increase, unless it's a guest appearance where they don't pay, just to show off their good relationship. Are there any excellent actors who lower their fees? Yes, but very rare cases. For example, if the production budget is tight and the actor really loves the film, they might lower their fee. Of course, the difference can't be too large; they can't expect to earn a million but only ten thousand. That would inflate their value, and nobody wants to be that foolish. If you can't negotiate their bottom line, then there's no point in reaching an agreement.

For a big star like Camilla, whose starting salary is eight million dollars or five million pounds, it's absolutely unrealistic for her to agree to such a significant reduction in her fee.

He held the cigarette butt between his thumb and forefinger, took a puff, concealed the cigarette in his palm, and poured himself a glass of water. Only after the gurgling water stopped and the glass-bottomed kettle touched the table did Mickey slowly speak.

“I gave the theaters a 7% cut, and the investors agreed. That’s why she’s at this dinner tonight. That’s what we’re mainly talking about.”

He hesitated slightly, mainly because the contract he signed with Lu Ze was far less than Camilla's salary; he only gave Lu Ze 700,000 euros and 3% of the box office revenue.

He wasn't treating Lu Ze as cheap labor, nor was it that Lu Ze was only worth so much. Rather, Lu Ze was embarrassed to ask for more since he had already received two million worth of shares in Universal Brothers for free. He also hoped that the film could get more funding and produce better effects.

As for why he wouldn't act for free, Mickey would certainly not agree. Guest appearances are mostly small roles where the actor only gets a brief appearance. I've never heard of a male lead acting for free. It's also to prevent Lu Ze's net worth from becoming inflated. With his current fame in Europe, 700,000 euros is just right.

The reason he feels embarrassed now is simply because he's afraid Lu Ze will feel resentful because of the huge difference in his and Camilla's salaries. Putting aside the three million in funding, just the seven percent share of the theaters is a price that only a director of that caliber would offer.

It's normal for big stars to receive a share of the box office revenue, but it's usually only around 3% to 5%, while directors get 5% to 10%. Actors like Robert Downey Jr., who become the backbone of an entire film series, are an exception.

Logically speaking, Lu Ze's reputation in Europe wasn't high, so he shouldn't have been entitled to a share of the profits. However, Mickey felt that 700,000 euros was too little and insisted on giving Lu Ze a 3% share. Because of Lu Ze's rise to power in Berlin, the other two investors didn't refuse, but compared to Camilla... it still seemed too meager. Mickey was really afraid that Lu Ze would feel uncomfortable.

But as it turns out... Mickey was overthinking it. Lu Ze also knew that with his current status in Europe, it was indeed a bit presumptuous of him to compare himself to Camilla. From the moment Mickey said those words, he was already mentally prepared and accepted the salary proposal that Mickey offered to Camilla.

"Okay, I support it."

"Really?"

"It's all for the company and for the project. Good brothers don't hesitate. Don't overthink it. I'm going to sleep now. Goodnight."

The dim yellow light was eventually swallowed up by the wide-open mouth of the bedroom, and the living room was plunged into darkness again. There was no light on the upper floors, only the green laser lights on the top of the opposite skyscraper illuminating all directions.

The cigarette butt was extinguished in the ashtray. Mickey took off his shirt, leaving only a white vest that restrained his bulging beer belly and the two slightly embarrassing points above it.

I swiped my daughter Fanny's smiling face to unlock my phone, snapped a quick photo and posted it on Facebook. When I refreshed the page, I was surprised to find a photo of myself and Camilla leaving a restaurant after dinner that evening. I tossed my phone aside, rubbed my face in a flustered state, and finally sighed as I picked up my water glass.

"Gurgle gurgle gurgle..."

"..."

(End of this chapter)