American Life

Chapter 231: Entertainment lawyer, the heroine must be her
"I'll give you a few minutes to rest, you have to adjust." Charlie looked at Elizabeth Olsen opposite.

To be honest, O'Mei is not stunning at all at this time, and her light blond hair is a bit messy. Well, even after she became famous, her appearance is not considered top-notch among Hollywood actresses.

But the best thing is that she has a sense of intimacy, especially when she smiles, she feels like a girl next door.

"Who is this gentleman?" Elizabeth looked at the person who suddenly appeared next to her agent Rhonda Price and pondered for a moment.

"Just do it." Leslie Siebert's voice had a hint of command.

Like the girl in front of her who has a longing for Hollywood, she meets at least fifty of them every year. Perhaps among people of the same age, they are outstanding, glamorous, and receive constant attention and praise, but in Hollywood, They are nothing.

The vast majority of girls cannot adapt to this change, and they are destined to be eliminated. There is also a small number who choose to work hard to seize opportunities. Among them, a few lucky ones will be favored by fate and embark on the road of stardom.Of course, the premise of all this is that you have to be brave enough.

In the eyes of Leslie Siebert, the person in front of her was obviously not the latter. If she had come for the interview, she might have ended it in 3 minutes and then been sent away. However, since Charlie had spoken in person, she could only Can do it.

"I understand." Elizabeth Olsen nodded quickly.

There was a brief interruption in the interview, and Elizabeth went to the bathroom, most likely to calm down.

And when she came back, her performance was obviously much better than before.

"You did a great job, but your competitors are also very strong. We still need specific discussions. You can go back now." Rhonda Price took the initiative.

Where are the competitors?Elizabeth Olsen was a little confused. After nodding slightly, she picked up her dark blue coat, put on her backpack and left.

"We signed her, but because we have competitors, we need her to give a relatively low signing condition. I think this is very suitable." Rhonda Price said to Charlie.

There was no need for Charlie to say anything. The agent who was good at observing people immediately noticed something from Charlie's reaction just now, and lowered the price. In this way, even if Olson found out that he was dissatisfied in the future, the boss would step in and sell it naturally. Giving her a personal favor might even make her feel grateful to her new boss.

As expected of a mature agent working in Hollywood, which is a bit interesting.

"Then do as you say."

After this episode, Charlie and Elmo left the company together.

"If possible, I would like to sign the contract tomorrow and complete the transaction." Charlie said in the car.

"How are the preparations for the private equity company that injected capital? There must be corresponding procedures. And your nine shareholders, how are they prepared!" Aymo deliberately emphasized the tone of "nine shareholders".

"It's just a phone call, it's not complicated at all."

"So who is your ninth shareholder?" Aimo couldn't suppress his curiosity anymore and asked.

"She seems to have been kept in the dark." Charlie said.

"S**T!" Elmo cursed in a low voice, then laughed.

"Don't think you can buy me off like this!"

"Well, I will continue to pay you a salary. What do you think of being an entertainment lawyer?"

The prosperous commercialization of Hollywood is, to a certain extent, based on detailed regulations. For example, some contracts for extras who only stay on the set for one day exceed one hundred pages, of which seventy or eighty pages are so-called "Possible gains."

In Hollywood, the law is like air, invisible and intangible, but no one can live without it.Everyone needs entertainment lawyers who will help them maximize their interests. This is even more true for the Big Six in Hollywood, where most of the top executives have legal backgrounds.

"Similarly, you charge by the minute. If you are experienced enough, you can even get a share of the profits. This is very easy for you and you can earn a lot." Charlie persuaded.

He decided to make Elmo permanent in Hollywood.

"Then I have to think about it."

“Los Angeles has Asia Minor-style restaurants to suit your taste, as well as Lebanese areas.”

Lebanon is one of the few countries where the foreign ethnic population is larger than the domestic population, scattered in various regions.

"And you will be one of the bosses of this company in the future. Working for your own company is completely different from working for someone else."

"Since it's so nice here, will you stay in Los Angeles more in the future?" Elmo asked.

"Of course, it would be good to move the PB headquarters here at that time. It is very close to Silicon Valley and Hollywood. What do you think of Santa Monica?" Charlie tried to ask.

This small town is home to many brokerage agencies, and business transactions are quite convenient.

After a few words, Ai Mo was really moved. He was about to agree when he suddenly realized something and said in surprise: "Wait a minute, you want to lie to me again. Did you agree to pay me a salary?"

Then he rushed towards Charlie, and was subdued by Charlie as expected.

Of course Charlie didn't get the meat of his mouth, so Gail returned to the hotel.

At night, as an old girl, Elmo is even more proactive than Charlie.

Another "Starlight Angel", a little-known small company in the industry, was also easily won by Charlie.

The acquisition process for Gersh was very smooth and did not even attract much attention. It is not uncommon for capital to enter Hollywood. A few years ago, a mainstream micro company Relativity established a film investment fund on Wall Street. The founder of the company claimed to have mastered Hollywood. The original investment formula was revealed in a few years, leaving a lot of feathers behind.

As soon as the acquisition was completed, Charlie called Liv Tyler, Eva Green and Megan Fox to Gersh Company, naturally to formally sign the contract.

The first one to arrive was Liv Tyler. She was only wearing a loose sports coat and a sports bra could be seen underneath.

"I was burning calories in the gym. When I saw your message, I rushed over immediately without even changing my clothes." Liv Tyler has not forgotten about seeking roles and is working hard in private.

"Let me introduce to you, this is the legal lawyer of the brokerage company. She will help you deal with the occasion of signing the work contract in the future." Charlie introduced Elmo beside her to her.

"You look like a lawyer at all." She smiled and shook Aymo's hand.

Not to mention, Elmo is not inferior at all when standing in front of real Hollywood stars.

"This will give other production companies enough confusion to agree to terms that are more favorable to you." Elmo responded. After last night's twists and turns, she looked radiant and energetic.

"That's pretty good."

"Elmo is a professional legal professional who once worked in the United Nations. Believe me, the producers and legal staff of other companies are definitely no match for her." Charlie continued to introduce.

"Working for the United Nations?" Liv Tyler raised her eyebrows, somewhat surprised.

"I'm just about to change my direction, and I'm still studying the local laws in California." Elmo continued with some humility.

“You’ll feel right at home here.”

"Then let's start signing the contract." Charlie was about to call Landau Price in.

The California Talent Agency Act stipulates that any occupation that seeks job opportunities for others must obtain the appropriate license.

Charlie was prepared to put her name on Landau Price.

"Oops, I forgot to take those procedures." Only then did Liv realize that she had left something important behind.

Unfortunately, the signing process can only be left until tomorrow.

"But tomorrow, I have to go back to the office in New York. There are some things that need to be dealt with, and I also have to sign an agency contract with Elizabeth Olsen. We have to hurry up. Maybe she is interviewing with other companies at the moment."

Charlie didn't want to see the cooked duck fly away.

"Then I can only do it myself tomorrow." Charlie said.

After Liv left, Megan Fox arrived. Her original agency contract was with Venus. This time it was just a formality and the process went smoothly.

But the only Eva Green left made Charlie wait for a long time. Seeing that it was getting dark, she arrived belatedly.

"I was staying with my agent and I lied to him that he was going to a party to get here."

Eva Green already has a contract and must pay a liquidated damages first.The Actors Guild has clear restrictions on this, and the maximum cannot exceed the actor's previous year's commission amount.

Charlie was willing to pay liquidated damages for her, but they had to be deducted from her operating costs.

"I can accept this, but when will you give me the script you promised me before?" Eva Green saw Megan Fox before she came in. As the saying goes, peers are enemies, and she didn't want her job opportunity to be taken away. , so we must ask for a guarantee from Charlie.

"We are already talking about it, and I will give it to you in the next two days."

"Then when I get the script, it won't be too late to talk about signing the contract. By the way, I'll also sign the starring contract." Eva Green said without explanation.

Compared to Now Now, she is obviously more concerned about this potential film.

She couldn't blame her for not giving in. Before signing the contract, all the promises were false. Besides, Charlie had already promised her before.

"Okay, it's settled." Charlie explained without any unnecessary explanation.

Not to mention the Black Swan script, now he doesn't even know where the producer who got the script is.

Fortunately, the subject matter of this movie is very special. There is no similar script in Hollywood, so it is not particularly difficult to find the right partner.

After Eva Green left, he called Kevin Feige.

"Ask me at the Production Alliance Association if there are any ballet-themed scripts that are being prepared."

"Ballet? Why do you suddenly ask about such a niche subject?" Kevin Feige really couldn't understand.

·
In a restaurant in West Hollywood at night.

Producer Jon Avenay is talking to a young man.

"I don't think she will play this role. Our budget is too low." The young man said with some anxiety.

His name is Benjamin Millepied, and he is the principal dancer of the New York Ballet Company. His long-term experience in performing with the ballet company gradually gave him a story in his mind, which was born out of the movie Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's The famous ballet "Swan Lake".

It tells a story about the growth of a ballerina, deeply integrating ballet elements.

Producer Jon Avnet had known him previously and upon hearing the inspiration for his story, he immediately decided to take on the project.

He hired Benjamin Millepied as chief consultant and artistic choreographer, determined to use him as the cornerstone to create an art film.

He hired Mark Hyman as the screenwriter, with whom he had collaborated on a film.

In the first version of the script, the protagonist was a male, filled with a lot of ballet performance scenes, and the plot was more like a sports inspirational movie. Jon Avnet felt that this would not attract any audience at all. Under his suggestion, the script was After three revisions, the protagonist became female, and the ending became more of a psychological thriller, which completely established the tone of the film.

He reached an agreement with the director who had just won the Golden Lion Award at the Venice International Film Festival. The other party was willing to direct the film on the premise of receiving investment.

So only the candidate for the heroine is left. After the basic lineup is determined, the six major Hollywood studios can be approached for budget.

Benjamin Millepied, who was the inspiration for the story, recommended Natalie Portman at this time. The two had met in the dance studio.

"Natalie Portman's temperament perfectly matches the Nina in the script, and she should star in this movie." This is what Benjamin suggested to the producer.

"Yeah, the entire budget of this film can't cover her salary, but we should try hard, right?" producer Jon Avnet explained.

Just as he was talking, he saw a slim figure walking into the restaurant.

Benjamin Millepied raised his head, his eyes straightened for a moment, but soon he lowered his head again.

"Sorry, I'm late. I have an audition in the afternoon." Natalie explained the reason for being late.

"I've read the script. I think it's more like a fantasy movie. Nina turns into a black swan on the stage. Can the audience accept such a setting?" She sighed.

"To be precise, turning into a black swan is an external manifestation of her inner activities, just like David Lynch's "Shuangfeng", which has a unique psychological temperament. Moreover, the film has a strong artistic style, and the New York Ballet The chief dancer will choreograph and guide you throughout the whole process, and the final presentation will be very effective. For the judges of the academy, it is more like watching a ballet. This is like in the track and field, Others are doing the long jump, but you're the only one with a pole, and it's still within the rules. You're going to attract everyone's attention.” The producers tried their best to promise a bright future for Natalie.

In Hollywood, the producer is always at the center of a movie. From the initial script of the story, to the script, to the formation of the crew, shooting, to post-production, and pre-release publicity, the producer must ensure that the entire process is smooth. Runs smoothly.

The Oscar for Best Picture has always been awarded to the producer.

"Principal dancer?" She looked at the young man next to the producer, who smiled at her awkwardly.

Natalie Portman has never lacked scripts, and "Black Swan" is not very good for her. The only thing that attracts her is the visual presentation of the film. As the producer said, a lot of dance performances, It will give her a favorable position in the competition for heroines.

After so many years, her acting skills have not been recognized, which is obviously inconsistent with her positioning of herself as a "powerful actor".

However, the movie "Thor" that she was not optimistic about did well at the box office, which made her feel more and more in crisis in her career.

"Black Swan" is a great opportunity.

Will this dull male dancer help him?
In Natalie's mind, she has already begun to calculate the most critical position in the entire movie.

Not the producer or the director, but the ballerina in front of me.

"What do you think of me?" Natalie looked directly at the other person and took the initiative to talk to him.

"I think you are very suitable, very suitable." Benjamin nodded, his eyes evasive.

Seeing his somewhat flustered expression, Natalie smiled slightly, a plan began to emerge in her mind, and then looked at the producer:
"I agreed to star in this film."

"It was a wise choice, just the budget of this film..." the producer mentioned the key issue.

This film is not a commercial blockbuster. In order to successfully obtain investment, he had to keep the overall budget within the range acceptable to the film company.

"It's only 1500 million. I know that for this gentleman's sake, I'm willing to lower some of the salary." Natalie mentioned Benjamin again.

The rest of the negotiations went very smoothly, and the producer said he would visit the film company tomorrow.

The three of them left together, and Natalie took advantage of the opportunity to ask Benjamin to take her back. She asked Benjamin about it in the car.

"Yes, I have a girlfriend. I have been with her for three years, and she is also a ballet dancer."

"That's right." Natalie nodded and did not continue.

She needs Benjamin to serve her wholeheartedly and do all he can to help her.

He should be thinking about himself all the time, not his ballerina girlfriend.

"I really envy her, she has such a good boyfriend." Natalie looked disappointed.

Benjamin was a little dumbfounded.

"You're surprised, aren't you? Everyone in Hollywood is a hyena in human skin, especially Charlie Rossi, who gave me hints several times. Thanks to me leaving early." Natalie showed fear.

The easiest way to inspire a man's protective urge is to turn yourself into a victim.

As for Charlie Rossi, Natalie didn't like him at all, and actually left the role that was clearly promised to her to her competitor!Evil bastard!

(End of this chapter)