Chapter 1,178: Risk Prediction in Hollywood

If you don't seek death, you won't die. If this housekeeper is honest and admits his mistakes, he may not be fired. The key is suspicion, and he doubts Ye Ming, whom James himself admires. This is an unforgivable mistake. .

The housekeeper glanced at Ye Ming, and then said with certainty: "Second Young Master, I think there may be a misunderstanding about this matter. How could someone dare to cause trouble with the coffee produced in our own coffee garden? Our The coffee is shipped directly from Jamaica, so there shouldn’t be any mistakes.”

Although the housekeeper didn't say it clearly, Ye Ming still saw suspicion in his eyes.

So Ye Ming raised the coffee and said: "Jamaican coffee is not necessarily Blue Mountain coffee, and Blue Mountain coffee must be Jamaican coffee. There is nothing wrong with this cup of coffee being Jamaican coffee, but it is a mixture of Blue Mountain coffee and Jamaican high mountain coffee. The mixing ratio is about It was at three to seven.

I don’t know which part of you made the mistake, but it’s definitely not wrong because it’s not real Blue Mountain coffee. I hope you can verify it before answering. "

A cup of coffee, James didn't think Ye Ming would joke with him on this issue, so he immediately said: "Go and get the rest of the coffee."

This issue seems to be a minor one, but in such a matter, it is related to the face of the Murdoch family. The Murdoch family actually entertained guests with copycat Blue Mountain coffee, and word spread. Not being laughed at? Seeing that James was angry, the butler immediately went down to get coffee. This incident made James very angry, so the butler naturally did not dare to neglect him.

Originally, according to James's intention, they should be tested directly. Once the examination is clear, then some people will be dealt with directly. This is also a way to save the face of the Murdoch family. In the end, we still didn't check it because the housekeeper had already found out the reason.

The amount of coffee produced in Blue Mountain is really too small. Most of the coffee produced in the Murdoch family's coffee garden is given to Murdoch, or to a few villas that Murdoch often goes to.

In a place like Hollywood, Murdoch rarely comes once a year, or not necessarily once every three to five years. He even wonders whether he has a villa in Hollywood. Both of these are Say it.

Therefore, the Blue Mountain coffee here is indeed the blended coffee that Ye Ming said. It is true that it is real Jamaican coffee, but it is not the real Blue Mountain coffee. Why, it's not because Murdoch almost never comes here. The coffee here is actually just a decoration.

James said very apologetically: "I'm sorry, I'm really sorry. You may not know that my father is a very frugal man, so he has strict requirements in this regard. I don't know much about this matter."

Will Murdoch be out of money? In fact, there is no problem even if the Murdoch family directly buys the Blue Mountain area, but the key point is that the Murdoch family is rich. They spend a lot of money on a company, including hundreds of millions and billions of acquisitions and mergers. Murdoch didn't blink an eye, but in some details, Murdoch himself was frugal and stingy. For example, the coffee issue was what Murdoch himself meant. This could save a lot of money, but he This is what the old gentleman did.

The older generation of billionaires always have some habits that are difficult to understand. Ye Ming understood this very well and said: "Frugality is a very rare virtue, and what is even more rare is that Mr. Murdoch A person with such a status can still be so strict with himself, which is really an example that we should learn from."

Murdoch is indeed very good in this regard. This does not mean that he is just frugal. In fact, he has private jets, yachts, etc. These are the dignity that a News Corporation president should have. He will not be stingy in this aspect. , if not, then others will laugh at you.

But for example, coffee, office paper from News Corporation, etc., he would not be polite at all if these things could be saved, and he would even say he was so stingy that it is hard to understand.

Spend money when it's time to spend money, and save money when it's time to save money. News Corporation does not look at savings, but at maximizing profits.

A cup of coffee can really explain the problem. In a villa where Murdoch himself is not very good, it is not real Blue Mountain coffee, which seems normal to Murdoch.

Just when the situation was getting awkward, Emmerich hurried over, holding a document in his hand. Report to James, "Mr. James, our crew has completed preparations. This is the relevant information. I hope you can sign for it."

As the operator of this project, James has absolute rights, at least in terms of money.

At this moment, he took a look and said, "Dennis and Jack, the two actors, look relatively unfamiliar. And the leading actress, Amy Rossum, does she have any works? I don't have any impression at all."

Emmerich immediately explained: "Dennis is a very experienced veteran actor who has starred in relatively famous movies such as Jaws 3 and The Rescuers. He is a powerful middle-aged actor.

Jack was born in a film family in Los Angeles. His father is a director, his mother is a screenwriter, and his sister is also an actor. Therefore, there is no problem with his acting skills.

As for the actress, Amy Rossum starred in "The Ballad Collector" and was nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Newcomer. Their acting skills were all auditioned, but they are a little less famous. "

James pondered for a moment and said: "It's not that you are too young. Emmerich, you have to know who our opponent is. My eldest sister invited Will Smith, a top star in Hollywood. What do you want?" It gives me confidence that even if our actors are not of that level, at least they are not too different."

This immediately made Emmerich feel a bit crazy. It was your suggestion to use actors with good acting skills in this movie. You and your father Murdoch are the same stingy guys. You said that you should use famous actors. Spend money, but you may not get a good return.

It's not like Elizabeth was so generous, she directly invited Will Smith over.

Emmerich said very depressedly: "I'm sorry, Mr. James, our budget is limited. It's already difficult to invite these three. If we want to invite those big-name actors, we have to increase the budget."

Hearing this, James fell into deep thought for a while, and then said, "Okay, let's do this for now. I believe in your ability. The second payment of five million will be transferred to the crew's account tomorrow."

When Ye Ming heard these words, he was stunned and said: "Five million? You're not joking. I remember that the investment for this movie was hundreds of millions. Even if according to the rules, we can't give it all, at least five million. Doesn’t it sound like a little less?”

In China, when investing in a movie, for example, if you invest 10 million in this movie, no one will directly take out the 10 million. I usually give one-third in the early stage, one-third in the mid-term, and one-third in the later stage. That is the promotion period, and then give the last third.

Does it sound very familiar? It is indeed very familiar, because this rule is consistent with the payment of actors' remuneration.

Actors in China are usually paid one-third after signing a contract, one-third during the middle of filming, directly after filming, or the last one-third after release.

Actors' remuneration is actually the rhythm of money given by investors. If investors don’t give money, the crew actually has no money to give to the crew. But in Hollywood, a big production with an investment of hundreds of millions is only given five million. Ye Ming cannot understand this.

James signed with a smile, then returned it to Emmerich, and then said to Ye Ming: "Ye, maybe you don't know much about the production process of Hollywood movies. Here, we shoot movies in separate plans. That is to say, you need to give investors a detailed schedule before shooting, such as how long the movie will take, when shooting will start, how many days to shoot a long story, and how much money it will cost to shoot these stories. These are all There must be a detailed plan.

As an investor, you will give money according to this plan. Because the investor's money is also divided into several parts, after each stage of filming is completed, the investor, or the investor's representative, must review and sign before the next amount of money can be received.

This is called risk control, and this method is very popular in Hollywood now. Our movie, from project establishment to final promotion and official release, was directed by Emmerich. If I remember correctly, it was more than thirty stages, right? "

Emmerich said very accurately: "Mr. James, it is thirty-six stages. Of course, this is just a plan. Maybe there will be some irresistible forces that will change the plan, but it is probably thirty-six stages." stage.”

James immediately said to Ye Ming: "Well, that's it. If I, as an investor, find a problem at any stage, then I may withdraw the investment. This is what I can do." Let me avoid unnecessary losses. Therefore, this five million is actually a small-stage investment."

Hollywood movies are the most developed in the world and have formed a complete industrial chain. Ye Ming, or even anyone in the world who is engaged in the film industry, whether they are actors, directors, screenwriters, props, lighting, etc. There is almost no one who does not yearn for Hollywood, because this is a temple of movies. It can be seen from their current risk control on investment that the Hollywood film industry has indeed reached a very high level.

Ye Ming pondered for a while and said: "It's a very good method, but it is not suitable for China. This method must be based on a complete film industry chain and strong market prediction. Our country's market is not mature enough. The judgment can only be used as a reference. As for the film industry chain, compared with Hollywood, we still need a period of time to improve. Therefore, this method of risk prediction is not suitable for any country, even It’s that it’s possible and only possible in Hollywood.”

Luo Tian is also very helpless at this point. After all, under such a situation, in Hollywood, if any props are needed, the powerful film industry chain will quickly produce them and will not delay the filming. However, If you are talking about China, it may not be so easy. This may delay the shooting. Therefore, this kind of budget is based on a strong film industry chain.

In China, only ten years later, when Hollywood has almost become the back garden of Chinese movies, will its own film industry chain be rapidly improved. But China cannot learn this kind of movie poker skills now used in Hollywood.

James comforted Ye Ming and said, "Ye, don't be sad. In fact, even in the West, this method cannot be used in every country. For example, the United Kingdom and France are continuing the previous investment methods, and this kind of Even in Hollywood, not all investment methods have been implemented. It’s just that my father thinks that this method is very good.

That's why I was asked to use this method. I don’t know if I’m right. Anyway, from the beginning to the end, I will be very busy, busy coordinating all aspects, and busy reviewing the shooting progress. This is not an easy job either. "

Regardless of whether James meant it or not, his arrogant mood is very obvious. He clearly looks down on Chinese movies, and even said that James looks down on movies outside the United States, and even movies outside of Hollywood.

Ye Ming shrugged his shoulders and said: "I don't know how many people want to have a busy job like you, but your Chinese is pretty good. You must do everything by yourself. Not many people know this word. Please work harder." Maybe one day you will come to China without a translator. Then you will find that China is actually a very good place."

James said with a smile: "Don't worry, even if it's for myself, I will find time to go to China again. I think I lived a very fulfilling life in Hong Kong City. I like that place. I also long for one day to be able to Go to China without translation.”

Why does James still know Chinese words? It's because he worked in Hong Kong City and he has a Chinese stepmother. Therefore, under such a situation, it is normal for James to know more about Chinese culture. .

Also, he wanted to know what kind of place raised a genius like Ye Ming who could deceive him, his father Murdoch, and even the old fox Soros.

ps: According to some information I checked, most Hollywood movies undergo risk prediction, at least formally. If there is no risk prediction, then even the director may fail. For example, Coppola's "Apocalypse Now" was invested by himself, and there was almost no risk prediction, but the final result was worth it. It is absolutely unnecessary to lose almost all the reputation and funds that Corvo has accumulated over the years. If it hadn't been for The Godfather 3, Coppola, one of the four legendary directors in Hollywood, might have completely stopped working.

This is the importance of risk prediction. Of course, if you are talking about making a movie for money laundering, then pretend that I said nothing. (To be continued)