Chapter 793 A Place

In June, Murken Sorge's new film "Get Out" secretly began filming in Canada, without publicly announcing the project.

Lu Yanhe visited the set once.

For this film, Murken Sorge used only veteran actors and did not use a single star.

This kept the film's production costs very low; even with Lu Yanhe's base salary, it was only $15 million.

Despite the low cost, the project itself is highly valued.

On the one hand, this is director Murken Sorge's new work—Murken Sorge has never failed so far, especially his previous two works, the first and second Mist, which both grossed over $100 million worldwide, achieving remarkable success in the horror genre.

On the other hand, the screenwriter of this film is Lu Yanhe. Lu Yanhe's script is the blueprint for the box office hit.

Every actor who participated in this film took it very seriously, regarding it as a turning point in their careers, and participated in the filming with utmost dedication.

-

Do you really think this movie will be Oscar contenders?

Privately, Muken Sorge asked Lu Yanhe.

Lu Yanhe nodded and said, "Yes, Muken, believe me, the theme of this movie is no longer a metaphor, but an explicit one."

This film won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.

This award alone is enough to show the Academy's recognition of the story itself.

Many movies use metaphors and allegories because they are considered sophisticated.

Get Out, however, doesn't do it that way. It lays its cards on the table and blatantly tells you that it's criticizing the hypocrisy of white people.

However, this precisely reflects the true thoughts of a segment of the Black community—

Yes, slavery is gone, but you white people still want to enslave us.

Yes, it seems so equal—you, a rich and beautiful white girl, are marrying me, a black man. In reality, you are trying to hypnotize me into a slave.

...

The movie "Get Out" is a bizarre film where "thunder is hidden in the everyday." Its horror lies in the unsettling reality that everyone seems to be smiling at you, but in fact they are just treating you like a lamb to the slaughter.

Murken Sorge, a renowned horror film director, completed his "promotion" as a director with the Mist series.

The two films before "The Mist" were critically acclaimed and commercially successful, but they did not generate the phenomenal discussion and success of "The Mist," nor did they achieve such widespread box office success worldwide.

The Mist series is to Moken Sorge what Your Name is to Makoto Shinkai.

Makoto Shinkai had already risen to fame with "5 Centimeters Per Second." However, "Your Name." ushered in his era as a great director.

Murken Sorge had a strong desire to gain mainstream recognition.

For directors in Europe and America, mainstream recognition comes either from the four major international film festivals or from the Oscars.

Murken Sorge's directorial subjects are basically out of reach of the four major international film and television organizations; his only hope is the Oscars.

Lu Yanhe knew what Muken Sorge was thinking.

That's why he gave him the script for Get Out.

In fact, Murken Sorge is a first-rate director in every aspect. A director like him, given a good script, will almost always produce a good film—provided he doesn't arbitrarily change the script.

Lu Yanhe realized after collaborating with him on two films that Muken's cinematic aesthetics were completely on point. Whether it was the visuals, style, or pacing, Muken had a precise aesthetic intuition and knew how to handle things.

Many people believe that horror movies are the easiest to make because all you have to do is scare people. But that's not actually the case. The reason people have this impression is because horror movies are often poorly made in terms of art direction, and most of the actors are non-mainstream, making them seem "low-quality."

However, the most important aspects of a horror film are atmosphere and pacing. A horror film can be bad at many things, but if these two aspects are lacking, it loses its very foundation.

Therefore, the movie "Get Out" does not have those bloody and horrifying scenes. It needs to build up gradually, like boiling a frog in warm water, slowly releasing the tension, unease, and sense of impending danger to the audience, ultimately making them feel uneasy.

This is the ultimate test of a director's skills.

Muken Sorge has absolutely no problem in this regard.

"Did you meet the male lead? Will Hollande. He's a really good actor. He's young, about your age, and he's only done B-movies before, but he got unanimous approval at the audition," said Murken Sorge.

“Didn’t you send me the audition videos of several candidates back then? I also thought Will Holland was very good. I rarely see such subtle acting details in Black actors—to be precise, even among European and American actors,” Lu Yanhe said. “There’s something in his eyes.”

Muken Sorge said with a smile, "He really wants to see you. He's asked me several times if you'll come to visit the set."

"He really wants to see me?" Lu Yanhe looked surprised.

"He knew he got the role because you voted for him, and he wanted to thank you in person," said Murken Sorge.

Lu Yanhe said, "But I didn't see him on set today."

“He doesn’t have any scenes to film today, so your visit to the set was completely last minute,” Muken laughed.

Lu Yanhe: "Well, unfortunately, we'll have to meet again next time."

Muken nodded.

What are your plans for the future?

“I’m meeting with people from Soren’s side tomorrow to discuss future collaborations. We originally wanted to finalize the deal during the Jose Film Festival, but many details haven’t been settled yet,” Lu Yanhe said. “Red Eye Flight will be released in July, and there’s some promotional work to coordinate. Also, there’s another movie I’ve already taken on, Cloud, where I’ll be playing a role for about two weeks.”

Muken Sorge nodded.

"It seems like you haven't been on many film sets this year."

“Yes,” Lu Yanhe said. “I said the same thing, but I haven’t taken on any new roles. There’s just one new movie by director Wang Zhong coming up.”

Murken Sorge asked, "I mean, in Hollywood, apart from 'The Mist,' all you've taken on are big-budget films, and it seems like you haven't taken on any other movies."

Lu Yanhe: "To be honest... let me put it this way, none of the scripts that were sent to me, except for these big-budget film projects, moved me at all. They all had very stereotypical characters, even more stereotypical than the Chinese characters in these big-budget films."

Muken Sorge sighed.

He sighed and then said nothing more.

He fully understood and comprehended what Lu Yanhe was saying.

No matter how "at the height of his career" Lu Yanhe is now, a Chinese person is still a Chinese person. In Hollywood, there are very few roles suitable for Chinese actors, let alone top actors like Lu Yanhe who are unlikely to play ordinary roles or have ordinary scripts.

“You’ll have to write your own script,” Muken said.

Lu Yanhe nodded.

Even for Muken, none of the projects he was preparing for had a suitable role for Lu Yanhe.

Given Lu Yanhe's current stage, the role given to him, if not the main protagonist, should at least be a significant one.

The problem is, there isn't.

Muken asked, "Will you write your own scripts in the future?"

“If you really don’t come across a good script for a long time, you’ll have to write one for yourself,” Lu Yanhe said. “Actually, you don’t necessarily have to look for scripts in Hollywood. Home Alone and Buried were very successful in Europe and America, and all over the world.”

"But the movie 'You Are the Apple of My Eye' only did so-so at the box office," Muken said.

Lu Yanhe said, "Because it's a movie that sells itself on Chinese youthful emotions, there's a gap in emotional resonance in your Europe and America."

Muken: "So you'll make more movies like 'Flypaper' in the future?"

Muken has already seen this film at the Jose Film Festival.

Lu Yanhe nodded.

“Make more films with themes that can be popular globally,” Lu Yanhe said. “Muken, after you finish filming Get Out, I have another script for you to film, still a theme you’re good at.”

Muken Sorge asked, "What is it?"

“I’ll tell you after you finish filming ‘Get Out.’” Lu Yanhe smiled. “In short, as long as you need my scripts, I’ll always be here to write them for you. I have a lot of ideas in my head for horror and thriller stories.”

“Okay,” said Muken Sorge. “You said it.”

“I said it.” Lu Yanhe nodded.

-

As Lu Yanhe was about to leave the set of "Get Out," a tall, thin black man ran over.

His skin color was no longer completely black.

He has a very handsome face and a lean, strong physique.

In Get Out, the male protagonist needs just that kind of good looks—

As a hypnotized slave.

“Will,” Lu Yanhe called out his name first.

Will Hollande had beads of sweat on his forehead.

He tried his best to control his breathing, his eyes as clear as if washed by a stream.

“Mr. Lu.” He looked at Lu Yanhe, whom he had bumped into by chance on the road, with a mixture of surprise and astonishment. “That’s great! I heard you were here, so I’ve been rushing over here to thank you in person for voting for me.”

Lu Yanhe shook his head, raised his hand and patted his arm, saying, "You are the most suitable candidate. Even if I hadn't voted for you, this role would still be yours."

“This is my first time playing a lead role,” Will Hollande said. “I know the production company didn’t think highly of me.”

Lu Yanhe smiled.

"Will, you'll have lots of leading roles to play in the future."

Will Hollande asked, "Will you still cast me in movies?"

"Why not?" Lu Yanhe smiled slightly. "Although I've never acted with you before, Mu Ken spoke highly of you today, and I believe his assessment."

Will Hollande gave a shy smile.

"Thanks."

Lu Yanhe: "I have something to do, so I have to go now. See you later."

“Okay.” Will Holland nodded, then suddenly remembered something and said, “Mr. Lu, may I call you when I go to China?”

"Of course." Lu Yanhe was somewhat surprised, but still nodded.

Will Hollande flashed that shy smile again.

"But I don't have your phone number yet."

Lu Yanhe smiled.

All right.

There was a time when he would use such tricks to ask for other people's contact information.

-

The negotiations with Soren lasted for nearly a week.

This is the third round of negotiations.

Chen Ziyan, Chen Yin, and others, leading a team of about ten people, engaged in a heated verbal battle with Soren's men.

Lu Yanhe is the "mascot".

They know nothing, but at crucial moments, they need to act like big shots and put pressure on the other party.

The negotiations lasted until the fifth day before any substantial progress was made.

Soren offered Lu Yanhe a $120 million creative contract, including "The Fault in Our Stars" and "The Notebook." Lu Yanhe was to direct, write, or act in three films for Soren over six years, with production costs separate. The copyright to the three films would belong to Soren for ten years after their release; after that, the copyright would revert to Lu Yanhe. In other words, this $120 million was an upfront payment to Lu Yanhe, and he would not receive any profit sharing for the next ten years.

At the same time, Linghe will obtain the exclusive distribution rights in Asia for the next three years for films released by Soren. If three films generate more than $100 million in revenue in Asia within three years, the contract will be extended for another three years.

Such cooperation terms are clearly beneficial to Lu Yanhe and Linghe.

However, Soren still agreed.

For Hengzhaoshan Group, which backs Soren, $120 million is not a significant sum. However, the news of Lu Yanhe's in-depth cooperation with Soren could bring more tangible benefits to both Soren and the Hengzhaoshan Group behind him.

Soren desperately needs to establish himself in Hollywood and make a name for himself.

Partnering with Lu Yanhe is one of their best options at this stage.

This is what Darren Wilson meant when he said, "You can take advantage of them within reasonable limits."

-

This collaboration was entirely facilitated by Darren Wilson.

After several years of collaboration, Lu Yanhe and Darren Wilson's partnership has entered a "stable period" after the "honeymoon period".

Darren Wilson's impression and evaluation of Lu Yanhe changed at a rate that matched the speed at which Lu Yanhe's status in Hollywood rose.

The further he went, the more Darren Wilson felt that Lu Yanhe might really become something extraordinary in the future.

What is considered extraordinary is a premonition.

With each of Lu Yanhe's successes, Darren Wilson had a premonition coming true.

There are things that Darren Wilson wouldn't believe anyone else could do, but with Lu Yanhe, Darren Wilson feels that anything is possible.

For example, this collaboration with Soren.

For example, Lu Yanhe wants to have a place in Hollywood film production companies.

Darren Wilson is a top agent in Hollywood.

At Lu Yanhe's current stage, he certainly wouldn't give up everything to gamble 100% on Lu Yanhe's future. However, he wouldn't mind lending Lu Yanhe a helping hand in a small way.

Perhaps Lu Yanhe will one day become a giant in Hollywood.

At that time, Darren Wilson will naturally reap the fruits of tomorrow's harvest for the seeds he has sown today.

-

At this stage, Darren Wilson is actually more satisfied with the trust that Lu Yanhe and his management team have in his judgment.

He helped me get the role in the movie "In the Clouds".

In fact, with the box office success of "Misty 2", Lu Yanhe received even more scripts.

Darren Wilson rejected almost all of them.

Because it's not good enough.

Now, Hollywood film companies almost always have to go through Lu Yanhe to work with them, especially to submit scripts to him.

This wasn't really a big deal for Darren Wilson. He had more than just Lu Yanhe as an A-list client. However, what satisfied Darren Wilson was Lu Yanhe and his team's attitude. In any case, Darren Wilson was the one representing Lu Yanhe in Hollywood.

It was precisely because of Lu Yanhe's attitude that Darren Wilson had a lot of "negotiating power" with various production companies.

If there is a lack of mutual trust and a lack of complete cooperation between agents and artists, then production companies may find an opportunity to exploit the situation.

Even, it could be an opportunity to sow discord.

Darren Wilson has also handled clients like this.

It was precisely because Lu Yanhe did not change his attitude, whether he became a "box office guarantee" or won an Oscar, that Darren Wilson increasingly recognized Lu Yanhe and was willing to consider his career from a longer-term perspective, and to make a deeper judgment on what projects he should accept and what projects he should not accept.

-

"The ten million dollar club?"

Darren Wilson laughed on the phone, “Rubik, you should know that in a few days you’ll see a news report and you’ll be shocked by what it says. Do you think you can get Lu Yanhe to come by offering him a ten million dollar fee? Not to mention that your movie is already infamous, even if it’s not the movie’s fault, ten million dollars isn’t really a high fee for Lu Yanhe right now.”

The man he called Ruby said angrily, "What are you bluffing about? Are you trying to tell me that Lu Yanhe has now entered the 20 million dollar club? If you keep asking for such exorbitant prices, no Hollywood production company will satisfy your greed."

Darren Wilson: "Really? Well, we'll see."

He hung up the phone without any politeness.

It wasn't that Darren Wilson was impolite; rather, he had never been polite to this man named Ruby.

He is the second-generation owner of an independent film company. Before him, his father spent more than 20 years running that film company. Although it was not large, it was profitable every year thanks to his father's vision and careful management. It gradually built a small film library and gained a place in Hollywood.

But after his father died, he inherited the company, which basically suffered losses year after year. Almost none of its projects were profitable, and it became notorious. Eventually, any actor with a bit of fame would no longer join the company's projects.

Darren Wilson didn't know where Ruby got the confidence to think that he could seduce Lu Yanhe with a ten million dollar salary.

Of course, there are many people like Ruby.

Darren Wilson sighed.

Film companies that have transformed from major studios, such as Parameter and Green Valley, are extremely rare.

Many good movies come from small to medium-sized independent film companies. It's just that after these films are produced, they are still bought and distributed by large studios.

As Darren Wilson was pondering how Lu Yanhe should adjust his offer, a message suddenly popped up on his phone.

It's a message that the money has been credited to your account.

This is the commission Linghe paid him—commission for promoting "The Fault in Our Stars" and "The Notebook".

When Lu Yanhe entrusted him with the two scripts to promote them, the two parties did not discuss the commission rate.

Of course, given the final transaction agreement between Lu Yanhe and Soren, it was impossible to pay Darren Wilson commission using a simple commission ratio.

However, despite this, Linghe still generously transferred $8 million to Darren Wilson.

Darren Wilson's first reaction upon seeing the number was to carefully count the zeros.

Then, after confirming that he hadn't miscounted, he exclaimed incredulously, "Fuck!"

For top brokers like him, the commission for handling agency business, especially for top clients like Lu Yanhe, is generally between 3% and 5% of the transaction amount.

For clients like Lu Yanhe, who have a clear negotiating advantage in the trading market, the commission rate may be even lower.

Darren Wilson did not specify how much commission he wanted from the beginning, and he was already prepared not to take a commission for this deal. He took the initiative to tell Lu Yanhe that he could also act as Lu Yanhe's agent for script sales. He wanted to use this cooperation to let Lu Yanhe see his resources and capabilities in this area, so that Lu Yanhe would entrust him with related business in the future.

However, Lu Yanhe was very generous this time and transferred $8 million.

Clearly, Lu Yanhe had no intention of taking advantage of the situation.

-

Soon after, Soren himself announced this bombshell news.

$120 million, for three films in collaboration with Lu Yanhe.

The largest advance payment for cooperation in nearly a decade.

This figure, once announced, shocked the world.

This figure truly demonstrates Lu Yanhe's commercial value and his "monetization ability" in the film market.

On average, a film pays $40 million.

While such a salary figure isn't groundbreaking in the streaming era, it's still a figure typically reserved for top-tier Hollywood actors.

Lu Yanhe... has he already entered the top tier?

(End of this chapter)