Around half past seven in the evening, outside a mansion halfway up the hill in Beverly Hills.

The burgundy Ford sedan stopped on the side of the narrow mountain road, Simon got out of the car and turned to the other side, opened the car door, looked at Janet Johnston, who naturally grabbed himself after getting out of the car, and whispered a joke: "This can't be the calm before the storm, right?"

Because it was a cocktail party with a very free format, although Simon changed his shirt and trousers, Janet still wore the pink dress she wore during the day. However, the woman seems to have completely changed at this time, without the usual madness and casualness, and looks like a lady with impeccable gestures.

Hearing this, Janet glanced at Simon lightly and pinched him on the arm without a trace.

There was a tingling in his arm, and Simon was relieved.

All right.

That's normal.

Entering the mansion, Simon and Janet were led by the waiter to the pool in the front yard, where they were greeted by Brian de Palma and David Giller.

There were already quite a few guests at the reception, and they noticed that Brian de Palma and David Gille were walking towards a young man and a woman at the same time, and they all looked at them curiously, mixed with a few whispers.

The two sides greeted each other, and the two middle-aged people immediately became obviously curious about the elegant Janet next to Simon. They still know Simon's personal situation relatively well, so they are very puzzled why Simon can suddenly bring such a female companion today.

After all, Janet is not one of those nameless young actors who want to hitchhike into Hollywood, but more like a lady from a wealthy family.

Sensing the curiosity of the two, Simon took the initiative to introduce: "Brian, David, this is Janet Johnston, she is a painter. Jenny, this is Mr. Brian de Palma, this is Mr. David Giller. ”

Janet listened to Simon's introduction, shook hands with the two middle-aged men generously, and complimented them just right.

After everyone had greeted each other, Brian de Palma had to go to greet the other guests, and David Giller whispered to Simon that Mike Meadow, the president of Orion Pictures, would wait for a while before he arrived, and then took him and Janet to shuttle between the guests tonight, enthusiastically introducing Simon.

Hollywood seems to be big, but in fact, as long as it breaks in, the circle becomes very small.

It was only for the first time that Simon met Al Pacino, Michael Kane, Harvey Keitel, Melanie Griffith, and other Hollywood stars who were once completely out of reach.

Of course, when we met for the first time, we just chatted a few words, so it was naturally impossible to establish any friendship immediately. But Simon also knows that just this kind of contact opportunity is a dream for many people who want to desperately enter this circle.

It's actually quite simple.

If there is any possibility of cooperation in the future, the two reactions of "XXX, oh, I have seen it at the Brian family's party," and "XXX, who is that?", the results must be completely different.

After patiently taking Simon to the cross, David Giller also walked away for the time being.

Simon and Janet stood together on the railing overlooking the whole of Los Angeles, each taking a short break with a cocktail.

Janet took an elegant sip of the cocktail in her glass, saw Simon's eyes intently looking at the night view of the city at the foot of the mountain, and teased: "Little boy, is it suddenly ambitious?"

"No," Simon shook his head, "I just remembered a movie, and there was a guy who, well, was very unprofessional." ”

Janet noticed a flash of inexplicable emotion in Simon's expression, and was a little puzzled: "Huh?"

Simon raised his head and drank the wine in his hand in one gulp, returned to normal, and said with a smile: "It's nothing, a movie that hasn't been made yet, so I can't tell you." ”

Janet looked at Simon, but suddenly nodded, and her bright eyes under the light seemed to hide two eager beasts, and echoed: "Little boy, are you going to start talking crazy? ”

Simon looked at Janet's serious expression hovering on the edge of madness, and suddenly wanted to touch the woman's fair face, raised his arm slightly, but stopped in an instant, and said: "Don't be like this, I still hope that you will stick to this elegant temperament to the end, it is a very face-saving thing for men." ”

"Hehe, okay," Janet chuckled, and some of the aura that had just gathered instantly dissipated, "Actually, I have a feeling that many of them know about you." ”

Simon naturally noticed the playfulness in the eyes of many people when David Giller introduced him, and said with a smile: "It shouldn't be a good reputation." ”

Compared to his budding screenwriter in the last WMA packaging incident, Simon feels that these people are more likely to notice him because he broke the leg bones of those five guys a few days ago, and even David Giller will ask about it in private chats, and ask Simon if he has learned kung fu like Bruce Lee.

Truth be told, Simon himself doesn't remember much about that night, he was on the verge of a breakdown.

However, during this time, Simon gradually realized that his strength was indeed much greater than that of ordinary people. And, although he doesn't know much kung fu, he also has some professional fighting skills in his mind. It's just that Simon has no idea how strong these factors will be when turned into force value, he is not a violent person, and he is too lazy to do this kind of test.

The two chatted like this for a while, and David Giller soon reappeared, with a tall but rich middle-aged man.

"Mike, this is Simon," David Giller gestured to Simon, and added, "Simon, this is Mike Meadow, the president of Orion Pictures." ”

Simon shook hands politely with the other party, and briefly introduced Janet beside him, before David Giller led them to the terrace on the second floor of the villa behind him. There is a set of tables and chairs on the terrace, and the view is much better than the railing.

Ordering the waiter to bring drinks and snacks, David Giller chatted with him for a moment, then got up and walked away, leaving the space for Simon and Mike Meadow.

What is going to be talked about next is not a secret, Simon did not send Janet away, but only concentrated on dealing with Mike Medowa's temptation.

In the eighties, due to the overall recovery of the film industry, Hollywood had a large number of excellent solo production companies.

Compared with the more well-known New Line and Miramax, in this era, the strength of Orion, Canon, Carlock, Castle Rock and other film companies is actually stronger.

Among them, Orion has many similarities with Miramax, this film company has produced and released "The Silence of the Lambs", "Dances with Wolves", "Prague Love", "Field Platoon" and many other excellent films that are favored by the Oscars.

It was only after Orion went bankrupt in the early nineties that the Weinstein brothers of Miramax began to make their mark at the Oscars.

In addition to Orion, other film companies such as Canon, Carlock, and Castle Rock have also fallen one after another before the new century, and most of them have been reduced to dispensable shell labels under the name of some media groups. In the end, only the two families who were ahead of Time Warner and Disney's New Line and Miramax were relatively lucky to survive.

On the terrace, Mike Meadows is not a man of many words, but it is obvious that he has learned more about Simon himself and "Lola Run", and even read the script of "The Butterfly Effect".

Aware of this, Simon also realized that Orion was really interested in "Lola Run", and the possibility of cooperation between the two sides was still very high.

However, if you think about it, if it weren't for that, David Giller wouldn't have solemnly arranged this meeting.

After a moment of exchange between the two, Mike Meadows gradually talked about the substantive topic of cooperation: "Simon, "Lola Run" is indeed a very novel story, and its low cost can also offset the shortcomings of the film's commercial potential. However, it is difficult for me to accede to your request for absolute creative autonomy. ”

Simon listened to Mike Meadow and said, "Mike, although the story of Lola Run seems simple, it is very coherent and meticulous in terms of details. I don't think anyone else but myself can tell this story in its entirety. Moreover, I have already said that I can start the production of the film with my own money, and if Orion is not satisfied with my pre-shooting results, he can choose to quit immediately. But if Orion recognizes the results of my work, then I would also like to be able to have an undisturbed creative environment. ”

"Of course, I don't have any opinion about the script, about the story," Mike Medois shook his head and said, "Simon, I mean the movie cast and stuff." Speaking of which, Orion is not really interested in solo film projects that are too small, and we are not B-movie producers like Roger Koeman. So, Orion can provide a production budget of $1 million for this film, but if it chooses to invest, Orion will not give up halfway. ”

Simon hesitated and said, "Mike, what do you mean?"

Mike Meadows said: "Simon, don't mention the plan that you want to start the production with your own money first. I respect your idea of wanting a chance, though. So, Orion can invest in this movie, with a budget of $1 million, and the cast of the movie must be picked by Orion. At the same time, we will give you a week to shoot, and if you are satisfied with the results of your work, then continue, Orion as little as possible to interfere with your creation. Otherwise, we will withdraw the project and replace it with a new director to continue filming. By the way, I can give you $50,000 for the script, plus a share of the future videotapes and TV broadcasts. Finally, Orion also wants to get an extra first chance of choosing a future script for you. I know you've signed a contract with Fox, but it's not a conflict, you're not going to create just three scripts, are you?"