"It's a big shop. ”

Walking between the shelves, Ronan picked up a few German sausages and looked at them, put them back again, and said to the blonde middle-aged woman next to him: "Aunt Helen, you told me that you opened a meat store, I thought it was a store that sold pork, but it turned out to be a meat supermarket." ”

The blonde woman named Helen laughed and said in a slightly awkward pronunciation of English, "So, come and help me." ”

Turning out of the shelves, Ronan looked around at the meat supermarket, which was five or six hundred square meters in size, and had never seen so many sausages, pig's trotters, and bacon.

Helen deliberately said: "I have nine stores like this in Berlin. ”

Ronan couldn't help but laugh: "It turns out that my Aunt Helen is a rich woman. ”

"Well, yes?" Helen said again, "Would you like to come to Germany to help me?"

Ronan shook his head: "People like me are still suitable for development in Hollywood." ”

Helen also heard Mrs. Anderson Sr. mention Hollywood, saying, "The film industry is too risky. ”

"Well, so I'm looking for ways to avoid and mitigate the risk. Ronan suddenly asked, "Aunt Helen, you have to pay a lot of taxes every year, right?"

Helen nodded lightly: "A lot." Germany is a heavily taxed country, and if nothing else, my personal income tax has to be paid at a maximum rate of 51%, although there are ways to avoid taxes legally, but the amount of tax avoidance is very small. ”

Ronan joked, "It's the glory of letting you enjoy paying taxes." ”

Helen laughed, "I'd rather not have this honor." She asked with concern, "By the way, your movie was a success?"

It was a success, with more than $50 million at the North American box office. Ronan thought for a moment and said, "If I'm not mistaken, it will be released in Germany after the New Year, and the film will be called "Human Eradication Project". ”

Helen took Ronan to continue participating in the supermarket, saying, "I'll take Tony to see it then." ”

Tony Koch, her son, has just graduated from university and is working in finance in Munich.

The two walked around the meat supermarket, then went to the office area on the second floor, came to Helen's office, and chatted about the old Anderson couple who would die unexpectedly, and talked about the childhood anecdotes of little Anderson.

"Stay in Germany for Christmas, Tony will be back from Munich. Helen suddenly said, "You don't have any relatives back in Los Angeles." ”

Ronan didn't refuse: "Okay." I'm going to be in Berlin for a while. ”

Helen asked curiously, "On the phone, you said you had business to deal with, and you were going to make a movie in Germany?"

Ronan shook his head: "It's not about making movies in Germany. He explained simply: "I am going to sell two film projects to a German film company. ”

Filming and producing Hollywood movies is more a matter of technology, but the way the Hollywood film industry works is a legal and financial issue.

Even if it's only the late 90s, more than 90 percent of Hollywood movies are losing money at the box office alone, no matter how big those box office numbers may seem.

Because Hollywood has become very expensive to make movies, the vast majority of films cost far more money to invest, shoot and distribute than they make at the box office in theaters.

If you want a movie to be truly profitable, you have to do everything you can to do it.

A good producer must know how to operate a film within the legal scope in order to make the most profit.

If Hollywood only used the box office to make a living and made movies with its own funds, all film companies, including the six major companies, would have closed their doors long ago.

Ronan's funding for the filming of "Death is Coming" and "Ace Agent" will not come from him or Shahai Entertainment, all of which are financed from Abu Dhabi.

If the operation is obtained, a considerable part of this part of the budget can be converted into the legal income of Shahai Entertainment without the need to make accounts.

In the afternoon, Ronan was introduced by lawyer Müller, who acted as an intermediary, to meet with Ram, a representative from the German film company TMG.

But the talks between the two sides were not smooth, and even a little unpleasant.

"Sixty percent of the handling fee for tax refunds?" Ronan didn't hide it at all, and his dissatisfaction was written on his face: "As far as I know, you don't charge any handling fees for your cooperation with Paramount Pictures!"

The man named Ram was a short man, and his face was extremely serious: "Mr. Anderson, I need to remind you that your Shahai Entertainment is not Paramount Pictures! TMG has different policies for each customer, Paramount Pictures and TMG are long-term partners, your Shahai Entertainment is the first time to cooperate with TMC, there is a lack of trust between us, and TMG also has to take huge risks." ”

He accentuated: "We are responsible for investors!"

Compared with a large company, a small company has no human rights at all! Ronan couldn't help but complain in his heart.

But he didn't get angry, just as people are never equal, and companies can't be equal to companies.

However, the stereotypical attitude of this German is really uncomfortable to watch.

Ronan smiled and said, "You still charge investors a fee, right? 5 percent, 8 percent, or the highest 15 percent?"

This TMG deserves to be a successful film company, eating both ends.

Ram's face did not change: "This is a legal charge." ”

The stereotyped face is as thick as steel.

Ronan frowned slightly: "Mr. Ram, ten percent at most!"

Ram was non-negotiable: "Sixty percent!"

Ronan glanced at Attorney Mueller, who slowly shook his head, indicating that there was nothing he could do.

"Your company takes 60 percent, and I have to pay for the remaining 40 percent, and I don't have much left. Ronan also put on a serious face: "This deal is meaningless. ”

Ram said, "Shahai Entertainment can win the friendship of TMG!"

Hearing this, Ronan looked at the little German, as if for the first time he had seen someone more shameless than himself.

In the face of millions of dollars, I want your friendship to be a fart?

"If this deal goes through, it will build trust and build a foundation for long-term cooperation," Ram said. He wasn't joking: "Mr. Anderson, take a long-term view, don't be too short-sighted." ”

Ronan resisted the urge to ridicule, it was useless, and said lightly, "I need to think about it for a few days." ”

Ram stood up, left a business card, pushed it to Ronan, and said, "This is my contact information, Mr. Anderson can call me if he wants to cooperate." ”

After saying that, he didn't have any nostalgia and walked away directly.

Ronan glanced at his business card, threw it in his pocket, and asked Attorney Mueller, "How about this client you contacted?"

"TMG is the company that has worked with the most Hollywood and has a strong reputation. ”

"But they're too greedy for small companies. Ronan asked, "Can you contact any other company?"

Attorney Mueller nodded slightly: "Of course." Ronan reminded: "The credibility of small companies is a problem, and they can't afford to take on such a big project, they can't find enough German investors." ”

Ronan pinched his forehead and asked, "Is there any other way?"

"I'll contact other large and medium-sized film investment companies. Mr. Mueller didn't want to let his business run away: "But they've always worked with big Hollywood and European companies, and the terms weren't much better." ”

Picking up the cup, Ronan took a sip, frowned and thought for a while: I really can't do it, I can only try a backup plan.

"Attorney Mueller. He asked slowly, "If a new film company is formed, can it be operated in this area?"

Attorney Mueller was very professional and immediately replied, "Yes." There is no restriction in this regard by law, as long as the company has completed the formalities, it is fully capable of doing transactions in this regard. ”

This is consistent with the information that Ronan has specifically checked before.

Attorney Mueller's voice changed suddenly: "But the new company needs a strong enough intermediary agent, and the agent needs to open up channels for you to lobby the approval authority." ”

He continued: "Why would a studio like TMG, which doesn't have the real production capacity, dare to charge a fee to a small Hollywood company? ”

Ronan asked, "Where are the middlemen?"

"Me. Attorney Mueller laughs, "Me and the whole team behind me. ”

He held up a finger: "We only charge ten percent of the refund amount." ”

Ronan was silent for a while, then gave Attorney Mueller a deep look: "Your strategy has worked, and I agree to the deal." He looked in the direction of Ram's departure: "Let's borrow the outrageous conditions offered by TMG as a foreshadowing, and then propose a smaller fee as a bargaining chip." ”

Undebunked by the revelations, Mr. Mueller said, "We take what we need." ”

These characters, who have been immersed in business for many years, are not simple.

"How sure are you?" asked Ronan.

"If your two projects are small-scale literary films, I won't talk to you at all. Attorney Mueller is confident: "The $40 million budget for the two commercial projects is already very convincing. ”

Ronan nodded, his voice gradually lowered, and asked Lawyer Mueller about this professional question, which was very detailed, and corroborated each other with the information he had read.

He did not leave until late in the evening.