"Dance Out of My Life 3-D", "Food, Prayer, Love" ...... After the gradual release of special effects blockbusters in July, the North American film market seemed to have calmed down a lot in August, and several films were not masterpieces with big investment and big returns, but genre films aimed at specific markets. For example, the "Dance Out of My Life" series, which is a series of movies developed by Disney after "Youth Musical", the first two of which became popular with Channing. Tatum made him a new generation of low-cost production kings, and the third part was replaced after his value rose, the film contract continued, and he sought better development, and it seems that he will be made into a popular small and medium-sized production film series. ――Don't underestimate such a series, maybe the seeds of A-grade production are brewing, and the budget for the first part of "Fast and Furious" was only tens of millions.

Counting the post-transformation of 3D, a total investment of only 30 million, there is also a cumulative income of more than 20 million in the first seven days of North America, counting the previous popularity in the global region, and the fact that 3D is now super hot, Disney optimistically estimates that there should be no problem with the overseas box office exceeding 100 million, and this also makes the crew of "Dance Out of My Life" start a celebration party: not every crew can be the same as "Codename SHERO", the world has a billion dollars, for the vast majority of film crews, 100 million is already a gratifying number, And the investment of tens of millions is also very exciting.

"Food, Prayer, Love", an investment of 80 million, the global box office is estimated to be about 150 million, and the United States is about 80 million that can be tied with investment, this number is not high or low, there is no loss, but it has not brought surprises to the market. Roberts can be regarded as having successfully completed the task and guarded his cost-effective golden body. And "Inception" and "Codename Shero" still performed well on the August charts - these weak opponents are hardly able to stop them from coveting its box office title, "Dance Out of My Life" is not a fan-oriented movie, the first week box office accounted for the majority of the proportion, almost fell to third place in the first week, its two rivals still held more than 20 million box office that week, the difference is only a millimeter. As for "Agent Sauter", it has fallen all the way, and it is already difficult to enter the top five.

However, even so, these two movies still aroused the attention of many filmmakers - not to mention "Food, Prayer, Love", not everyone can invite old big stars, filmmakers care more about the box office potential of "Dance Out of My Life", this plot is mediocre, it can only be said to be barely passable, the only focus is on the movie that dances one after another, the shooting cost can really be controlled to a very low level, the risk is small, and the box office of the series is quite good, and the change of the protagonist in the third part has not affected the box office. This has made many film companies adjust their attention to the genre of song and dance films, and are ready to launch works that follow the trend - in fact, there are many low-cost song and dance films like this on the market, but as long as they don't collide too much, the relative cost of the box office is quite good, and if the quality is good, it has the potential to be a big hit, which is also a good choice for them to invest. Not only is it the demand of large film companies to develop genre films, but also small and medium-sized film companies are eager to try and want to wade into this troubled water. The Hollywood Reporter also took this opportunity to make another "Revival of Musical? analyzes the revival of Hollywood musical and dance films from movies to TV dramas from 2000 to the present.

"Glee can be seen as the inheritance of "Youth Musical", they are both mainly choral singing, but compared to "Youth Musical" and "Hannah. Montana (Disney's own attempt at a musical and dance series), "Glee" adds more spicy elements to the plot, which is more suitable for teenagers and is also the appetite of the show's most direct audience, and it is not surprising that the ratings have soared, after all, they are less restricted than Disney Channel, which is mainly aimed at children. Ryan, who once created "The Plastic Surgery Room". Murphy, the skill of creating contradictions and conflicts is also extremely sophisticated......"

In the article, "The Hollywood Reporter" pertinently commented on the pros and cons of several cabaret TV series - "Glee", which has just started its second season, is of course full of scenery at this time, not to mention the explosive ratings, and OST often occupies the top position on the best-selling list on S - less than 10 years after the release of the iPod, this list is almost as important as Billboard, which fully explains the popularity of this TV series among teenagers, and the production company will not let go of this good opportunity to make money. Youth Singing and Dancing ", Hannah. Montana", the theme tour of the TV series is also already being planned, which is also one of the important ways to make money from this TV series, and from this point of view, the profits generated by "Glee" may not be comparable to that of "Hannah. Montana" compared to this TV series, which directly single-handedly put Miley. Sellers became one of the most popular young divas among teenagers, selling well and touring to a full house, but he made a lot of money for Disney......

Of course, Disney's ability to integrate channels is incomparable with its competitors, and this is one of the core competitiveness of this behemoth in the new century. It is worth mentioning that it is rumored that Big Dream Entertainment, which has a close relationship with Disney, may add a TV drama department in the near future, and their first work will also be a musical comedy. The difference between "Montana" is that Big Dream Entertainment, which has an Oscar-winning actress, has always been extravagant, and they seem to have always taken the high-end route, and the music producer of this TV series may be the hip-hop boss Jay-Z......"

Although this is not confirmed, the Hollywood Reporter is not the kind of media that will report rumors, and this news has attracted a lot of attention from the industry - many TV drama experts have laughed at the decision of Big Dream: TV series and movies are completely different worlds, for producers, the film budget is of course the more the merrier, this is basically a hammer deal, and the production budget of the TV series is not easy to say, if it will not save money, the cost is too high, the threshold for survival is very high, The slightest misstep will be announced to be axed, which is why the living environment of comedy is always more relaxed - at least in the early days, it is quite cheap. Please come to Jay-Z? Is the music going to be purely original? How high will the production cost go? Even if because of the relationship between Big Dream and Disney, ABC has made a full season reservation, but if the ratings do not exceed 2, it will be a season's life. And if the ratings of the new drama want to pass 2, how easy is it? TV ratings are also a standard zero-sum game, and the competitive environment is not much looser than that of movies.

Of course, although the TV executives reacted coldly to the news and were not very optimistic about it in private, no one would stop contacting Da Meng - this year, if anyone does not strive for the opportunity to cooperate with Da Meng, then he must not want to do it. No matter what the final ratings are, whether it is cut for a season or not, there is always nothing wrong with buying this show at a big price, even if you can't buy it, the price is enough to explain to the high-level, if you don't even grab it...... So what if it explodes? That's a hard thing to say!

"Is there any definite news from Big Dream? Have you already signed a contract of intent with ABC? In the Fox Television Network's office building, Alex, the buying manager, asked an acquaintance on the other end of the phone, who was Georgia, an executive at Fox Films. Lansing, "Georgia, can you give me a letter?" Don't, can you ask that for me? ”

He can decide the booking of new dramas every year, and he also has a great say in the renewal of old dramas, and his voice in the Fox TV network is not inferior to that of Georgia. Lansing's status in Fox films, and when it comes to the annual profitability of Fox TV, if you only look at the box office, advertising fees, and copyright transaction fees, in the small years of the film company, the gap between the two sides is not too big, so, although there are differences in the style of movies and TV series, the status of the executives of the two sides is very equal, Alex is a good friend of Georgia, he is one of the basic plates in the group, and the tone of the two speaks quite casually.

"Of course ABC is interested in signing for the whole season, but Cesare is still open to the outside world," Georgia said happily, "This guy is really businesslike, you know, his mother works for the Disney television network, and he hasn't even nodded to ABC's contract - you know, the terms they give are not low, I heard Maria say that ABC is willing to move its prime time, and the offer price of $100 million for the whole season, that number ...... Can't say low. ”

Although the business negotiations are classified, there is always news flying all over the sky, and the $100 million offer is released by Maria, a well-known publicist and intelligence peddler, so the credibility cannot be said to be low. Alex was a little staggered, "Based on 24 episodes in a season, an episode of a musical comedy will sell 4 million, and ABC has really made up his mind." ”

In addition to those sci-fi dramas, the production budget for an episode of American dramas is about 2 million - if the actor's salary is not very high, like Friends in the last few seasons, because of the salary of 6 million for a single episode, the production cost is close to 7 million TV series are rare after all: It is worth mentioning that the multi-camera shooting method of "Friends" is quite economical, and if the actor's salary is deducted, a single episode can save at least 500,000 costs, so it has always been favored by the production company. The production cost is quite high, and the survival time of science fiction dramas that are not easy to soar in the ratings is generally quite short, unlike movies, the cost is paid in full after filming, how much can be after release, once the ratings of the TV series are reduced, the time occupied is the cost, in order not to depress the profits of the TV station, even if the drama has been produced, the TV station sometimes chooses not to finish the screening.

"It's related to Jennifer after all." Georgia lazily said, "ABC won't let the fat water out, I guess you're about the same, right?" How's that, are you going to open the contract to 120 million? ”

"The prime-time optional and pillar leading, this is already the most basic condition." Alecstein said in vain, "As you said, this is Jennifer's drama after all - yes, my permission, the whole season is scheduled for 24 episodes, 120 million, this is also the highest condition, if you want to go up, I have to ask for instructions - Georgia, what do you think?" ”

Hearing that Georgia's tone was not so approving, he asked more.

"If it's a TV series produced by Jennifer, then it's very normal to enjoy the treatment of the Super Six-" Although Georgia said such a thrilling conclusion, his tone was very natural, and Alex didn't feel any different: The TV series production market was basically divided up by the Big Six, most of them were self-made dramas in previous years, and there were also mutual transactions in recent years, in addition to some small production companies struggling to survive and suffering from the squeeze of the Big Six, their TV series will definitely not enjoy the prime-time pick. The princess treatment of the lead of the stage drama is that few big works within Fox can enjoy such a standard, but when they are talking about Big Dream and Jennifer. Jefferson's time...... Common sense just doesn't apply, it's that simple.

"—and I'd suggest you raise the price to 130 million, which would be more competitive—and I've heard that CW is also very willing to compete for the show, and they can't even watch the pilot episode...... But—" Georgia turned, "if this is a TV series made by Jennifer." ”

"What do you mean?" Alex immediately became excited.

"This is real insider information, don't share this advantage with others," Georgia said in a low voice, somewhat cryptically. "Jennifer was almost always in Yosemite from March to June preparing for the filming of the new film, which was a real seclusion, no use of the phone, no contact with the outside world - I heard that this was Salvi's request, and now it's the same in New Zealand, do you think she's filming in New Zealand and remote control Los Angeles at the same time? That's not the case at all, and she's also out of touch in New Zealand, and according to Bell, Salvi is only allowed to talk to the outside world for fifteen minutes a day. The whole project was led by Cesare alone, and there was no trace of her at all. ”

Such a big gossip was enough to tip the scales in Alex's heart to the side, and he gasped, "Really? - Wait! Georgia, but are the rumors true? Legend has it that she was just a puppet of Cesare, and that almost all of Cesare's investments were made, and that she was only an agent in front of the scenes—"

Georgia, whose wife was a core artist of Cesare and a close friend of Vijri's family, did not leak more, but said lightly, "Do you believe that the girl who can produce "Monroe" and "Codename Shero" by herself will be a puppet?" ”

Thinking of "Codename Shero", which has now exceeded 1.5 billion worldwide and is still burning at the overseas box office, Alex winced, he was so puzzled, "Are you sure that all this is brought by Cesare himself?" Jennifer didn't give any guidance? - What is this? Do you take tens of millions to make your husband happy? ”

"Cesare was a very capable company leader." Georgia, in turn, defended her friend with a few words, "Any producer needs to practice, and, yes, with his status, of course, practice works will be extraordinary, it has nothing to do with feelings, he has such authority in Big Dreams." ”

Alex didn't care how other companies operated, all he noticed was the point of Georgia's mention, the fact that the show was led by Cesare - the message was too important to him, "I see, Georgia, I'm still going to keep the offer of 100 million - you can rest assured." ”

If Fox doesn't make an offer, then I'm afraid it will affect the relationship between Georgia and Cesare, and he won't make it difficult for Georgia.

Georgia's knowing laughter was also heard on the other end of the phone, "Roger, play tennis another day-"

#

-- Although they are all a group, there is a division of labor within them, and for TV networks, they are unlikely to care about the internal personnel of a production company, as long as they know whether the TV series is worth the investment. But for the group's investment and M&A departments, and even some venture capital firms, Big Dream's recent actions are a bit incomprehensible — for some key people, whose itineraries are the daily work of the business intelligence department, it is easy to conclude that Jennifer, even if she has instructed the TV series, will never have enough time to build the project herself. In fact, the whole project took shape after she left for New Zealand, and by all indications, it was Cesare. The project hosted by Vijri himself is like "Dragon Tiger Junior Team", like the CEO who presides over the daily affairs of the company, and takes a step towards a generalist.

With the scale of Big Dream, it is not unusual for the CEO to focus on key projects, but for the big dream that the core person was originally very clear, Cesare's step is very subtle - the company's business is now dominated by Jennifer, and it makes sense that he is in charge of logistics, although the mom-and-pop shop is doubtful for investors, but it will not completely discourage their desire to invest. Hope, but now, Jennifer, who was originally very good at film investment, began to concentrate on filming, Cesare began to grasp the logistics of production, and even many people have already gotten the news from the side, and now it has become impossible to contact Jennifer directly, and it must be done through Cesare - this makes many people begin to have strong doubts about the power structure within Big Dream, as well as the current status of the couple's relationship, the sudden change in the scope of business, the fact that Jennifer rarely stays in China this year, and rarely has contact with the outside world, It seems to all point to an ominous answer.

"Their relationship may have gone awry early on, and even the relationship was on the verge of breaking down." In his spacious office in New York City, Mitchell, the director of the business information department, spoke in a deep voice to Rupert Brown. "It's clear that Cesare has the upper hand in the internal power struggle, or rather -- the war between the two, and now Jennifer has been excluded from her core business and her external contacts are restricted -- and the whole question is, why is Jennifer so cooperative?" There may be some hidden secrets that we don't know. ”

Murdoch put his hands into a tower, and also showed a thoughtful attitude - of course, compared with his news company, Big Dream is still very weak, but if you want to merge this company, you must at least come up with an offer of nearly 10 billion, which is not a trivial matter for any group in the world, of course, if you want to count the valuable copyrights owned by Big Dream, this offer is not outrageous - in fact, compared with the valuation of this company, what is not normal is its extremely small scale, and' Inbreeding's management, as well as the company's operation that still has no standardized operation, if it is a listed company, such a big personnel change, the company must disclose to the outside world, but for Da Meng, all contradictions can be hidden in a room, which also makes people have less confidence in its future.

"Got it," he said, knocking on the table and making up his mind, "tell the network to bid as usual and try to buy it as much as possible." ”

This is contrary to the reasoning results of the business information department, Mitchell wanted to say something and stopped, but still did not make any comment, just flipped through his notes, and said in the usual tone, "Judging from the schedule disclosed by Big Dream, the pilot episode should be produced in November...... It can be scheduled to be broadcast in January, so that we will know the results in half a year. ”

Cesare seems to have replaced Jennifer as the center of Big Dream's business production, which is obviously bad news for now, Big Dream's business has fallen from a proven genius to a layman, and he may lead Big Dream to destruction, or maybe be turned over by Jennifer Jedi after a setback - but if Cesare proves his ability, Fox will definitely not mind working with another person, or keeping working with two people at the same time...... And Murdoch seems to think that $100 million for this might be worth it.

It seems that he is quite bullish on Cesare. Vijri ...... Mitchell silently took notes in his heart, and then said suggestively, "Since you have the intention to buy, do you want to let out the wind and deter some competitors?" ”

"Of course." Murdoch said without thinking, "The scene of six companies competing for a TV series seems a little too spectacular, doesn't it?" ”

He bared a mouthful of white teeth, "It's time to put some pressure on Cesare too—he's been hiding in Jennifer's shadow long enough, hasn't he?" Even I wondered if he was just the lucky gold digging boy, or was he the creator of the 'Jennifer Miracle', as the rumors suggested? ”

Pulling the corners of his lips slightly, in response to the boss's jokes, Mitchell lowered his head and made a few marks on the note, and a few ideas for putting the news out had quietly emerged - he knew that in the next six months, if Jennifer. Jefferson did not return to refute the rumors, stating that the TV series was developed and created by her. The pressure on Vijri's shoulders is probably not small, whether he can prove himself or not depends on the ratings of this TV series......

After the ups and downs of the business world, after a fierce competition, at the end of August 2010, without watching the pilot episode and only the planning outline, Fox TV Network and Big Dream Entertainment signed this almost appalling contract, and bought the first round of broadcast rights of Big Dream's first self-made TV series: the prelude of "24 Hours", broadcast in prime time, and 76 million all 13 episodes in one season are booked...... The price of a single episode is as high as nearly 6 million, which is also the highest point of the first season of the musical comedy, and it also makes the smiling and proud "Glee" feel a little chill......