Barry Meyer naturally did not need to grovel in front of Hugo, but for merchants, as long as it was profitable, they would definitely not value the gold under their knees. Hugo's fragrant bun – at least for the last year – is like the "Big Apple" that everyone wants to take a bite of.

At this time, Barry has already taken the absolute lead, and he does not want to give up, but he also does not want to completely delinquish power, because the residual value of Hugo's cash cow has only just begun to be tapped. Therefore, how to grasp the scale has become the most important topic in Barry's heart to measure.

Rick hopes to replicate the trajectory of "Independence Day" and bundle and sign a contract with the crew of "Los Angeles Confidential"; But Barry doesn't want that, and he wants to explore more possibilities from innovative artist agencies and William Morris agencies. But Hugo's words just now put Barry in a dilemma - he originally thought that Hugo was just an actor, and he didn't pay much attention to the agency, and he would definitely not be as difficult as Rick, but he ignored that even as an actor, Hugo's requirements could bring trouble.

However, Hugo's last sentence made Barry's eyes light up. Because, Kevin Spacey is owned by the innovative artist agency, and Kevin Bakken's current contract is still in the hands of the international innovation management company.

It can be seen that although Hugo still intends to hold the casting power in his hands, at least there is room for maneuver. If it works well, even if the actors of "L.A. Confidential" are packaged to Endeavor Elite Agency, but don't announce the cast list for the time being, and still spread the casting news as originally planned, then he still has a huge space to operate......

Barry doesn't mind going hard-handed and going toe-to-toe with Rick if necessary, but that's just a last-ditch option; If he could, Barry would like to reach a cooperation in an amicable situation where both parties will be happy and mutually beneficial.

In the blink of an eye, Barry's head was already spinning several times. But on the surface, Barry remained silent, but showed a look of embarrassment, although he didn't say much, but the meaning couldn't be more obvious. Barry lowered his eyes slightly, but did not immediately reply to Hugo, but paused, and then changed the subject, "You just said that there are two questions, so what about the second one?" ”

All these signs are that Barry did not agree with Hugo's words, but he was afraid of Hugo's face, so he did not directly refute it. That's when I chose to listen to the second condition first.

No actor has ever taken over the position of producer except Tom Cruise, so now everyone is crossing the river by feeling the stones, speculating about their rights, and trying to find a suitable way to cooperate with the production company. Whether it's Barry or Rick, in fact, the reason why he hesitates is because he is tempting.

Although Hugo has his advantages, he really doesn't know much about the production business, and it is inevitable that he will be a little jealous at this time. However, Hugo's greatest advantage is that once he decides to do it, he will never give up easily. In the work "L.A. Confidential", he doesn't care what Barry and Rick have in their calculations, but his bottom line is inviolable - even if it ends up being broken up.

Hugo looked at Joseph sitting on the side with his peripheral eyes, but Joseph was not nervous at this time, but calmly gave Hugo a positive signal, which made Hugo settle down a little, and then said, "On the question of cost." ”

This made Barry and Joseph both show surprised expressions, obviously neither of them expected that Hugo would have an idea of the cost of the movie. You must know that calculating the cost of a film is a very complex task, the use of film, the rental of the studio, the salary of the crew members, the rental of the shooting site, the cost of related equipment, etc., without detailed calculations, even if you want to get an approximate range, it is impossible.

For the same comedy movie, why does some projects only need 20 million dollars to invest, while some projects cost 60 million dollars like a black hole? The computing company is not so simple.

Hugo felt the surprised expressions of the two people, and he was a little embarrassed in his heart, because he really didn't know anything about the cost of the movie, but now he was silent on the surface, and did not show any uneasiness, on the contrary, he still showed a smile in his chest, "I am willing to accept the box office dividend as a remuneration plan, but the condition is that the cost of the film must be more than 40 million US dollars." ”

"Hugo, do you have a source for this data?" Barry only needed one sentence to leave Hugo speechless. Joseph, who was sitting on the side, couldn't help but pinch a cold sweat.

Hugo forced himself to calm down, not to panic because of Barry's question, he propped his hands on his knees, and leaned his upper body forward slightly, "Barry, have you read this script?" Do you know that at the end of the movie, the plot is pushed to the climax with a shootout? Hugo reintroduced the topic into his rhythm in the way he knew best.

Barry couldn't help but be stunned, "Yes, of course I do. ”

Hugo nodded, "Just now you mentioned that Curtis thinks that this movie doesn't need any visual effects, so the cost can be controlled within 30 million." Hugo said gradually, although Barry wanted to interrupt Hugo, but he could faintly perceive that Hugo was definitely not untargeted, he couldn't help frowning slightly, leaned back, raised his chin in a defensive posture, and motioned for Hugo to continue, "But I think this statement is wrong." I've considered whether or not to talk to Curtis about going into more detail about this, but I think it might be more direct to talk to you. ”

"I think in the final part of the movie, we need to make the scene more hot, and all the contradictions and conflicts will explode, so that the movie can really be pushed to the climax. Therefore, for this part of the Armageddon scene, I hope to be able to shoot the scene bigger, maybe there are more extras, it may be to increase the explosion scene, or maybe to use some visual effects to really create the feeling of a big scene. ”

Hugo's words, in simple terms, are to make the climax part a veritable climax.

In fact, this is also one of the biggest shortcomings of "Los Angeles Confidential". This classic crime film won a lot of acclaim when it was released in an era known to Hugo, but it was not a hit, with only $64 million at the box office in North America and only $126 million worldwide, and the real profit of the film came from the video rental market, which won the hearts and minds of countless audiences.

Of course, the box office fell far short of expectations for a number of reasons. However, one of the important reasons is that the foreshadowing and brewing in the first half of the movie are very in place, but the climax is too hasty and weak, and it cannot really detonate the contradictions of the plot, which makes people always feel that something is missing. I have to say that it is a huge regret.

Barry looked at Hugo in front of him, was stunned, and looked at Hugo carefully, but found that Hugo's expression couldn't be more serious, he couldn't help laughing, "So, you mean, I hope to make commercial films show the style of commercial films." ”

"yes, that's what I mean." Hugo did not hesitate to give an affirmative reply. A good story needs to be told in the right way, otherwise it may ruin an excellent script. Add some necessary scenes to the story, which is a necessary addition to the story.

Barry laughed genuinely this time, "So, Hugo Lancaster, suggesting that I make a movie add explosion effects to make a commercial film more commercial?" The ridicule and consternation in this is absolutely sincere.

Hugo didn't feel shy at all, and spread his hands, "Barry, 'Independence Day' is one of my medals, isn't it?" This unashamed remark made Barry laugh, and he couldn't help but clap his hands twice, and his emotions were truly released.

"Of course, of course, absolutely." Barry nodded and smiled, "I think I see what you mean." ”

"Our desire is to make movies better, aren't we?" Hugo leaned back into the back of the sofa chair and spoke calmly and confidently.

Barry disagrees with this sentence, his wish is to let the film win more benefits, but he has no way to refute Hugo, because he knows that the reason why Hugo has achieved today's status is because he has a keen sense of smell for movies, and has a unique view on the script, the characters, and the entire rhythm and structure. Therefore, he wants to borrow Hugo to seek more benefits, and he should be more open to Hugo's opinion in the matter of film works.

Barry quickly reacted, in fact, Hugo's purpose in saying this sentence was to imply the "two problems" just now, Hugo still started from the perspective of the movie itself after all, and he hoped that the movie could be excellent. That's the difference between Hugo and Rick, and the difference between Hugo and Barry.

"Of course, that's the fundamental reason why we make movies, isn't it?" Barry didn't say what was in his heart, but echoed Hugo's words.

However, Barry did not continue to mention the 20% box office dividend, because he knew that in fact, they were all trading power for money, and he hoped to use the 20% dividend in exchange for Hugo's box office appeal, as well as the attraction of "Hugo's production" to Hollywood; Rick wants to trade Hugo's popularity for the further development of Endeavour Elite Brokerage and more box office dividends; Hugo hopes to use his appeal and salary in exchange for more control over his work and make it better.

Now the question is how do they find the perfect combination to make everyone happy. Barry needs to go back and think about it again, and Rick must need the same amount of time to think. The first round of encounters came to an end for the time being, and Hugo relied on his excellent performance - unconsciously - to keep the situation under control for the time being, and only waited for the second round to meet.

Since the "Independence Day", with the increasing influence of Hugo, the interests in the circle have become more and more complex, the greater the interests and the greater the risks, no one will easily compromise.