At about 7:30 in the evening, outside a mansion halfway up the hillside of Beverly Hills.
The burgundy Ford sedan stopped on the side of a narrow mountain road. After Simon got out of the car, he turned to the other side, opened the door, looked at Janet Johnston who naturally put her arm around him after getting out of the car, and joked in a low voice: "Isn't this the calm before the storm?"
Since it was a very informal cocktail party, although Simon changed into a shirt and trousers, Janet still wore the pink dress from the day. However, the woman seemed to be a completely different person at this time, without any of her usual madness and spontaneity, and she looked like a lady whose every move was impeccable.
When Janet heard this joke, she glanced at Simon lightly and pinched his arm without leaving any trace.
There was a stinging pain in his arm, and Simon felt relieved.
alright.
This is normal.
Entering the mansion, Simon and Janet were led by the waiter to the swimming pool in the front yard, and were greeted by Brian De Palma and David Giller.
There were already many guests at the cocktail party. They noticed that Brian De Palma and David Giller were walking towards a young man and woman at the same time. They all looked over curiously, with a few whispers mixed in between them.
The two parties greeted each other, and the two middle-aged men immediately became obviously curious about the elegant Janet next to Simon. They knew Simon's personal situation relatively well, so they were very puzzled as to why Simon suddenly brought such a female companion today.
After all, at first glance, Janet didn't look like one of those unknown actors trying to hitchhike into Hollywood, but more like a lady who came 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. Brian De Palma. Mr. David Giller."
Janet listened to Simon's introduction, shook hands with the two middle-aged men gracefully, and even gave them a few compliments.
After everyone exchanged greetings, Brian De Palma had to go to greet other guests. David Giller whispered to Simon that Orion Pictures President Mike Medova would arrive in a while, and then took him Janet and I shuttled among the guests tonight, enthusiastically making introductions to Simon.
Hollywood seems big, but in fact, once you break in, the circle becomes very small.
It was only the first time he attended a gathering in this circle that Simon met Al Pacino, Michael Caine, Harvey Keitel, and Melanie Griffith, who were once completely out of reach. Hollywood star.
Of course, when we met for the first time, everyone just chatted briefly, 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.
The reason is actually very simple.
They have met each other and become familiar with each other. If there is a possibility of cooperation in the future, they will contact each other. The two reactions are "XXX, oh, I met at the party at Brian's house," and "XXX, who is that?" The result is definitely completely different.
After patiently socializing with Simon, David Giller also temporarily walked away.
Simon and Janet stood together on the railing overlooking Los Angeles, each holding a glass of cocktail and taking a break.
Janet took an elegant sip of the cocktail in her glass. Seeing Simon looking intently at the brightly lit city night view at the foot of the mountain, she teased: "Little boy, have you suddenly become ambitious?"
"No," Simon shook his head and said, "I just remembered a movie where there was a guy who was, well, very unprofessional."
Janet noticed the inexplicable emotion flashing across Simon's expression and was a little confused: "Huh?"
Simon raised his head and drank down the drink in his hand, returned to normal, and said with a smile: "It's nothing, it's a movie that hasn't been made yet, so I can't tell you."
Janet looked at Simon, but suddenly nodded. Her bright eyes under the light seemed to hide two eager little beasts, and echoed: "Little boy, are you going to start talking crazy? I will accompany you."
Simon looked at Janet's serious expression hovering on the edge of madness, and suddenly wanted to touch the woman's fair face. He raised his arm slightly, but stopped immediately and said: "Don't be like this, I still hope you will persist in this elegant temperament to the end. Well, it’s a very honorable thing for a man.”
"Haha, okay," Janet chuckled, and some of the aura that had just gathered dissipated instantly, and said, "Actually, I feel that many of them know you."
Simon naturally noticed the playful look in many people's eyes when David Giller introduced him, and said with a smile: "It shouldn't be a good reputation."
Compared to him, a budding new screenwriter in the last WMA packing incident, Simon felt that these people were more likely to notice him because he broke the leg bones of those five guys a few days ago. Even David Giller I would ask about it in private chats, and also ask if Simon had learned Kung Fu like Bruce Lee.
To be honest, Simon himself didn't remember much about that night. He was on the verge of collapse.
However, during this time, Simon also gradually realized that his strength was indeed much greater than ordinary people. Moreover, although he doesn't know much about kung fu, he still has some professional fighting skills in his mind. However, Simon had no idea how strong these factors would be when turned into force value. He was not a violent person, and he was too lazy to do this kind of test.
The two chatted for a while, and David Giller soon appeared again, bringing with him a tall but rich-faced middle-aged man.
"Mike, this is Simon," David Giller gestured to Simon, and then said: "Simon, this is Mike Medowa, the president of Orion Pictures."
Simon shook hands with the other party politely and briefly introduced Janet next to him, before David Giller took them to the terrace on the second floor of the villa behind him. There is a set of tables and chairs placed on the terrace, and the view is much better than that at the railing just now.
Instructing the waiter to bring drinks and snacks, David Giller chatted with him for a while, then stood up and walked away, leaving the communication space to Simon and Mike Medowa.
What was going to be discussed next was not a secret. Simon did not send Janet away, but concentrated on dealing with Mike Medowa's temptation.
In the 1980s, due to the overall recovery of the film industry, a large number of outstanding independent production companies emerged in Hollywood.
Compared with the more well-known New Line and Miramax, in this era, film companies such as Orion, Canon, Carlock, and Castle Rock are actually more powerful.
Among them, Orion has many similarities with Miramax. This film company has produced and distributed "Silence of the Lambs", "Dances with Wolves", "Love in Prague", "Platoon" and many more. An excellent film that is favored by the Academy Awards.
After Orion went bankrupt in the early nineties, Miramax's The Weinstein brothers were only slowly starting to make a name for themselves at the Oscars.
In addition to Orion, other film companies such as Canon, Carlock, and Castle Rock also fell one after another before the new century, and most of them became dispensable shell labels under the names of some media groups. In the end, only New Line and Miramax, which had joined Time Warner and Disney in advance, were relatively lucky to survive.
On the terrace, Mike Medowa was not a talkative person, but it was obvious from his words that he had a detailed understanding of Simon himself and "Run Lola Run", and had 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 parties was still very high. .
However, if you think about it carefully, if this were not the case, David Giller would not seriously arrange this meeting.
The two communicated for a while, and Mike Medova gradually talked about the substantive topic of cooperation: "Simon, "Run Lola Run" is indeed a very novel story, and its low cost can also offset the film's commercial success. Shortcomings in potential. However, it is difficult for me to agree to your request for absolute creative autonomy."
After listening to what Mike Medova said, Simon said: "Mike, although the story of "Run Lola Run" seems simple, the details are very coherent and meticulous. Except for myself, I don't think anyone else can tell this story." The story is fully presented. Moreover, I have already said that I can use my own money to start the production of the movie first. If Orion is not satisfied with the results of my preliminary shooting, he can choose to quit immediately. But if Orion recognizes the results of my work , then I also hope to have a creative environment without interference.”
"Of course, I don't have any opinions about the script or this story," Mike Medowa shook his head and said, "Simon, I'm referring to movie casts and the like. Speaking of which, Orion is too small to be independent. The movie project is not really interesting. We are not B-movie producers like Roger Corman. So, Orion can provide a production budget of $1 million for the film, but if it chooses to invest, Orion will not give up halfway. .”
Simon hesitated and said, "Mike, what do you mean?"
Mike Medowa said: "Simon, don't mention your plan to start production with your own money first. However, I respect your idea of wanting a chance. So, Orion can invest in this movie, With a budget of US$1 million, the cast of the film must be selected by Orion. At the same time, we will give you a week of shooting time. If the results of your work are satisfactory, then continue, and Orion will not interfere with your work as much as possible. Creation. Otherwise, we will withdraw this project, change a director and continue filming. By the way, for the script, I can give you 50,000 US dollars, as well as future video and TV broadcast shares. Finally, Orion also hopes to get additional money from you in the future First option on a script. I know you signed a contract with Fox, but there is no conflict. You won’t only create three scripts, right?”