lcionline Chapter 90 The Gunman
Chapter 90 The Gunman
Kate was chosen because she excels at creating bestselling fiction books and also possesses exceptional insights into nonfiction literature. Furthermore, her keen market acumen is another reason Xu Shengjie valued her.
honor?
She doesn't need it!
Two years from now, she will receive the PEN/Rogue Editors Award.
Seeing that Xu Shengjie had made his decision, Robert stopped trying to persuade him.
Editors and writers are a matter of fate... If writers and editors who are not compatible are brought together, the result will be an unpleasant parting.
Now that Xu Shengjie has made his choice, it remains to be seen how he and Kate Medina will get along.
"I will inform Jason of your choice, and Kate will likely contact you afterward."
"good!"
……
On August 23, Dani Ayrault temporarily left the film crew and set off for Paris.
His departure meant that the entire production crew was officially handed over to Xu Shengjie alone.
After all, this production team was assembled by Danny Airo. Many people in the crew came because of Danny.
Initially, most people were not convinced by Xu Shengjie.
After a period of adjustment, Xu Shengjie has gained initial control of the production team.
Now that Danny Airo has temporarily left, it means that all the pressure is now on him.
But he seemed to be in his element.
When Danny Airo was around, he sometimes had to consider Danny's thoughts.
But now...
In his previous life, he spent fifteen years in this industry, from graduation to retirement.
The domestic environment may differ from that in the United States, but the underlying logic remains the same.
However, he had never truly controlled a film crew before.
"Run Lola Run" was an interesting attempt.
The entire crew consisted of just over a hundred people, less than two hundred. In the film and television industry, it was an extremely small crew!
Of course, there are smaller production crews than his, but they are a minority.
This was a rare opportunity for Xu Shengjie. If he couldn't even manage a small production crew of one or two hundred people, how could he possibly control large-scale production crews with huge investments and more complex personnel in the future?
Zhou Wenqiong was deeply worried.
But Xu Shengjie enjoyed it...
Theron and Edward have already started training hard.
JJ Harris also sent him good news: a gunner had been found.
She is a screenwriter who started as an actress, a woman nearing forty, named Toni Ann Johnson.
She debuted in 70 and starred in the TV series "My Children".
In 88, she transitioned from television to film, with her first film being Spike's "School Kaleidoscope".
He acted in "New York Black Street" in 92.
It must have been a genuine lack of luck that prevented him from ever making it big.
He wasn't even a moderately successful actor; he was just an ordinary, struggling performer.
"After the New York black streets, she began to seek change."
On Spike's recommendation, she began studying screenwriting at the Sundance Writers' Lab last year and also enrolled in the directing program at the Imperial College London. I met her last week on the set of "The Street Chaser," and she expressed great interest.
During this period, Harris recommended many screenwriters to Xu Shengjie.
Among them are many future big-name screenwriters.
For example, Akiva Gosman.
However, his first screenplay, "The Ultimate Evidence," written last year, caught the eye of Joel Schumacher.
Xu Shengjie only glanced at the message before deleting it... He's a newbie, but there's no way he'd come here to be a ghostwriter.
They already have representative works, how could that be?
However, it is indeed a bit of a pity, as this person was a genius who would later create the screenplays for "A Beautiful Mind," "The Da Vinci Code," and "I Am Legend." Xu Shengjie also knew that even without "Ultimate Evidence," he would not be able to use him.
Such people are mostly arrogant and proud.
Besides Gossman, Harris also introduced him to Aaron Sorkin, David O. Russell, J.J. Abrams...
Therefore, New York is truly a place where hidden talents abound.
These guys are all going to be big shots in the future, with representative works to their name.
He's a newcomer, but not a complete newcomer.
They may have had some failed works, or they may be newcomers who have already achieved some success!
In contrast, Xu Shengjie is the real newcomer, and it's impossible for him to recruit them.
That is, it's easier for Tony.
Approaching forty and having been an actress for twenty years without any outstanding achievements, it's clear she doesn't have much audience appeal.
She is already married, and her child is growing up every day.
By the way, she's a single mother.
She felt the pressure of life... She still needed to go to school, and she needed a stable job even more.
The Sundance Writers Lab pays very little, sometimes even having to pay out of pocket. For Toni, Xu Shengjie's job was like rain after a long drought, arriving at the perfect time. She had also learned some things about Xu Shengjie through Spike and was filled with curiosity about him! Nineteen years old, a Chinese American, and about to direct his first film.
She read the script for "Run Lola Run" and was blown away.
More importantly, she learned from Spike that Xu Shengjie earned the money to make movies on his own.
Nineteen years old!
Jeffrey, I'm a little jealous of you.
The nail said: "When you have no choice, follow successful people. I hope this time my choice is right."
Just a few months ago, he was still hanging out on the streets.
But now, even though Toni is almost two cycles older than Xu Shengjie, she still has to respectfully call him "Director Jeffrey." Where is the justice in that?
But this also shows from another perspective that Xu Shengjie's luck is at its peak.
Toni didn't understand what luck was, but she knew she should follow the strong.
Xu Shengjie is clearly a natural winner, a talented player. Why doesn't she take a gamble?
"You'll get a weekly salary of 500. You can try some creative work and do some odd jobs in the studio. I'll provide some outlines and story synopses... You know, I have a lot of things to do, but some of the work is urgent, and I really can't spare the energy. You'll write the script based on the story I provide."
Yes, including the script and a round of revisions.
If you get my approval, you'll receive a base writer's fee of $8000 to $12000 per episode, plus credit.
This is wonderful!
Although Toni is a seasoned professional, she is also aware that she is a novice in the screenwriting industry.
The price Xu Shengjie offered was the screenwriters' guild's base price, which wasn't low. Most importantly, it included the right to be credited.
She can join the writers' guild as long as she can complete the script for a TV series.
The Screenwriters Guild requires members to have completed 24 qualified writing assignments within three years.
A feature film script = 24 units; a TV drama script of 90 minutes or more = 12 units.
It's just a problem with a TV series.
"I do!"
Toni agreed without hesitation.
Xu Shengjie gave her a week to resolve her contract issues with the Sundance Screenwriting Lab.
If needed, Xu Shengjie can provide her with legal assistance.
Toni was extremely grateful.
Subsequently, Xu Shengjie began to work on the story of "The Runaway Bride".
Although this film wasn't scheduled for release until 99, Xu Shengjie could create it in advance and register it with the Writers Guild and the U.S. National Copyright Administration. If it was selected, Xu Shengjie could then participate in it openly and legitimately.
It's 94 now, and he has four years to increase his influence in Hollywood.
That's enough!
The matter with Toni is now considered settled.
Xu Shengjie then focused his energy on creating "Resident Evil: Survivors".
He wrote this novel rather slowly.
It's much slower than The Matrix... To be honest, The Survivor's story is simpler than The Matrix's.
The problem is that Xu Shengjie has to draw thirty illustrations for this novel.
This is quite a lot of work.
In addition, the production crew's affairs also took up a lot of his energy, so much so that it took him twenty-three days to complete the work.
During this time, Kate Medina made contact with him.
Kate knew that Xu Shengjie was extremely busy, so she took the initiative to visit his studio and get in touch with him.
"You told Robert before that you wanted to use the pseudonym Sheldon White Lee?"
"what?"
Xu Shengjie was taken aback for a moment, then patted his forehead and said, "That's true."
"So, what's the name of your movie?"
"My real name."
"Director TSU, my suggestion is to use your pen name in the novel as well."
Only in this way can the synergy be maximized. Although I don't know what the pen name Sheldon means to you, if you decide to use your real name for directing and screenwriting, then it's best to use your real name for the novel as well.
Otherwise, readers might experience some issues when engaging in cross-platform interaction…
"I understand, it's an obstacle!"
Xu Shengjie thought about it and agreed to Kate's suggestion.
He initially decided to use the pen name Sheldon White Lee as a tribute to his favorite American TV series and one of his most admired poets.
Sheldon is from The Big Bang Theory.
And White Lee, if you flip it over, is Li Bai.
A little bit of mischievous fun...
He wasn't as stubborn as Li Yiyun; if it brought greater benefits, he wouldn't mind listening to Kate's advice.
……