John Brandon carried his briefcase and calmly followed the receptionist of EuropaCorp towards the direction of the conference room.
He restrained his breath, exhaling and inhaling rhythmically, in order to calm his emotions. The upcoming negotiation would be a tough battle. Whether he could pass the test and successfully take on Lyman's personal agent business would depend on the outcome of this negotiation.
John understood very well that he had no personal connection with the client. If he didn't have the corresponding abilities, it would only be a matter of time before he was replaced and eliminated. Therefore, this time he had to give it his all, not only for his commission but also for his future prospects.
Despite what CAA said about equality for all, how could it be possible to achieve equality within the company? Even God couldn't accomplish such a thing. Having resources or not, earning more or less money, being a partner or an employee—can these really be considered fair?
John also wanted to have the status and position of a senior agent or even a partner at CAA. With constant persuasion and his previous work experience, he finally managed to catch a promising potential client. He didn't want to be easily dismissed. He had to keep pushing and working hard. He could do it.
"Sir, we've arrived!" The receptionist's words interrupted John's thoughts.
He looked at the spacious conference room in front of him and politely said, "Thank you." With that, he stepped forward and entered.
Inside, a long oval-shaped table was filled with executives from EuropaCorp. Despite the scrutiny from so many people, John seemed unfazed. Even though he still felt a bit nervous inside, his words remained steady. "Please allow me to introduce myself. I am John Brandon from CAA, currently handling Lyman's agent business."
"What about M. Lyman? Isn't he coming?" one executive spoke up.
"My client has some personal matters to attend to and couldn't make it. Today, I'll be responsible for discussing the relevant cooperation issues," John lightly laughed, brushing aside this unrelated question regarding negotiation conditions.
Of course, Lyman wouldn't appear here. Negotiating terms and such would undoubtedly be a non-violent war. When it came to discussing the distribution of benefits, how could it be a "king vs. king" situation from the start? Wouldn't it be better to leave some room for buffering and avoid damaging the working relationship between the two parties?
Unless they reached a real agreement, Lyman wouldn't show up at all. That was the usefulness of having an agent. Otherwise, John wouldn't have waited until after reaching a formal agreement with CAA to come back to France and handle things on this end. Having a scapegoat was quite nice.
"What are your conditions?" another executive asked.
Since Lyman was unwilling to appear, but the relevant cooperation issues still needed to be discussed, their company had reviewed the project prospects for the film "Fury" and believed it had a high potential for profitability.
"Our conditions are not complicated." John had already discussed in advance with Lyman, knowing the points they wanted to achieve this time. Or rather, he was also thinking about whether he could gain some extra benefits on top of this baseline, not just for others but for himself as well.
An agent's commission was always tied to the value of the client.
"First, Mr. Lyman's director's salary is $3M, and the screenwriting fee is $500,000. At the same time, he must have the power to select the film's producer and the final editing rights. Additionally, the formation of the production team must be primarily based on his opinions."
After John finished speaking, he calmly looked at the faces of everyone across the table. He noticed that the executives of EuropaCorp seemed rather positive about this condition and didn't have much resistance.
And why not? The aforementioned on-set powers were already delegated to Lyman by EuropaCorp during the filming of their previous movie. That was also the reason why Lyman had a favorable impression of EuropaCorp.
Now, besides the director's fee increasing from $200,000 to $3M, there weren't many other changes. Moreover, Lyman had already proven himself with his achievements, so it was understandable that his value had increased. EuropaCorp had also taken this into consideration.
They sat comfortably, without any fluctuations in their minds. They even felt like laughing a little because they didn't consider the director's fee to be high at all. It didn't even touch the bottom line of EuropaCorp.
John continued calmly, "Secondly, Mr. Lyman requests a 20% investment share in the film, which amounts to $10M. He will contribute financially to the project and enjoy an equal proportion of the profits." As soon as this condition was mentioned, it was immediately rejected.
Guillaume, the head of the marketing department at EuropaCorp, retorted, "That's impossible."
"Sir, our request is not excessive. Lyman's previous work has already proven his abilities, and he should be entitled to an equal share of the profits," John responded.
"But you're asking for too much. Excuse me for being frank, but if you insist on this condition, EuropaCorp will never agree," Guillaume countered.
John continued, "According to Lyman's achievements and conditions, he should receive compensation that matches his value. What do you propose?"
There was a moment of silence in the conference room. After a while, it was Guillaume, who had just objected, who spoke up again, "$5M plus a 5% share of the box office. What do you think?"
"That's too low," John responded bluntly. "It's completely outside of our consideration."
"In that case, there's nothing more to discuss!" Guillaume was about to continue speaking, but he was interrupted by Luc Besson, who was sitting in the first seat at the conference table. "Tell us about the remaining conditions. Lay out all the requests at once."
"Regarding the cast, Lyman's choices must be respected. The actual budget for the project must meet a certain amount..."
As John listed each condition one by one, the expressions of the EuropaCorp team became increasingly serious, and the atmosphere in the conference room grew more solemn. However, in negotiations, both sides need to test the limits the other party can bear. Although they might end up parting ways, whether it was John representing Lyman or the EuropaCorp team, they both kept this initial discussion to themselves.
Once the negotiation was over, John left the EuropaCorp building. Meanwhile, in the conference room, the executives gradually left, but Luc Besson called Guillaume, the head of the marketing department.
"What's your opinion?" Luc Besson asked.
Guillaume, whose hair appeared quite sparse, was only 42 years old this year but had been in the film industry for over 20 years, accumulating extensive experience. He carefully stated his evaluation of the project's prospects, "The risk assessment for this film is low, and the audience interest index collected by the market research department is high. I have great expectations for the film's profitability."
He continued, "War-themed movies have a dedicated following worldwide, and Lyman has already proven his directorial abilities to us. The storyline of this film is simple but with a profound theme, which is his expertise. No matter how you look at it, there's little chance of unexpected problems arising. One more crucial point is..."
Guillaume straightened his posture and said solemnly, "He has successfully delivered two consecutive films, so it's highly likely that he will succeed again this time." A director has a period of creative ascension, and it was evident that Lyman was in that stage. Based on past experience, the probability of his success far outweighs the possibility of failure. Moreover, he had chosen a genre he excelled in, making it even more secure.
Of course, this was just Guillaume's opinion. He was responsible for expressing his own ideas, but the ultimate decision-making power still rested with Luc Besson or the board of directors.
"So, you have great confidence in the profitability of this film," Luc Besson commented.
Upon hearing Luc Besson's words, Guillaume nodded, "Yes, I can't think of a well-produced war-themed film that would be overlooked in the market."
Luc Besson nodded in agreement, slowly saying, "What about the conditions he's asking for? How do you see them?"
"The production cost is $50M, and the investment amount is indeed not small, but for us, it's not something we can't bring to the table. However..." Guillaume's tone grew heavier, "They actually want a share of the pie, and a lion's share at that. They're delusionally asking for 20%, and that's something I cannot accept. I don't think EuropaCorp needs to share the profits with them."
"What's the solution to the negotiation, then?"
"If $5M plus a 5% share of the box office still doesn't meet his expectations, we can consider increasing his director's salary. But there can be no room for negotiation in other aspects."
Guillaume had a simple mindset. He would rather increase the investment cost than loosen the grip on profits. Who knew if they would continue to push for more in the future? That was clearly a concern. If they were considering long-term cooperation, the later they discussed this aspect, the better.
Luc Besson clearly understood the implications in Guillaume's words, and he had also been thinking about maintaining a long-term collaboration with Lyman. However, the circumstances at hand were no longer as rosy as before.
Shaking his head, Luc Besson said, "That person claims to be from CAA, right? We're not their only option anymore." The latter half of his sentence carried a sense of desolation.
Indeed, Lyman had options beyond just EuropaCorp. Whether it was other local film companies or major studios in the United States, they would likely be willing to collaborate with him on projects.
What should they do?