1980 My Literary Era.

Chapter 393 "The Phantom of the Opera"

The next day, it was still the coffee shop opposite the King's Theatre.

Andrew saw Cameron get up happily and said, "Cameron!"

Cameron Mackintosh walked to the table, and Andrew introduced: "This is Lin, an excellent screenwriter and writer."

Lin Weimin saw alertness from Cameron's eyes.

After greetings and sitting down, Andrew did not give Cameron any time to react, and said, "Cameron, after my persuasion, Lin is willing to invest in our musical."

"Invest in our musical?" Cameron looked surprised and asked, "Andrew, our musical does not lack investors?"

"There is no shortage of investors, but there is a lack of investors who really respect us."

Cameron looked at Lin Weimin with a bit of hostility, and said to Andrew: "Andrew, "Phantom of the Opera" is a work with a lot of investment, and investors are not so easy to find."

Andrew said: "Lin has this strength, and he is willing to support any decision I make."

"Any decision?" Cameron looked at Andrew in surprise.

"That's right!" Andrew couldn't hide his pride when he saw his friend's expression, "Cameron, we need investors who really understand art, not investors who just wave money and point fingers."

Cameron was silent, his eyes flicked back and forth between Lin Weimin and Andrew, he was not sure what tricks these two were playing.

"Andrew, can you give me a good introduction to this Mr. Lin?"

"certainly……"

Andrew was so happy that he wanted to speak, but was stopped by Lin Weimin, "Andrew, let me do it myself."

Lin Weimin knew that as a producer, Cameron thought much more than Andrew, a composer. Naturally, the ranks of the two were not at the same level. It would definitely not work to use yesterday's flattery.

After introducing himself again in detail, he said: "My identity is not important. Mr. Mackintosh, I think you should also understand. Andrew is an excellent composer, and he has the ability to create a wonderful song. It's a great musical, but unreasonable restraint will only suppress his talent and make him restrain his hands. Such an approach is not a good thing for the work.

I have watched Andrew's "Cats" and "Evita", and I really appreciate his talent in musical theater creation, and I think you are the same as his partner.

Most investors value nothing more than two things, risk and return.They are extremely risk-averse and greedy for income, which is contrary to the original intention of artistic creation.

But I am different, I appreciate Andrew's talent, and I am willing to pay to support his talent.Of course, if this work can allow me to earn a little income, that would be great.

As a writer and screenwriter, I know all too well the pain of being meddled in the making of art.

At this point, I can assure you that I will absolutely not dictate your creative process.Of course, I will definitely not offend your authority as a producer.

I support all decisions made by you and Andrew unconditionally.

Because I believe that there is no better partner than you. "

After Lin Weimin finished speaking, he looked at Cameron calmly, waiting for his reaction.

"Mr. Lin, your words are too presumptuous. Do you know what Andrew is going to do?"

Lin Weimin nodded, "Use a dancer as the heroine, use a comedian as the hero, and fire the lyricist."

Cameron looked at Lin Weimin like a lunatic, "You know all about it? Do you still agree with him?"

"Why not? He's the one who created this musical and no one loves it more than him!"

Lin Weimin's words made Cameron silent again on the spot.

Andrew on the side became excited, "Lin, you really understand me! Is there anyone in the world who loves this musical more than me? Would I screw him up on purpose? No one would love this musical more than me. Hope he is well!"

The first half of Andrew's sentence was addressed to Lin Weimin, while the second half of his sentence was an accusation against his friend.

Cameron didn't look into Andrew's eyes, he whispered: "Andrew, it's too risky for you to do this!"

Andrew immediately retorted: "I made "The Phantom of the Opera" itself an adventure!"

Cameron and Andrew looked at each other for a moment, and finally lost.

Andrew was right, making "The Phantom of the Opera" was a big gamble for them.

The 80s was the peak era of Broadway. Although it was full of flowers, just like all entertainment industries, it was all superficial, and there were always a few people who could really make money.

In today's Broadway, a musical with a normal investment will not exceed 100 million dollars, and even a top lineup of 200 million dollars is enough.

The 300 million-meter investment in "The Phantom of the Opera" created Broadway history and allowed the two to gamble all their fame.

All Americans know that making a musical is as risky as making a movie.

There are hundreds of musicals staged on Broadway every year, but no more than [-] of them can really make money, and among them, the ones that can make a lot of money are all classics in Broadway's century-old history.

It is true that Andrew is an excellent composer, and it is true that his previous works have won many honors and box office, but who can guarantee that his next work will be popular?
It is very lucky to know that before "The Phantom of the Opera", "Tell Me on Sunday" and "Extraordinary People Drive It Away" created by Andrew had mediocre responses and barely managed to break even.

For musicals, failure often means losing everything.

Because musical theater is an industry with a very strong "long tail effect".

The income of musicals mainly comes from the box office. If a musical can stand the test of time, it can continue to perform for decades and generate income continuously. This is a box office potential that even movies cannot match.

But there are also dangers behind the scenery. The initial investment in musicals is large, even if the performances have a high reputation, but the box office revenue of each performance is fixed.

No matter how many seats are sold, the fixed cost of personnel and equipment is paid. Unlike a movie that solves all costs at once, expenses will continue to be incurred during the tour and residency of musicals.

Only when the income per game is greater than the cost of a single game can the upfront cost be covered, followed by a long payback period.

No one can guarantee how long a musical can be a hit.

However, according to the statistics of Broadway in recent years, an ordinary musical that has been performed continuously for six months is considered an excellent work.

In six months, it is extremely difficult to cover the upfront costs on top of the performance costs, and then talk about profitability.

In Hollywood, apart from those few top musicals, no one can guarantee that they can achieve such investment efficiency.

Therefore, the investment of 300 million meters in "Phantom of the Opera" is a great risk for both investors and Andrew and Cameron.

"Cameron, do you remember this time last year?" Andrew asked while Cameron was meditating.

At this time last year, Andrew was on vacation, and happened to glimpse the novel "The Phantom of the Opera" on a second-hand bookstall, and learned about the love story hidden in the Paris Opera House.

The gothic suspense, darkness and extremely romantic plots in the novel instantly ignited Andrew's creative passion. He couldn't wait to call the producer and friend Cameron, and proposed to put "The Phantom of the Opera" on the stage, and Cameron also agreed He readily agreed.

"Of course I remember!" Cameron said emotionally, thinking of the passion at the time.

Andrew and Cameron have cooperated for many years and have a perfect understanding. The planning of "Phantom of the Opera" was very smooth at the beginning.

But as the production of musicals progressed, things started to go wrong.

Andrew wanted to make his new wife Sarah Brightman popular, but he attracted many doubts from investors and critics. Everyone had very strong doubts about Sarah Brightman's background as a dancer.

On the other hand, in the selection of the male lead, although he has signed a contract with Steven Halley, the lead singer of the now popular rock band Cockney Rebel, Andrew, who knows countless musical actors, is not satisfied with Steven Halley. , I have always wanted to replace this actor.

However, the investor and producer Cameron, considering the market, believed that Steven Harley was popular and using him as the leading actor would be very helpful to the box office, so he rejected the actor Michael Crawford recommended by Andrew.

Coupled with the recent disagreement with Richard Steigl during the creative process, the entire creative team has been full of conflicts, which are too intense to be reconciled.

Cameron pulled out of his thoughts again, looked at his old friend, "Even if I agree, you have no way to convince those investors that we signed the agreement."

"Lin promised to buy our agreement from them at a premium of 20%."

20% premium?

Cameron looked at Lin Weimin with surprise in his eyes. The 20% premium may not seem like much, but this is a musical that has not yet been staged and is still under production!
Those investors originally took huge risks, but compared with Lin Weimin who invested at a premium of 20%, what is their little risk?

The balance in Cameron's heart is tilting, "What if they are not willing to accept it? You can't guarantee that they will accept such a condition, right?"

Andrew and Lin Weimin looked at each other and laughed.

"Then let them accept my conditions, just as I wish."

Lin Weimin also said: "If that's the case, I would like to be an adult. "The Phantom of the Opera" can gain investors who respect the creators so much, and I will be sincerely happy for you."

Cameron realized that this was an unsolvable conspiracy.

He frowned, looked at Lin Weimin, and asked the question in his heart.

"Mr. Lin, invest at a premium of 20% and give me and Andrew all the decision-making power. Are you not afraid of losing money?"

(End of this chapter)