Daniel and Linton returned to Universal Records, and after repeatedly instructing Linton to keep the selection of new talent for the movie soundtrack a secret, Daniel left in a hurry, apparently to arrange the selection of the new female singer.
Linton saw that it was almost noon, so he simply returned directly to the Manor. On the way, he briefly spoke with Robert on the phone about the progress of the distribution and arranged to meet Robert at the Manor in the afternoon to discuss in detail.
Back at Linton Manor, he had a brief chat with Nicole and the four security guards—Hayden-Koman, David-Reed, Sandy-Glick, and Guli-Ge Te—to understand the Manor's security arrangements.
As expected of elite soldiers, they were worthy of the high salary he paid. In just a few days, the Manor's security, if not an impenetrable fortress, at least made it impossible for ordinary thieves to safely enter and exit the Manor.
Linton was very satisfied and then asked them what else they needed.
“Boss, all other equipment is already in place, but the security situation in Los Angeles is getting worse, and we still lack heavy weaponry with deterrent power.
You know, all of us have gun licenses and are proficient in various weapons, but right now we only have pistols. Under normal circumstances, there's no problem, but in extreme situations, it might not be enough.”
The several people exchanged glances, and David said.
“We should buy some heavy weapons to deal with extreme situations.” The others also agreed.
“Alright, do you have any specific suggestions? However, this is the city, so there's no need to mention anything too lethal.”
“We don't need weapons with too much destructive power; just two M16 machine guns and two FN15 automatic rifles will suffice.” It seemed they had already discussed this.
“Alright, I agree. Nicole, please procure them as soon as possible.”
These weren't particularly destructive battlefield weapons, and they were indeed more suitable for Manor defense.
Linton suddenly remembered the Los Angeles riots that shocked the world at the end of April 1992, which was not long from now. For the safety of the Manor, necessary precautions still needed to be taken.
With these heavy weapons and the professional security of hardened soldiers, no matter how chaotic Los Angeles became, his Manor would be safe and sound.
In the afternoon, Robert came to the Manor, and Linton told Robert in detail the preliminary cooperation terms agreed with Universal, asking:
“What Universal can offer right now might just be this. Do you think other companies can negotiate better distribution terms?”
“Linton, you truly are Universal's star and practically their favored son! I never even imagined such good cooperation terms before.
There's no need to ask other companies. From what I know about Hollywood, no other company can give us these distribution terms. Let's sign the distribution contract quickly to avoid any complications.” Robert said excitedly.
“It seems Villet is quite sincere.” Linton didn't expect Robert to think so highly of these distribution terms.
“Of course, it's because you have so much Face.” Robert flattered, feeling even more confident about the film's success.
“Alright, let's go sign the distribution contract tomorrow.”
After speaking, he called Villet to arrange a time for signing tomorrow and also informed Goodman about signing the contract tomorrow.
Goodman also told Linton over the phone that four people meeting the basic requirements had already applied to Linton Studio's accountant.
Linton and Robert discussed it and had Goodman notify the applicants to arrange interviews for tomorrow afternoon, to finalize the accountant as soon as possible, as the project needed to be fast-tracked.
After discussing the distribution, Linton was in a great mood and went with Robert to check the progress of the office renovation at the studio.
Bella was very responsible, and the renovation was progressing quickly, expected to be completed in three days. Bella had also ordered office furniture, and the office would meet the crew's requirements in five days at most.
After parting ways with Robert, Linton suddenly thought of Naomi. He didn't know how her dance practice was going. He had learned over the phone that she had been practicing in the dance studio every day recently, so he decided to go see her practice results.
On the second floor of an office building near Universal City Plaza was Cahill Dance Studio, a private dance studio specializing in teaching ballet.
The dance teacher, Cahill, retired from the New York City Ballet a few years ago and came to Los Angeles to open this dance studio.
As Linton walked to the studio door, he saw Naomi practicing alone, drenched in sweat, with a middle-aged female teacher watching nearby, occasionally pointing out errors.
It was clear that Naomi was practicing very hard and dancing quite well, which must be the result of her recent diligent practice.
Linton didn't disturb her much. During Naomi's break, he greeted her, noting that the dance teacher was present. He simply said he was passing by, remembered Naomi was practicing here, came up to see her, and then left.
Before leaving, Naomi whispered in his ear that she would come to the Manor at 10 PM.
Back at the Manor, just after dinner, Mira called to report the latest progress on his new contract with WMA.
After Mira reported to Vice President Logan about the olive branches and offers from CAA and ICM executives at the charity auction on the evening of the 27th, WMA's senior management's attitude finally changed.
Logan and President Brett-Mick personally communicated and coordinated with each senior partner one by one, finally reaching a basic consensus. A board meeting would be held tomorrow, and his 6% commission standard should be approved.
Linton was actually a little annoyed with WMA. Last year, WMA had hardly invested anything in him, and he had made so much money for them.
Now, renewing the contract was still dragging on, and the decision-making efficiency was too low. No wonder it had a century of heritage but couldn't compete with CAA.
However, Linton still affirmed Mira's work and also told her over the phone that the film's distribution had reached a cooperation agreement with Universal.
In the evening, Naomi arrived at Linton Manor as promised. Naturally, there was first a hearty battle, after which Naomi and Linton spoke about her gains from practicing dance during this time.
Ever since Linton agreed to let Naomi be the female lead in "step up" last time, Naomi, after discussing with her agent, had turned down all her work.
She found Cahill to be her ballet coach and devoted herself entirely to dance training, practicing 12 hours a day. The results were also very obvious, and she was progressing very quickly.
Linton saw that Naomi's feet were covered in blisters, but she didn't complain at all. He secretly admired her, thinking it was no wonder she succeeded in his previous life.
Coming to Hollywood alone from a foreign land, growing from a restaurant waitress to a first-tier actress, in addition to her excellent foundational conditions, her ability to seize opportunities and her proactivity were also crucial.
Linton also introduced her to the progress of the film project, telling her that the script had been finalized, choreographer Annie was choreographing, and distribution had been largely settled, and the project would soon be fully launched.
Hearing Linton's good news, Naomi was incredibly excited; her movie dream was truly about to set sail.
Thinking of this, her heart burned with passion, and she couldn't help but transform into a female knight, actively initiating a battle, and even unlocking many new positions. It was truly a case of repeated defeats and repeated battles...
It wasn't until 3 AM that the two ceased their battle and fell asleep.
After Naomi fell asleep, Linton tenderly used True Qi to help disperse the bruises on her feet, helping her repair the damage from overexertion in dance practice and recover from fatigue.
Actually, Linton was being redundant; he didn't even realize that his own Yang Essence could solve these problems for Naomi.
Waking up the next morning, Naomi felt better than ever before. The fatigue caused by days of overloaded dance practice was swept away, and the scars and blisters on her feet were gone. She couldn't help but say to Linton:
“My dear, what magic did you cast on me to make me feel so good?”
“It should be the effect of Yin and Yang harmony after fighting with me. Since you're in good shape, then keep up the good work and practice well. It will make our filming go smoother and the results even better.”
Linton naturally couldn't tell the truth, so he laughed it off and said.
“Since fighting with you has such a good effect, it seems that when I get tired from practicing dance in the future, I should come to you more often for help with harmony, haha, bye-bye.”
Naomi left full of Origin Qi.
Linton then met Robert and Goodman at Villet's office to sign the distribution contract. Villet also gathered lawyers and relevant personnel.
Based on the broad framework discussed yesterday, both parties went through it item by item. After two hours of debate and compromise, they finally reached the final contract.
Universal would provide distribution services for Linton Studio's film "step up."
The distribution fee would be a 25% cut of North America box office revenue, a 30% cut of overseas box office, a 20% cut of total revenue from videotapes and all television rights, and a 50% cut of total revenue from film merchandise.
The initial release date was tentatively set for August, with the specific time to be discussed by both parties once the finished film was ready.
Once the finished film was ready, Universal would organize viewing experts to evaluate the film and arrange test screenings, inviting random audiences to watch, score, and review it.
If the viewing experts deemed the film qualified and the audience's overall score was above B.
Universal committed to investing no less than 2 million US dollars in film promotion and opening in no less than 1500 theaters, otherwise, the promotion fees and opening theaters would be halved.
Linton himself was quite confident in the film, and with the finished product as a reference in his mind, he didn't dwell on it too much and agreed.
Instead, the most important film rights and priority distribution rights for sequels were not mentioned in the contract, possibly because Universal was not optimistic about this film. Linton was happy not to bring it up, considering it an unexpected gain.
In addition, Universal would also arrange a producer to join the crew as the associate production manager.
Universal Studios' sound stages and Late Stage production facilities would be provided for the crew's use.
Of course, Linton Studio would pay fees and rent at market prices.
