Chapter 68: For friendship

　　 "This shop is really big."
Walking between the shelves, Ronan took a few German sausages and took a look, put them back, and said to the blonde middle-aged woman next to him: "Aunt Helen, you told me that you opened a meat shop. I thought it was selling The pork shop turned out to be a meat product supermarket."
　　 The blonde woman named Helen laughed and said in a awkwardly pronounced English: "So, come and help me."
　　 Turned out from the shelf, Ronan looked around at a meat supermarket that was five to six hundred square meters in size. He had never seen so many sausages, trotters and bacon.
　　 Helen deliberately said: "I have nine stores like this in Berlin."
　　 Ronan couldn't help laughing: "It turns out that my aunt Helen is a rich woman."
　　 "How about it, not bad?" Helen repeated the old saying: "Would you like to help me in Germany?"
　　 Ronan shook his head: "I am still suitable for development in Hollywood."
　　 Helen also heard the old Mrs. Anderson mention Hollywood, and said: "The film industry is too risky."
　　 "Well, so I'm trying to avoid and reduce the risk." Ronan suddenly asked, "Aunt Helen, do you have to pay a lot of taxes every year?"
　　 Helen nodded softly: "A lot. Germany is a heavily taxed country, not to mention anything else, my personal income tax must be paid at the highest rate of 51%. Although there are ways to legally avoid tax, the amount of tax avoidance is very small."
　　 Ronan made a joke: "This is the honor of letting you enjoy paying taxes."
　　 Helen laughed: "I would rather not have this honor." She asked concerned: "By the way, did your movie succeed?"
　　 "It succeeded. The North American box office exceeded 50 million U.S. dollars." Ronan thought for a while and said, "If I remember correctly, it will be released in Germany after the New Year. The title is "Human Removal Project."
　　 Helen continued to participate in the supermarket with Ronan, and said, "I will take Tony to have a look."
　　 Tony Koch is her son. He has just graduated from university and worked in the financial industry in Munich.
The two went around in the meat product supermarket, then went to the office area on the second floor, came to Helen’s office, talked about the old Anderson couple who would die unexpectedly, and talked about the childhood fun of the little Anderson. Recalling bitterness and sweetness.
　　 "Stay in Germany for Christmas, Tony will be back from Munich." Helen said suddenly, "You have no relatives when you go back to Los Angeles."
　　 Ronan did not refuse: "Okay. I will stay in Berlin for a while."
　　 Helen asked curiously: "When you talked on the phone, you said there was business to deal with? Are you going to make a movie in Germany?"
　　 Ronan shook his head: "It's not filming in Germany." He simply explained: "We are going to sell two film projects to German film companies."
　　 Shooting and producing Hollywood movies are more attributable to technical issues, but the way the Hollywood film industry operates funds is a legal and financial issue.
　　 Even if it’s only the end of the 1990s, more than 90% of Hollywood movies must lose money on the box office alone, no matter how big the box office numbers seem.
　　Because Hollywood movies have become very expensive, the investment, shooting and distribution of most movies costs far more than the box office income in theaters.
　　If you want to make movies truly profitable, you must do everything possible to operate.
　　 An excellent producer must understand how to operate a movie within a legal scope to make the most profit.
　　 If Hollywood only used the box office to make a living and made movies with its own funds, all film companies, including the six major companies, would have closed their doors a long time ago.
　　 Ronan’s funding for the two projects, "Reaper is Coming" and "Ace Agent", will not have a dollar from him or from Shahai Entertainment, all of which are financed from Abu Dhabi.
　　 If the operation is obtained, a considerable part of this part of the budget can be converted into the legal income of Shahai Entertainment without accounting.
　　 In the afternoon of the same day, Ronan met Lahm, a representative of the German TMG Film Company, under the introduction of Mueller's lawyer who was acting as a middleman.
　　 But the talks between the two parties were not smooth and even a little unpleasant.
　　 "60% of the processing fee for the tax rebate?" Ronan didn't hide it at all, and he wrote on his face: "As far as I know, your cooperation with Paramount Pictures does not charge any processing fees!"
The man named Ram is a short man with a very serious face: "Mr. Anderson, I need to remind you that your Sand Sea Entertainment is not Paramount Pictures! TMG has different policies for every customer. Paramount Pictures and TMG are long-term partners. It is the first time for your Sandsea Entertainment to cooperate with TMC. There is a lack of trust between us, and TMG has to take huge risks."
　　He emphasized his tone: "We are responsible for investors!"
　　 Compared with the big company, this small company has no human rights at all! Ronan couldn't help but complain.
　　 But he did not get angry, just like people are never equal, companies and companies cannot be equal.
　　 But this German's stereotyped attitude is a bit uncomfortable to see.
　　 Ronan smiled and said, "You still charge investors for processing fees? Five percent? Eight percent? Or the highest 15%?"
　　 This TMG is worthy of being a successful film company, eating both.
　　 Ram noodles did not change their color: "This is a legal charge."
　　 The rigid face is as thick as steel.
　　 Ronan frowned slightly: "Mr. Ram, up to ten percent!"
　　 Ram has no room for negotiation: "Sixty percent!"
　　 Ronan glanced at Attorney Mueller. Attorney Mueller shook his head slowly, indicating that he could do nothing.
"Your company takes 60%. I have to pay for the remaining 40%. There is not much left." Ronan also put on a serious face: "This transaction is meaningless. ."
　　 Ram said: "Shahai Entertainment can win the friendship of TMG!"
　　 Hearing this, Ronan looked at the little German, as if seeing someone shameless than himself for the first time.
　　 In the face of millions of dollars of funds, I want your friendship to be used as a shit?
　　Rahm said seriously: "If this transaction is successful, it can promote mutual trust and build a foundation for long-term cooperation." He didn't seem to be joking: "Mr. Anderson, if you look at the long term, you can't be too short-sighted."
　　 Ronan resisted the urge to ridicule, it was of no use, and said lightly: "I need to think about it for a few days."
　　Rahm stood up, left a business card, pushed Ronan, and said, "This is my contact information. If Mr. Anderson wants to cooperate, you can call me."
　　 After finishing speaking, he left without any nostalgia.
　　 Ronan glanced at the business card, threw it in his pocket, and asked attorney Mueller: "What about the client you contacted?"
　　 Attorney Mueller said: "TMG is the company that has the most cooperation with Hollywood and has a good reputation."
　　 "But they are too greedy for small companies." Ronan asked again: "Can I contact other companies?"
　　 Lawyer Mueller nodded slightly: "Of course." He reminded Ronan: "The credibility of small companies is a problem, and they can't afford such a large project. They can't find enough German investors."
　　 Ronan squeezed his forehead and asked, "Is there any other way?"
　　 "I will contact other large and medium-sized film investment companies." Attorney Mueller didn't want to let the business he got to run away: "However, they have always cooperated with Hollywood and European companies, and the conditions will not be much better."
　　 Picking up the cup, Ronan took a sip, frowned and thought for a while: It's really impossible, but I can only try a backup plan.
　　 "Attorney Mueller." He asked slowly: "If a new film company is established, can this operation be carried out?"
　　Müller's lawyers are very professional. UU Reading www.uukanshu.com immediately replied: "Yes. The law has no restrictions in this area. As long as the company has complete procedures, it is completely possible to do transactions in this area."
　　 This is consistent with the information Ronan specifically checked before.
　　 Attorney Mueller’s voice suddenly changed: "But the new company needs a strong enough intermediary agent, and an agent needs to open up channels for you to lobby the approval agency."
　　 He further said: "Why do film companies like TMG that do not have real production capabilities dare to charge small Hollywood companies for processing fees? Because they have established stable channels and have a good relationship with the approval committee."
　　 Ronan asked, "Where is the middleman?"
　　 "Me." Attorney Mueller said with a smile: "Me and the whole team behind me."
　　He held up a finger: "We only charge a 10% tax refund."
Ronan was silent for a while, and took a deep look at Mueller's lawyer: "Your strategy is successful, I agree to this deal." He looked in the direction of Ram's departure: "First borrow the outrageous conditions offered by TMG as a foreshadowing. , And then propose less expenses as a bargaining chip."
　　 Attorney Mueller did not feel embarrassed after being exposed, and said: "We are all getting what we need."
　　 None of these figures who have been immersed in business for many years are simple.
　　 "How sure are you?" Ronan asked.
　　 "If your two projects are small productions, I won't talk to you at all." Attorney Mueller is confident: "Two commercial projects are packed with a $40 million budget, which is very convincing."
　　 Ronan nodded, his voice gradually lowered, and he consulted Mueller's lawyers about professional questions in this area. The questions were very detailed, and they verified each other with the information they had read.
　　He didn't leave until the evening.