Once Upon a Time In Hollywood

Chapter 79 Taxes and Investing

For a guy like Roland who watches movies and can film but has never written, script writing is actually a very boring thing, because you have to present the corresponding picture in your mind while conceiving the story, and directly Just mark it, what kind of lens should be used to shoot this episode, and what kind of mirror movement method should be used to present the picture.

Not only that, but how to control the word count of the script to ensure that one page is one minute, so as not to let the concise and capable shooting guide become a novel with a lot of words, this will test the rhythm skills of the screenwriter even more.

Even if there are a bunch of successful cases that Roland can copy, his progress still cannot be improved.

Like Michael Bay, asking the screenwriter to write the amazing story of "Transformers" script in a week, Roland estimated that he would not be able to achieve it in his life, and like Wang Jing, Roland could not learn the behavior of writing the next day's draft at night.

Of course, at the root of it, it’s a matter of having a good time.

This is the same as writing novels. Why do most authors go high and low, and like unfinished endings?

Simple!

The whole story has gone through countless times in my mind, and the creative passion has passed. In this case, the later plot will become extremely difficult to write, and once this happens, the unfinished ending will become 'Sensible' first choice?

Hurry up and start a new book, the passion is here!

Because of this, Roland's script progressed at a speed that was like a snail crawling, which was appalling.

One page in three days, that's already considered fast.

After writing for a few days, I turned around and started to eat the book again. This is the real culprit that caused the dystocia of the script.

As for why not just copy the Sony version of the trilogy?

Oh, mygod!

Roland actually wanted to copy it too, but he had almost forgotten the plot!

Although "Spider-Man" is a classic, it is also a commercial film.

Even though Roland has watched it many times and made an edited commentary, but now, there is only one sentence left in his mind——

With great power comes with great responsibility.

In this case, Roland can only rely on himself.

Of course, if even he himself collapsed, then—

There are still a bunch of bigwigs who can take over.

So, he is even less cowardly.

And when Roland kept his ears to the outside world and only focused on writing the script, a lot of things happened outside.

With the end of the Golden Globe Awards, the list of nominations for the Oscars has also been officially announced. Among the long list, the most eye-catching ones are piles of members of the Jewish gang, like Robert Denis who once again hit the actor Luo, like Joe Pesci, Andy Garcia, Al Pacino who are competing for the male supporting role, like Francis Coppola and Martin Scorsese, who are nominees for best director...

Just the guys that Roland has met, there are a lot of them, and if you add all the guys who Roland only listens to their names but never sees them, half of the list will belong to the Jewish gang.

Of course, these things have nothing to do with Roland.

Not only that, he was also very fortunate that he did not receive an invitation letter.

The cheerful Golden Globe awards ceremony made him exhausted. If he was attending such a serious awards show, he would have to lie on the bed for three days before he could recover.

Apart from these things, there is no other big thing happening in Hollywood.

After all, it is the awards season, even if something big happens, it must be held back in front of the Oscars.

However, while Hollywood practitioners were focusing their attention on Oscar, Roland took some time to go to the theater to watch "The Silence of the Lambs" released on February 14th with James and David.

Although Roland has seen this movie before, it is also a good choice to revisit the classic when he has forgotten most of the plot.

Besides, the current him is quite different from his previous life.

In his previous life, at best, he was an actor who had a major in education and was able to act. He was able to discover the highlights of the film from his own perspective.

But now, after being baptized by Robert Zemeckis, Chris Columbus, and James Cameron, his perspective of watching movies has changed from an ordinary practitioner to a half-baked director's shooting perspective. In terms of how the whole movie allocates plot time, how to narrate, emphasize conflicts, how to use movie scenes as metaphors for modern society, that series of professional thinking completely stripped him from the camp of ordinary viewers.

Watching the movie under such circumstances, he immediately discovered that the long shots in the movie are really a stroke of genius.

When introducing Hannibal, the subjective lens that rotated 360 degrees on the spot instilled all the information in the field to the audience in a short time. Since the field of vision is not limited, the inner state of the subject can be set against the background of the environment. , displayed incisively and vividly.

And when the subjective camera and the third-person camera were constantly switching, the resulting voyeurism immediately occupied Roland's mind.

Not only that, but the long focal length lenses used extensively in the film are also the best helpers in portraying the two protagonists.

The precise division of the performance area allows the actor's skills to bloom to the maximum, and the sense of freedom of precise manipulation makes Roland's scalp tingle.

And he finally understood why the distributor of "The Silence of the Lambs" would force the film to not be released in 1990. If "The Silence of the Lambs" and "Dancing with Wolves" were released in the same year, then Who can win the Oscar for best picture in 1991 is really an inestimable question.

However, compared with Roland, who watched it very well, James is not very interested in this kind of thriller.

After the film ended, when the subtitles appeared, he had already got up and wanted to leave.

Roland has no good solution to his behavior.

The taste is different, so you can't force it!

What's more, although movies are his job, they are only James' interest!

Roland can learn from other people's shooting techniques, mirroring methods, and narrative methods, but for James, these things are completely useless!

Because of this, after watching the movie and returning home, James went back to his room and went to sleep without interest.

Just after the show, the Olsen sisters who came back from the crew of "Full House" hugged Roland with a smile on their faces, and then went into the bathroom with their mother to wash off the dust.

As for Roland?

This guy who wanted to go home immediately and record his feelings in writing was stopped by David before he left. Not only that, he was also dragged into the study by the other party to discuss a very serious matter Come.

“It’s tax time and you have to file.”

"We have to give an account of the large sum of money you earned last year and the income that will be visible to the naked eye in the future."

“My personal advice is, start a company.”

Tax return?

After hearing this word, Roland's face immediately grew.

They only discussed this matter more than two months ago. They didn't expect that two months later, they would have to solve this matter.

In order to legally avoid taxation, it is a very common method for people in America to set up a company. If Roland's income is collected in the name of the company and his personal expenses are used as company expenses, if he wants to make the account a loss, that would be simply It's too simple. However, the corporate tax in America is actually very heavy. If it is wandering on the edge of the law, it will definitely affect Roland's public image if it is exposed. Just like the golden retriever leader who declared a loss of more than 900 million dollars in 1995, this For the next eighteen years, he was exempted from 50 million taxes every year, but the nature of Roland is different from him after all. Although the IRS only audits 1% of the tax returns in the country every year, but—all the stars They are all within the scope of their audit, because the star's income is really easy to count, saving time and effort and completing the task easily.

What's more, before becoming famous, the two contracts of "Home Alone" and "Terminator 2" were determined in Roland's personal name. In this case, it seems a bit cerebral palsy for the company under construction to avoid taxes. It is impossible not to pay taxes on these two incomes. If he even wants to exempt these two taxes, after the incident is exposed, it will really ruin his popularity with the audience.

Because of this, after hearing the word forming a company, Roland immediately understood that what David meant was for his future consideration.

Although the incentive money of "Home Alone" and the remuneration of "Terminator 2" cannot avoid tax, the subsequent projects can completely leave the company.

"That's fine, you are my guardian now, so go get it."

Even though Roland has only been with David for more than two years (plus the time loop), he already completely trusts David.

This is not only because the other party is his guardian, but also because David doesn't look down on his own little money.

Different from those Hollywood stars who trust their own accountants and agents and are deceived into financial crisis, Roland believes that David can help him deal with all this—

What's more, David was originally a businessman, and he had many accountants under him, all of whom had rich experience in tax avoidance.

Let the right people do the right thing, this is Roland's principle of doing things.

However, just when Roland wanted to throw this burden on the other party, David didn't think about letting him go, "Roland, I know "Spider-Man" is very important to you, but don't worry, money and five years Isn't it more important than the next project?"

"There is no difference between writing the script one day earlier and finishing the script one day later, right? In this case, let's talk about what to do after the company is established, or in other words, what do you want to do? What kind of company do you need?"

"Although minors cannot become corporate legal persons, it's okay to be a shareholder. Judging from your current popularity and the popularity of Ashley and Mary, I actually want to bid for a comprehensive entertainment company for you, because Your self-image and the self-image of Ashley and Mary are all in my hands. I can use your name to authorize the production of clothing, dolls and other things, and realize your fame in peripheral ways. What do you think? "

"After all, so far, your agent has not brought you any endorsement list, and there is nothing good to endorse in the field of products for teenagers aged six to twenty. Instead of taking endorsement fees for nothing, it is better to authorize yourself .”

When he sold his blueprint to Roland, David's tone was very calm.

He didn't seem to be fooling a little boy, asking him to hand over his image and popularity, and exchange these illusory things for American knives, but he was discussing with Roland whether this plan is feasible.

This is actually what Roland likes most about David.

From the beginning to the end, he treats family members equally, and will not impose his wishes on others because of his age.

Can…

For Roland, isn't the plan David mentioned the predecessor of the Double Star Group that the Olsen sisters turned upside down in the previous life?

The reason why the Olsen sisters became the most successful child star sisters in the history of America (only refers to making money), isn’t it because they really exchanged their enthusiasm for money?

Because of David's insistence at the beginning of his career, the copyrights of their personal image, name authorization, etc. are all in their own hands, which also makes their subsequent movies, TV, records, photo albums, clothing, dolls, jewelry, cosmetics, etc. A series of products, etc., can be packaged with their own image.

After all, authorizing others and selling by yourself are two different concepts.

And this is only David who is a businessman can resist the temptation. If it were Macaulay's father, he would have sold his son for a long time. After all, for them, doing it by themselves has no capital at all. .

But the problem is, even if the Double Star Group of the Olsen sisters developed well in the previous life, Roland is not interested!

You use my image to produce boys and children's clothing for sale, and that's totally fine.

Everyone is a family. Roland can even authorize these things to the Olsen sisters for a dollar. Even the share is easy to discuss, but if he is allowed to participate in the joint work, then there is no need to discuss.

With this spare money and skills, wouldn’t it be good for him to vote for Mohamy? Isn't it good that he sponsors IMDb?

Even if Mohamy is not short of money now, and the IMDb gangsters don’t need sponsorship, then he won’t be a real entity either!

Opening an investment company to hold stocks for a long time is much more worry-free than doing business.

You know, in America, there are only three reasonable tax avoidance methods commonly used by rich people.

In addition to offshore companies and charitable donations, the remaining one is to hold stocks for a long time.

After all, according to the laws of the United States, if you hold stocks for more than one year, as long as you don’t cash out, you don’t charge any tax on the investment principal and profits.

If you cash out, low- and middle-income people are completely exempt from taxes, and the tax rate for the top richest people does not exceed 20%.

Compared with the highest personal tax of 43.4%, it has more than doubled.

When Roland told David his thoughts, the middle-aged man seemed to have been prepared.

Not only did he not refute Roland's idea, but continued to sell his theory of selling goods to make money to Roland, on the contrary, he looked at the kid in front of him with great interest, and said with a smile: "Then, which company's stock do you want to buy?"

“Let me guess, those tech companies, right?”

"Apple? Microsoft? HP? Cisco? IBM?"

Roland wanted a computer before, but David remembered it clearly. Since the kid is not going to do programming now, isn't investing in technology companies the most obvious choice?

However, David's words made Roland laugh in his heart.

It's February 1991!

Buying technology stocks in this era, isn’t that a disease of the brain?

The gang leader does not have the Apple before the return, and has no value, while Microsoft earns too little.

Nine years from now, there will still be an Internet bubble, so it’s no fun getting into it now!

What's more, with the movie ahead, Roland has no time to take care of his assets.

In this case, wouldn’t it be enough to find someone who can manage assets?

apple? Microsoft? HP? Cisco? IBM?

He doesn't want any of these.

What he wants is—

Saving time and effort.

"After I pay the tax, how much money do I have left?" Before answering the question, Roland wanted to know his principal.

"The entertainment industry has a very high tax rate, almost forty percent."

Now that we talked about this with Roland, it is naturally impossible for David not to know Roland's net worth, "Fox has only paid three million box office bonuses so far, plus your previous "Home Alone" salary and being sacked by your agent. After the completion of "Terminator 2", your after-tax income will be about 1.8 million."

"Of course this does not include other items and local taxes."

"Those small projects add up, and your safe income is about 1.5 million."

Grass hold...

This IRS is really ruthless, and half of it is eaten in one bite.

Although Roland complained about such a high tax, it is impossible for him to be in arrears with taxes like Wesley Snipes and Nicolas Cage, not to mention, even if it is 1.5 million, it is enough up.

"Okay, 1.5 million is 1.5 million."

"You help me register a company, and then we will buy Berkshire Hathaway stock."

"The price of one share should not reach 10,000, right?"

"1.5 million can buy nearly 200 shares, so let's buy it like this."

Roland's brain is not a computer, and he can't remember all the movies he is most familiar with. Naturally, he can't remember which stocks are monster stocks.

But it doesn't matter, right?

When you can't think of it, you must buy Buffett's company stock.

Compared to guys who have risen nearly a thousand times, Berkshire Hathaway's annual compound growth rate is the real thing. Even if you don't have time to speculate as a shareholder, it doesn't matter, as long as you have enough money.

Besides, even if you want to make money, you can change direction after the wind blows, and before the wind blows, no company can be more stable than Buffett.

Note: ①The distributors of "Dances with Wolves" and "The Silence of the Lambs" are both Orion. Not only that, the distributors of these two films came to win Oscars. When they got "Dances with Wolves", Orion Knowing that this kind of racial film is extremely dominant in the Oscars, they postponed the release of "The Silence of the Lambs" from the fall of 1990 to the beginning of 1991, and they firmly believed that "The Silence of the Lambs" would definitely win an Oscar, so they declared bankruptcy in the company Under the circumstances, he also spent 200,000 yuan to submit the film to the Oscars. ②Different from our after-tax remuneration, Hollywood remuneration is all pre-tax, and the tax is paid by yourself, while the federal income tax rate is seven levels, with a maximum of 39.6. After Chuan Jianguo came to power, it was changed. into four gears. Not only that, many foreigners don’t believe that our place is post-tax. The most typical one is David Copperfield. When he came to our show around the millennium, he had to see the tax payment certificate before making a move, because he felt that the tax Things like post-appearance fees are amazing. ③Starting a company to avoid tax is a very common thing in Hollywood. The most common thing to do is to invest in a company to avoid tax. Generally, you can reduce 15 points, and you can reduce 18 points at most. Of course, relying on the company to earn money is not There are also many filmmakers, the hero of "The Butterfly Effect" is a typical example. ④ Wesley Snipes, the protagonist of "Blade Warrior", was sentenced to three years in prison for concealing his income. Cage directly used his house to pay off the debt because he had no money to pay taxes. It is really difficult to evade taxes in Hollywood. Because your personal income will be reported directly to the IRS by the producers, because they also pay taxes.