Chapter 155 Persuasion
"I saw Audrey's performance at the airport. From the first moment I saw her, I knew she was a natural actress. The script of "Roman Holiday" was tailor-made for her, and my The film company does not only intend to shoot this film for Audrey, there will be more opportunities waiting for her in the future, and she will soon become the most popular female star in Hollywood and even the world!" Shen Long continued to persuade road.
"I heard that you invited William Wheeler to direct this film?" Mrs. Hepburn asked. Although they now live in the Netherlands, Audrey Hepburn spent her childhood in an aristocratic boarding school in England. The lady also liked England very much, and she naturally trusted William Wheeler, who was born in England, more.
"Yes, the script has been refined and completed. Mr. Wheeler liked it very much, and signed the contract soon." Shen Long was well prepared, and immediately took out the director's contract and project proposal, which listed the projects in detail The required funds, the composition of the main crew members, and the shooting plan, etc.
"Two million dollars? Full-color filming? Going to Rome for on-site filming?" All this surprised Mrs. Hepburn. For an ordinary romance film, two million dollars is now a big cost to produce; full-color Production and on-site shooting will also increase costs. Most of the current films are shot in black and white film and set up in a studio.
"Yes, the two million dollars is only a preliminary plan. If there is a need later, we will increase the cost." You must know that the big-budget film "Gone with the Wind" in the past few years only cost five million dollars. "Gone with the Wind" and "Roman Holiday" have almost no big scenes, and two million is enough.
In the original history, this film only cost one million US dollars, and Shen Long directly doubled the cost; the biggest regret of this film is that it was shot in black and white film, which could not fully present Hepburn's charm, Shen Long directly doubled the cost; Long naturally wanted to make up for this regret this time.
The color film technology is relatively mature now, and "Gone with the Wind" established the first monument of the color film era eight years ago; after the great success of "Gone with the Wind", Hollywood directors are also actively exploring color films. It is not a problem from a technical point of view.
"If you don't believe in the strength of my company, I can take you to Sicily, where another film is being filmed, starring Johnny himself." Shen Long moved out of Johnny Fontan again.
"Mom, at the airport that day, I did see Mr. Johnny Fontane." I have to admit that Johnny's reputation is still very useful at certain times, Audrey Hepburn said immediately.
"But...but Audrey has put so much effort into ballet for so many years!" Mrs. Hepburn was already moved, and there was only one last question left.
“Actually, it didn’t take too much time to shoot this movie,
If Audrey wants to continue ballet, I can recommend her to study at American Ballet Theatre, where she can get a better education. "The American Ballet Theater is one of the top ten ballet training institutions in the world, far better than the school that Mrs. Hepburn gave Audrey Hepburn to find.
"Or if you want to go to the Kirov Ballet Academy or the Juilliard School!" These two schools are also among the top ten ballet training institutions, one in New York, one in Washington, and another in Chicago in the United States Hepburn's ballet school is also very good, but Chicago is too messy, and Shen Long doesn't want Hepburn to encounter any danger.
"The tuition fees of these schools must be very high?" These schools were the ones that Mrs. Hepburn had been yearning for but could not send Audrey Hepburn to. They were far better than the Mary Lambert Ballet School that she planned to send Hepburn to.
"You don't have to worry about this at all. The salary of "Roman Holiday" is enough to cover Audrey's tuition fees and her living expenses in the United States." In terms of film salary, Shen Long is equally generous.
"Thank you very much for giving us this opportunity, but I still have to think about it." Mrs. Hepburn was in a daze and did not agree immediately, but Shen Long knew that the matter had already been completed.
The next day, Shen Long came to wait outside Hepburn's ballet school, picked her up and went to the local vegetable market, bought all kinds of ingredients needed for making desserts, and returned to Shen Long's temporarily rented villa.
The two were happily making various desserts together in the kitchen. Shen Long made her Dutch-style muffins and croquettes, as well as Italian-style tiramisu and Sicilian cheesecake. Much better than the Netherlands.
Of course, Chinese desserts are also indispensable. Shen Long made the Empress Dowager Cixi's favorite food, chestnut noodle steamed buns, and pea yellow. These exotic desserts also fascinated Audrey Hepburn.
After eating, Hepburn's face was stained with cream, Shen Long picked up the handkerchief and carefully wiped it off for Hepburn. Although there was still a thin layer of handkerchief, this kind of physical contact still made Hepburn's heart beat faster.
After eating dessert, Shen Long sent Audrey Hepburn home, and Mrs. Hepburn invited him in. She finally agreed to let Audrey Hepburn participate in the filming of "Roman Holiday".
Shen Long's hard work for many days was not in vain. As long as the filming starts, he will have more opportunities to spend time alone with Hepburn in the future.
"Thank you very much for your support." Shen Long took out another hole card as soon as he was happy. This hole card was originally intended to be used after Mrs. Hepburn refused, but unexpectedly it was useless.
"In order to thank you for your support, and for those children who love ballet like Audrey to have better learning opportunities, I decided to set up a special scholarship to support outstanding local ballet students in the Netherlands to study in the United States. Provide financial support to those talented children who cannot continue their studies due to financial reasons; this scholarship might as well be named after you!" Shen Long said.
The purpose of this plan was to convince Mrs. Hepburn that she, who was born in a noble family, would not refuse such a thing that could gain a good reputation, and the second was to leave a good impression on Audrey Hepburn.
He knew that Audrey Hepburn was a very caring girl. Because of her childhood experience, she was very enthusiastic about children's charities. She once served as a love ambassador for UNICEF and held fundraising activities for impoverished children around the world for a long time. Even disregarding the dangers of war and infectious diseases, he personally went to poor countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America to visit those children.
"Fredo, you are such a caring person!" Audrey Hepburn looked at Shen Long even more differently.