The crew's preparations were very thorough, and the MV was filmed systematically, progressing smoothly and without any new ideas.
In the middle, Mira also sent good news about copyright negotiations from England.
It had already been found that the film rights for 'Ocean's Eleven' were held by Dorchester Company in England, and Dorchester Company agreed to transfer the film adaptation rights for 1 million US dollars.
Linton had Goodman go to England to assist her in successfully purchasing the rights.
Negotiations with CBS Television for the film adaptation rights of 'Mission: Impossible' also proceeded smoothly.
However, because it was a popular show, CBS Television insisted on a price no lower than 1.5 million US dollars, and demanded a five percent share of the box office revenue, also requiring that filming must commence within 5 years, with an investment no less than 40 million US dollars, otherwise the rights would be revoked.
Linton agreed and successfully secured the film adaptation rights for 'Mission: Impossible'.
But the adaptation rights for 'The Lord of the Rings' were somewhat unexpected; Mira called from England.
"'The Lord of the Rings' has already been adapted. Now the adaptation rights have expired. In 1978, Ralph Bakshi adapted it into the animated feature film 'The Lord of the Rings'. An investment of 4 million brought back 30 million in box office, earning a lot of money, so Tolkien's descendants are demanding an increase in the sharing terms."
"How much do they want?" Linton asked.
"It can probably be negotiated between three and six percent, but the rights they hold are not all of them; a small portion is still with the publisher."
Linton listened, reaching up to scratch his head, not expecting it to be more troublesome than he imagined.
"The price has already been negotiated to 2 million US dollars. This figure is actually an overpayment. They still want a share... shouldn't we cool them off a bit?"
"No, give it to them, but it must be a share of the box office *profit*, not box office *revenue*. Do you understand? Using the same standard, secure 'the hobbit' as soon as possible, but I demand a buyout with no time limit."
Currently, the fees for all books, or rather, IP film and television adaptations, have not yet started to rise. Ten years from now, even if this price were to increase tenfold, it would be impossible to acquire such world-renowned classics.
After thinking for a moment, Linton said, "After obtaining authorization from the Tolkien Copyright Trust, go to the publisher to negotiate and secure the film adaptation rights for both 'The Lord of the Rings' and 'the hobbit' as soon as possible, but the publisher should preferably not have any sharing terms."
Filming for 'Sugar' began today. The crew had contacted a wedding venue in advance through a wedding planning company.
To achieve a surprise effect on site, the performance at the wedding was kept confidential and not revealed to too many people.
Aside from the parents of the newlyweds, the wedding planning company, and the hotel manager, other staff members only knew there would be a surprise performance but not what the specific act was.
The biggest challenge in filming was that, to avoid prematurely revealing the content of the MV, during Linton's performance, no one else on site could take photos, let alone film videos.
Of course, as compensation, the crew provided corresponding funds, and after the performance, Linton would also say some words of blessing.
Later, after the MV is released, the crew will also produce videos of the performance and some behind-the-scenes footage, make them into DVDs, and send them to the newlyweds.
In short, the crew was very thoughtful; the newlyweds would definitely not lose out, having both Face and substance, the goal being to encourage their active cooperation.
Prohibiting on-site photography and video recording, this would naturally be impossible in the era of smartphone prevalence; you couldn't stop it even if you tried.
But it was 1991; which ordinary guest would bring a camera to a wedding for no reason?
Moreover, after filming was complete, the crew would also sign authorization agreements with everyone present; otherwise, their footage would have to be removed.
At the wedding venue, as the newlyweds were just beginning their ceremony, Linton and others quietly entered through the back of the hotel.
As for the shots of the convertible driving around looking for the wedding venue, they had already been filmed in the studio, and in Late Stage, some distant shots or landmark buildings would be added to indicate the location.
The crew planned to film landmark buildings in various countries around the world to show the audience that Linton was sending blessings to newlyweds globally.
Just inside the back door, the hotel manager and the groom's father came to greet them.
"Welcome, welcome, thank you for coming."
"I should be thanking you for providing us with assistance."
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Linton and the band entered the specially prepared dressing room, while others were responsible for preparing to set up the performance stage.
As soon as the groom and bride's wedding ceremony concluded, a group of people emerged from backstage and began to set up the performance stage.
The on-site setup was very simple: just a frame was erected, then covered with cloth, and the necessary instruments and sound equipment were moved inside.
Due to the excellent secrecy, all the guests, including the bride and groom, were completely bewildered.
The bride turned to look at the groom, thinking it was some special act:
"Do you have any other arrangements?"
The groom looked utterly confused:
"I don't know. Where's the wedding planning company? What's going on?"
Not only them, but the guests below also started whispering and discussing,
"What's wrong with this wedding planning company? Why are they pulling a stunt at such a crucial moment?"
Fortunately, not long after, the crew had finished setting up, and Linton and others were in position.
The bride and groom were also led to the front of the frame at the invitation of the hotel staff.
As the bride and groom stood still, Linton and the band began to perform, and the sudden music attracted everyone's attention.
At the same time, the cloth hanging on the frame suddenly dropped, revealing the detailed situation inside.
A burly man with a beard was lightly tapping the drums, beside him a long-haired man played the electronic keyboard, two men holding bass guitars were on either side, and in the center was Linton, holding a microphone and singing.
"Ah!!!!!"
The bride and groom finally reacted, especially the bride, who frantically pinched the groom.
The groom also shouted excitedly: "It's Linton, wife, it's Linton!"
Other guests at the scene also recognized Linton, the currently popular Genius singer, Linton.
Immediately, the entire banquet hall erupted in screams, and the whole place was buzzing.
As everyone's emotions slowly stabilized, the band resumed playing, and only then did Linton begin to sing.
I'm hurtin baby, I'm broken down
I need your lovin, lovin I need it now
When I'm without ya, I'm somethin weak
...
With the cheerful and dynamic melody and the deeply emotional and sweet singing, all the guests attending the wedding began to sway to the music.
The most crucial thing was that the bride and groom were very cooperative; as soon as the music started, they spontaneously began to dance.
With everyone dancing, Linton sang the chorus climax in a high-pitched voice, bringing the atmosphere to a crescendo.
When the song finished and the music stopped, Linton smiled at the newlyweds.
"Here's 'Sugar' for you, wishing Mr. Mig and Miss Lime a happy marriage and a long life together."
The guests applauded, and the bride and groom were so happy they were incoherent.
"Linton, thank you, I'm your fan, my whole family are your fans. I bought all three of your songs. I'm especially happy you could come today and sing such a wonderful song for us. Thank you, I'm so happy, thank you."
The bride and groom expressed their gratitude, Linton also offered his blessings, and then the crew left, filming complete.