The King of Directors 2000

Chapter 500 Unexpected Invitation

Zhang Guoli and Wang Gang were not the first group of talented people to come over, and naturally they were not the last group of talented people to come to rehearse.

After they left, Chen Daoming, Tony Leung Ka Fai and Simon Yam came over.

These veteran actors and actresses are all people with vision. Naturally, they know very well that with the strength displayed by the crew of "1937", this movie will still be good even if it doesn't have a one-shot gimmick.

If there are no accidents, this movie can really be mentioned in the history of film.

Under such circumstances, "1937" has a better reputation in the industry.

More powerful actors contacted Lee Sheng-yao and wanted to come and make guest appearances.

Li Shengyao specially arranged for an assistant director to study the script to see which characters had lines and shots, and could arrange for capable actors to perform.

Now that the reputation of "1937" has spread, more and more actors want to make guest appearances, but there are not enough roles available.

This is a good thing and shows that "1937" is popular.

Li Shengyao worked hard in such a busy atmosphere.

That afternoon, the weather suddenly changed. The sky was fine, but after a muffled thunder, it suddenly started to rain.

Seeing that it was almost six o'clock, Li Shengyao asked the crew to get off work early.

He was about to leave at the end. When he arranged for the field workers to pack up their equipment and prepare to board the bus, a middle-aged man in a white shirt walked over quickly and said, "Director Li, I have admired you for a long time, and finally I see you. ”

The middle-aged man then added: "I am Liu Hui."

Just two days ago, Li Shengyao received a call from Zhang Guoli, saying that the leader of Zhongshan Film and Television City wanted to get to know Li Shengyao and asked if Li Shengyao could give him his contact information.

Naturally, Li Shengyao would not refuse such connections.

He quickly received a call from Zhongshan Film and Television City. The man claimed to be Liu Hui and said that he had something to discuss with Lee Shengyao.

Liu Hui looks to be about 40 years old. He looks pretty good, and his thick hair is even more enviable.

His Mandarin is very standard and he has no Cantonese accent.

"It turns out to be Mr. Liu, hello."

"Director Li, I wonder if you have time now? We want to discuss something with you."

"Okay, I have time now."

Soon after, Li Shengyao, Liu Hui, and two other people from Zhongshan Film and Television City came to the Yangjiang Hotel in Ningbo. Liu Hui ordered a table of dishes and then greeted them.

Liu Hui and the three of them are all members of the system. They are very good at drinking and boasting. They talk in one way and praise others without repeating themselves.

Li Shengyao responded while enjoying the food.

As for the other party's compliments, he didn't listen to them. He just treated them as if they were listening to cross talk, going in with his left ear and out with the right.

An hour later, we were full of wine and food.

Liu Hui then poured a cup of tea for Li Shengyao, and then said in a low voice: "Director Li, the main reason we are here this time is to cooperate with you."

"Work with me?"

Li Shengyao is a little surprised. He is currently filming "1937". Although the cameras are not turned on now, he is already rehearsing.

He had no other projects to work with.

"Yes, on behalf of Zhongshan Film and Television City, we are cooperating with you. We hope that "1937" can be filmed in Zhongshan Film and Television City."

There are many film and television cities in the mainland, and the most famous one is naturally Hengdian Film and Television City.

There are various film and television cities in Yanjing, Hucheng, Suzhou, Yangzhou, Hangzhou, Zhongshan, and Faoshan. These film and television cities are often very large and have beautiful scenery.

Just like Zhongshan Film and Television City, it was built by Zhongshan Palace and CCTV. It is divided into several major areas.

The first is the ancient building area, which includes antique buildings from Han, Jin, Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties.

The second is the Minguo District, which contains a large number of buildings from the Minguo period.

The third is the island country area. They have built many islands-style houses.

The fourth is the European and American area, where there are many European and American style streets.

These venues can not only be used by film and television production companies, but more importantly, they can attract tourists, create jobs, and develop tourism.

Zhongshan Film and Television City was rated as one of the top ten film and television cities in the country in 06, and was rated as a national 09A-level scenic spot in [-].

This film and television city has become an indispensable attraction in Zhongshan and has brought many benefits to the city of Zhongshan.

This is why various places are keen on building film and television cities.

Generally, when a film and television city is established, it will cooperate with many film and television dramas to increase its popularity.

Take Zhongshan Film and Television City as an example. They have collaborated on films such as "The Opium War", "Sun Zhongshan", and "Jing Ke Assassins the King of Qin".

Cooperated TV series include "Toward the Republic", "Yongzheng Dynasty", and "Xiao Li Fei Dao".

These film and television dramas have brought a lot of traffic to Zhongshan Film and Television City. Zhongshan Film and Television City was quite popular in the past few years.

However, in recent years, film and television cities have sprung up in the Yangtze River Delta.

In addition, the overall entertainment industry is converging towards Shanghai and Yanjing.

There are fewer and fewer film and television companies in the Pearl River Delta, and related industries are in serious decline.Now Zhongshan Film and Television City only has some unknown small crews, or TVB's costume dramas are produced there.

This film and television city, which was once popular and well-known in the mainland, quickly withdrew from the stage.

This is why Liu Hui came to see Li Shengyao. They hoped that Director Li could take the "1937" crew south to Zhongshan Film and Television City for production.

In order to attract Director Li, they prepared many generous conditions.

Liu Hui continued: "We are willing to shoulder the losses of the "1937" crew and will help the "1937" crew resume filming quickly."

Li Shengyao smiled, "It's not a matter of losses. We have already signed a contract with Xiangshan Film and Television City, and I have prepared a lot of things here. If we go to other places, we will need to spend a lot of time preparing."

"Director Li, we understand your concerns, and we are willing to compensate for the loss of time."

Liu Hui continued: "We know that Xiangshan Film and Television City has given your company a discount. We, Zhongshan Film and Television City, can give you a bigger discount. Whether it is the use of the film and television city or the hundreds of acres of land that your crew needs, we can give you more discounts." Much bigger discounts.”

"In addition, this is a war drama, which requires review by many departments. We are willing to help the crew review it with local radio and television to complete the relevant review more quickly and conveniently."

Li Shengyao nodded, but did not answer.

Liu Hui continued, "Although it is hotter in Guangdong Province, there is less rain in Guangdong Province, so it will not affect the crew's rehearsal and shooting."

"In Xiangshan Film and Television City, in another month, August and September, there will be more rain. It will rain every day, which will not be conducive to the preparation of "1937"."

Li Shengyao still didn't speak. He picked up the tea cup and took a sip of tea.

Liu Hui continued: "We have close relationships with the media in Guangdong Province and theater chains across the province. "1937" will definitely receive more publicity and higher film schedules in Guangdong Province."

Guangdong Province is the place with the highest economic aggregate in the mainland. Including migrant workers, the resident population exceeds [-] million. They are also the region with the highest total box office in the entire mainland.

What Liu Hui said is still very attractive.

Li Shengyao was slightly shaken. After thinking about it, he shook his head and said, "Mr. Liu, thank you for your recognition, but forget it. The preparation time for "1937" is already short, and we don't have time to prepare again."

If he wants to take "1937" to the Cannes Film Festival next year, he must complete the film production before next May. There is really no time to start over.

Liu Hui nodded, "I understand what you mean, but..."

He glanced out the window and continued: "The Guangdong Provincial Department of Culture has a special subsidy, which provides significant support to film and television dramas produced in Guangdong Province. We have calculated that based on the cost of "1937", we should be able to get a subsidy of about 2000 million yuan .”

"Director Li, I am 100% sure about this. As long as you go south to Zhongshan Film and Television City, the subsidy will definitely be received this year."

Hearing this, Li Shengyao thought about it while holding the teacup.

When the last "Sicario" was produced, it attracted many advertisers, and the 3000 million sponsorship fee greatly eased the production pressure.

"1937" is a story that took place during the Ming Dynasty and was not suitable for large-scale advertising placement. It only received 1000 million yuan in advertising sponsorship.

If there are 2000 million at this time, then Lee Sheng-yao will have less pressure to repay his capital.

So should we go south to Zhongshan for 2000 million?

Liu Hui couldn't help but breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Li Shengyao deep in thought.

Money can make the world go round, and the ancient saying is indeed true.

At 2000 million, I believe even Director Li would be tempted.

Li Shengyao didn't know what Liu Hui was thinking. He thought of Kanjing's original request.

That is to choose a film and television city near the Yangtze River Delta.

As for Zhongshan Film and Television City, Fashan Film and Television City, or the film and television city in the north, they have never been considered.

Because "1937" does not require such good weather, Li Shengyao hoped for overcast weather. Such weather would be more in line with the atmosphere of the battlefield.

He chose November to start filming because the sky in the Yangtze River Delta area will be dim and atmospheric at that time.

In his previous life, "1917" was like this. He didn't shoot on rainy or sunny days, but shot on cloudy days.

Li Shengyao picked up the teacup, drank it all in one gulp, and then said: "Mr. Liu, when "1937" was so popular, we didn't consider the film and television city in Guangdong Province because Guangdong Province is too hot and has many sunny days. To suit the mood of the film, we needed a location with a lot of cloudy skies.”

"Thank you for your consideration, but we can't cooperate this time."

When Liu Hui heard this, he opened his mouth slightly and looked at Li Shengyao blankly.

Don’t you want the 2000 million yuan subsidy?

"Director Li, do you...do you want to think about it again?"

"No need, Mr. Liu, if my next movie is suitable, I will definitely choose Zhongshan Film and Television City."

Li Shengyao is naturally willing to receive tens of millions of subsidies.

There is really nothing we can do this time, but we will definitely do it next time.

When Liu Hui heard this, he looked at each other and then nodded with a wry smile.

"Okay, Director Li, we will cooperate in the future."

He added uneasily, "The next movie must be placed in Zhongshan Film and Television City."

"sure."

(End of this chapter)