Actor: My Entertainment Era

Chapter 153 Lobbying Xu Ke
Why are some crews still able to attract investment and expensive sponsorship even when the outside world is not optimistic?
For example, Guo Fan, the master of alms.

Because he doesn't talk to investors just based on an idea.

He not only has a script, but also has sufficient design drafts and preparatory work. He can really show things to investors.

Although in the preparation stage, he couldn't pat his chest to guarantee profits with investors, but film investment itself carries high risks, and investors are of course willing to trust the crew who can show him something.

This is a place to name and criticize a big director on Hong Kong Island. If you want to cheat money, you don’t need to show investors much, at least you must have a script.You can't just ask others to pay for an idea in your head, it's not about martial arts.

You have to pay some money to cheat money.

Zhang Yuanjun's studio is of course a new force in the circle, and the funds are limited.

So every step Zhang Yuanjun took was very steady.

If a producer or supervisor from another company came to see Zhang Yuanjun’s studio to prepare for the project, he would definitely be puzzled by his process.

The early stage preparations of "Rising Fame" and "Rock Paper Scissors" were all done with the studio's money. The former took the students with the 02 form to rehearse on stage over and over again, and the latter dared to spend more than 100 yuan before the script was released. Wan asked the art and special effects teams to make the design draft first.

Therefore, when interested investors, big or small, come to negotiate, colleagues in the studio will show them the preparations for "Animal World".

The half-person-high art design draft, the scrapped script that has been changed countless times, and the animation design that dozens of engineers from Hualong Digital are working on—although there are no samples for investors to see.

All of this tells investors that we have sufficient preparations for this project and can invest with confidence.

Then, the studio's producer was asked a question: "Who is the director of your movie?"

amount……

Really got the point.

It's really hard to find a director for this movie. No one in the mainland can play this kind of comic book movie. There are a few Hong Kong and Taiwan directors with distinctive styles who may give it a try, but they haven't decided on a candidate yet.

The producer then replied: "We have contacted several Hong Kong directors and are still discussing the details."

The name of the Hong Kong Island director is still useful. Some investors were half relieved when they heard that they would use the Hong Kong Island director.

"What about the cast? Are there any stars from Hong Kong and Taiwan? If you want Lin Chi-ling to play this heroine, I will pay for it without saying a word."

"She's never acted."

"It doesn't matter if you haven't acted before, the audience loves to watch it."

"We will try to fight for it." If you don't talk to death, how can you make him pay for it.

"Can the leading actor be changed? If you let Chen Guanxi play the role, I'll add another 300 million." Some investors still don't believe in Zhang Yuanjun, or they don't believe in the ability of mainland actors to play leading roles on the big screen.

"No, other roles are easy to talk about, we can't change the male lead." He refused without any hesitation.

From this point of view, he is a small investor. Big companies like China Film, Shanghai Film, and Huayi all know that Zhang Yuanjun is behind Guodao Catering Group. How can someone else play the male lead in a movie made by such a son.

Therefore, even though they are also superstitious about the Hong Kong and Taiwan lineup, they don't have the idea of ​​a male lead. At best, they want to choose a Hong Kong and Taiwan actress as the heroine.

Lin Zhiling might really be a good choice.

The current investor visits have achieved good results. China Film, Shanghai Film and Huayi have all verbally expressed their interest in "Rock Paper Scissors", and some small and medium-sized investors have also expressed their willingness to invest.

The hesitation comes from the selection of the director.

Wang Zhonglei attaches great importance to Zhang Yuanjun, and he specially flipped through the original manga for "Animal World".

The style is distinct, and he can't find any mainland director who can control this style in his mind.

Zhang Yuanjun's decision to find a director from Hong Kong and Taiwan was right.

But Huayi will not give money until the director is confirmed, and I believe other investors will do the same.

Does the director have a goal?

Really!
That's Xu Ke who's on the street.

Last summer, "Seven Swords", with an investment of 4000 million Hong Kong dollars, won't even be recognized by his own mother. This film was prepared from 02 to 05. During this period, Xu Ke did not make any feature films.

But the film's 8000 million in mainland China and only a million in Hong Kong Island caused the old monster's reputation in the circle to plummet.

Half a year has passed, and there is no news about Xu Keleng's new film. People who don't know it feel that he is accumulating strength, but Zhang Yuanjun knows that the old monster will not be able to attract investment.

After "Seven Swords" and before "Di Renjie", the old monster's life was quite unsatisfactory.

The blockbuster film I want to make can't get investment, so I can only co-direct with others, or make bad films like "Looking for a Man in the Deep Sea" and "Women Are Not Bad".

Tsui Hark has been living in the capital since he went north. He really received an invitation from Zhang Yuanjun, and he is really considering whether to take the filming of "Rock Paper Scissors".

But half a year has passed, and he still hasn't been able to get out of the shadow of "Seven Swords".

It's not that frustrating. Their current wave of directors won't be depressed because their movies hit the market. He just can't figure out where he lost.

He really thinks "Seven Swords" is very good.

He also reads the opinions of critics. He thinks some criticisms are reasonable, but he does not agree with most of them.

The story of "Seven Swords" is very good, the action is very handsome, and there are many big names, why can't it sell for money.

Zhang Yuanjun didn't care about "Seven Swords" at all.But Xu Ke threw this question to Zhang Yuanjun who came to visit him, which he had been thinking about for half a year.

"You are an audience, and you are also a professional. Why can't you say that "Seven Swords" can't be sold?"

Zhang Yuanjun refused to answer this question: "I don't understand this. Besides, you must have heard a lot of opinions in the past six months, and I can't express them."

"I want you to say it today, if you don't say it, I won't come here in the future, and I won't consider "Rock Paper Scissors." Xu Ke insisted that he say something today.

Zhang Yuanjun had no choice but to say: "The production of "Seven Swords" is very good, the photography, action, and soundtrack are all good."

"You don't need to say this, you just say what's wrong."

"The difference is that you provoke the audience." Zhang Yuanjun said bluntly, "In the novel, Yang Yuncong is the senior brother of Seven Swords, and Chu Zhaonan is a despicable villain. Your adaptation completely deviates from the audience's understanding of the original work. If I don't shoot Zhang Wuji, I let Song Qingshu be the protagonist, then I will definitely be beaten to death by the audience."

Xu Ke disagreed with this point of view: "Shooting according to the original work, what is it called an adaptation, just to show the audience something different, I did not follow Hu Jinquan's filming of "Dragon Inn"."

"Because "Dragon Inn" does not have an original novel, your film just borrowed the words "Dragon Inn". Of course, you can not follow Hu Jinquan's filming, but "Seven Swords" can't."

The old monster pondered for a while: "Go on."

"The second is that you are too ambitious in "Seven Swords". I can see that you want to do the "Seven Swords" series, so you put too much stuff in the first one, but the movie is so long, You have to cut a lot of material, which leads to a lot of very blunt transitions in the finished film. The audience can't figure it out after watching it, and they don't know what you are talking about..."

Xu Ke has been reflecting for more than half a year, and now he can listen to opinions.

Zhang Yuanjun said a lot, whether Xu Ke agreed or disagreed, these were all he asked himself to say.

"Too much like Akira Kurosawa." These were Zhang Yuanjun's last words.

Xu Ke smiled and did not deny it.

"Okay, I'll think about "Rock Paper Scissors" first, I'll ask my assistant to take you back, it's not too early." Xu Ke saw off the guest.

"Okay." Zhang Yuanjun smiled, got up and left.

　Woke up late.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)