I am a director, but I have the skills of an actor

Chapter 211 Interlude
The three of them walked out of the lounge and went to the small room next door. After closing the door, Han Sanping immediately asked, "Qingshan, tell me, why is the budget [-] million?"

"Eighty million is just my rough estimate. It may be more, or it may be less, but I think it will never be less than [-] million."

Jiang Zhiqiang exclaimed, "No, Director Wan, a kung fu movie won't cost so much even if it has money to buy a venue."

"It's not a kung fu movie. The script I wrote is a fantasy film, which can also be said to be a mythical film. This kind of film requires a lot of special effects.

Special effects are already expensive. In order to achieve good effects, it is estimated that they will have to be produced by a Hollywood special effects company, so [-] million is considered a small amount. "

Wan Qingshan's original script idea could be completed with about two to three hundred million, but later he felt that the idea was not feasible, so he overturned and rewrote it.

Then, I wrote and wrote, and I realized that it was incredible. If I were to shoot according to this idea, the investment would be as high as the sky.

So today, while Jiang Zhiqiang was around, he first asked Jiang Zhiqiang about his investment budget. If it was not enough, forget it and rewrite the script.

If the budget was sufficient, then he would tell Jiang Zhiqiang that instead of taking 30%, he would take 10% or 20%.

The investment was too big, and it was an experimental film. He was not a gambler. Although he might not be short of money later, he was not willing to take more money to take this risk.

Jiang Zhiqiang and Han Sanping were a little dumbfounded. What they thought was a kung fu movie turned into a fantasy movie. This...
"No, Director Wan, why did you think of writing a fantasy film starring Zhang Jin? It should be a kung fu film, right?" Jiang Zhiqiang asked.

"Mr. Jiang, kung fu movies are not so popular in North America now, otherwise Cheng Long's few movies wouldn't have failed.

You see, last year Hollywood took out Cheng Long's "Rush Hour" series and made "Rush Hour 3". Although the total box office was more than 2 million U.S. dollars, compared with the cost that increased several times, the box office did not meet expectations at all. .

更别说2001年的《尖峰时刻2》就有2亿多美元的票房，那时候2亿多美元和去年前的2亿多美元，概念可不一样。

All in all, the box office of "Rush Hour 3" should have regressed.

I wrote about fantasy movies because I was looking for them. After watching the top-grossing movies in North America in the past few years, I found that most of them were live-action movies, comedies or blockbusters with special effects.

Our living customs are very different from those in North America. I can’t write comedies that match their laugh points, so I can only consider special effects blockbusters.

Special effects blockbusters, in North America are not comic book adaptations and "Harry Potter" series, so I will write in the direction of fantasy films. "

Jiang Zhiqiang felt a little strange in his heart. He felt that Wan Qingshan was not telling the truth, but Wan Qingshan was reasonable, so he couldn't say anything in this regard.

"A fantasy film with an investment of [-] million, Director Wan, you will really give me problems.

7.6 million. Even if the copyright fee is sold at a sky-high price, let’s calculate it to 1 million US dollars. The current exchange rate seems to be [-], and the domestic box office will need more than [-] million to recover the cost.

Domestic box office of more than 1 million is definitely no problem, but a copyright fee of [-] million US dollars is definitely impossible. No company in Hollywood will spend [-] million US dollars to buy the copyright of a Chinese-language film. "

Although Jiang Zhiqiang is a bit of a gambler at heart, he is not stupid. If he really wants to invest [-] million, it will be difficult to recover the cost.

Especially when it comes to fantasy films. You must know that the last fantasy masterpiece was "The Promise", which sent investors to grandma's house. Now the industry has changed their minds when hearing the word "magic".

That is Wan Qingshan. If anyone else dares to mention a fantasy movie in front of him and invest [-] million, he will curse them.

"Then I will rewrite the script, but the shooting time may have to be postponed. It will definitely be too late to start shooting in May."

Although Jiang Zhiqiang knew that the new movie would definitely win the overseas box office through his connections, it would be difficult to earn US$[-] million from the overseas box office, so Wan Qingshan didn't give much hope at the beginning and came up with another plan.

Just when Jiang Zhiqiang was about to agree, Han Sanping said, "Wait a minute."

Han Sanping looked at Wan Qingshan, "Qingshan, let's put the script there first and decide after "Huo Qubing" is released. How about that?"

Without waiting for Wan Qingshan's answer, Han Sanping turned to Jiang Zhiqiang and said, "Mr. Jiang, if China Film is willing to invest in the future, and you feel that the investment risk of [-] million is too high, how about the new film being taken over by China Film?"

Jiang Zhiqiang's eyes widened and he was so angry that he wanted to curse.

The year before last, he had made an agreement with Wan Qingshan to send Zhang Jin to Hollywood. For this reason, he also promised to give Wan Qingshan a 30% share.

In order to share the global box office share of the new movie, he agreed to Colombia and persuaded Wan Qingshan to cooperate with Colombia.

For this reason, he had no objection to Columbia setting Wan Qingshan's remuneration for "Huo Qubing" at US$500 million.

He has put so much effort into the new movie, and now China Film actually wants to kick him away, especially since China Film was brought in by him.

If the new movie is not directed by Wan Qingshan, then just kick it out. Anyway, the risk of this movie is too great.

But the new movie is directed by Wan Qingshan, so how can he cooperate with Wan Qingshan and send Zhang Jin to Hollywood?
China Film Co., Ltd. dragged Wan Qingshan to film that magical blockbuster. It would have to take more than a year. He couldn't wait that long.

Jiang Zhiqiang was so angry that he wanted to say that an investment of [-] million was an investment of [-] million, and he could afford it.

But he still lost his temper and kept a slightly straight face.

"With an investment of [-] million, the risk is high, but movies are inherently high-risk. As for whether to invest or not, I'll decide based on the box office performance of "Huo Qubing" first."

Jiang Zhiqiang also understands Han Sanping's thinking. If "Huo Qubing" does well at the overseas box office, then a fantasy film with an investment of [-] million can be made.

If the investment is high, the copyright will be sold at a high price.

If "Huo Qubing" becomes a hit at the overseas box office and the copyright fee is that high, it is very likely that a company will buy it.

And even if it loses a little in the end, it doesn't matter. For China Film, Wanqingshan's magical blockbuster is launched in North America. If it can save foreign audiences' impression of Chinese fantasy films caused by "The Promise", the significance cannot be compared with a little money. .

Seeing that both Han Sanping and Jiang Zhiqiang were determined to see the release of "Huo Qubing" before making a decision, Wan Qingshan did not immediately say that he did not want 30% of the investment share. Maybe no one would invest in the future. Now he said that he does not want 30%. investment share, it would be too early.

After things were agreed, Wan Qingshan was ready to say, go back there, the movie premiere will start in a while, but Han Sanping spoke first.

"Qingshan, you know the online reviews of the first part of "Red Cliff", right?"

Wan Qingshan immediately replied, "Director Han, I did not do anything against "Red Cliff" online.

My wife and I went on a trip during the Chinese New Year. After we came back, I was busy with the special effects post-production of "Huo Qubing" and the new movie script, and I didn't have time to work on "Red Cliff". "

Wan Qingshan’s reaction was a bit extreme!

But it's normal. Two days after the release of the first part of "Red Cliff", there was a lot of criticism in online forums. Netizens even gave "Red Cliff" a three-point rating on Douban and Time.com.

There were too many scoldings, and "Yangtze River No. 2000" was released only a few days earlier than the first part of "Red Cliff", so the box office of "Red Cliff" part 3 was so bad that the total box office was only [-] million. You must know that the original "Red Cliff" The upper part can have a box office of more than [-] million.

Wangshan’s scolding was so loud that many people in the industry thought that Wanqingshan was responsible. At that time, many people called Wanqingshan to ask about it.

Even Zhang Zhao thought it was Wan Qingshan's hand. Wan Qingshan said he didn't do it, but Zhang Zhao still didn't believe it.

There was no way, who caused Wan Qingshan and Wu Yusen to have an irreconcilable conflict. If you didn't doubt Wan Qingshan, who would you doubt?

Even when the crew of "Red Cliff" was on the road show, when reporters asked Wu Yusen about netizens' comments, Wu Yusen was so angry that he said that Wan Qingshan was smearing the movie, and Wan Qingshan was the best at smearing the movie online.

Then, Wu Yusen's words made Zeng Li, who had followed the road show, leave directly in front of many reporters and audiences, and did not participate in the road show afterwards.

If not, because he knew that the atmosphere on the set was not good and Wu Kebo was afraid of something happening, he personally followed the set on the road show and stopped Wu Yusen before he could curse, then who knows what would have happened.

Han Sanping looked up and down Wanqing Mountain and said suspiciously, "It's really not you?"

Wan Qingshan couldn't help but rolled his eyes, "Director Han, it's really not me. I don't want to see the monk's face, but I have to see the Buddha's face. If I hack the movie invested by China Film, wouldn't I be attacking you too?"

Han Sanping suddenly laughed, and his doubts were much less.

"Director Han, if you ask me, you might as well ask Zhou Xingchi.

"Yangtze River No. 7" is different from his previous movies and was not well accepted by the audience.

"Red Cliff" has a worse reputation, while "Yangtze River No. 7" has a better reputation in comparison.

In addition, "Red Cliff" was suddenly promoted to compete with "Yangtze River No. 7", Zhou Xingchi must be very angry, maybe he was the one who succeeded in "Red Cliff". "

Wan Qingshan really felt that this was Zhou Xingchi's doing. After all, "Red Cliff" was a huge hit at the box office, and "Yangtze River No. 7" took a big advantage.

Han Sanping frowned and then said nothing. China Film Group also invested in "Yangtze River No. 7" and the distribution was done by China Film Group. If it was really Zhou Xingchi who did it, then he couldn't say anything.

After all, the sudden release of "Red Cliff" was so hateful that no one had anything to say when Zhou Xingchi took action.

So, Han Sanping changed the subject and asked in a low voice, "Qingshan, have you gone to see "Red Cliff"? What did you think of the movie?"

There are so many scolds on the Internet that Han Sanping is now a little worried about whether the "Red Cliff" movie is hopelessly bad in the minds of young people, so there are not many viewers to refute the scolds online.

If this is the case, it will be troublesome. There is still a second part of "Red Cliff" waiting to be released.

“I haven’t gone to see the movie, but I’ve always been very dissatisfied with Hong Kong directors making historical themes, especially war scenes.

Because of our culture, we have a sense of awe towards history. Even if it is a historical novel, we dare not change it randomly.

"Huo Qubing", when Lu Wei and I were discussing the script, the first thing we agreed on was that the main plot should be based on the history of the Battle of Monan, and the rest would be slightly modified and added with some plot points to establish the characters.

We, and the audience too, have a sense of awe for history and cannot accept movies that tamper with history.

As for Hong Kong Island, many people have received Western education, and they have no sense of awe for Chinese history.

Therefore, Hong Kong directors usually make random changes when making historical films. How can movie audiences accept this? "

Wan Qingshan paused and praised, "Among the Hong Kong directors who are still active in the film industry, Chen Kexin is the only one who can make films with historical themes.

The film he made, "The War of Responsibility," felt right. It was unlike other Hong Kong directors who made historical war films into corporate battles. "

Han Sanping looked at Wan Qingshan with strange eyes, "You have such a deep grudge with him, and you still praise him?"

"Haha, grievances are grievances, but it does not affect my praise of his "Report of Name". I am not the kind of person who cannot face the other party when he has a grudge."

Han Sanping smiled, then looked worried about the second part of "Red Cliff".

What Wan Qingshan said is right. He can't accept the filming of historical dramas. History will be arbitrarily changed, and the audience will be the same.

"The Romance of the Three Kingdoms" is known to everyone and has been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. How can the audience accept random changes.

Seeing Han Sanping's face, Wan Qingshan guessed what Han Sanping was thinking.

"Director Han, "Red Cliff" shouldn't lose money. I heard that the first part of "Red Cliff" was very good at the box office in the island country, and the copyright fee for the second part should be very high." "Oh, it did sell well, but the investment in "Red Cliff" But with nearly [-] million, even if the box office of the second part and the upper part are similar, the movie will still lose money.

If a movie loses money, it will lose money. China Film Group can afford it, but it is afraid of causing a chain reaction and making the industry afraid to invest in costume blockbusters.

In the past few years, among the few costume blockbusters, only Zhang Yimou's movie has made money, while the rest have lost money. "

"Red Cliff" claims to have an investment of 8000 million, but there is always a difference between the claim and the reality.

Han Sanping turned his eyes and looked closely at Wanqingshan, ""Red Cliff" is destined to fail. Now it depends on your "Huo Qubing". If "Huo Qubing" also fails, then no one in the industry will dare to invest in costume blockbusters. "

Wan Qingshan was not easy to answer, and he had little confidence in "Huo Qubing".

When he made "Huo Qubing", it was mainly to practice making blockbusters, and he had no confidence in the box office.

Wan Qingshan didn't answer, so Han Sanping didn't say anything more.

So the three of them went back to the backstage lounge. Then, as soon as the three of them dispersed, Fan Bayi looked for Wan Qingshan.

"Director Wan, is the [-] million you just mentioned an investment in that new movie?"

Fan Bayi stared at Wan Qingshan expectantly, wanting Wan Qingshan to say yes.

The year before last, "Ip Man" and "The Golden Armor" were released one after another, making Fan Baiyi the most popular among the four actors.

Then, none of her movies were released last year, but Zeng Li starred in "Red Cliff" and "Huo Qubing" successively, both of which were blockbuster films that continuously set investment records for Chinese films, especially as the leading female lead.

As a result, Zeng Li became the most popular last year, even Zhang Jingchu who starred in "Rush Hour 3" cannot compare. Now even though Zeng Li has been in the drama troupe for half a year, she is still the most popular among the seven. Zeng Li goes to act in a drama , and every show was packed, almost all of which were her fans.

If the investment in the new movie is really [-] million, Fan Bayi feels that no one among the seven can compare with her. This is a blockbuster with an investment of [-] million. Even in Hollywood, it is a big-budget movie.

Wan Qingshan glanced at the surroundings and whispered, "Yes, but the investment is too big, so we may not be able to shoot. You have to be mentally prepared."

Fan Bayi's expression froze, and then he said nothing more.

Then, Wan Qingshan chatted with Fan Bayi and Zhang Jin, and the premiere of "The Richest Man in Xihong City" began.

Because it was Lu Bing's movie, Guangbo and China Film didn't make the premiere too big. Originally, the premiere venue was all arranged in a medium-sized theater, for fear of low attendance.

Later, Li Yancheng came up with unconventional publicity, and China Film placed the premiere in a large theater chain.

On the red carpet, Wanqingshan walked alone.

Nowadays, except for his own movies or film festivals, he usually doesn't walk the red carpet with female stars.

His scandals with Zeng Li and Fan Bayi had not spread much after he got married. He didn't want to cause any more scandals because of the red carpet.

Amid the shouts of fans, Wan Qingshan waved his hand, then asked reporters to take a few photos, and then quickly walked into the theater.

After the audience came in, Liu Yan came on stage to give a brief opening, and then the movie started playing.

The movie lasted for about ten minutes, and when the audience continued to laugh, Han Sanping turned his head to Wan Qingshan and asked in a low voice,
"You didn't have any involvement in this movie script?"

Han Sanping didn't watch the finished film of "The Richest Man in Xihong City". He didn't pay much attention to this kind of movie that Wanqingshan compensated for "Huo Qubing". In addition, when the film was completed, he was holding various meetings, so he didn't pay much attention to it. Tube.

But now when I look at it, this movie is more ridiculous than "The True Meaning of Love", and it doesn't look like a movie at all.

"Well, I didn't interfere. This movie, like "Awkward Love", is also adapted from an old American movie. The script was adapted by a few screenwriters from my company."

Wan Qingshan knew that if a movie like this was released in 2008, even if the audience accepted it, the critics and veteran filmmakers would criticize it.

This criticism will definitely be more serious than "The True Meaning of Love". Nortel will even directly place Lu Bing on Nortel's pillar of shame, so he did not sign the script.

Han Sanping wanted to say something else, but he fell silent when he heard the laughter from the audience behind him.

After a while, he sighed in a low voice, "It seems that I really don't understand the market."

There was constant laughter in the audience. There was nothing unusual on the faces of the celebrities, but they felt weird in their hearts.

The expressions on the faces of the film critics and reporters who were invited were clearly written with a few words - 'This is also called a movie! '

After the movie ended, Lu Bing, Liu Yifei and others came on stage, and Wan Qingshan, as the producer, also came on stage.

Wan Qingshan had already told Liu Yan when he read the draft of the question earlier that he would ask Lu Bing and Liu Yifei more.

Therefore, Wan Qingshan simply answered two questions.

Liu Yan's interview ended, and then a group of celebrities praised him against their conscience.

Originally, the premiere was over, but suddenly a film critic stood up and shouted, "Director Wan, Director Lu, do you think this movie is worthy of the audience?"

In the audience, Li Xiaoli and Wang Changtian suddenly turned dark.

"Didn't you give them red envelopes?" Wang Changtian whispered through gritted teeth.

"Mr. Wang, I asked the people below to give it to me, and I gave it so much that it exceeded the market price."

Li Xiaoli's answer made Wang Changtian's face darken, "Damn it, it's so unprofessional to accept money and not do anything!"

On the stage, Liu Yifei and others looked a little flustered, while Lu Bing immediately looked at Wanqing Mountain.

Wan Qingshan calmly motioned to Lu Bing with his eyes, "Answer!" '

Wan Qingshan has already planned that as long as "The Richest Man in Xihong City" makes money, he will let Lu Bing shoot "Charlotte Trouble".

And to be a director, you not only have to be able to shoot, but you also have to be able to handle things.

This kind of thing must be handled by Lu Bing. If you rely on him for everything, how can Lu Bing be a director?

After Lu Bing was stunned for a moment, he turned back his gaze, thinking quickly, and reached out to signal the staff on the side to give him the microphone.

After taking the phone, Lu Bing said, "Of course this is a movie."

"Do you think this is a movie? Director Lu, you studied for nothing at Nortel!" the film critic shouted angrily.

"Well, my grades at Nortel were not very good, very mediocre, but at least I knew what movies were.

Audience, I want to ask you, do you think animated movies are movies? "

The film critic's expression suddenly froze.

Seeing this, Lu Bing's confidence increased greatly. He turned his eyes and stared curiously at the audience on the stage.

“Many people may think that this movie is nothing like a movie. It has no outstanding colors, no amazing shots, and no plot that makes people think.

It seems that there is nothing that a movie should have, and all it has is an empty plot, superficial pictures, and bland shots, but I still think it is a movie.

In my opinion, there are many types of movies. There are movies that make people reflect on life, movies that make people watch heartily, and movies that entertain children.

There are no limitations in movies. I think as a comedy, if it makes the audience laugh, then that’s fine.

During the screening just now, I heard a lot of laughter from the audience, so I felt that the movie was a success and I did not fail. "

clap clap!

clap clap!

,,,

,,,

,,,

When the microphone was lowered from Lu Bing's mouth, sporadic applause came from the audience.

Then, in an instant, the scattered applause turned into warm applause.

This applause made Lu Bing smile confidently.

Han Sanping and Wang Changtian fell into deep thought when they heard the applause from behind.

After the applause stopped, a fat man in his 30s stood up in the audience and shouted, "Director, although I think the movie is not good to watch, I agree with what you said."

Lu Bing picked up the microphone, bent slightly and said, "Thank you for your review. I will try to make the next movie that you will find enjoyable."

"Because of your attitude, I'll watch your next movie."

The fat man's shouting reply made many viewers chuckle.

After this episode is over, the premiere is complete.

When he came backstage, Wan Qingshan patted Lu Bing on the shoulder.

"That's a good answer. You will be a director in the future. You can't rely on others for some things. You have to learn to handle them yourself."

"Director Wan, I understand what you meant by asking me to answer. I was suddenly confused just now and didn't know what to do, so..." Lu Bing replied awkwardly.

"It's normal to feel panicked when you encounter this kind of thing for the first time. You won't get over it after more experience. People are trained over and over again."

After that, Wan Qingshan stopped chatting with Lu Bing. At Jiang Zhiqiang's invitation, he went out for dinner with Han Sanping and Wang Changtian.

At the dinner table, everyone in Han Sanping couldn't help but sigh that the current market has changed too much.

After eating, everyone went their separate ways.

(End of this chapter)