This director needs to apologize

Chapter 180 Hua Mulan in Chinatown

Before leaving, Chen Yiming asked a lot, who is the director of the Hua Mulan book?
Mr. Ma thought for a while and replied, "It hasn't been decided yet. The investors in Hong Kong City want director Ren Chusheng, the one who made "Yokohama Raiders"."

Chen Yiming nodded without saying anything, thinking that Hong Kong people should dare to think and act. A director who has only made modern fashion movies would dare to travel thousands of miles away to make an ancient war movie.

He has given up hope on this project, and it is probably another bad movie in reserve.

The awards season for "1951" is over, but Chen Yiming still has a lot to do around this movie.

In the second week of March, "3" began to expand the number of screenings in North America, and at the same time, it was also released in Europe.

Prior to this, "1951" had been released in Hong Kong and Taiwan, and the results were tepid, much inferior to "Holiday in the City".

After Chen Yiming stayed at home for a few days, he once again started running around.

First it was a bunch of European countries, where I had to go and stand on stage at the premiere, and then it was the North American market, where I had to go and do a few exclusive interviews to build up the buzz.

Xiangrui's "Super Sense" was about to be produced, and was introduced to Humen Pictures by Shen Pengfei. The other party expressed cautious optimism about the project and signed a distribution contract with a slightly higher commission.

Humen Pictures is a second-tier distribution company in Hollywood. It has the ability to open films in thousands of studios. It also started with horror and thriller themes. This cooperation is a very good start for Xiangrui.

After staying in North America until mid-April, Chen Yiming did not return directly to China. Instead, he stayed for more than a month and wandered around the world's famous Chinese settlements.

He has visited all eight well-known Chinatowns: San Francisco, New York, Vancouver, Toronto, London, Paris, Honolulu, and Melbourne.

In addition, he also visited Port Louis in Mauritius, Singapore, Bangkok, and Yokohama.

Although it was just a quick glance, he took a large number of photos and videos and gained some intuitive understanding of the local environment, so that when making up the story, he would not be in the dark all the time.

He plans to reshape the suspenseful detective movies he watched in his previous life and graft them into the overseas Chinatown environment, similar to the approach of "Detective Chinatown".

The difference is that "Tang Detective" is a comedy suspense, while Chen Yiming's is orthodox or dark suspense.

On the one hand, the aura between comedians is not easy to get along with, and there is also a problem of compatibility with the case itself, and the requirements for magic reform are too high.On the other hand, there are a lot of domestic actors with neutral and evil characters.

On the other hand, since the story has been moved abroad, wouldn't it be a waste of resources if we don't let it go and brush it off? I'm sorry for the large extra travel expenses.

He doesn't have high expectations for the final results. With an investment of 1500-2000 million, the box office will be over [-] million, which is enough to cultivate an audience for genre films.

As long as similar themes can continue to be copied, Bojue will have an iron rice bowl. Directors, behind-the-scenes, and actors can be constantly replaced, and it can be regarded as a talent training base.

In early June, while Chen Yiming was "collecting stories" in Kabukicho, Tokyo, he received a call from Da Zhuang.

"Master Zhu, you've had enough rest. It's almost time to come back."

"If you have something to say, it's my job, okay?"

"I have good news for you. The accounts of "1951" have come down. We have money. The first income is 3500 million."

"Money alone is of no use. How is the director you are looking for? Has the producer chosen one?"

"I have a pile of resumes here. Who can take this job if you don't come back?"

"Okay, I'll leave for home next week."

"By the way, my dad told me that when you return to the Magic City, go to his place."

After hanging up the phone, Chen Yiming's interest in "collecting stories" disappeared. He always had an ominous premonition that he would probably fall into a trap again this time.

After returning to Platinum Jue, Chen Yiming flipped through the resume that Da Zhuang had brought over, and then pushed it all back.

"Brother Zhuang, I know you are very busy, but you can't show me everything. You are the producer of future movies, shouldn't you have preliminary opinions?
Also, after the initial screening, you can’t just give me a text resume, you must also have works. If there is a link online, attach a link. If there is no link, contact them to send a USB flash drive.

This is choosing a director. What can you tell by just reading the text?

Also, why are you pushing the producer's resume to me?I won't get involved in this matter. "

Da Zhuang accepted it all helplessly, and couldn't stop muttering, "I really should record your face and make it known to everyone, so that everyone can see what you can do once you succeed."

Chen Yiming snorted, "You just know, it's too late! I'll leave if it's okay. I have to see your dad tomorrow. I don't know what the trouble will be this time."

Da Zhuang grabbed him and said, "No, I have something else to do. Your studio is almost ready. You are the legal representative this time, and you need to be present for many procedures."

Chen Yiming thought for a while and said, "Let's do it next week. It's not urgent. Anyway, I haven't decided what to do next."

The next day I met Mr. Ma, and as expected, he came to work again.Before even a few words of greeting were exchanged, the second uncle threw a folder directly across the desk and said, "Yi Ming, let's see if you are interested in taking on this project."

Chen Yiming opened the document and found three large characters in the middle of the first page, "Mulan".

He closed the document with a snap and said, "Uncle Ma, isn't this appropriate? Didn't you choose director Ren Chucheng? Cutting things off halfway is a loss of character?"

Mr. Ma shook his head and replied, "There have been some changes. Director Ren voluntarily quit, and Boss Yang of Hong Kong City Xinghuang Pictures has significantly reduced investment. Now the project is controlled by Moying."

Good guy, Mr. Ma is so powerful and domineering. He talks about occupying the magpie nest so lightly and still has "a little" change. This is a huge change, isn't it?

Chen Yiming still felt that something was wrong, "Uncle Ma, the last time I looked at the information, Boss Yang had already invited the screenwriter and some of the leading actors. It would be very uneconomical to just overturn it and start over."

Ma Erye stretched out his right hand and said, "Take a look first. If you think it's best to take over, if you think it's not to your liking, I can just kill you as a writer and director. Compared with the total investment of the project, the initial preparation funds are just a drop in the bucket." .”

Chen Yiming resignedly opened the folder again. On the second page, the director's column was empty, and the screenwriter was still the same. The proposed starring actors were Mainland Chinese actress Zhao Yan and Hong Kong niche student Chen Zuming.

Looking at the synopsis of the plot, it doesn't change much from the last version. It's a love story between a general who disguises himself as a man and a prince who hides his identity.

This setting has a strong atmosphere of ancient Disney princesses. Disney started a feminist universe of second-generation princesses with the independent and stubborn "Mulan". More than ten years later, this live-action version of "Mulan" changed it back to others. .

This script is definitely not good, it is neither history nor poetry, it is purely anecdote.

Forced himself to read it carefully again, Chen Yiming was so dizzy by the pretentious lines in it, the energy was too great.

He raised his head with a look of embarrassment and said, "Uncle Ma, let alone an epic blockbuster, this book is not qualified to be used as a TV series."

Mr. Ma nodded, "Well, this version of the script is invalid, don't stress, the cost of the script has already been paid to the screenwriter, so there is no copyright risk.

Are you interested in taking over?It can be seen that you are very emotional about the story of Mulan. "

Chen Yiming reflexively wanted to refuse, but Master Ma saw it and interrupted him with a "silence" from the air.

"Don't refuse in a hurry. I'm not asking you to make a decision immediately. Take it back and think about it carefully.

I have thought about what you said the last time we met, and it makes sense.

But you also need to know that costume themes are reserved for a country’s film industry. Regardless of whether they follow the creative principles you mentioned, there will always be people joining in.

As far as I know this year, Mak Zi-hsiung, who is making gangster movies in Hong Kong, has been filming five levels and six generals, and that literature professor Lu Yichuan is tinkering with Hongmen Banquet. What experience do these two have in shooting period blockbusters?
They are not worried, so what do you have to worry about?

Since you have ideas about period films, you should take action as soon as possible to set a standard for the audience and let your peers take a look at what an epic film based on Chinese history should look like.

Winning so many awards doesn’t make you qualified to be willful?Is it just placed in the cupboard as a display?

Yiming, you are not yet 30 years old! "

Chen Yiming blushed when Ma Erye said that. Thinking about it carefully, he was indeed a little too cautious.

Occasionally making a bad movie or two is not a heinous crime. Before the National Master made "Hero", he had never made a war movie.

Moreover, one meaning in Ma Erye's words particularly touched Chen Yiming. Hua Mulan is a good IP, otherwise Disney would not have noticed it and used it as a representative character of the princess of China.

If Chen Yiming doesn't make the film, there will always be another director, and we don't know what it will be like when the time comes.

Like the cheesy love story in the folder.

Thinking of this, Chen Yiming's refusal attitude relaxed a lot, "Uncle Ma, let me go back and think about it carefully. Before making a decision, I must have a general idea."

Mr. Ma smiled and said, "That's right. I have confidence in you. You are both a double-gold international director. There is no subject that you cannot shoot."

After bidding farewell to Mr. Ma, Chen Yiming walked to the car and walked eastward along the sidewalk, intending to walk home and think.

Don't look at Chen Yiming's epic sense in front of Mr. Ma, but when it comes to the character of Hua Mulan, there are really difficulties.

According to the original version of Mulan, Hua Mulan was promoted from a soldier to a general and led the troops to defeat the invading enemies from the north.

Therefore, what she was fighting was actually a border garrison war, and her opponents were nomads further north.

The script Chen Yiming saw from Ma Erye set the two sides as the Northern Wei Dynasty and Rouran according to the era of Mulan Ci.

This is actually a war between two ethnic minority regimes, so the first problem faced by the film arises. How should modern Chinese audiences relate to it?
(End of this chapter)