China Entertainment started from cutting off the Hu in 1995

"The Night When the Comet Comes" is a hit. Wu Yuchen doesn't need to look at other movies, it can be seen from the attendance rate.

The Sydney Film Festival is shown for two consecutive weeks. During the weekdays, the attendance of most movies is actually not very high during the day. Crowds of people will flock to watch after get off work in the evening.

But even during the daytime on weekdays, the attendance rate of "The Night When the Comet Came" was over 70%. This is already a very high figure!

Moreover, Wu Yuchen also found a few familiar faces in the audience. I don’t know how many times he came to watch it. He is obviously a fan of suspense movies.

On the fifth day of the screening, film producers already came to visit.

But it's not the British and American blockbusters that Wu Yuchen expected, but a small local Australian film company that wants US$50,000 to buy the screening rights of "The Night the Comet Came", and it's worldwide.

"Hey, Wu, you only spent 10,000 yuan, and our five times quote is not enough to show our sincerity?"

"Mr. Jason, I'm sorry, I want to wait until the festival is over to talk."

Although he said it more tactfully, Wu Yuchen's attitude was very firm. At this price, he wanted to get his wool? I want to eat shit!

Don’t be surprised, many local film producers like this will try to pick up the slack. Anyway, there is nothing to lose by giving a try. What if the negotiation is successful?

By then, people won’t have to actually do the distribution themselves, they can just make a lot of money by selling the copyright.

"Wu, you should know very well that the Sydney Film Festival prefers art films, and your "Coherence" is a science fiction suspense film. It will not be favored by the judges!" This person still wanted to hang on and kept talking. He said some words that shook Wu Yuchen's confidence.

Wu Yuchen's face immediately turned cold: "I think we have nothing to talk about anymore. Do you need me to call security to ask you to leave?"

Seeing Wu Yuchen's resolute attitude, the man knew that there was no chance, so he said nothing more, snorted and left.

Although Jiang Qinqin has practiced English for several months, she still can't fully understand the rapid conversation between the two. However, Tang Yu was translating for Jiang Qinqin just now.

She walked up, gently took one of Wu Yuchen's hands, and asked a little worriedly: "Is it really like what he said?"

Seeing her look, Wu Yuchen squeezed her hand to reassure her, and then said with a smile:

"Art films are favored at most film festivals, but there are 10 best films, so there may not be a chance. And even if you don't win the award, it doesn't matter, just treat it as a free trip to Sydney~"

Over the past few days, Tang Yu has basically figured out the situation. In addition, after the organizer saw the popularity of their exhibition hall, they assigned two staff members to help. Wu Yuchen had time to take Jiang Qinqin for a walk. .

How can you not go to the Sydney Film Festival and not see some good movies?

The first place Wu Yuchen took Jiang Qinqin to was the "Shining Style" exhibition hall.

This movie is really a classic. Even though he had seen it in his previous life, watching it now still made him deeply moved.

Wu Yuchen remembers that in Zhou Xingxing's "The King of Comedy", the idol poster in the male protagonist Yin Tianqiu's room had this movie.

The performance of the leading actor Geoffrey Rush is also really great. Being able to win next year's Oscar for an Australian film shows how awesome he is. He later played the villain Captain Barbossa in "Pirates of the Caribbean."

Just when Wu Yuchen was taking Jiang Qinqin to play without any hurry, a not-so-heated argument was taking place among several judges.

The annual jury of the Sydney Film Festival consists of five members, one or two of whom are Australian filmmakers. At the same time, several of the top ten films each year are Australian films. This is a kind of protection for local films.

"I recommend "Coherence". The discussion about human nature is very interesting. I am me, but I am not me. In order to kill me, I have to try hard to pretend to be me. When people are selfish, they are even ugly to themselves. Be jealous!”

If Wu Yuchen were present, he would definitely recite the classic line "Who fooled me, and who did I kill?" in "Wulin Gaiden" when Lu Xiucai counterattacked and killed Ji Wuming.

But another man spread his hands and said: "But, it is a science fiction suspense movie, it is really not that artistic."

Opposing her is a woman wearing glasses:

"Come on, Paul, we have 10 quotas. Do you want to select 10 films that are all what you call art films?

The Sydney Film Festival’s external promotion slogan is that films of any subject are welcome!

Do you want me to read you the festival theme?

'I hope that the film will be bold and cutting-edge, using extraordinary techniques to express the theme. ’

Isn’t the satirical approach to human nature in “Coherence” novel enough? "

Seeing that the man was speechless for a moment, another judge smiled and smoothed things over:

"Paul, this year there will be "Shining Style". Art films are already dazzling enough. I think we have to give some opportunities to other subjects. After all, the film festival must ensure an open and inclusive attitude."

Paul got off the road and said: "You are right, "Shining Style" is really great! I have seen the short film "Che 44" by this new director Wu, and he is indeed a very thoughtful young man. .”

…

After playing for a week, two days before the film festival was about to end, Wu Yuchen stopped taking Jiang Qinqin out for fun, and returned to the exhibition hall with peace of mind.

On the afternoon of the day before the closing ceremony, a staff member came over and said with a smile: "Director Wu, please be sure to come to our closing ceremony and awards ceremony tomorrow!"

"Thank you!" Wu Yuchen smiled when he heard this.

Tang Yu around him was already cheering, and now he knew that this meant that he would most likely win the prize tomorrow.

The next day, Wu Yuchen put on a suit and dress this time, but Jiang Qinqin and Wu Yuchen were reluctant to let her wear a dress. It’s not that she’s reluctant to spend money, but it’s still winter in Australia in June, and the weather is less than 10 degrees Celsius and she’s afraid she’ll get cold.

The two of them held their arms and walked down the red carpet together with a Chinese saying. This time they cheered a lot more than when they were in Berlin. After all, after word of mouth in the past two weeks, "Comet" has already It has become a favorite at this film festival.

As for the awards ceremony, to be honest, there is not much to say, because the Sydney Film Festival awards are for the ten best films, there is no order of priority, and there is no suspense. In comparison, the atmosphere and tension are indeed far worse than those in Berlin. . Each crew took turns to go up to receive the award, and representatives of the last ten crews even came to take a group photo.

After Wu Yuchen and Jiang Qinqin experienced Berlin, they were much calmer this time. After all, Tang Yu was very happy to witness the film winning an award for the first time.

Wu Yuchen looked at the small trophy for the best picture in his hand. He didn't think much of it, but it was a ladder. With it, he could enter the field of vision of British and American film producers.

There are many British and American film producers coming to the Sydney Film Festival this time, which can even be said to be the most in recent years. This is all thanks to the movie "Shining Style".

Ever since this movie debuted at the film festival, people who knew the product quickly contacted the company. Fox Searchlight, Sony Classics, Buena Vista International, etc. all came and wanted to win the distribution rights of this movie in the United States.

"Damn it, Bo Wei moved so fast!" Frank cursed while unbuttoning the collar of his clothes. He came all the way from the United States just to inspect "Shining Style" in person.

He went to see this movie as soon as he arrived at the film festival two days ago. It was indeed very good, and this kind of biographical movie is very suitable for the Oscar-winning route. The old guys at the Academy love this type of movie the most. It works a little bit. It's not impossible to be nominated for an Oscar in just one shot, and eventually win the award.

However, his movements were still slow. When he wanted to negotiate with the producer of "Shining Style", they had already reached a cooperation intention with Bowie International. He visited several times in the past two days but returned without success. , which made him a little frustrated but helpless.

Frank saw that there was basically no hope for "Shining Style", but he didn't want to go to waste, so he asked his subordinates:

"Daniel, are there any other good movies in this film festival?"

Daniel thought for a moment and said, "Head, there is a science fiction suspense movie from the East that is very popular at this film festival. Its creativity is really great!"

These words actually made Frank interested. Hollywood's various routines have almost become rotten over the years: "Tell me about it."

"Parallel worlds, the intersection of time and space..." Frank kept chanting after listening, his eyes twinkling.

"The Night the Comet Came" was playing in a movie hall, but unlike previous film festivals, the movie hall seemed empty, with only about ten people sitting there.

Wu Yuchen glanced at the few people who were watching the movie attentively. In addition to those from Fox Searchlight, there were also people from Sony Classics and an English film company.

Wu Yuchen did not expect that this time "Shining Style" would attract more senior leaders from several companies, so that his "The Night When the Comet Comes" would also take the opportunity to enter the field of vision of these people. Rent a movie theater for them to play once.

When the movie ended and the lights in the theater came on, people from several film companies had no reaction.

Frank curled his lips and said: "The first ten minutes are so boring that most viewers can't get through it."

The people at Sony Classics next to him also shrugged: "Yeah, I thought it was such a wonderful idea, but it turns out that time and space are all leftover from Hollywood."

"There are so many oriental faces, I think the audience will suffer from prosopagnosia after seeing them."

"The picture of the movie is also a bit rough. I watched it with a frown on my face."

The person in charge of the English Film Company next to him didn't say anything. He watched the two Hollywood colleagues acting here with great interest. The two of them complained about the shortcomings of the movie, but they didn't mean to leave, hehehe.

Seeing Wu Yuchen coming over, the two people looked at each other and understood that they couldn't really deceive each other, so they stopped playing any tricks.

Frank smiled and said: "Okay, I admit that this movie is a bit interesting."

The person from Sony Classics said, "Frank, you don't want us to just bid like this, do you?"

Frank nodded: "In order to avoid losing dignity for a small-budget Eastern movie, how about we wait for a fixed price?"

"OK."

After Wu Yuchen came over, Frank asked directly:

"Wu, our time is precious. We will return to China tomorrow. What is your quotation?"

These people are all veterans. If they can know his psychological expectations, it would be better to buy the copyright from Wu Yuchen at a lower price, so they will not take the initiative to make an offer.

Wu Yuchen smiled lightly when he heard this and said in a relaxed tone: "Oh, I'm just the opposite. I have very free time. So I plan to go to all the film festivals in the second half of the year, such as Toronto and Sitges. I think there will always be There is a suitable buyer.”

Wu Yuchen's statement, which did not reveal the truth at all but showed his attitude, also made a few people realize that this kid is not easy to fool.

Frank also smiled: "Wu, I have some interest in movies. The director's time is very precious, and you don't want to waste all your energy on the journey. US$500,000, North American screening rights plus disc copyright."

Wu Yuchen sighed inwardly, he is indeed a blockbuster businessman, this is much more generous than the Australian bumpkin who came to fool him some time ago!

Hearing Frank's offer, the person from Sony Classics next to him smiled and said, "Wow, Frank, it seems I'm a little more sincere than you. I'll offer $600,000."

"Really? I suddenly felt that the figure of $650,000 might be better."

Frank immediately answered, having already put aside the fixed price he proposed, what a shame!

He originally came here for "Shining Style" this time, but he had no choice but to come back empty-handed. "The Night the Comet Came" gave him an unexpected surprise.

The person from Sony Classics glared at him, then looked at Wu Yuchen: "750,000. Wu, I heard that your short film adaptation rights were sold to us at Sony Classics. You should trust our credibility and sincerity."

Wu Yuchen looked at Frank again, but Frank didn't look at him. Instead, he looked at the Sony Classics person and reported a number: "1 million."

"You!" The man from Sony Classics glared at Frank, the traitor.

Wu Yuchen, on the other hand, looked at Sony Classics eagerly with expectation, hoping that he could continue to work hard and raise his head higher.

But the person in charge of Sony Classics disappointed him. Instead of reporting the numbers, he said to Frank with a sullen face:

"There is no way this movie will have any box office success in North America!"

"I am willing, can't I just treat it as filling up the film library for Fox?" Old Frank said quietly.

The person from Sony Classics ignored him and handed a business card to Wu Yuchen: "Wu, if you have any ideas, you can contact me at any time."

After finishing speaking, he adjusted his clothes, turned around and left.

At this time, Wu Yuchen smiled and asked Frank:

"Mr. Frank, are you sure it's $1 million?"

"Of course, aren't you satisfied?"

"Oh no no, I'm just afraid you will regret it."

Wu Yuchen said politely, but also put away the business card in his hand.

Frank snorted coldly when he saw this: "I will not do such a dishonorable thing. However, the 1 million is conditional. We at Fox Searchlight have the first right to purchase the North American adaptation rights of the film."

When Wu Yuchen heard that it was just the right of first refusal, he readily nodded in agreement.

Frank has his own plan. First of all, what the Sony Classics people said is right. This movie will basically not be released on a large scale in North America. It can only be tried in some theaters in Chinatown and Asian living areas.

However, "Comet" will have very good profits in the disc market. Not only is the creativity attractive, the plot is worth watching again and again, but the publicity stunt of a $10,000 science fiction movie can attract many people. He was not sure how much the specific profit would be, but he would definitely not lose money on this transaction.

Don’t think that foreigners don’t watch Chinese movies or that they really have prosopagnosia. Hong Kong martial arts movies have always sold well in the DVD market. In the past two years, Cheng Long’s action movies have become even more popular. DVD sales and rentals in the red zone even once It reached the top ten of the year in North America.

Frank plans to take it back to test the waters first. If the effect is beyond expectations, he will directly take over the adaptation rights and make a new American version. At first glance, this movie looks like a small production, and it didn’t cost much to shoot.

After watching a good show, the people from the English film company nearby smiled and said:

"Director Wu, I don't think you need to go to the Sitges Film Festival anymore. It's US$800,000, European screening rights plus a disc. I think my price is very fair."

Compared to those in the United States, people from the film studio in England are more optimistic about "The Night the Comet Came".

Because to a certain extent, Europe is actually more tolerant of movies, and they don’t care too much about whether the protagonist is Caucasian for this kind of independent movie.

At this time in 1996, the parallel intersection of "The Night the Comet Came" and the idea of ​​killing yourself were absolutely genius ideas. Anyone who is interested in suspense movies will definitely be shocked after watching it. Therefore, he is very confident that the film will receive huge returns in Europe.

Wu Yuchen pondered for a moment, then nodded in agreement. The price was indeed not bad, and he really didn't want to wait a few more months.

Because Yahoo has already been listed in April, he wants to take advantage of the fact that he can operate abroad and invest the money he earns in Yahoo's stocks. Waiting for a few more months will not be good.

Regarding the movie "The Night the Comet Came", he himself does not plan to run any more, but there is still Tang Yu in it!

At the Sitges Film Festival in the second half of the year, I asked him to take it to participate again, preferably to win another award. At that time, the copyrights of neon and stick countries, Bay Area, Hong Kong Island, South America and other regions can be sold for money!

After everything was settled, the people from the English film company smiled and said to Wu Yuchen:

"Wu, from your short films "Che 44" and "Comet", it can be seen that you are a very thoughtful director with an international vision. If you have the opportunity, I suggest you go to a bigger stage Show your talents.”

Frank was also moved when he heard this, and he also smiled and said: "I agree very much, Wu. If you have a suitable script, you are welcome to come to me. I am always welcome! Maybe you can get a chance to direct in Hollywood~"

Frank was actually thinking that if "Comet" was really going to be remade in the American version, Wu would be a director that could be considered.

"Thank you both for your suggestions. I will definitely consider it seriously. If I have time, I would like to invite you two to have dinner together tonight."

Wu Yuchen made the invitation and hoped to learn more about the current situation of European movies and Hollywood from the two of them. Although he has experience in his previous life, it can only serve as a reference, and the information obtained from these two people is not more timely.

"Hahaha, then we won't be polite!" The two looked at each other and smiled.

…

Wu Yuchen, Jiang Qinqin, and Tang Yu waited in Sydney for a few more days and received a total of US$1.9 million.

1 million are from North America, 800,000 are from Europe, and 100,000 are from Australia.

Some people may think that selling nearly two million US dollars at a time is a bit exaggerated, but if you know that there are two Pang brothers in Hong Kong, the North American rights of the two movies "Silent Fire" and "Hell" were sold for US$900,000 and US$1 million respectively. , I don’t think this number is outrageous. Among them, "Silent Fire" was only in 1999, not a few years away from now, and the remake rights were later bought, starring Nicolas Cage.

This 1.9 million plus the 300,000 he had previously deposited in the bank, totaling 2.2 million. He took 2 million of it to buy Yahoo stock.

Yahoo went public on April 12 this year, with a closing price of $33. However, it has not risen in the past few months and has instead fallen below $20. Wu Yuchen didn't know the process. He only remembered that Yahoo's market value at its peak was hundreds of times higher than when it went public. He still decided to believe in the glory of Yahoo in his previous life and bought $2 million of Yahoo stock for $18.55.

He plans to take the remaining $200,000 back home, which is enough for him.

This time, he will definitely not reveal how much money he made from selling the copyright for "The Night the Comet Came", otherwise a bunch of people will definitely be jealous. However, he planned to give every actor in the crew a big red envelope of 6,666 yuan, mainly because he really made more money this time!

There is also the matter of domestic release. When the time comes, I will ask Beijing Film Group and Shanghai Film Group whether they can get it. If Wu Yuchen can pay some distribution fees himself, that will be fine. He is not interested in how much money he can make at the domestic box office, but when the film is produced, at least the crew can go to the cinema to watch his film, so that everyone will have a sense of accomplishment and not feel that their hard work is in vain.

It was already July, and Jiang Qinqin didn't even stay for two days after returning to the capital. After a tender farewell with Wu Yuchen, she went back to her hometown. After all, she didn't go back during the Chinese New Year, so she had to go back this summer.

The first thing Wu Yuchen did when he came back was to gather the "Two of Us" crew together. Now they can film the summer scenes.

This summer scene in the movie happens to be a day when the two of them live together warmly and harmoniously. Every detail between the two can make people feel the care and warmth between them, just like a real grandma and granddaughter.

Now that Zhou Xun and Mrs. Jin Yaqin are very familiar with each other, filming this scene was a matter of course, and it was completed in 5 days!

The crew of "The Two of Us" has just finished filming. At the wrapping party, Mrs. Jin Yaqin even asked Zhou Xun if he was fine and often went to their house to sit there. They really formed a deep friendship.

Wu Yuchen has invested in post-production. The three seasons of winter, spring and autumn that have been shot earlier have been cut out. He just needs to cut out the summer section and join it together.

As for the soundtrack, coincidentally, the soundtrack for the movie "The Two of Us" in the previous life was done by Dou Wei. But now Dou Wei can't play the guqin, so it's impossible for Wu Yuchen to identify him.

So he went to the Central Conservatory of Music to find Dou Wei's guqin teacher Wu Na, and through Wu Na, who had just entered the school, he found his teacher Li Xiangting, a famous guqin teacher, and finally completed the score.

The reason why I insist on using the guqin is because it is so suitable for this movie to use an instrument with a deep tone and long lingering sound. When you listen to it, you will have a sense of tradition and the passage of time.