Made in Hollywood

"Director Rosenberg, if you can..."

After the recording of the show, Chai Jing tentatively sent out an invitation, "Can I invite you to lunch?"

"It's my honor."

Duke looked very polite, but declined politely, "I have made an appointment with someone at noon, Mr. Han from China Film Group."

As a person who yearns for the United States, Chai Jing has no regrets. She will leave Shang Hai in the afternoon and cannot get closer to the most famous director and rich man in the United States. It is undoubtedly she will miss a golden opportunity.

What else did she want to say, but Duke didn’t give a chance to speak. He called the assistant to entertain the group of people. He picked up his mobile phone, dialed Tina Fei’s number, and simply asked about the situation in North America. He left the small conference room used for recording the show and returned to his room. It was late. He was about to change his clothes and accept the banquet of the mountain eagle.

This is not a formal official banquet. The other party only invited him and a person in charge of Warner Greater China. The venue of the banquet was an old Chinese restaurant not far from the Hilton Hotel.

Due to the interview, Duke arrived late.

"very sorry."

Regardless of the actual perception, it is a fact that he was late. Duke sat next to Phil, the head of Warner Greater China, and said to the mountain eagle on the main seat, "There is an interview, which takes a little longer."

"It doesn't matter." Zuo Shan Diao also knew which media Duke was interviewed, and said with a smile, "There are not many people in this world who can wait for Rosenberg's director."

Phil adjusted his seat slightly, "Sometimes I want to wait for Duke, but I don't have the qualification."

"Phil, when did I tell you to wait?" Duke also casually joked.

He knew Phil quite well in the 1990s, and the other party once helped him invite Yuan Heping in Hong Kong.

When the waiter served the wine and dishes, the mountain carving was the first to raise the glass. "Congratulations to the "Transformers" sales."

Duke came to the village and said, "Tongxi."

"Yes, Tongxi." The mountain eagle laughed.

In "Transformers" there is an investment from China Film Group.

Baijiu was still too strong for Duke. He basically tasted nothing but the authentic Chinese food prepared by the hotel did not take a few bites. One is that banquets of this nature are more about communication, and the other is that after decades of Western food, it is somewhat unsuitable for Chinese food.

Some things will not change according to personal will, such as the huge difference in eating habits between the East and the West.

Let alone the West, even in this vast country, there are often things that this province is not used to the food of another province.

Probably to take care of him and Phil. The banquet used a Western-style meal system. Duke and the Warner Greater China head only tasted each dish before putting down their knife and fork.

Phil has worked on this land for many years. It seems that he has become accustomed to a Chinese diet, but Duke is different. For example, he tasted a Sichuan dish that was quite delicious, but he couldn't bear it after years of not eating such a spicy stomach. After only two bites, his stomach felt like rebelling. .

"Phil, Duke."

This kind of occasion can naturally shorten the distance between people, and discuss the topic of Chinese cuisine while having a meal. The mountain sculpture gradually turned to the topic, "Transformers is inevitable in the global market. Especially in the Chinese market."

He picked up his teacup and took a sip, "Frankly speaking, we know that Duke's films can sell well in the Chinese market, but China Film Group did not expect it to be so popular, which reminds me of the "Titanic" back then. "

"This is thanks to China Film Group's distribution and promotion." Duke said politely.

He is not a person who does not understand the world. I don’t even think that I am so bullish that I can kill the whole world. "Transformers" can get more than 300 million yuan in the Chinese market in seven days. The quality of the film and the feelings of the audience are one aspect. Support is another aspect, even critical.

""Transformers" is a model of our successful cooperation." Zuo Shan Diao's eyes seemed to be full of sincerity. "I have been thinking about whether this cooperation model can be used in many Chinese film companies and Hollywood companies. Promote between the two, so that more and more similar co-produced films appear in markets around the world?

International cooperation can be said to be the mainstream production model of Hollywood. As long as the funds are sufficient and core issues are not involved, Hollywood companies will not care whether the investment funds come from Russia or China.

"I also hope to increase more cooperation with your country." Duke naturally led the topic to Phil, "I am only a director. In this regard, China Film should communicate more with Warner."

Phil looked at Duke and couldn't help but smile.

In any case, Duke was once a member of the film industry in this country. He thought about it for a moment and then said, “Any film company with ambitions and ambitions wants to promote its films to the world. We are also very interested in the global market. The globalization of the film industry is a global problem, not a country’s problem, it is a big problem in the United States, and a big problem in any country, so we must work hard in this regard Cooperation is very different now compared to a few years ago. We are living in a digital age, so we must cooperate globally if we want to succeed."

Hollywood can be said to be a model of film globalization. Ang Lee once said that nationality is not necessarily global.

In some ways, Duke agrees with this sentence. In many cases, national movies are often niche movies, even in Hollywood.

This is a very simple truth. Cultures have commonalities, as well as very deep geographical and ethnic restrictions. These restrictions will not be shifted by human will.

In summary, the two versions of "Infernal Affairs" can be said to be typical.

After the Hong Kong version of "Infernal Affairs" was screened in North America, it only got a box office of 160,000 US dollars, which is completely out of proportion to its imdb high score, and North American audiences are not buying it. The most criticized is that the film is too romantic and romantic. It’s not like a gangster movie at all. The classic rooftop duel in the East is also one of the most violent places. Two people who are repressed and facing life-and-death duel at that moment speak such a romantic dialogue, in the eyes of North American audiences. It's incredible.

By the same token, "Infinite Walker" only has a market in North America and the West. It has received fierce criticism in the Western Pacific region. The various swear words of the characters are unbearable, especially in the scene on the rooftop, Leonardo and Matt Damon kept cursing'', completely destroying the original mood...

The difference brought by culture is vividly reflected in these two films.

In today's world, Western-style culture undoubtedly occupies an absolute dominant position. This will not change with personal will. If Chinese movies want to truly enter the world market, while maintaining their own characteristics, they must conform to the trend of globalization.

Having said that, Chinese movies want to ramp up the world like Hollywood movies, and no matter how fast the movie industry develops, this can't be achieved.

The reason is simple. The film industry in any country wants to replace Hollywood. That is not a problem that movies can solve.

"Mr. Han, I still don't know the functions of the China Film Group very well, but in my opinion, the company you are in charge of and the department in charge of the upstream industry should be somewhat similar to mpaa."

Now that he has spoken, Duke also intends to say a few more words. Although he pursues the principle of the supremacy of interests, after all, a part of his body has lived on this land and worked hard in this industry.

"The job of mpaa is actually very simple, basically it is to assist Hollywood film companies to protect their works and increase market access. This is an industry, a business, and it is very important to expand the market."

The mountain eagle also showed a look of listening carefully, at least on the surface.

Duke knows very well that he cannot take a one-sided view of this leading figure in the Chinese film industry. The other party has been immersed in this industry for decades. If he does not want to see the development of Chinese films, it must be fake.

"And obviously, the cost of film production is very high." Duke added, "The writer only needs a pen, and the painter only needs a brush, but what the filmmaker needs is an army, a high-level team with tacit cooperation. Today’s film production costs are very high. Whether in China or elsewhere, it costs money to make a good movie. It is very important to make sure that a good movie that audiences want to watch is made and that audiences all over the world are interested ."

In any country in the world, even in France, movies are a business.

It seems that Duke's words have played a role. Zuo Shan Diao asked quite seriously, "What is urgently needed for Chinese films to enter the international market?"

"I am not sure about the current positioning of Chinese films, and no one can tell me what status Chinese films have in the world."

Having said that, Duke stopped and looked at Phil. Phil smiled and did not refuse. Then he said, "The number of Chinese screens is increasing, the number of movie theaters is increasing, the number of movies is increasing...all this tells I—Chinese movies are on a very bright path."

His voice changed, "I want to say that what your country should see is continued growth. The Chinese market is the foundation. Only by laying a solid foundation can it be possible to enter overseas."

The mountain eagle sighed slightly, "It's just that time is waiting for no one."

He will retire in a few years.

"Mr. Han, this is a common problem in the world film industry." Duke thought for a moment and said, "If Hollywood only made films for the US market, then we would never succeed. The reason why we have been successful for so many years, Warner The company has been developing for nearly a hundred years because we have created excellent global films. I think you understand this. This is the right path and good news for everyone." (To be continued.)

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