NABC Chapter 82 So many investments you can't spend them all
Chapter 82 So many investments you can't spend them all
Chapter 81 So many investments you can't spend them all
Fan Bingbing, who turned down the role in "Apple", was not short of projects. She quickly landed a role in a mythological drama.
She played Daji in "The Legend of the Gods: The Phoenix's Cry in Qishan".
So after spending a week with Zhang Jun, she went to Hengdian to participate in filming.
Gao Yuanyuan is even busier than Fan Bingbing. Since the hit drama "About Time" became a hit, she has been receiving a constant stream of scripts and commercial offers.
As a result, Zhang Jun was suddenly all alone.
Of course, he could call someone over anytime he wanted. But as a man with aspirations, Zhang Jun felt that this kind of thing lacked romance.
As September arrived, the box office of "About Time" plummeted, with very little revenue each day, but this figure was still enough to satisfy everyone.
In addition, another film related to Zhang Jun, "Crazy Stone" directed by Ning Hao, has officially wrapped up filming and entered the post-production stage.
In the screening room of Guanzhi Pictures, Zhang Jun saw the initial cut of the film, which was not much different from the original version in his memory.
Ning Hao asked with a mixture of nervousness and anticipation, "How did it go?"
Zhang Jun nodded: "Very good, it's already of the quality of a theatrical release."
Ning Hao beamed with joy: "That's great! I was worried that this movie wouldn't meet your standards."
Zhang Jun gestured to Ning Hao not to be nervous: "You've directed two films before, you shouldn't be so nervous."
Ning Hao stated that it was different: "Those two films didn't have this much investment. What if this four million investment goes wrong?"
"Then let the market decide!"
Zhang Jun said, "However, in my judgment, I think this film will be well received by the audience, and profitability will not be a problem."
"Hearing you say that makes me feel much more at ease," Ning Hao breathed a sigh of relief.
Because Zhang Jun preemptively secured the rights, "Crazy Stone" was released slightly earlier, with its release date set for September 30th. Jackie Chan's "The Myth" will be released on September 23rd, a difference of seven days.
However, the difference in genre and subject matter allows "Crazy Stone" to avoid the impact of "The Myth" to the greatest extent.
Conversely, they could even leverage the popularity generated by "The Myth" to boost the success of "Crazy Stone".
This is the effect of release schedules: films released within the same period compete with each other while also mutually promoting each other.
After watching "Crazy Stone," Zhang Jun and Ning Hao talked about the movie "Reign of Assassins."
"I heard that 'Reign of Assassins' isn't going very well?" Ning Hao asked.
Zhang Jun nodded: "We have enough investment, but the problem now is that we lack a female star who can carry the box office. I'm still waiting for news from Zhang Ziyi."
"Reign of Assassins" has a relatively large investment, unlike films such as "Little Miss Sunshine" and "About Time". It would be difficult to break even relying solely on domestic box office revenue.
The reason for using Zhang Ziyi's name is that her name can be used to sell copyrights overseas, and the copyright fee could be in the tens of millions of dollars.
This is something that no other female star in mainland China can do at this stage.
Even a layman like Boss Wang understands this, let alone Zhang Jun.
However, Zhang Jun wasn't flustered. He quickly prepared a new story. This time, he planned to do something different, change the style, and prove his versatility.
At the start of the new week, Zhang Jun walked into his office at Guanzhi Pictures, looking refreshed and invigorated.
Ye Bingcheng signed a share transfer agreement with him, which made Zhang Jun one of the owners of Guanzhi Pictures and also served as an executive director.
His personal director's studio still exists, but it's just an empty shell, used for investment and legal tax avoidance.
Guanzhi Pictures is still in its early stages. At present, the company's key projects are Zhang Jun's films, and it has also invested in Ning Hao's films.
It's not a large company, and it doesn't have as many problems as big companies.
Assistant Gao Yan had prepared tea early in the morning, and Zhang Jun had documents to process on the table. There weren't many documents, mainly concerning revenue sharing for "About Time" and subsequent copyright sales.
With the growing popularity of Chinese period dramas overseas, Chinese films are also benefiting, and their overseas copyrights are selling very well.
The movie "Little Miss Sunshine" sold its rights for over 30 million RMB, which seems less than the rights to many period dramas that cost tens of millions of dollars.
However, the total cost of this film, including its marketing and distribution, did not exceed eight million. It has already made a profit through box office revenue, and the copyright is pure profit.
Even before "About Time" was released in China, overseas distributors, especially those from Japan and South Korea, expressed great interest.
The film's style was particularly to their liking, so they wanted not only the screening rights but also the remake rights. Therefore, He Xuan and China Film Group are currently discussing the price of the rights with overseas distributors.
After becoming Zhang Jun's assistant, Gao Yan gained a better understanding of the film industry, and she couldn't understand why it was necessary to sell the copyrights.
Unable to resist her curiosity, Gao Yan took advantage of Zhang Jun's work on the documents and asked questions like a model student.
"Boss, why can't we handle overseas distribution ourselves?"
"Overseas distribution?"
Zhang Jun smiled and shook his head: "This is not a simple matter. Chinese films are not Hollywood, and we do not have as many channels for overseas distribution."
Selling one copyright would be enough.
"Then why don't we learn from Hollywood and build distribution channels and a global distribution network like them?" Gao Yan asked again.
Zhang Junlai spread his hands like A Zhan: "Because it's impossible. Hollywood can do it because it has eleven carrier strike groups and overseas military bases all over the world."
You must remember one thing: film culture is never just a matter for filmmakers; it is also a country's image, a calling card, and a manifestation of soft power.
We don't have those conditions yet; focusing on developing the domestic market is enough.
Gao Yan nodded as if she understood, but she figured that since the boss had said so, it must be right.
In reality, the export of films will have to wait until decades later, with the development of the industry and the improvement of comprehensive national strength and soft power.
The first things to go global weren't movies, but rather short dramas, short videos, and period dramas.
No one expected that ancient costume dramas, which are disliked by fans in China, would become so popular in Southeast Asia.
Later, this booming trend even spread to vast areas of Asia, Africa and Latin America, making the producers a fortune.
So it's no wonder that the producers don't care about the opinions of ordinary domestic viewers. After they've captured the hearts of their fans, they can still make a fortune overseas without worrying about losing money.
Many people criticize Liu Yuning for being ugly yet playing handsome men in period dramas, but little do they know that he is an ancient idol god in Southeast Asia!
It's just that most Southeast Asian viewers don't know his real name.
Compared to the strong presence of short dramas and historical dramas overseas, movies are a different story. After all, movies require real money to support viewers in theaters, unlike TV series which can be watched for free.
The overseas expansion of Chinese-language films will only be feasible after the revolution in the film industry, but that will have to wait until after 2035.
There's not much Zhang Jun can do now that he's back in this era. All he can say is that making good films is enough, and the rest is up to fate.
Since there's still no news about Zhang Ziyi, and Boss Wang, as the main investor, isn't in a hurry, Zhang Jun is naturally not worried either.
He handed over the story script he had been working on for several weeks to He Xuan, planning to work on a small project before Reign of Assassins.
"You have so much energy, you never seem to stop!" He Xuan exclaimed in amazement.
She looked at the storybook called "Sherlock on the Plains" and became interested: "A detective story?"
"To be precise, it's a folk detective story, and Sherlock refers to Sherlock Holmes."
Zhang Jun said, "The filming of this movie is not complicated, and the investment is not large. It can be completed quickly."
He Xuan glanced at it briefly and put the storybook down: "Who are you going to cast?"
"What do you think of Uncle Benshan and Fan Wei? Their partnership is very interesting," Zhang Jun said.
"Can,"
He Xuan agreed: "Are you going to talk to Uncle Benshan in person, or should we invite him through official channels?"
"I'll go talk to them!"
Zhang Jun immediately called Uncle Benshan: "Uncle Benshan, I have a good script here. I'd like to know if you're interested?"
Uncle Benshan was in a meeting with people from Benshan Media when he heard this and asked, "What script? Your play?"
"Yes, it's hard to explain over the phone. Let's meet in person and talk in detail!" Zhang Jun said.
Not long after, at the same private restaurant, Zhang Jun, Uncle Benshan, and Fan Wei drank and ate again, talking about their new film.
"This film isn't too complicated, and I plan to film it on the Northeast Plain. This season is perfect for shooting a film like this that reflects our local culture."
Zhang Jun briefly told the two of them the story: "The story takes place in the countryside. Because your friend was hit by a car and the killer couldn't be found, you decided to investigate the case yourselves."
Uncle Benshan, you are Sherlock Holmes; Teacher Fan Wei, you are Watson.
During the investigation, you will encounter all sorts of people and events, which together form the world of the rural plains.
Uncle Benshan, while drinking the toast, heard Zhang Jun's introduction and his mustache twitched.
"Sure, this sounds interesting."
He turned to Fan Wei and asked, "What did you say?"
"What else can we say? We'll just have to act it out!"
Fan Wei and Zhang Jun had a pleasant working relationship. Fan Wei knew Zhang Jun's talent and ability, so he hardly hesitated.
Uncle Benshan didn't think much about it, only making one condition: Benshan Media had to participate in the investment. If Zhang Jun agreed, he could even act in the film for free.
Although Uncle Benshan's movie salary is not comparable to that of top-tier movie stars, it is still quite high for a low-budget suspense comedy.
To forgo his salary and instead offer to have his company invest in the film, without knowing its future prospects, takes courage.
As the executive director of Guanzhi Pictures, Zhang Jun wields considerable influence over his projects.
It was a good thing that someone was willing to pay for his low-cost project, so Zhang Jun didn't refuse.
"Okay, we'll let the professionals handle the contact. Let's finalize the roles first." Zhang Jun clinked glasses with Uncle Benshan.
On the way back after dinner, Zhang Jun suddenly remembered that Mr. Pierre from the Cannes Film Festival had asked him to make a film about rural China.
Coincidentally, it is "Sherlock on the Plains".
When they come knocking, we'll use this to get by. We did film it, but what it depicts might be somewhat different from what Pierre imagined.
After learning about the film, China Film Group has decided not to invest in it. Currently, China Film Group's focus is on importing films and guiding market-oriented reforms; they also have a major project this year, "The Promise."
"Sherlock on the Plains" is too small in scale; even with the combination of Zhang Jun and Uncle Benshan, it still cannot be compared with "The Promise".
Zhang Jun felt that those small, unreliable investors were unnecessary, so he rejected them all, and the freed-up funds were given to Benshan Media.
Thus, the project "Sherlock on the Plains" was launched with a total investment of three million yuan: one million from Guanzhi Pictures, one million from Zhang Jun's personal director studio, and one million from Benshan Media.
To be honest, three million is a bit excessive.
If it weren't for the fact that not much is needed, given Zhang Jun's current popularity, attracting 50 to 60 million in investment wouldn't be a problem.