noveldepot Chapter 74 Production Cost: 2 Million US Dollars
Chapter 74 Production Cost: 2 Million US Dollars
Chapter 73 Production Cost of 2 Million US Dollars (Seeking First Subscriptions for 3 Updates)
September 1st, Monday morning, penthouse apartment in Yintai Centre.
At seven o'clock in the morning, Jiang Yu stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window of his apartment, holding a cup of freshly brewed black coffee.
From this vantage point, the outline of the entire CBD is faintly visible in the morning mist, and traffic on Chang'an Avenue has already begun to flow.
Several copies of today's morning newspaper were spread out on the coffee table.
The entertainment section of the Beijing News featured a striking headline: "The Witch Breaks Records with 3.65 Million Yuan, China's New Film King Crowned."
The Beijing Times used even more exaggerated language: "The ten-year myth has finally been broken, and 'The Witch' ushers in a new era."
Jiang Yu picked up his phone; the screen displayed more than a dozen unread messages.
Most of the messages were congratulatory messages sent after the celebration banquet last night, with a few sent in the early hours of this morning. I guess some people had drunk too much and remembered to reconnect in the middle of the night.
He swiped the screen, and a text message from Los Angeles caught his attention.
The email was sent at 2:00 AM Beijing time, which should be around 1:00 AM in Los Angeles.
"President Jiang, I saw the news! It's amazing! The news of 'The Witch' breaking records has spread throughout Hollywood today, and several staff members were talking about it during breaks in training. Also—thank you for your birthday gift, it's beautiful, I love it. It's just too expensive. —Liu Yifei"
The text message was followed by a photo: the girl was wearing training clothes and an exquisite Bulgari necklace around her neck; it was given to her by David by Jiang Yu on her birthday, August 25th.
The necklace shimmered under the lights of the training ground, highlighting the beautiful lines of her collarbone.
Jiang Yu smiled slightly and replied, "I'm glad you like it. Is training tiring?"
She replied almost instantly: "It's alright. Sister Wu Na said my motion capture data is getting better every day. It's just that Brother David always tries to drag me to parties, but Sister Wu Na always glares at me and I refuse."
Imagining that scene, Jiang Yu smiled: "I'll listen to Wu Na. I'll talk to David about it."
"No need, he's toned it down a lot now. It's just—I wanted to ask when you're coming to America?"
"Mid-to-late September. I'll send you the specific schedule via WeChat."
"Okay, we'll wait for you."
Jiang Yu put down his phone and took a sip of coffee.
The sunlight finally pierced through the morning mist, shining on the glass curtain wall of the China World Trade Center and reflecting a golden light.
2 PM, Chasing Light Film Studio conference room at China World Trade Center.
The whiteboard in the meeting room was covered with words and drawings.
On the left is the project plan for "Bouquet", and on the right is the character relationship diagram for "The Man from Nowhere".
Jiang Yu, Lu Yang, and Shen Ao sat around the conference table, each with a thick stack of documents in front of them.
Shen Ao, a recent graduate of the Beijing Film Academy's directing department, has quickly gotten into the swing of things after only two months at Light Chaser Animation.
He was wearing a plaid shirt today, his hair was a bit messy, he had obvious dark circles under his eyes, his eyes were very bright, and he was in a state of excitement and focus.
"President Jiang, Director Lu, this is the third revised version of the script for 'Bouquet'."
Shen Ao pushed two neatly bound scripts in front of the two of them. "Based on the opinions from the last discussion, I have readjusted the emotional conflict in the third act to make the separation of the male and female protagonists more intense and their reunion more restrained and moving."
Lu Yang took the script and quickly flipped through it.
As the producer of "Bouquet", he took the project very seriously; this was not only his first time as a producer, but also the first feature film he made with his junior colleague.
"The pacing is much better than the previous version." Lu Yang nodded. "The long shot at the beginning was very well designed. The part from the subway station to the flower shop used cinematic language to express the alienation of the city, which was excellent."
"Thank you, Director Lu." Shen Ao adjusted his glasses. "But I have another question I'd like to ask—about the selection of the female lead."
Jiang Yu looked up: "Didn't you say before that Wang Zhi was quite suitable?"
"Wang Zhi's acting skills are definitely not a problem," Shen Ao quickly said, "but the female lead in 'Bouquet' is set up as an ordinary urban white-collar worker, with a bit of an artistic temperament, a little sensitive, and a bit socially anxious. Wang Zhi now—how should I put it—after the huge success of 'The Witch,' she already has the aura of an action star. I'm afraid the audience will be distracted from the story."
He paused, then mustered his courage and said, "Personally, I think Shu Chang might be more suitable. Her girl-next-door quality—clean, natural, and a bit bookish—is closer to the role."
Lu Yang looked at Jiang Yu; this decision needed the boss's approval.
Jiang Yu pondered for a moment.
Shen Ao is right. After "The Witch," Wang Zhi is no longer the unknown newcomer she once was.
If she were to go back to playing an ordinary urban girl, it might indeed be difficult for the audience to get into the story.
"Shu Chang—" Jiang Yu pondered, "How is her acting? I've seen her work, mostly period dramas."
"She's actually a very promising actress," Lu Yang added. "I saw clips of her acting when I was in school; she's very talented. It's just that the scripts she's taken on over the years have limited her potential. If given a good role, she can surprise us."
"Then let's give it a try," Jiang Yu decided. "Have the casting director contact Shu Chang's team and arrange an audition. If she's suitable, we'll use her. But for the Olympic bid, you need to be prepared for both possibilities; if Shu Chang's audition isn't ideal, we'll still have to use Wang Zhi. As the director, you need to learn to adjust the acting style according to the actors."
"Understood!" Shen Ao nodded vigorously. "I think Zhu Yilong is quite suitable for the male lead. He has a clean yet melancholic air about him, which fits the character perfectly."
"There are no problems with Zhu Yilong," Lu Yang said. "He's been taking acting lessons recently and is improving very quickly. Plus, he's a contracted actor with the company, so his schedule is easy to coordinate."
The details of "Bouquet" have been basically finalized.
Shen Ao visibly breathed a sigh of relief. This was his first feature film to be released in theaters, and he wanted to do his best in every detail.
Next, we'll discuss "The Man from Nowhere".
Lu Yang pushed another thick document in front of Jiang Yu: "President Jiang, this is the outline that the scriptwriting team has revised based on the ideas you mentioned last time. The core theme has been changed to cybercrime and underground transactions. The girl is the sister of a fallen comrade and gets involved in a transnational telecommunications fraud group. The male lead needs to fight against a high-tech criminal gang that appears to be doing charity but actually manipulates dark web transactions."
Jiang Yu opened the outline.
This project was originally conceived by him; he wanted to create a Chinese version of "Taken," which needed to have its own unique characteristics.
"In terms of character setting, the male protagonist has been changed from a special forces soldier to a retired border armed police officer."
Lu Yang continued to explain, "This is more down-to-earth and makes it easier to develop action scenes along the border. He retired after his comrade sacrificed his life and lived in seclusion in the city until his comrade's sister had an accident, at which point he returned to action."
"Where's the villain?"
"On the surface, he is a legitimate entrepreneur from Hong Kong and Macau, doing charity and making investments, but in reality, he is controlling a huge dark web trading platform. We designed a detail: the schools he donates to build every year hide data servers."
Jiang Yu's eyes lit up: "This is a great concept. It's glamorous on the surface but dark inside, which creates a lot of dramatic tension."
"Regarding action design," Lu Yang pulled up concept art on his tablet, "we want to blend traditional martial arts with modern combat. For example, in the scenes at the martial arts school, we can design Tai Chi's neutralizing force sparring; in the chase scenes at the temple fair and night market, we can incorporate Bajiquan's close-quarters combat."
He paused, then added, "Furthermore, based on your suggestion last time, we'd like to design the movements to be more frequent..."
More realistic; a truly visceral, bone-crunching feeling.
"Has a director been chosen yet?"
"We're in talks," Lu Yang said. "We've contacted director Yuen Woo-ping's team, and they're interested in this project. In particular, regarding Zhang Jing, whom you mentioned, Director Yuen said that Zhang Jing has been working as a martial arts choreographer for many years and has a wealth of experience. He has a solid foundation in martial arts, and if he could play the male lead, the action scenes would be outstanding."
Jiang Yu nodded.
Zhang Jing is the talented actor he remembers who later rose to fame with films like "SPL 2: A Time for Consequences" and "Ip Man 3," but he is still quietly accumulating experience.
Signing him now would be an absolute bargain.
"Is the female lead still Wang Zhi?"
"Yes," Lu Yang said. "This role requires her to be able to fight and have a sense of power. Wang Zhi has already proven in 'The Witch' that she can perform difficult actions, and she has been consistently training her physical fitness recently. More importantly, she now has box office appeal."
Jiang Yu flipped through Wang Zhi's recent training reports. This girl was really dedicated. She did two hours of physical training every day without fail and even took the initiative to ask to learn basic combat skills.
"Then let's go with Wang Zhi," Jiang Yu said. "We'll contact Zhang Jing first for the male lead, and if his schedule and salary are right, we'll cast him. We absolutely have to get the best action director, but we can be flexible with the budget."
"clear."
The three discussed the details for a while longer, and before they knew it, it was four o'clock in the afternoon.
There was a gentle knock on the conference room door, and Yang Siwei pushed it open and entered, his expression somewhat subtle.
"Ms. Jiang, excuse me." Her voice carried an unusual urgency. "There's news from North America."
"What news?" Jiang Yu asked.
"The press conference for '2012' was held in Los Angeles an hour ago." Yang Siwei handed over the laptop. "Universal Pictures, Lionsgate, and Light Chaser Pictures jointly announced that the disaster blockbuster '2012' has been officially greenlit. It has an investment of $2 million, will be produced entirely in 3D, and is positioned as a Sino-US co-production. Casting will be conducted within Asia."
The meeting room fell silent instantly.
Lu Yang and Shen Ao exchanged a glance, both seeing shock in each other's eyes.
$2 million? Full 3D?
A US-China co-production? Casting in Asia?
Each word is like a bombshell.
Jiang Yu took the computer and quickly browsed the news pages.
In photos from the press conference, David Robinson and the president of Universal Pictures stand side by side, with a huge concept poster for "2012" behind them: towering waves engulf the Statue of Liberty in New York, volcanic eruptions destroy Los Angeles, and fissures swallow the Golden Gate Bridge —
The press release detailed the project information:
Director: Roland Emmerich (director of "Independence Day" and "The Day After Tomorrow")
Investment: $2 million, led by Light Chaser Animation.
Production format: Shot and produced entirely in 3D.
Cooperation model: Sino-US co-production.
Casting scope: Global, with a particular focus on selecting key leading roles in Asia.
Release date: Expected summer 2010. The news also specifically mentioned at the end: "This is the second A-list production led by Light Chaser Pictures in Hollywood after Inception, and it is also the largest investment project in Sino-US co-productions to date."
Jiang Yu put down the tablet, and Lu Yang and Shen Ao had already come over to read the contents.
"2 million—US dollars?" Shen Ao murmured. "That's 14 billion yuan? The investment in one movie is higher than the profits of many listed companies for several years—"
Lu Yang took a deep breath: "They're going to make 3D too—Avatar hasn't even been released yet, and they dare to bet on 3D now? That's incredibly bold."
Yang Siwei added, "Within half an hour of the news reaching China, my phone was ringing off the hook. Bosses or talent directors from all the companies—China Film Group, Shanghai Film Group, Huayi Brothers, Bona Film Group, Enlight Media, and Yinhuang Film Studio—were all asking about the news. And on the actors' side, the teams of top actresses like Gong Li, Zhou Xun, Li Binbin, Zhang Ziyi, Fan Binbin, and Shu Qi were all asking about casting."
She paused, her tone complex: "Right now, everyone in the industry is doing the math. You invested in Avatar, and now... Inception..."
You invested, and now 2012 has another $2 million as the lead investor. In total, you've thrown at least—$2 million? More than 10 billion RMB—into Hollywood across these three films?
Lu Yang and Shen Ao looked at Jiang Yu at the same time, their eyes filled with disbelief.
Jiang Yu smiled calmly: "That's not how you calculate it. Film investment is done in stages, and we have co-investors, pre-sales, and various risk hedging mechanisms. The actual cash investment isn't that much."
He spoke casually, but Lu Yang knew that even so, this number was enough to scare 99% of domestic film companies to death.
"The key is," Jiang Yu continued, "that the '2012' project has special significance. It's a genuine Sino-US co-production, not one of those pseudo-co-productions that just put the name on the film and stuff in a couple of Chinese actors. We have a 45% investment share, substantial production power, and full revenue rights. More importantly, it will be filmed in China, will feature Chinese actors in the lead roles, and will showcase China's role in the disaster."
He looked at Lu Yang and Shen Ao: "Do you know what this means?"
The two shook their heads.
"This means that for the first time, Chinese filmmakers have truly participated in the core creation of a Hollywood A-list blockbuster," Jiang Yu said. "It's not about working for someone else, but about being equal partners in creating a work for the global market."
Lu Yang's eyes lit up; he understood.
This is not just a matter of money; it's a matter of having a voice and a matter of industry standing.
"Then—about casting?" Shen Ao asked in a low voice.
"We'll see," Jiang Yu said. "There will be standards. You need to be good at English. Not just anyone can audition."
""
He looked at Yang Siwei: "Siwei, put together a set of standards. The requirements for the English proficiency test, the performance segments, and the physical requirements must all be clearly defined. Then publish an announcement and accept applications."
"Understood." Yang Si nodded slightly. "Then should we do an internal screening first? For the actors signed by the company, such as Wang Zhi,..."
Zhu Yilong and the others————”
"Well, it's not really meaningful if they're suitable for the role," Jiang Yu said after thinking for a moment. "If they want to audition, they'll just have to go through the same process."
Just then, Jiang Yu's phone rang; it was Han Sanye calling.
"Mr. Jiang, I saw the news." Han Sanye's voice was filled with excitement. "Two hundred million US dollars! Good heavens, you're really making a big splash!"
"Third Master, you've seen it too."
"The entire Chinese film industry has seen it!" Han Sanye laughed. "I just received several calls, all from people asking me to inquire about the situation. China Film Group—could we get involved?"
"The investment structure for '2012' has been finalized. If China Film Group wants to participate, I'll try to find a way," Jiang Yu said. "However, Third Master, the film will be shot on location in China, requiring a lot of local co-production support. China Film Group can take the lead in this part of the work."
"Okay, no problem!" Master Han said readily.
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