Chapter 533: The genius director of commercial films from Britain
"At this year's Sundance Film Festival, there is a very special British film. Would you like to take a look?" Daydream's production supervisor, Rachel Talalay, approached Ronald.
I don’t know if it’s because a large number of executives from big studios went to China to participate in the negotiation delegation. There are also signs of stagnation in the efforts of some independently produced films to seek distribution in America.
Many executives of major studios don't respond to those producers very much, nor do they promote progress. Many independent producers who have suffered losses have also turned to smaller distributors to seek cooperation possibilities. This is accompanied by daydreams like this
Small publishers have also received some invitations, asking them to see if there is a possibility of publishing it in America.
Michelle Cannold also went to China. Originally, the film's distribution business was to be suspended until he came back. But the production supervisor Rachel Talalay thought the film was very good, so she specially invited Rona.
Moral decision.
This is the advantage of a small company. If the management is smooth, the people below can also talk to the boss directly about things, and they are not afraid that cross-level reports will cause personnel tension. Anyway, we don't have many levels.
"Okay, it's okay anyway..." Ronald didn't have any big projects to compete for Oscars this year. "The Bodyguard" won a few minor awards in the music category, and "A Few Good Men" only had Jack Nicholson's performance nominated.
In the category of Best Supporting Actor, the desire for another trophy is not very strong. Ronald, who was shortlisted for Best Film as a producer, has won two consecutive awards, and what he really hopes for is Best Director. So he has not transferred.
There are a lot of resources to compete for prizes, so there is no need to attend events everywhere. It is also very happy to have time to watch new movies by newcomers.
Rachel Talalay soon brought the copy to Ronald's house to screen it.
The movie opens with a very crude, advertising-level computer-generated special effects fire. Ronald was feeling bored when suddenly the camera turned and the flames cut to a huge chimney. Then it cut to an aerial shot of a power plant.
The camera from above moved slowly, passing through the cooling tower, the factory building, the thick smoke, and finally reaching the burning chimney. Then there was another jump cut, which turned into a close-up of a handsome guy, and the flame turned into a crazy person.
Inner projection.
"This is a great beginning..." Ronald finally figured out that this movie didn't have much money, and the special effects were fake. They were just low-level special effects demonstrated by a software, and were not superimposed on the actual shots.
The later aerial photography was probably bought from other movie material libraries, and it was seriously separated from the subsequent plot. However, this B-level film method is very economical. The audience can figure out the content by themselves.
.
"This director is really good at saving money." Ronald thought to himself. The various abandoned factories in the back were shot for free, and the shots inside the arcades on the streets and the interior of the shopping mall were probably shot secretly. But the editing before and after was not affected by these.
Impact, the performances of the two male protagonists and one female protagonist are very fresh, the casting is correct, and the narrative has no tricks, but it is enough for this kind of commercial film.
"Not bad..." Ronald said silently.
After watching this movie called "Shopping", Ronald had questions. He asked Rachel Talalay: "I understand that the Sundance Film Festival does not have much enthusiasm for this.
But why hasn’t this movie been released yet?”
"The director is the screenwriter and producer. He has no connections in Britain, so there was a problem during the classification, so he came to Sundance to try his luck."
Ronald rubbed his chin and looked at the document. The director of "Shopping" is called Paul W.S. Anderson. This movie is not like a British movie at all, but more like Roger Corman.
It's a B-level movie. There's no trace of Shakespeare, the whole movie is about violence and racing.
Two cat burglars, a man and a woman, stole cars, raced, and then broke into shopping malls to rob, euphemistically called "Shopping." In the end, Scotland Yard and other gangs teamed up to catch them all. It was a low-cost version of "Bonnie and Clyde."
a feeling of.
"It's very good. It's normal for Sundance to not give awards to this type of commercial film. I think it's okay. Britain doesn't give ratings. We can just send MPAA to Hollywood. Now they have a good relationship with me. It's very good.
It's possible to get a PG-13. This genre is very popular in small town theaters now, and the video tape will sell well in the future. How much buyout price does the director hope to get?"
"The director asked for a buyout fee of two million US dollars. This is the total amount of investment he found. I think we can talk about it, and the price can be reduced to 600,000 to 800,000. This director does not know much about business operations. Let's talk about it.
If it is released in America, it will stimulate the release and video sales in other places. He will understand." Rachel Talalay is quite optimistic about the film's commercial prospects.
"Very good..." Ronald was about to sign the document, but suddenly he took it back. "Wait a minute, how much did the director spend on filming?"
"Two million..."
"Two million?" Ronald was silent. He picked up the Hollywood yearbook, turned it to 1967, and pressed it on the calculator for a while. "You go find this Paul W. S. Anderson and make sure.
The accuracy of two million. Then you must buy the distribution rights, no matter how much it costs. Someone will definitely come to bid, don't worry about whether you can get your money back...The most important thing is, you find him to come and have an interview with me."
What Ronald found was the production cost of "Bonnie and Clyde" in 1967. That was still the US dollar in the gold standard era. US$2.5 million is equivalent to 18 million to 20 million US dollars today. If
If Paul Anderson really spent two million dollars to make this movie, then he must be a very potential commercial film director who can put every penny on the screen.
It just so happens that Daydream lacks such directors. There are many directors in Hollywood who have their own artistic ideas, but there are not many directors who have the ability to make commercial films with box office potential at low costs.
…
"Hello, Mr. Li, I'm very happy to meet you..." Paul W.S. Anderson was very excited to see Ronald, as if he was a fan meeting a star.
"Call me Ronald... I am very surprised that you can achieve this kind of final effect with two million dollars. Very few of our new directors in Hollywood have this ability."
"What I said sounded like a compliment, but really, those early films you made inspired me. I watched your low-cost productions many times, and I know how to design shots, how to edit, and how to achieve low-cost results.
It looks like it would have taken an expensive shoot to achieve.”
Paul W.S. Anderson talked a lot about his experience, mainly using the audience's expectations to transition overly expensive car chases, explosions and other scenes, and letting the audience's own imagination replace the big scenes. This method is familiar to viewers
It is quite effective among the audience of big Hollywood productions.
"How about it, do you have any idea of staying here for a while? I'll see if there are any suitable projects. Hollywood needs directors like you who pay attention to the box office. The Oscars are coming soon, and I can help you get two tickets."
Ronald is quite satisfied with Paul W.S. Anderson. His biggest advantage is that he can make shooting plans according to the budget. He will not stop shooting just because a shot cannot be 100%, but it will have limited use.
The budget is 90%.
With investment from Hollywood and some scripts suitable for his performance, it is estimated that he will soon become a successful director of genre films. What flashed through Ronald's mind were police films, action films, and suspense films. From this "
In "Shopping", Ronald saw the possibility of directing these types of films.
"Oh, this really surprises me, Mr. Li...Ronald. I wrote the script of this movie four years ago and spent three years looking for investors. I didn't expect Hollywood to be so efficient.
, it was possible for me to pick the script so soon. We encountered a lot of resistance from the British classification department, and I heard from Rachel that it was very possible to get a PG-13 if it was submitted to the MPAA. All this really made sense to me.
It’s incredible, I love Hollywood.”
"Welcome to Hollywood, hahaha." Ronald was very satisfied with him and added, "In Hollywood, you have a lot of room for whatever you want to shoot and who you want to shoot, as long as you make sure...
"
"What is it?"
"Just keep letting the producers make money, hahahaha..."
"Hahaha... I still have a small request. Well, after Ronald Paul W.S. Anderson joked, he also made a request a little shyly.
In Britain, all he came into contact with were traditional filmmakers, and he lacked experience in the special effects movies that were emerging in Hollywood, especially the latest computer special effects. Being able to come to Hollywood and gain Ronald's appreciation, he wanted to capture it.
Take the opportunity to learn about this stunt that can't be found anywhere else in the world except Hollywood.
"Ha, you're here by chance. Now almost all the best special effects companies in Hollywood are busy with the final production of director Spielberg's latest work."
"I heard about this movie, but why hasn't it been completed yet? Isn't director Spielberg filming a new movie in Poland now? How can he still do special effects?"
Paul W.S. Anderson is really fascinated by special effects, and he has heard about this ongoing movie in Hollywood. He really wants to see the production process.
"It seems that you are really interested..." Ronald did not expect that Paul W.S. Anderson was not a general interest. "Steven is currently filming a movie in Poland, but he is also monitoring the final production of this dinosaur movie at any time.
.He can see the new footage flown in every day, and has daily meetings and discussions with the special effects team.
I can help you book a tour to get a general understanding of the computer process in special effects production, what it can and cannot do. But the more in-depth details are now Hollywood’s top secret..."
"I just wanted to see the general process. Ronald. When Terminator 2 came out, I suddenly found that I couldn't see how those shots were shot. This made me feel that my previous knowledge was suddenly outdated. I was shocked.
, in fact, when I come to Hollywood this time, apart from the release of my movie, what I want to do most is to understand the latest technological development in Hollywood."
"Hahaha, okay. Jim (Cameron) is a good friend of mine. If you spend more time in Hollywood, I can arrange for you to watch his new movie when it starts filming."
"Oh, my God. It takes me back to when I was a kid and my dad gave me a Super 8 camera. A treasure trove of the most interesting, fun stuff opened up for me."
"Don't forget another treasure trove, the Daydream script library. You can take a look at it. If you are interested, just tell me directly. What type of films are you interested in? You can also tell me or Rachel...
"
…
"Ronald, our talks are going very smoothly. It is estimated that we will be able to reach an agreement some time after the Oscars are awarded..."
In the morning, Ronald received an international long-distance call from Michelle Cannold from China. The negotiations for access to the Hollywood film market went smoother than expected.
Perhaps Mr. Counselor's report had an effect. The other party's senior officials realized that this was a good opportunity to win over William, the current commander-in-chief, to favor China on the issue of the renewal of the most-favored-nation status.
The main reason used to oppose the renewal of most-favored-nation status and its connection with human rights is that China does not open its market to America and has many non-market economic practices.
If there can be a suitable concession on the issue of importing Hollywood movies, the highest voice of the opposition can be invalidated.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! Of course, the other party also has concerns. If you make concessions and the MFN status here is not renewed, it will be equivalent to a failed investment, which the other party will definitely not like to see.
Therefore, the main tone of this negotiation is to limit the annual import of Hollywood movies to a very low level.
However, this quantity may be used as an excuse to attack China's market closure. This is also Ronald's strategy, try not to close the window for non-bill-sharing buyout imports. At the same time, enjoy the review and split the bill.
Treated like a movie.
In this way, the total import quantity can appear to be unlimited in the text, and if the most favored nation status is not renewed, the import volume can also be very conveniently limited to single digits.
"The final agreement is that a total annual quota will probably be set, and then each company will apply individually. It's like the other party gives a big pot, and each company has to throw what food is cooked into the pot."
"What about the movie theater?"
Ronald asked about the establishment of a joint venture cinema in Xujiahui. The progress of this matter is also very good. Xujiahui originally hoped to introduce some world-leading multiplex cinemas to promote the upgrading and transformation of local cinemas.
If it is fully introduced, the officials will definitely have concerns. But if it is not introduced behind closed doors, they are also afraid that it will just look like the essence of operation and equipment configuration has not been learned.
Allowing one or two friendly investors to come in and start some model movie theaters in this way is also a common way of doing things in China. AIA, foreign-related hotels, and many service industries have adopted this method of letting one in and occupy a small share.
How to make money while working in the education industry as a teacher.
Considering Ronald's connection with the Shanghai film industry and the fact that the joint venture factory he established in Qingpu is operating well, it is very likely that the pilot project of this cinema will be approved.
"Very good, don't be afraid of losing money, don't be afraid of not making a profit in the short term. What I want is to open a gap and gain a foothold. As for the future, we must slowly cultivate trust between both parties."