Director Zhang did not expect that his movie would also be loved by Ronald. Afterwards, the two had tea and chatted alone, and Director Zhang also talked about a lot of his designs and ideas during the filming.
There are still many technical differences between this film and "Love in Prague", which also cut historical documentary images into the feature film.
The documentary "Love in Prague" was the main image taken by many tourists using handheld amateur cameras at that time. It was finally cut into the feature film. The editing could only be done with some freehand processing to give the audience a sense of the scene.
As for the documentary "Sanmao Joins the Army" adapted from a comic, the documentary contains some images from the Anti-Japanese War period taken by professional photographers at that time. In addition, the actor surnamed Sun plays a role that is quite similar to the prototype, so it is
A lot of historical footage has been added.
Director Zhang used some methods to ensure that the characters were integrated into the scene at that time. He used the method of restoring the scenery to its original background and letting the actors reenact the scene at that time. In this way, coupled with the documentary of the time, it achieved reality and
The transition of history.
This is also due to a very favorable situation, that is, the current Chinese audience is very unfamiliar with the video materials of that time. Because this generation of viewers has not seen many documentary videos from half a century ago, they are not familiar with them.
At that time, I was not familiar with the historical figures and events. The quality and tone of the photography were also very different from those of later films.
In this way, this kind of deliberate acting of history by actors will not only not cause the audience to feel "wrong", but will also give the audience a sense of strangeness in the image of "this is not our time". It is easy to be immersed in it and take the actors' performances seriously.
.
Audiences in America have been getting close to each other since the 1950s and 1960s. They probably grew up watching the live broadcasts of the historical figures and events that will appear in "Forrest Gump". If
If we let actors reappear, we won't be able to get the effect of Forrest Gump participating in history.
After staying at the film studio for a few days, Ronald took away a copy of the film and invited several directors to Los Angeles for inspection. China has seen a huge drop in movie box office in recent years, and many cinemas no longer make money from showing movies.
.
Therefore, it is difficult for these powerful directors to find good filmmaking opportunities and investments. The filmmaking funds in the factory that are guaranteed to be recovered due to drought and floods cannot produce any good films at all under the conditions of a large number of stars going abroad and to Hong Kong to make films, and under the conditions of the market economy.
.
On the one hand, Ronald's invitation was due to human factors, and on the other hand, he wanted to find a way to find some money for them to make movies. After all, the tradition of Xujiahui Film Factory is to shoot commercial films and make money in the cinema. Unlike some movies in the north
People, there is also the way to compete in European film festivals and sell copies.
The leaders of the film studio enthusiastically invited Ronald to attend the first film festival. However, Ronald, who understands Eastern culture, knows that they always respect seniority and authority. Not only is he young, he has not yet won the Oscar for Best Director.
For this first international film festival, the organizers definitely wanted to find a director with a special status to support the event. So Ronald declined the invitation on the grounds that his new project was about to be prepared, and promised to help contact several directors after he returned.
A director who has won the Oscar for Best Director and is relatively close to Eastern values.
Gregory Peck was in poor health, and he would have been the best choice to judge. So Ronald planned to give two directors who shot famous anti-war films, Francis Coppola and Oliver
Stone conveyed the invitation…
After leaving China, Ronald, accompanied by Xiao Qiu from Age International, went to Xiangjiang, Ang Lee's hometown, and several Southeast Asian countries to inspect the local film market.
Sometimes you have to see it to believe it. This time Ronald took a tour, staying in each place for a day or two, communicating with local directors and producers, and then going to the cinema to watch the filming in person.
Although they are very close together, moviegoers from different places still like to watch very different things.
The production of Xiangjiang is still very capable of radiating to Southeast Asia and other regions. Most mainland audiences have to watch pirated copies in video halls, but Ang Lee’s hometown and several Southeast Asian countries, such as Vietnam, Malay, Thailand, etc.
There are some countries with traditional Chinese culture that accept them very well.
These countries lack local film production capabilities, and there are language and cultural barriers to Hollywood films. The most popular ones are those produced in Hong Kong. There are many gangster films, action films, police films, and ancient costume freehand martial arts films. Surprisingly, there are many
The audience cheered.
Moreover, the cinemas in these countries do not have much strength. They are all one or two distributors with close ties to the government, and they go to Hong Kong, Cannes, and Hollywood to buy movies. Their ability to predict box office and monitor local box office is also very weak.
It is technically impossible to achieve a sharecropping system.
Most of the most-bought Xiangjiang movies are based on the copy-buyout system. Those who bought them were confused, and those who released them were confused, and the final box office figures were also confused. They also learned a lot from each other, and a certain
A Malaysian film dealer bought a movie and it became a hit. Immediately, other people followed suit...
In contrast, all cinemas in the mainland are theoretically under the jurisdiction of the head office. Although their box office supervision also has many loopholes, fortunately they only need to deal with one company. There is a saying, everyone is talking about business, but in fact they spend a lot of money.
The effort and cost are much cheaper.
…
"So, do you mean that mainland China is the most worthy of development and has the most potential?"
"It can be said that their... still has great merits."
When Ronald and his team returned to Los Angeles, the first thing they did was to have a confidential conversation with Jack Valenti, the president of the MPAA.
The MPAA and the studios have negotiated a share-sharing agreement, but privately, because of the recent most-favored-nation status issue, Jack Valenti is unsure about how much the other party can respect the agreement.
This chapter is not over, please click on the next page to continue reading! This time Ronald went there, and Jack Valenti privately asked him to make an assessment to see if he can continue to encourage film producers to develop there.
The market is still temporarily dead...
The conclusion of Ronald's investigation is not only not to shrink back, but also to launch a fierce offensive in that direction to completely determine the Hollywood background of this market.
When Warner Brothers boldly participated in the construction of theater chains, Ronald took the opportunity to treat Warner Bros. and said many things that were inappropriate about this approach.
Because at the head office level of Huaguo, there are still many smart young leaders. They have worked in film studios at the grassroots level, and also went to university to receive higher education in the 1980s. They usually have opportunities to go abroad that ordinary employees do not have, and their horizons are also
The more open-minded group of citizens.
These people have very good vision and skills, and they all see that the most critical factor of the agreement is the issue of distribution channels that is not written into it.
The most critical factor for Hollywood's success in America is to seize distribution channels. This is not a resource that can be quickly created in a short period of time, and often changes in ten years.
No matter how powerful your movie is, or how much money it can sell in China, it is still under the control of the parent company. As long as the distribution channels are not eroded, it is not up to anyone to decide which movies to release and how long to release them.
After all, Hollywood is just a producer that supplies movies.
When Warner Bros. went to Yangcheng to build a movie theater, they were directly taking advantage of the openness of the South to challenge the bottom line of others. Once the MFN trade is repeated, the first people to be targeted are people like them who want to take advantage of loopholes.
Ronald's approach, on the other hand, was very conservative. It provided what the leaders wanted most, advanced technology and advanced management experience, and Hollywood could also make some money through the updated equipment business.
The most important thing is that through a window project like the film festival, it can convince the entire country of China to switch to Hollywood standards for its film projection equipment system that has not been updated for decades.
As long as they use Hollywood standards instead of European, Japanese standards, or some domestic standards they come up with, then Hollywood movies will still be the lowest-cost among imported movies.
Jack Valenti was a little worried about the import quota, but Ronald advised him not to be afraid and just send the best commercial films. In the end, whether they wanted it or not was their own business.
In numerous Hollywood commercial film productions, various values and political orientations exist, and the standards there are often unpredictable.
Ronald's own film "Break Dance" actually reflected racial discrimination and captured the dilapidated scene of Los Angeles (caused by B-movies not having enough money to set up scenes), and became the first musical film introduced there in many years.
However, "Hi, Frank", which seemed to satisfy their taste, almost didn't get released due to various reasons.
Therefore, the best business method for Hollywood in the mainland market is to think for them in every aspect, provide them with what they want most, and respect their vision in selecting movies.
Because of their monopoly position, the people at the head office will naturally understand the concepts and logic of various commercial films in Hollywood over time. Subtly, personnel changes there are slower than in Hollywood, so it is easy to establish a long-term
When the relationship is established and there is trust, it will not be too late to talk about more things.
"When I went to watch the filming of The Last Emperor with you, I saw that you have a deep understanding of doing business with these countries. But after saying this today, I feel that I have underestimated you." Jack
Valenti was pleased to invite Ronald to smoke his cigar.
"I hope the MPAA can also accept organizations there. As a member of the International Federation of Producers Associations, their current slogan is to integrate with the world. You know, the Chinese are a very self-respecting nation. They do one thing internally.
The success or failure of a project is often determined by its equivalent to the world's advanced level in that year.
As long as we actively accept their idea of embracing the world, we will see the most dining tables at the door of the world's largest single market. Chinese people are still very measured about who treats them well."
Ronald talked a lot about his ideas. The International Federation of Producers Associations is an alliance of producers associations from various countries that meet to discuss and negotiate. Originally, the Producers Association in China lacked real business models.
Producers have not been truly accepted. Now if we can help them gain the corresponding status, they will definitely be grateful.
The most important thing is that various industry regulations and industrial standards must make them believe that Hollywood is the most advanced level in the world today. In this way, Hollywood movies can be screened there and the copies can be shipped directly.
Jack Valenti was also a little worried about Warner Bros.'s approach, fearing that they would affect Hollywood's overall export. Ronald did not continue to add insult to injury, but said that with this approach, maybe going to Vietnam would be a good try.
Jack Valenti was puzzled and asked him why a practice that did not work in China was favored in Vietnam since they were countries with similar systems.
Ronald said two things. First, after the end of the Cold War, Vietnam began to innovate step by step according to China's practices. However, they did not have such a profound cultural accumulation as China, and they often over-innovated.
Second, there is no film company there, but Hollywood can use traditional Hollywood methods of penetrating distribution channels to influence and control the market there.
This analysis method made Jack Valenti very satisfied, and he said on the spot that he would follow Ronald's idea and make a presentation at the next MPAA meeting to introduce the special features of the Chinese market.
"Some people say you are a panda lover, but I don't think so. I haven't heard such an incisive marketing strategy for a long time." Jack Valenti suddenly said this while smoking a cigar after listening to Ronald's thoughts.
.
"Actually, it's true to say that I am a panda lover." Ronald's heart moved. This Jack Valenti has been able to control the MPAA for so many years. As a leader of Johnson, he has very good connections in Washington.
Important reasons.
"Oh?" Jack Valenti glanced at him sideways. There were many members of Congress who wanted to vote in favor of the most-favored-nation treatment. Some of those who opposed it also told him a lot about Ronald through channels.
Bad words, thinking that he is too close to China.
Just because of Ronald himself, there is no evidence for previous bloodline rumors. It is difficult for people to believe that a very wealthy Hollywood capitalist would be willing to spy for China. The source of his wealth has nothing to do with that country.
"Panda leasing is actually a business. The San Diego Zoo is very profitable. Their pre-sale tickets have been queued up until the end of the year. The same goes for overseas distribution markets. It doesn't matter whether it's pandas or movie copies. As long as we can make money, we good people in Hollywood will do it."
What we have to overcome is the entrepreneurial spirit that is the foundation of our country."
"Well said..." Jack Valenti was very happy. Compared with the schizophrenic demands of the group of Jews, he could still talk to a businessman like Ronald who was doing business.
…
"Hey hey hey..." Knowing that he had conveyed his attitude to Jack Valenti, Washington's agent in Hollywood, Ronald went home happily.
After upgrading the equipment at Paramount's photofinishing plant outside Los Angeles, the old equipment was sold, and Ronald was planning to buy it and rebuild it entirely in China. Because it was an old technical production line, and it also had Jack Valenti's endorsement.
, this kind of thing will not cause complaints from others.
Xiao Yan was responsible for the relocation and reconstruction of the entire printing and printing plant, which would also be sold together with many instructions for the process flow and empirical formulas for the proportions of various chemical drugs. The team of workers were newly recruited talents.
In the future, Chinese directors will be able to easily develop and print copies to participate in film festivals, or prepare subtitles according to the standards of European film festivals. There will no longer be good films like Director Xie's "Furong Town" because of time
It happened that I couldn't make it in time for the film festival.