Chapter 149 Scientific Advisors and Pre-Oscar Trivia
Chapter 149 Scientific Advisors and Pre-Oscar Trivia
Author: Box and Orange
Chapter 149 Scientific Advisors and Pre-Oscar Trivia
The Chinese New Year is still very early this year. Although Zhang Hao was nominated for an Oscar, then he was hacked, then reversed, and then Chen Gege and his wife were exposed, it was a series of things.
But so many things happened in just a few days.
In the blink of an eye, it was New Year's Eve on January 23rd. Zhang Hao carried new year's goods and Zhang Yu went home to celebrate the New Year, and also brought Da Mi Mi with him.
During the Chinese New Year last year, Zhang Hao got very drunk with her father at Da Mi Mi's house, and then they called themselves brothers.
This year, Yang’s parents and Yang’s mother invited Zhang Hao to celebrate the New Year as usual, but Zhang Hao first brought Da Mi Miguai home to celebrate New Year’s Eve.
"Mi Mi Mi, don't be polite. Just treat him like your own family and eat fruit." Grandma was very happy when she saw Da Mi Mi. She greeted Da Mi Mi with a smile, ignoring Zhang Hao, her grandson.
It happened that my aunt brought my uncle and Zhang Hao's cousin back to celebrate the New Year, so Zhang Hao, my grandfather and my uncle posted couplets everywhere.
Zhang Hao's cousin Liu Rui, an eccentric girl, was holding her cell phone and whispering to someone without knowing who she was talking to.
Da Mi Mi was very embarrassed to be taken care of, so she hurried to the kitchen to help to see what she could do, but was kicked out by her grandmother and her mother Zhang Yu.
After having a reunion dinner, this New Year's Eve was over. Da Mi Mi also received a red envelope from her grandpa, which made her feel happy.
On New Year's Day, Zhang Hao went to Da Mi Mi's house for dinner.
Father Yang entertained Zhang Hao very warmly: "This wine was given to me by a friend last time. I usually can't bear to open it, so I'm just waiting for you to come."
"Dad, drink less, so you don't drink too much like last year and start talking about brothers." Da Mi Mi ruthlessly vomited.
Father Yang's eyes widened: "That's what I'm saying. Can Xiaohao and I get drunk if we drink? Do you look down on your father's drinking capacity?"
Da Mi Mi rolled his eyes and said nothing. But the meaning was obvious, that he didn't trust Father Yang's drinking capacity.
Sure enough, after drinking a bottle of Dream Blue, Zhang Hao and Yang's father became brothers again, leaving Yang's mother and Da Mi Mi very speechless.
Then Zhang Hao stayed one night at Da Mi Mi's house.
After a year, the relationship between Zhang Hao and Da Mi Mi is still as good as before, even sweeter. Yang's father and mother Yang have also recognized Zhang Hao as their son-in-law.
Zhang Hao also met Da Mi Mi’s uncle, a professor who teaches at the university.
The uncle is well-spoken and well-behaved, and he is actually a fan of Zhang Hao's movies.
"Xiao Hao, our family loves to watch your movies. We have bought DVDs of all your works, and all the ones shown have gone to the cinema to support you," the uncle said.
"Thank you for your support, uncle." Zhang Hao remembered something and asked, "Do you know any experts in aerospace or astrophysics?"
"I know a few of them, so what? Do you want to change your career to be a scientist?" The uncle made a joke.
Zhang Hao waved his hands and said: "I don't have that ability. I just have a few good stories in my mind, but they need theoretical support, and I don't have anyone to contact in this field."
"Are they the projects you told me about last time?" Da Mi Mi asked.
Zhang Hao nodded and said: "Yes, after this year's "Butterfly Effect", I plan to start a big project to test the waters."
Da Mi Mi knew about Zhang Hao's dream of science fiction movies. Zhang Hao had described to her more than once the bright prospects of future Chinese science fiction movies.
It's just that the prospect is beautiful, but the reality is difficult.
If you want to make science fiction films like "Transformers" and "Star Wars", talent, technology, and market are all indispensable.
At that time, Zhang Hao asked Da Mi Mi what he would do if he lost money while making a science fiction film? Da Mi Mi proudly said: "It doesn't matter, I lost money, I will support you by filming, and we will start all over again."
Zhang Hao, who often doubted whether he could succeed in these classic film projects in his previous life, had the unwavering support of Da Mimi, so he had the confidence to continue on this path.
Out of support for Zhang Hao, Da Mi Mi looked at his uncle with pleading eyes: "Uncle, please help our Zhang Hao."
The uncle smiled and said: "Mi Mi, you are out of touch now. I will definitely help you if you can."
"Yes, we are all one family, so we won't talk about two families." Father Yang agreed.
Make an appointment with Da Mi Mi's uncle to find a time after the new year to meet and keep in touch with several scientists and maintain good relations.
When Zhang Hao starts a large-scale science fiction film project, he won't have to worry about finding people temporarily.
Adequate preparation is one of the key factors for the success of a movie.
After returning to work after the year, Zhang Hao officially submitted his new project: "The Butterfly Effect".
Bona and Huayi still want to join, and Wanda Pictures naturally does the same. Wanda’s big boss has said that as long as it is Zhang Hao’s project, no matter how big the investment is, just invest the money and it will be done, and don’t worry about anything else.
It is worth mentioning that Cong Shao may have been stimulated by Zhang Hao and took 500 million from his father. He did not develop a live broadcast platform or invest in the banana plan like in his previous life.
Instead, he took 500 million to establish Pusi Film and Television Investment and Production Company and is looking for projects in the market.
His father told him that he would definitely not lose money if he invested in Zhang Hao's project. But Zhang Hao's projects are no longer what they used to be. Now Zhang Hao's projects are very popular.
The slightest bit of investment share was revealed, and it was immediately divided up by other established film and television companies, so much so that Mr. Cong didn't even get a sip of soup.
However, it was a blessing in disguise. Cong Shao quickly got in touch with Enlight Pictures, and then met Xu Dabald under the introduction of Wang Changtian.
Xu Dabaldou is preparing for "A Journey to Thailand: Lost in Thailand" and plans to trick Huang Bo into investing in it to make up for his lack of production funds.
It happened that Cong Shao had money and he had a project. The two parties hit it off and reached an investment agreement.
Zhang Hao was stunned when he heard about it. He had been busy for so long that he had forgotten that there was such a project. In his mind, this movie was the first Chinese-language movie to make over 100 million yuan, and it made Xu Dabald a lot of money.
If only he could have thought of it earlier and invested first.
It's just that now that Xu Dabald has found Cong Shao for investment, there's no point in him joining in, and they won't want his investment.
Sure enough, you cannot monopolize the good things in the world, there are always opportunities of one kind or another slipping away from your hands.
However, I am happy to have invested in this project, and it would not be a pity if I did not have the opportunity to invest in Zhang Hao.
On the contrary, the incident of Xu Dabald made Zhang Hao think of another person: Chen Sicheng.
Chen Sicheng's first directorial work "Beijing Love Story" has been broadcast on Blue Channel, starring Da Mi Mi, and has achieved good ratings and popularity.
Logically speaking, Chen Sicheng should continue to delve into the field of TV dramas. Who knows that after practicing, he turned around and launched the "Chinatown Detective Series" and made a lot of money.
Zhang Hao knows how difficult it is for a new director to get investment. When the time comes, he only needs to raise his finger and the project will fall into the hands of Haotian Studio after the company was reorganized.
There are also other popular movie projects, such as Wu Jing's "Wolf Warrior" series, which can be invested in in the future.
Although Zhang Hao does not want to snatch the opportunities and glory that belong to these Chinese filmmakers, it does not mean that he cannot invest.
It is one thing to direct oneself, and it is another thing to invest in a movie. There is no conflict between the two.
I'm afraid there is no one in the industry who has the precise vision to know which movie project will be a big hit. This is the advantage of foresight.
In case his dream of making a science fiction movie fails, he can make a good living by investing in these movie projects without having to use a lot of power to make a living.
After the Zhang Hao project was launched, it was not just Cong Shao who wanted to invest. Ma Yun, who had always admired Zhang Hao and praised Zhang Hao many times in public, urged his subsidiary Alibaba Pictures to invest quickly.
Unexpectedly, it turned out to be a step too late.
Another big boss, Ma Huateng, is not as high-profile as Ma Yun. Instead, he quietly established Penguin Pictures at the end of last year and then contacted Haotian Studio.
However, Penguin Pictures was also a step late.
In the field of Internet capital, these two are considered wealthy owners, but they don't seem to be very effective in the film industry. The headache for the two bosses now is, how can they organize their money but no place to spend it?
Compared with the silly coal boss, the Internet tycoon is obviously much smarter. After entering the film industry, his investment seems to be very cautious.
Ma Huateng even discussed with his senior executives that they should use the thinking of Internet operations to run the entertainment company. The results were seen by everyone later.
Anyway, there is no chance of investing in Zhang Hao's film project now, so we can only wait until we have the opportunity in the future.
On Bona's side, Yu Dong felt a little guilty when he saw the script of "The Butterfly Effect" that Zhang Hao claimed was highly confidential.
To be honest, the script is very sophisticated and rigorous, and Yu Dong can't see any loopholes in logic.
But this subject involves time and space travel, quantum physics, and various scientific settings that Yu Dong has never heard of.
No wonder the first label in "The Butterfly Effect" is science fiction, it's really too science fiction.
You know, "The Prestige" is first marked as a suspenseful crime plot, and then science fiction. Moreover, the film does not have a strong science fiction flavor, at best it has a bit of a mysterious part.
As for Chinese science fiction movies, the audience's first impression is that they are a bad movie.
Can such a movie really be a big hit in the market? Yu Dong was very skeptical and even gave up.
Reason told him that he should quit this movie project.
But there was a voice deep in his heart telling him to believe in Zhang Hao. Zhang Hao could make the impossible possible and create miracles.
After some hesitation, Bona still firmly supported Zhang Hao.
Zhang Hao is still young. Even if this project fails, he will still be the best director in the Chinese film industry after getting back on track.
Zhang Hao also provided a production fee of 85 million RMB for the film "The Butterfly Effect", which reached the highest investment amount in Zhang Hao's film career.
Among them, Haotian Studio independently invested 30 million, and the rest was divided among Bona Pictures, Wanda Pictures, Huayi, and more than a dozen small investment companies.
After the project is approved, the advance production funds will be immediately transferred to the account of the newly established crew.
Some of Zhang Hao's team ended their vacations, and some stopped working part-time on other crews, and began to devote themselves to the preparatory work of the film.
The location team and production team began to scout locations according to the plan, formulate a project cycle schedule, and at the same time began the initial screening of actors.
Zhang Hao's Tiangong Yicai Studio received the project, and although the film is only in the early stages of preparation, they have already begun to invest in visual effects production.
"Are you interested in starring in this movie?" Zhang Hao asked Da Mi Mi.
Da Mi Mi pointed at himself and said, "Can I?"
Zhang Hao laughed and said, "What's wrong? Let me see how much your acting skills have improved, and then I can train you."
Da Mi Mi blushed, obviously thinking about that aspect, and spat: "Bad guy..."
Her boyfriend thought of her immediately, and Da Mi Mi was very happy. After filming "Painted Skin 2", she took on "Wu-Tang Code". She is currently idle and has no projects on hand.
Therefore, Da Mi Mi agreed to star in the heroine of "The Butterfly Effect".
The focus of this movie is on the male protagonist Gao Qi, so the choice of the male protagonist is crucial.
However, in the early stages of film preparation, Zhang Hao had to temporarily put down the work at hand and traveled to North America with Da Mi Mi to attend this year's Oscar Awards ceremony.
Going with Zhang Hao were Hua Tsai and Zhou Xun.
Producer Liu Hao, who has worked closely with Zhang Hao, was in charge of the preparations for "The Butterfly Effect" and did not come with him.
In addition, Joe Hisaishi and his daughter set off from Xiaoli and met up with Zhang Hao and his party in Los Angeles.
It was her first time to participate in the award ceremony at the highest level of the film industry. Da Mi Mi looked very excited. She changed her dress several times and finally chose a blue and white dress at Zhang Hao's suggestion.
The clothing brand endorsed by Da Mi Mi also attaches great importance to it and sent a professional styling team to style Da Mi Mi in Los Angeles.
Who would have thought that just by signing a Chinese A-list actress, she would actually make a fortune by walking on the red carpet of the Oscars with her boyfriend.
Not only that, other brands endorsed by Da Mi Mi quickly took action and arranged many commercial activities before and after Da Mi Mi attended the Oscars.
Shoe brands, jewelry, makeup brands, etc. all have to appear at the Oscars ceremony.
In the words of its stylist: "We want to present the classical beauty of oriental women."
As an actress, Zhou Xun is treated in the same way. The brands she endorses are doing marketing activities like a lunatic.
Moreover, Zhou Xun is even more upright than Da Mi Mi, because she is the female lead in "The Embalmer" and can legitimately participate in the Oscar ceremony.
In contrast, Da Mi Mi can only go to the Oscars red carpet by rubbing shoulders with her boyfriend.
But if anyone has the ability to find a boyfriend who can attend the Oscars, other actresses can only envy and hate him.
In fact, it is now very popular for domestic actresses to go to the Venice Film Festival, Cannes Film Festival, or Berlin Film Festival to attend the red carpet.
I will take a few photographers with me to take some photos on the red carpet, and then I will return to China to publish a press release that will outshine all the beauties in foreign countries.
This is the so-called export to domestic sales. In fact, except for a few foreigners, other foreigners don't even know which domestic actresses are on the red carpet.
This method worked at first, but later on it became unsurprising as more people followed suit. Later it was even revealed that red carpet security guards chased away Chinese actresses, which made a big joke.
Except for a few Chinese-speaking actresses who walk on the red carpet and are given face by others, other actresses are just for free.
Even those who have great power can be unreasonable, but she does so confidently and openly.
Male stars like Zhang Hao and Hua Tsai were a little better. Before going to Los Angeles, Armani finally remembered that there was a Chinese director who always wore suits of their brand.
As a result, the person in charge of Greater China quickly contacted Zhang Hao and signed an endorsement contract with Zhang Hao.
This is Armani's first Asian director spokesperson. Compared with other spokespersons who look crooked and cracked, Zhang Hao's image is too outstanding.
In Los Angeles, a group of six people from "The Undertaker" who came to attend the Oscars ceremony completed their meeting.
Andy sighed and said to Zhang Hao: "It feels like a dream. I never thought that one day I would be able to attend the Oscars."
"I didn't expect that, Director Xiaozhang, thank you for giving me this opportunity." Zhou Xun also expressed his gratitude.
Da Mi Mi held Zhang Hao's arm and looked at Zhang Hao's profile. He said nothing, but he couldn't hide the proud expression on his face.
She was proud of her boyfriend. Who would say that actresses are looking for death when they fall in love? As she talked, she came up with an Oscar nominee and might even win the award.
Hisaishi Joe took his daughter and thanked Zhang Hao in the little Chinese he learned: "Zhang Sang, thank you for giving me this opportunity to be nominated for an Oscar."
"You're welcome, Mr. Hisaishi Joe, I hope we will have opportunities to cooperate in the future."
"Absolutely, as long as you invite me, you don't need to find Jiang Sang, just come to me directly." Hisaishi promised.
Because Joe Hisaishi was nominated for the Oscar for Best Original Score, "The Embalmer", a movie that was just released in a young age, has received a lot of attention.
Little Days fans really love this kind of movie with a melancholic and beautiful atmosphere. "The Encoffiant" has achieved better results than expected in Little Days, with a box office equivalent to US$13 million in theaters so far.
Before the mainland market surpassed the Little Days market, the Little Days movie market had always been the second largest box office in the world outside of North America. The style of this movie was also popular with Little Days, so it is not surprising that it achieved such good results.
Unfortunately, as the producer of the film, Haotian Studio only received the money to buy out the copyright and was unable to participate in the sharing.
In other Asian film markets, "The Embalmer" is also very popular and has a great reputation, but the box office is not as good as that in China and Xiaoli.
Because of its impact on the Oscars, "The Embalmer" has been released in a few theaters in North America. Its current cumulative box office is more than 200,000 US dollars, which is appalling.
However, box office is no longer Zhang Hao's concern, winning awards is the key.
Before walking on the red carpet, Harvey Weinstein, as the film's public relations expert, specifically warned the cast members of "The Embalmer" about things to pay attention to during the Oscar red carpet ceremony and the award ceremony hall.
"Zhang, I helped you fight for the Oscars and attracted the attention of Warner Pictures. When the Oscars are over, Warner Pictures would like to invite you and your crew members to visit Warner Pictures," Harvey said.
"Did they say what happened?" Zhang Hao asked.
"I don't know, maybe it was because of Marvel's big move next door, and DC Pictures, a subsidiary of Warner Pictures, was in trouble, so I rushed to the hospital because of my illness," Harvey said with a smile.
The last words about urgent illness and urgent medical treatment were said in Chinese. Although the words were poorly spoken, Zhang Hao heard it clearly and couldn't help but look sideways: "Mr. Harvey, your Chinese is not bad."
Harvey smiled and said: "I recently practiced a few sentences with a teacher, Zhang, are you interested in coming to Hollywood? I can be your introducer."
Do you want to learn from Wu Baige? Zhang Hao shook his head and said: "Forget it Harvey, I would rather take root in our hometown."
"Oh, that's such a pity." Harvey expressed disappointment, but there was no disappointed expression on his face.
After giving instructions, Harvey took his leave. Before leaving, he reminded Zhang Hao not to forget about visiting Warner Pictures.
Zhang Hao also wondered why Warner Pictures was interested in him, a Chinese director.
Is it true that, as Harvey said, Warner Pictures wants to ask him to save DC superheroes?
Zhang Hao really guessed it right, or half right.
The purpose of Warner Pictures inviting Zhang Hao to visit is to find a way out for its DC company in the Chinese film market.
Marvel Studios has been making big hits one after another, and this year's superhero blockbuster "Avengers" is scheduled to be released in the mainland on May 5th.
Of course Warner Pictures is envious when they see people getting rich.
While you are envious, you must also think of a solution. Consulting Zhang Hao, a new director, to see what suggestions and ideas he has is also an urgent matter.