Chapter 524: Why invest in movies that dont make money?
"When the time comes, several companies will sit together, agree on the proportion of investment, and sign a contract. The risk will definitely be shared in accordance with the proportion stipulated in the contract. I will not suffer any loss."
Having said that, the film industry is also a very risky industry. Didn't you see that the famous blockbuster "Cleopatra" of the last century almost brought down the old film company 20th Century Fox?
That’s just the cost of one movie!
Thinking of this, Wu Di suddenly panicked. Putting aside the skin change, Lan Masanti only joined the movie at a later stage. Before that, Mingzhu's company had already invested part of it, so although Lan Masanti contributed the capital
It is generous, but it is also an act of remedial action.
The total investment amount is limited. In addition, no matter which aspect you look at, this movie will definitely be able to make back its investment, so there is no pressure.
The pressure comes from the latter two films. Of course, there has been no official funding for them so far, and they are all tied to Wu Di himself.
One is a large investment that can be imagined. No matter how much the real investment is, when it is implemented, the cost must be quite high.
Otherwise, you won’t even be able to bear Lao Zhang’s reputation!
As for the other one, it is naturally Xiao Qi's low-budget film. To be honest, although Wu Di has not seen the plot of Lao Zhang's movie and doesn't even know the genre, Wu Di can already
It is asserted that Lao Zhang’s new movie will definitely not be as good as Xiao Qi’s movie in terms of story structure!
Just so confident!
Just so domineering!
Although it has not been verified, Wu Di's judgment is definitely not groundless. He has a realistic basis.
Don’t forget that movies are the director’s art. This has been emphasized repeatedly before. Since it is the director’s art, to be honest, both Xiao Qi and Lao Zhang are creative directors. In other words, they all write their own films.
The script was written and directed by myself.
Directors and screenwriters are combined into one, and screenwriters are themselves. How can I say that the profession of screenwriter definitely requires a burst of inspiration.
So what is the situation before Xiao Qi and Lao Zhang?
One is a young director who is just starting out. This so-called low-budget film is the absolute culmination of several years of hard work.
As for Lao Zhang, maybe he also put a lot of effort into his script, but it is undeniable that in terms of creative enthusiasm, Lao Zhang cannot compare to Xiao Qi.
However, comparing the two sides, the story must be set in a rural maze, which is a shortcoming in terms of material selection.
This is the path he chose, and no one can change it. Besides, the story has already been formed, and it’s not something Wu Di can change if he wants to.
This is secondly, but the most important thing is that because of this background, it will indeed suffer at the box office.
There is a saying in the current movie market that different types of movies have box office caps.
Take the literary film with the lowest box office as an example. Obviously, in the current movie market, the top dollar is only 100 million!
One hundred million!
Of course, this is a myth that can only be created by the era he traveled through. But now, it is 2009. Don't expect it. If a literary and artistic film can have a box office of tens of millions, it is worthy of bragging.
What about suspense films?
Sorry, in the theater market in 2009, the box office was only about 500 million at best.
Compared with the investment in suspense films, the box office of 500 million is certainly profitable, but when I look back at Xiao Qi's film, it's a bit suspenseful.
Five hundred million is impossible and impossible.
The goal Wu Di set for it is to maintain one and compete for two, that is, to maintain the base of 100 million and strive for good results of 200 million.
This is the limit.
In the film market, although suspense films are not a niche genre, the corresponding audience is also limited.
Not to mention, the maze here and the rural theme buff make it even more difficult to get a high box office.
And what about Lao Zhang’s movies?
Since he has already taken the initiative to contact Ms. Lan, it can be concluded that this is probably not the way to go for a literary film.
Because although Lao Zhang liked to shoot literary films when he was young, in recent years, his main field of involvement has been commercial films.
So, until his interest in commercial films has not weakened, theoretically speaking, he will not suddenly switch to making artistic films.
Moreover, if you really want to make a literary film, then there is no need to trouble Ms. Lan.
In any case, the investment in literary and artistic films is still relatively small, and it can be handled by the investors that Lao Zhang often cooperated with before. There is no need to trouble big bosses like Ms. Lan.
Of course, it can also be understood as reciprocity.
When Lao Zhang arranged a role for Wu Di, it was certainly not a free lunch. This included his expectations for Ms. Lan's investment.
I am an international director, and I have taken the initiative to express my kindness. If I let your son star in my movie, shouldn't you give me some benefits?
Be proactive and invest!
Wu Di is very conflicted now. From his true heart, he certainly hopes to make the movie Labyrinth better.
Although the subject matter is limited, it is estimated that the revenue after the release will not be higher than that of Lao Zhang's movie, or even higher than that of the re-skinned film.
However, Wu Di really hopes to make this movie a success, not just because he also has the title of director, but also because it is really a good movie.
The script is solid, which is the most important thing. What's more, its background is very simple, and it doesn't require great production or 50-cent special effects.
It won't be criticized by the audience because the production level is relatively crude, which will affect the box office performance.
After all, he is a filmmaker, and he always has some sentiments. A movie with a weak script, no matter how well-made and excellent the performances are, is still a piece of shit.
However, it is obvious that the two movies will start shooting at about the same time. At most, they will be launched one after another next year.
This chapter is not over, please click on the next page to continue reading! What does this mean?
This shows that if Ms. Lan really wants to be deeply tied to Wu Di, she will invest in two movies next year.
And now, at the end of this year, the reskin she invested in has not yet been officially released, and it is still unknown to what extent the cost can be recovered.
"I know you have money, but you can't waste it too much." After a moment of silence, Wu Di spoke again.
This time, he looked into Ranmasanti's eyes and said it.
Naturally, Ranmasanti saw the sincerity in those eyes, and she was greatly moved.
"Then tell me, how should I spend my money?"
"I would like to hear your views."
"I have another movie here," Wu Di finally revealed his true intention: "It's a small-budget movie."
"I think before investing in Lao Zhang's movies, you might consider investing in this one."
"It turns out that you had a premeditated plan." Ms. Lan showed a meaningful smile, and Wu Di quickly denied: "No!"
"I didn't design this, it was a complete coincidence."
"Before Lao Zhang came to find you, I went to the southwest just to check out the environment with the new director. I did hear that Lao Zhang was working on a new movie, but I heard a few days ago that the script has not been completed yet.
, so I didn’t take it to heart.”
"Unexpectedly, he went to find you during my inspection. It was like the two works were inserted together."
"However, I can guarantee that the quality of this movie is unparalleled and the script is extremely solid."
"Is it really that good?"
Ramashanti still has some confidence in her own son's vision.
"Please introduce me."
Ranmasanti looked around and found that Wu Di didn't bring anything. It seemed that this so-called new movie could only be explained verbally by him.
Speaking of introduction, Wu Di was a little embarrassed.
But there is no other way. In order to win investment, we can only push forward.
"It's a low-budget suspense film. The actors are not big names, and the director is also a newcomer. His senior brother is my agent, so he recommended this movie to me."
"This is how I think about it. The two works I have now, one is Skin Change and the other is Master, are both big productions. As a newcomer, I don't have much room to play, and the highlights in the movie are not on me.
"
"So, as the next step, I want to pursue the quality of my work and star in a well-received film."
Ramashanti agreed with this concept. She then said: "It's good that you have such an ambition."
"I heard Xiaofeng say before that your acting skills are pretty good, enough to support a movie on your own."
"Now these two movies are just for gaining popularity. When the popularity increases, you can star yourself."
"The finished product of an urban suspense film is indeed relatively easy to control. In addition, as you said, it is a new director and there are no big names in the starring roles. The cost in this aspect can also be reduced by a large amount."
"That's not an urban theme."
"ah?"
"What did you say?"
Wu Di had a headache. Sure enough, Lan Masanti's thoughts could represent the thoughts of the most ordinary audience.
Generally speaking, the suspense films that audiences look forward to when entering a cinema are mostly urban films.
The evils of the countryside do not seem to be within their scope of consideration.
Ranmasanti asked again, and Wu Di had no choice but to tell the truth: "It is indeed a suspense film, but the background of the story is the countryside."
"Country theme?"
"The box office prospects of this kind of movie are very poor!"
"Wu Di, have you really thought about it?"
"The key is, I think, this kind of country-type movie doesn't match your appearance at all."
Lanmasanti looked at Wu Di with admiration in her eyes. Wu Di was quite embarrassed.
"Having said that, the script of this movie is really good, and I admire it very much, so I want to try for it. However, I also know that if I vote for this movie, it will be a bit difficult for Lao Zhang.
For you, investing in two movies in a row is a bit too stressful."
"The key is, the skin change hasn't paid off, right?"
"This is not something you should worry about," Ramashanti waved her hand to dismiss all the messy thoughts in his head.
"I was originally an entertainment company, specializing in investing in movies and theaters. In other words, investing in movies is my old profession. My company's projects are all related to movies. If you want me to do something else,
I’m not good at it either.”
"With two movies, there's not much pressure at all."
Ms. Lan is not bragging. She is indeed professional in this aspect, and her financial resources are not generally strong.
Lao Zhang: Do you think I didn’t do some research, old man?
Domestic entertainment movies are still in the testing stage. Before this year, Ms. Lan’s main battlefield was country A theaters.
Because in country A, film distributors cannot take care of theaters, so in order to broaden their business categories and make more money, Ms. Lan specially set aside part of the funds to jointly establish a new company with other groups to specialize in operating theaters.
Wire.
In 2009, compared with domestic entertainment, the investment scale of country A's blockbusters was larger. For some top blockbusters, the investment was simply doubled.
Ms. Lan is a person who is committed to big things. Do you think that she invested so much in so many movies just to support her own son?
no no!
How can the adult world be so simple?
It is now 2009, and Lanmasanti has seen the booming vitality and strong consumption power of the domestic entertainment market. Although it has not yet been fully developed, it is precisely because everything is still in the wilderness that it is necessary to
People with unique insights like Ranmasanti should be the pioneers.
By investing in Wu Di's movie, Lanmasanti took the funds from country A to enter the domestic entertainment industry. She was originally very ambitious.
Throw money!
Just throwing money!
As a multinational company, Ms. Lan is very familiar with this routine.
The so-called broadening of the market is actually a process that first relies on spending money on projects to seize the market. After the market is squeezed, you can make money.
Compared with the money earned in the future, these early investments will seem particularly insignificant.
A fantasy film, a commercial film by a well-known director, plus a small-to-medium budget newcomer's work with good reputation, this is indeed a good combination.
It's this rate of return that makes Lanmasanti really worried.
"Wu Di, let alone the investment in this movie, I don't care about that. I just want to ask you, can this movie make money?"
Wu Di looked up at the ceiling. He was just a young actor. How could he guarantee such a thing?
"I'm afraid it won't be easy."
"After all, the subject matter is limited. In addition, the director is a newcomer and has low market recognition. He also has a rural background, which will indeed make many viewers uninterested. And I, the leading actor, am not well-known. What's more, besides me,
The entire starring team is not famous, these are all influencing factors." Wu Di listed all the disadvantages of the movie Labyrinth that he could think of in one breath, and then looked at Lanmasanti anxiously.
There is no need to describe the advantages anymore, they have been explained very clearly just now.
Ranmasanti spread her hands: "Look, don't you know everything?"
"This movie has too many disadvantages. As a movie that is going to be released in theaters, investors must hope to at least get their money back. Making money is the best thing."
"However, this movie will not make any money to the naked eye, so why should I invest in it?"