After resting one night in the arranged hotel, Xu Ji got up early the next morning.
But because I don’t know the specific place to meet Hu Lan, I can only wait temporarily.
While eating the breakfast prepared by the hotel, Xu Ji was thinking about the reason why Hu Lan was so anxious to meet him this time.
Judging from the news we have received so far, he is not the only one this time.
There are several other directors.
Among them there are many super first-line directors like Xu Ji, or at least very famous first-line directors.
Xu Ji is naturally the youngest among them.
But in terms of performance, it is definitely not the worst.
Of course, we don’t know what the specific project is yet.
If it is like the previous recruitment promotion, it is estimated that his next movie shooting plan will have to be postponed.
After all, Xu Ji doesn't have time to devote his energy to filming a drama like "Soldier Assault" while filming his own movie.
......
After breakfast, we rested for more than half an hour. Around 8:30, the driver who picked up Xu Ji from the airport yesterday came over again.
Xu Ji didn’t ask much.
After all, the other party may not be clear about this kind of thing if he doesn't tell it first, and even if he knows something, he probably won't tell Xu Ji.
Anyway, Hu Lan and Duan Shengyu will explain it in detail when they get there.
Not long after, the car stopped.
It's not the Television, Radio and Television Bureau, but an official, unlisted office building.
The driver led Xu Ji to the door of a large conference room, and then knocked on the door.
"Come in!"
Hu Lan's voice came from inside.
"Chief, Director Xu Ji has brought us."
—"Okay, you go out first and close the door."
After Hu Lan saw his subordinates leaving, he said:
"Director Xu, long time no see."
"Please take a seat."
Xu Ji walked to one of the empty seats in front of the conference table and sat down.
Then I started to observe the people in the conference room at this time.
In addition to the two familiar old acquaintances Hu Lan and Duan Shengyu, there were four people sitting in the conference room at this time.
Although Xu Ji met these people for the first time, he still recognized them all.
The first is the middle-aged man on his left with an exaggerated beard. He is Deng Shengxing, a super first-line director from Tinpo.
This man seems to be in his early forties. Although he is much older than Xu Ji, he is still much younger than the other three people present.
It happens to be the time when you are in the prime of life.
Speaking of which, the other party and Xu Ji had some invisible grudges.
The other party's "The Merchant of Treasures" was actually released on New Year's Day together with Xu Ji's "Infernal Affairs".
When it first started, "Mr. Wanbao" was leading the box office because of the huge investment in the show.
But then it was directly counterattacked by Xu Ji's "Infernal Affairs" relying on word of mouth.
Then the box office results were rubbed on the ground.
Although it was the first time he met Xu Ji, the way he looked at Xu Ji was not very friendly, but even a little hostile.
Of course, this is actually because as a super first-line director, he was even ranked higher than Xu Ji, but in the end he lost in an ugly way.
Xu Ji is really too young.
If it weren't for the high box office results and reputation of Xu Ji's two films, a middle-aged director like Deng Shengxing might completely look down on him.
Now that I have lost to Xu Ji, and I no longer have the qualifications, I can only accept the treatment of sitting with Xu Ji, who is in his twenties.
Except for Deng Xingsheng, the director of Smallpox, two of the other three directors are naturally from two of the other three major directors.
Zang Sheng, a super first-line director of Phoenix Entertainment, is currently the fifth most influential super first-tier director.
I am in my fifties, but my hair is already gray, and I have a very prominent bookish spirit.
The box-office champion movie worth more than 5 billion during this year’s Spring Festival is the other party’s work.
In addition, there are countless past experiences.
The winner of three Bronze Tiger Awards for Best Director and two Silver Dragon Awards, he is basically China’s top director.
He is also the most outstanding person in all aspects among all the directors present.
In addition, there is also a super first-line director from Tianwu.
His name is Wang Huilan. Compared with the previous two people, the number of his works is not that large.
After more than 30 years in the industry, he has made a total of seven movies.
However, each movie has a score of seven or more on the petals. The personal style is very strong and the influence is not small.
The fourth person is the official director, named Ruan Zhong, and he is also the only one present who is not a top-tier director.
Of course, a large part of the reason is also because the other party has always made official movies.
Generally speaking, the box office is not very high, but the qualifications and status in the industry are still there, so it is not surprising to appear here.
On the contrary, in comparison, Xu Ji, a relatively junior director, seemed a little out of place sitting with a few people.
However, because Xu Ji has indeed grown up very quickly and is recognized as a representative figure among young directors, no one will question whether he is qualified to sit here.
Even if they are not qualified, no one else would say it directly in front of Hu Lan and Duan Shengyu on such an occasion.
......
"Everyone is here."
When Duan Shengyu saw Xu Ji sitting down, he turned around and whispered to Hu Lan.
Because Hu Lan is actually the main person in charge this time, and Duan Shengyu was just called over to help, so he can't dominate the scene.
Hu Lan was not the kind of person who beat around the bush and said directly:
"Everyone, let me introduce myself first."
"My name is Hu Lan, and I am the director of the Cultural and Propaganda Department of the Beijing Military Region"
"I asked Mr. Duan to invite everyone here this time."
"Actually, the purpose is very simple. It is to promote the 100th anniversary of the founding of the army this year."
"These are all the most outstanding film directors in China..."
......
It is similar to what Xu Ji had guessed before. It is indeed a gift for the 100th anniversary of the founding of the army.
Just such an official major project can bring together super first-line directors from the three major entertainment companies.
Then Hu Lan continued to explain some details of this official mission.
There are five directors in total, and each of them has one film. There is no limit to the budget of the film, and there are not many restrictions on the subject matter, as long as it can show the Chinese military spirit.
Of course, these are actually not the key.
As expected by everyone, the official tasks basically have similar requirements.
The only difference is that this time there are requirements for the box office of the film dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the founding of the army.
What Hu Lan means is that the box office performance should not be less than one billion at least.
The above believes that only a high box office can prove that the influence of a movie is sufficient.
Of course, because of the box office requirements, there are not many restrictions on the content.
Otherwise, if we shoot according to the requirements of some previous projects, it will definitely lose a lot of movie enjoyment, and the box office results will generally not be very good.
But after Hu Lan finished speaking, director Deng Shengxing spoke with a look of embarrassment.
"Minister Hu, there is no problem in making a gift film, but I am really not sure about the box office requirements."
What Deng Shengxing said at this time was also what several other directors wanted to say.
Although in China’s current movie market, one billion is not a very high box office.
But it’s also not easy to do.
Even they themselves may not be able to achieve such box office results sometimes.
Even if it is a large-cost investment, within 300 million, the box office of 1 billion is actually a movie project that can fully recover the cost, and even make a small profit.
No one has full confidence.
More importantly, the theme this time must be a military film, about Chinese soldiers.
It is equivalent to the subject matter being directly restricted.
There have indeed been some good box office performances for similar movies, but most of them obviously did not reach the one billion threshold.
Even if it is an official task, faced with such a goal, it is certainly impossible to agree easily.
......
Hu Lan had anticipated this.
He said directly: "Actually, everyone shouldn't have any psychological burden."
"This is just a goal. Even if you fail to achieve it, you will not be punished."
"After all, we are here to help you."
"Just try your best."
"Of course, and in fact not every movie has to have a box office of one billion, it is enough on average."
After Hu Lan finished speaking, several people present still did not give their own answers.
Of course everyone knows that there is no such thing as punishment.
It would be strange if there were.
But if they fail to meet the official requirements, their own reputation will be greatly affected if the movie is released.
After all, they are all top-notch directors, and there is basically no one who does not care for their own feathers.
Every film must be carefully considered before being chosen for project.
In the end, Zang Sheng was the first to speak: "Is there a specific time limit?"
Even if you don’t want to accept this video as a tribute to the 100th anniversary of the founding of the army, you obviously can’t refuse it.
Rather than continue to care about other things, it is better to agree early and try to give a good impression to the officials and the military region.
Zang Sheng is the oldest among them all, and he has collaborated with the government the most times except the official director Ruan Zhong.
Even more than Xu Ji.
"Everyone, is there anyone who refuses to participate?"
"We will not force everyone."
"Everyone has the right to refuse. After all, you should know that the director's fee we can give is definitely not as much as what you usually pay, and the gap is even huge."
Hu Lan asked very humanely.
But the few people present are not fools, and of course it is impossible for them to directly express their disapproval.
After refusing, you don’t have to worry about official retaliation or deliberate targeting.
But obviously, there will definitely be relationship rifts.
The more big companies like the Big Three and the more top-tier directors they are, the more they understand how important it is to maintain a good relationship with the authorities.
Everyone is not a fool. At this time, someone was the first to say yes, so they all expressed their intention to participate.
If you hesitate for a long time, the gains outweigh the losses. You will have to agree sooner or later anyway.
......
"As for the specific release time of the movie, of course we hope to release it on August 1st, Army Day."
"But since there are five movies in total this time, in order to achieve better box office results for each movie, it is best to spread them out."
】
"There are no special requirements for the specific release time. Everyone can coordinate by themselves, as long as it is released within this year."
"In addition, I also bought quite ample time for everyone during the filming and post-production cycle of the movie."
"Please be sure to maintain the quality of the movie."
"After the script comes out, we will conduct corresponding review, and the same will be done for the finished film."
......
After all, it is a project that the military is personally responsible for, and there are still many relevant regulations.
This was quite expected by Xu Ji.
However, it can be seen that the conditions this time are actually very relaxed.
Not only is there no time limit like the previous poverty alleviation drama, but the content can also be decided by the director.
It must have been obtained by Hu Lan from above.
Of course, the price is naturally the one billion box office requirement.
After Hu Lan finished speaking, the expressions of several directors became slightly more relaxed.
There is enough time, sufficient budget, and corresponding creative space. In fact, it seems that the box office target of one billion is not particularly difficult.
But after a few people breathed a sigh of relief, they heard Hu Lan say next:
"However, due to the special nature of this film project dedicated to the centenary of the founding of the army, we need you to complete the script first."
"Before the script is completed, everyone needs to stay at the place we arranged."
"Of course, everyone's freedom will not be restricted during this period. You can still move freely in the capital, and you can contact the screenwriters and teams you usually work with at any time to create scripts."
......
After Hu Lan finished speaking, several people did not react much.
Even directors like Zang Sheng and official director Ruan Zhong, who have participated in official projects for a long time, look like they are used to it.
But Xu Ji was stunned. He didn't expect that when he came to the capital this time, he would not be able to leave?
He quickly asked: "Minister Hu, what does the script completion mean?"
"Do I need to assemble the crew before I can leave for filming?"
This is the first time Xu Ji has spoken, which attracted the attention of several other directors.
Hu Lan took the initiative to explain: "How is it possible? There is a lot of preparation needed before the shooting, and it is impossible for you to stay in the capital all the time."
"So after the script is reviewed, you can leave temporarily."
"The subsequent shooting plan and progress are decided by you."
After hearing this, Xu Ji finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"If there's no problem, we can adjourn the meeting."
"By the way, Director Xu and Director Wang, you don't have a place to live here in the capital, so you can only temporarily stay in the hotel arranged by us. If you need anything, just ask."
"The others can stay in their own residences in the capital, but the phones should be kept open at all times so that we can't be contacted."
After Hu Lan finished speaking, several other people had already stood up and prepared to leave.
Only Xu Ji took the initiative to step forward and asked: "Minister Hu, can you prepare a computer for me?"
"There is also a slightly quieter environment."
Xu Ji's words immediately stunned Hu Lan, and also attracted the attention of several other top-tier directors.
"Are you going to...?"
Hu Lan asked with some uncertainty.
Xu Ji replied naturally: "Writing a script."
"I may have something to do tomorrow. If I give you the script today, can you finish it for review?"
If it were in a game, this room would probably be filled with question marks from a bunch of people.
In particular, several top-tier directors have begun to complain collectively in their hearts.
They are all ready to polish the script for a long time.
It would be good if it can be completed within a month.
As a result, when Xu Ji arrived, he actually planned to write the script within today?
You still act like it’s natural, do you want to hear what you’re talking about?