In July 2010, many mainland movies were released, kicking off this year's summer season.
What is different from previous years is that Fanxing, known as the king of summer movies, has only released two main-controlled movies this year.
"No Man's Land" filmed by director Ning Hao, co-starring Huang Bo and Duan Long, two of Fanxing's most powerful actors.
In this movie, Ning Hao interestingly reduced the comedy color for which he is famous, and made a Western-style road movie, emphasizing the law of the jungle.
The filming of this movie was completed as early as early 2009. It was originally planned to be released last year. However, there were problems with the review and it was withdrawn twice in succession.
The main problem is the scale of the plot. Even though it was backed by Fanxing and China Film, certain cuts were made and it was delayed for more than a year before it was released.
There are also certain restrictions in terms of publicity, especially the removal and deletion of files cannot be used as a gimmick.
But even so, the lineup of Huang Bo + Ning Hao + Duan Long is still good, but due to the style and publicity, it is estimated that the box office will not be too outstanding.
Another movie is "The Road to Misfortune" directed by Fanxing Investment and its director Cao Bo.
He can be considered an old man of Fanxing Company. He has filmed many TV series, including "Snowflake Goddess Dragon", "Luo Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai", "Myth", "Tang Gong Suo Jade" and other popular TV series directed by him.
However, in terms of movies, Cao Bo is a pure newcomer. The cost of "The Lost Road" is not high and it focuses on comedy. For him, it is a test of the waters.
Boss Cao has always been interested in supporting mainland directors. In the past, Ning Hao and Feng Xiaoning were the ones who focused more resources.
Needless to say about the former, "No Man's Land" is already Fanxing's third film that he has invested in, and he is currently Fanxing's most capable mainland director.
Especially after the Lu Tailang scandal last year, his reputation and reputation plummeted. It has not yet recovered. Ning Hao has become the flagship figure of the sixth generation of directors.
Another one, Feng Xiaoning, is a fifth-generation director. After joining Fanxing, he also produced the film "Happy Family".
Currently, Fanxing is preparing for the major drama "The Legend of Zhen Huan", which is also shot by Feng Xiaoning.
Boss Cao particularly likes Feng Xiaoning, even more than Ning Hao, ranking second among many directors.
The reason is that Feng Xiaoning is a versatile person. He can shoot history and travel around the city. The key is that he is not very picky.
Except for some work, in most cases, what the company arranges is what it is.
You know, many directors have a lot of ideas and prefer freedom, especially well-known directors, who have a very stubborn temper and are only willing to work on projects that interest them.
So for Cao Xuan, the boss, he would definitely like directors who are not picky and have good standards.
Besides Ning and Feng, there is another director in Fanxing that I have to say, and that is Chen Hanzhu.
This person is known as Boss Cao’s best licker, and is also Cao Xuan’s favorite and trusted director. Currently, he is not only the contracted director of Fanxing, but also the deputy director of Fanxing Film and Television.
There are three giants in the Fanxing Film and Television segment. The first is Ding Ying, the vice president and film and television director in charge of the film and television segment. The other two are deputy directors, and Chen Hanzhu is one of them.
As the deputy director, he is mainly responsible for controlling the content of various film and television projects, somewhat similar to an art director.
In theory, he can supervise or even intervene in all aspects of a project, including script planning, scene and costume design, shooting content, and editing of finished products.
He still has a lot of real power, and even many group department directors are not as powerful as him. He is considered a star-studded executive.
Cao Xuan asked him to hold such an important position not only because of his ability to flatter and be loyal, but also because of his ability.
Lao Chen's own creative and directing abilities may not be as good as those famous directors, but he also has his own advantages. He has good artistic thinking and strong business thinking, and he understands the audience and the market.
The existence of Chen Hanzhu is to bring those star screenwriters and directors who let themselves go back to normal.
Some of the film and television projects produced by Fanxing may not be particularly good, but they will definitely not be bad movies.
To put it bluntly, Lao Chen guarantees the minimum limit.
How the starry golden signboard shines may have little to do with him, but it has always stood firm and is deeply rooted. Lao Chen definitely deserves the most credit.
So even though Chen Hanzhu is not well-known among all the directors, his power and energy are definitely among the best.
The famous Ning Hao had to call him "Brother Chen" when he saw him. Da Mimi and Liu Tianxian relied on the support of the East and West Palaces and were not afraid of Fan Xiaopang, but they had to be honest when they saw Lao Chen.
Many people jokingly called Fan Xiaopang, Liu Yan and others the imperialists, comparing them to the Eastern and Western Parties.
But in fact, they just don't stand in line, and they can't talk about being an imperial party. Cao Xuan is the boss himself, regardless of which party, they are all his employees, they are treated equally, and they join the team when they are well fed.
If we really have to form an imperial party one day, Fan Xiaopang and the others will be the backbone at best, and the real core of the imperial party will definitely be Chen Hanzhu.
Compared with other contracted directors, Lao Chen's filming frequency has been very low in recent years, and he mainly focuses on his work as deputy director.
However, he recently took on the movie "The Girl We Chased Together All Those Years".
Who makes this [Cao Xuan Music Universe IP]? As Cao Xuan’s royal MV director, he also directed the previous two movies "Fairy Tale" and "Long Time No See".
In the same line, Old Chen naturally does not want to use his hands on others. If Old Monster Xu dares to snatch it from him, he will grit his teeth.
At the same time, Lao Chen is also very confident. Although Cao Xuan is the core of [Cao Xuan Music Universe IP], he has always been specifically responsible. From the MV back then to the current movie, he has participated in and witnessed every step of the process.
No one understands Cao Xuan...'s MV better than him!
In addition to these three mainland directors, Cao Bo belongs to the family, and is also the key training target in the future.
"Unfortunately" was just a small test, and the follow-up "Love Is Not Blind", which he directed, will be the highlight.
"No Man's Land" at least still has a lot to play for, while Xu Zheng and Wang Baoqiang, the two leading actors in "Unfortunate Road", have not yet begun to make waves in the film market.
Fortunately, the investment in this movie is less than 10 million. Fanxing has no blockbusters this summer, so we will focus a lot of resources on them. With a little bit of momentum, we will definitely not lose money.
The cost of "No Man's Land" is about 35 million, and the joint investment of the two movies does not exceed 50 million. It can be regarded as the most "shabby" summer release for Stars in the past.
However, it’s not that Stars doesn’t have blockbusters, it’s just that most of them are in the preparation and production stages.
Cao Xuan's own "Now You See Me" has just finished filming, Mr. Xu is busy working on "Women Are Not Bad", and the next movie "Flying Swords of Dragon Gate" has just been approved.
Another leading director, Lin Chaoxian, is preparing to shoot a new action movie "The Raid", starring Wu Jing, who signed a cooperation with Fanxing at the beginning of the year.
Beijing Dengfeng International Cultural Communication Co., Ltd., which was established by the latter and took full charge of the personal brokerage business, was invested by Fanxing and acquired 55% of the shares, becoming the major shareholder.
This also means that Wu Jing officially joined Fanxingxing.
In fact, if Wu Jing is willing to sign with Fanxing Company, although he won't be able to get a 28-year contract, he is very hopeful for a 37-year contract.
Nowadays, if you open a company as a partnership, more than half of the income will go to Fanxing, and it will not be regarded as a direct lineage, so you will suffer a lot at critical moments.
But then again, although you may make less money now if you open a company, and sometimes you can't compete with direct artists, you also have a high degree of freedom. If the company becomes bigger in the future, it will be better than taking a dead share of the company.
The choice depends entirely on personal ambition and ability. Wu Jing is willing to give it a try, and Fanxing is not demanding to sign him into the company.
After Wu Jing officially joined Fanxingxing, he immediately obtained the resource "Raid".
Cao Xuan had thought about the movie "The Raid" before, but later felt that the story was too thin and didn't make it, so he gave it to Wu Jing.
The background of the story is set in Southeast Asia, and the protagonist is set as a mercenary, mainly to survive the trial.
The plot is very simple. A group of drug lords are occupying a certain building. The local government has evidence of their crimes and wants to quickly eliminate them.
However, this building is heavily guarded, and the drug lord's men are very powerful, making it impossible for ordinary armed forces to break in. They also collude with the military and some officials to escape at critical moments, without success every time.
Therefore, a team of elite mercenaries including the male protagonist were specially hired. They were both secretive and powerful in combat. They cooperated with some upright special police officers to directly raid the building, catch the drug lord, and bring him to justice.
The story has a bit of a Mexican flavor, and similar situations are not uncommon in Southeast Asia.
In order to prevent defendants from being accused, the movie does not specify which country it is, but simply fictionalizes a certain city in Southeast Asia.
Wu Jing is the first male lead, and there is also a second male lead. I originally wanted to hire Zhen Dan, but later when I asked about the remuneration, the asking price was 18 million.
Don't be too high, the movie "Guan Yunchang" is asking for 20 million, and it has the potential to be the number one movie in Hong Kong.
Later, they simply found two rising action stars from the mainland, Shi Xiaolong and Xie Miao, to join the cast, which could be regarded as cultivating talents for the mainland film industry.
One of the two plays the male lead, who is the misguided brother of the male protagonist, the other plays the villain's thug, and there is also a special police captain who is the male protagonist's teammate, played by Zhang Zijian.
There are not many action actors in Fanxing. Apart from Cao Xuan, the only ones who can really fight are Lao Jiao and Zhang Zijian.
The former was undergoing a transformation and had constant filming appointments, and it was impossible to cast Wu Jing as a co-star, so the latter was the only choice.
There is also a big villain who doesn't have much role. He can just find an experienced actor, or he can find an actor from Southeast Asia to take over.
"Flying Swords of Dragon Gate" plans to find a super big name for the male protagonist, and a top-notch star for the female protagonist. The lineup is luxurious, and the investment is naturally not low, with an estimated cost of 150 to 200 million.
The cost of "The Raid" is not low, but the actors' remuneration is second to none. The male lead Wu Jing's remuneration is only 1.2 million, and the main expenses are on the set and behind the scenes.
For filming, the crew directly rented an abandoned building and then spent a lot of money to renovate it. When they returned, they had to film and repair it.
Lin Chaoxian is also an explosion maniac. Apart from the action scenes, he also added a lot of gun battles and explosion scenes. The cost of the film will naturally increase, and is expected to be no less than 50 million yuan.
Fortunately, this was shot in Southeast Asia, and the prices are cheap. As long as it was shot in Hong Kong or the United States, it would not be possible if the cost doubled.
The two dramas add up to more than 200 million US dollars, plus the US$85 million "Now You See Me", Fanxing has invested hundreds of millions in these three dramas alone.
This year's summer season is not so much that the stars are shabby, but rather that they are holding back their ultimate move...
………
In fact, strictly speaking, Fanxing has another blockbuster film released this summer, which is the famous "Three Kingdoms·Guandu".
However, Boss Cao absolutely does not want to have anything to do with this drama.
Even Fanxing is not listed as a product, but only appears in the penultimate place among jointly produced products. The public opinion is that Fanxing participated in the distribution.
I can't help it, this movie is too lame.
On the second day after it was released, Cao Xuan watched it quietly in Qin City, and then he doubted his life.
Like "Three Kingdoms·Red Cliff", "Three Kingdoms·Guandu" is also divided into two parts. The plot starts from Guan Yu's surrender of Cao Cao but not the Han to Yuan Shao's defeat at Guandu.
The upper part mainly shows that Cao Xuan gets Guan Yu, and then the two sides go to war. Cao Xuan kills Yan Liang, kills Wen Chou, Yuan Shao's army comes to attack, and the battle of Guandu is about to break out.
If Fanxing were filming, the C positions would undoubtedly be Guan Yu and Cao Cao, and then Yuan Shao and Liu Bei.
But in "Three Kingdoms: Stars", Cao Cao is indeed in the C position, but Guan Yu becomes a supporting role, a tool used to set off Cao Cao's virtuous corporal.
The actor who plays Guan Yu is not the most classic version of Lu Shuming, but Bassen, who has played Genghis Khan and was also the actor who played Guan Yu in Wu Baige's original version of "Red Cliff".
This teacher's acting skills are fine, and his appearance is actually very majestic, but he is a bit older. He is 56 years old this year, and due to maintenance, his eyebrows have aged.
At the time of the Battle of Guandu, Guan Yu was about 40 years old and in his prime, at the peak of his energy and spirit.
Luk Shu Ming seems a bit old to play the role at this time, let alone Bassin who is in worse shape than him.
Unfortunately, the crew gave Guan Yu a bit of an old look. In the movie setting, he is a surrendered general who doesn't like to talk and has a gloomy expression.
The majestic and domineering character of Mr. Guan is almost invisible. To put it bluntly, he looks a bit like a resentful woman.
In addition, the two leading actors, Cao Cao and Yuan Shao, have no problem with their acting skills. They acted very well and interpreted some character traits very well.
But the plot is more difficult to describe in one sentence. Again, it’s a bit too petty.
The peak battle of hundreds of thousands of troops did not reflect the epic feeling of the battle.
Whether it is a battle scenario or a military arrangement, the attitudes shown by both sides are like the opening of a community film.
Let so-and-so lead tens of thousands of people to kill all the enemies and occupy the territory. That's it.
There is no information about the tactical purpose of this military operation, the subsequent goals, and what kind of changes it will bring to the entire battlefield. It is just a fight for the sake of fighting.
It can be seen that the director did not study the information of the Battle of Guandu in detail, especially the military aspects.
You must know that when "Three Kingdoms·Red Cliff" was originally produced, a group of screenwriters and historical consultants first used various historical materials of the Three Kingdoms to deduce the entire battle situation of the real Red Cliff from details, and then integrated it into the well-known plot of "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms".
The total of these materials alone amounts to more than 300,000 words.
In the movie, the high-level battle simulations of both sides, the subsequent deployment of troops, and the changes in the situation on the battlefield were all shot based on this data. It can be said that they are full of details and interlocking.
Don't underestimate this kind of plot. Maybe many viewers don't understand it, but through this accumulation of details, the quality of the entire movie can be improved, and the atmosphere of the battle can be created and the characters can be created.
Why Zhou Yu and Zhuge Liang are so awesome can be deduced from these details.
Similarly, how Cao Cao and his counselors are unparalleled in their wisdom and tactics, and how Yuan Shao is so resourceful and decisive can also be reflected through these battles.
At the same time, the lack of accumulation of details will also make the logic of some characters appear fragmented, making them feel unreal.
For example, Fa Ge played Cao Cao very well. He had the domineering attitude of a prince, but he was also able to bend down to pay homage to virtuous corporals, and he was quite majestic.
However, in the movie, after Guan Yu killed Yan Liang and Wen Chou, everyone in Cao Ying was so confident that Yuan Shao was just a broken dog who could be killed with a wave of his hand.
Later, when they saw Yuan Shao coming with hundreds of thousands of soldiers and horses, everyone panicked. In the end, they had to force Cao Pi to add drama and add counselors to appease people's hearts.
Let’s just say that this is what happened. Cao Ying is not stupid, so how could he panic?
According to official history, both sides had already known that Yuan Shao was aggressive and Cao Cao had already had a decisive battle in mind. Even before he conquered Guan Yu, he may have had various battle plans.
Maybe the screenwriter and director understood the situation, but because they didn't pay attention to the details, the plot seemed a bit incomprehensible.
To use a forced analogy, the entire first part of "Three Kingdoms·Guandu" is a bit like such a story.
The Eastern Han Dynasty Society plans to select Northern speakers, with Mr. Cao from Yanzhou and Mr. Yuan from Hebei having the best chance.
On this day, Big Ear Liu from Xuzhou offended Boss Cao, and Boss Cao led people to occupy his territory. His boss Guanzi temporarily followed Boss Cao for the sake of the boss's son.
Big Er Liu ran away to Boss Yuan, hoping to borrow troops to regain his territory.
At this time, Yuan and Cao hadn't completely broken up with each other. Yuan boss contacted Cao boss and said that he would arrange a table for drinks and the reconciliation between his brothers would be settled.
Boss Cao didn't care about Boss Yuan at all. Boss Yuan became so angry that he sent his boss Ayan to ask for him.
Because A Yan's attitude was more arrogant, the two sides clashed. A Yan was very powerful and Boss Cao's men couldn't beat him. In the end, Guan Zai took action and hacked the opponent to death.
The leader was dead, and Boss Yuan was definitely going to take revenge, so he planned to kill Big Er Liu. Big Er Liu said that his leader would not betray him, and he would go and ask for his death in person.
Boss Yuan sent another top horse, A Chou, to accompany Big Ear Liu, but he was attacked by Boss Cao, and A Chou was hacked to death by Guan Zai.
After killing Boss Yuan's two top horses in a row, Boss Cao felt very satisfied with Boss Yuan's decline in strength, and then planned to reconcile and temporarily stabilize the opponent.
When he became stronger, he destroyed the opponent in the palace. As a result, Boss Yuan became anxious and directly led all his brothers to fight him.
Boss Cao was dumbfounded. He thought they were just two younger brothers. Why were they making such a big fuss? It was against the rules of the society, but he had no choice but to go ahead.
According to official history, the origin of the entire Guandu War was a tacit decisive battle between two northern power groups, which took several years of preparations and trials, but in the movie it turned into a group struggle that was forced to face off.
Even after Cao Xuan's review, he still felt that Cao Cao still had some White Lotus attributes. He killed someone's younger brother and blamed someone for starting a war with him.
Also worth mentioning is the love triangle between Cao Pi, Yuan Xi and Zhen Mi.
Cao and Zhen were childhood sweethearts, but when they were 12 years old, Zhen moved to Jizhou with his parents, but they still missed each other.
When Zhen Mi grew old and her reputation spread, Yuan Xi, the second son of Yuan Shao, proposed to marry her.
Zhen Mi didn't like Yuan Xi, but she couldn't resist the Yuan family's influence and had to obey. When Cao Pi learned about it, he snatched the bride halfway on the wedding day.
Yuan Xi was furious, and just as Wen Chou came to question him, he followed the troops to snatch his wife. However, he was ambushed, Wen Chou was hacked to death, and he himself fled in a hurry.
Later, when Yuan Shao's troops invaded the territory, Zhen Mi decided to leave Cao Pi, left a letter, and returned to Yuan's house alone.
On the one hand, she heard that her parents were captured by the Yuan family and wanted to go back to save people. On the other hand, she felt that the people were suffering from the military disaster, so she wanted to go back and find a way to persuade Yuan Xi, and then let him persuade her father, Yuan Shao, to withdraw from the army and avoid the military disaster.
Finally, she expressed the love between the two of them in the letter. What she wanted to do was peace and love, for the sake of the world, and she hoped that Cao Pi could understand.
Cao Pili didn't understand it either, but Cao Xuan really couldn't understand it.
How did the screenwriter come up with this plot of cerebral hemorrhage?
Where did Zhen Mi get her confidence???!!!
Cao Xuan even doubted whether Wu Baige was deliberately scheming Liu Tianxian, but think about the original version of "Red Cliff" where Xiao Qiao entered Cao Cao's camp alone and persuaded Cao Cao to retreat.
Maybe people feel in their hearts that such a woman is true, kind and beautiful, and that this is the highest state of peace and love.
Cao Xuan went back and asked Zeng Li to call Liu Tianxian.
First, be mentally prepared for negative public opinion.
Secondly, he asked if there was a plot of "Cute Meng Stands Up" in the second part of "Three Kingdoms·Guandu". He contacted China Film to delete it.
The Empress of the West Palace was also very speechless. Liu Tianxian was fooled. No one expected that the international director Wu Baige and the Three Kingdoms IP could film to this extent.
Cao Xuan understood the power of Wu Baige, but when he contacted Liu Tianxian at that time, the crew did not finally confirm Wu Baige as the director.
Moreover, at that time, the management team and Liu Tianxian himself were particularly keen on the drama, and Cao Xuan had no reason to stop it at that time.
After all, that is the famous Hollywood director Wu Baige,
At that time, several big names were about to compete for the top spot, but it was Fanxing who pushed Liu Tianxian to the top by relying on his influence and relationship with China Film.
This matter is a mess. Fanxing has made it clear that he does not want to develop the Three Kingdoms IP, but China Film does not want to give up and start a new one.
The Three Kingdoms itself is a public IP, anyone can film it, and Fanxing has no reason to stop it.
Not to mention "Three Kingdoms·Guandu", there is now a film and television company producing "Red Cliff War", and Fanxing may not be able to win the lawsuit if he sues for infringement.
Cao Xuan made a cameo out of respect for China Film Group Corporation.
Liu Tianxian and Hu Ge were simply fooled by Wu Baige and the big production brand. The latter was okay, at least there were a few people in front of them blocking it. Liu Tianxian was the only important female character, so she naturally bore the brunt.
There are many people who are famous. Liu Tianxian has become extremely popular in the past two years. There are many people who like her and many who annoy her.
In the past, the work was good, and Fanxing's protection was also strict. It did not cause any turmoil. Now that he has handed over the excuse, he has naturally been deeply involved in the whirlpool of public opinion.
Of course, while some are sad, others are laughing.
Damimi, who is still filming on the set of "Laughing River and Lake", has almost turned sour from laughing these days.
It's so pitiful, this is the first time she has seen Liu Tianxian so miserable, and she is happier than making 10 million.
Damimi’s biggest pleasure every day now is to read comments online, then make phone calls with Zhao Xiaodao, and then laugh together while holding their phones.
The actor in the room next to her was so disturbed that she considered calling her to complain about disturbing the residents...
