Nick attaches great importance to the company's opening ceremony. He not only invited his immediate boss Zhu Lihua, but also invited many of his friends in the film industry to support him.
On the morning of the opening ceremony, when Julie rushed to the company's studio, she saw a man holding Nick aside and whispering.
"Nick, are you sure that your boss has no other requirements besides the male lead? Female lead, other supporting roles, and director..." Bruce Joy Roy asked uneasily.
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"Okay, Bruce, I've told you. My boss only made this request. By the way, the special effects for the movie must be done here.
I estimate that if my boss hadn't invested in a special effects studio, he might not be willing to invest in your script.
Your script is neither a big-budget gunfight action movie that audiences like, nor a low-budget comedy or horror movie that can be a dark horse at the box office.
For such a simple romance film, your initial budget was only 20 million US dollars. No wonder you couldn't find investors for so long.
For a movie like this, which neither plans to hire first-line actors nor exposes the scenes, tell me, how are you going to get back the money? No matter which investor you change, it won’t work!"
Bruce said nonchalantly: "The male and female protagonists of this movie need more acting skills. Fame is not important. Most of the investment budget is spent on special effects, so we dare not use big-name first-line stars to star."
"Bruce, let me tell you, if we hadn't been friends for many years, I wouldn't have submitted your script to the company.
Think about it, for a movie like this that doesn’t have many selling points, even if the final budget is US$20 million, do you think it can sell US$60 million at the box office and reach the investment balance point?”
Bruce was speechless.
He is just a professional screenwriter and sometimes acts as a producer. All he can control is the direction of the plot and the cost of filming, but he can't do anything about the box office.
Nick did not wait for his answer and continued: "In terms of business, your script is very innovative, but I am responsible for the company's investment. If I were the one who made the decision, I would not accept this script.
, at least we won’t start the project now. This is the first film that we have invested in and produced after the company was reorganized. We must make a name for ourselves.
However, since it is the boss who has bypassed the approval process and directly made the decision to establish the project, then I will definitely implement it. While I am happy for you, I am also worried about whether the company can succeed in this project.
As for the choice of the male lead, since the boss has chosen Ren from Xiangjiang, you should modify the script according to his image and performance style, and arrange other actors to cooperate.
No matter who invests 20 million US dollars in making a movie for you, the request will never be less than this, so just be satisfied.
By the way, Ren will come to the United States in two weeks to promote the movie "The Last Emperor" starring him. At that time, I will sign a performance contract with him for "The Last Days".
Have you seen his movie? Do you approve of his performance?"
"After you told me, I went to the cinema to watch it, and I watched it twice. There was nothing wrong with Ren's performance, and with this movie as the foundation, he became famous among movie fans in North America and Europe.
It's just that as an Asian, Ren's facial features are a little softer and not three-dimensional enough. Therefore, the choice of the heroine also needs to be more considerate in appearance, otherwise the two people appearing in the same shot will look very uncoordinated.
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"That's something you have to consider. After all, you are the producer of this film. It's up to you to weigh the construction of the crew. Then just submit the list and budget to me."
"No problem, but what I'm most worried about right now is not the actors or crew. As long as the leading actors and supporting actors have good acting skills, it won't be difficult to shoot. The key is special effects and post-production.
If the final effect gives people a real and natural feeling, then the movie will have been at least half successful.
But I'm worried that current technology may not be able to meet such requirements. Can the special effects studio you mentioned be able to solve this problem?" Bruce asked.
"Let me first introduce to you our leading film and television special effects studio. Even though the studio was just established, its predecessor was the special effects department of Kasol Film Company.
After the reorganization, the original technical backbone was basically retained, and many experienced and capable employees were re-recruited.
My boss has invested quite a lot in the special effects studio. So far, he has invested $30 million in hardware equipment alone.
This has created a special effects team with the best hardware and equipment in Hollywood at present, even compared with Paramount and Warner, they are by no means inferior.
The special effects studio has just been established, and I have already arranged for them to set up a technical research team to prepare for special effects such as walking through walls and traveling through bodies in your movie.
The research team assured me that they will solve these technical difficulties and complete the actual shooting in no more than ten months.
So don’t worry, revise your script, contact the actors and crew, and try to start filming in the second half of next year and release it in the summer of 1989."
"Have you already asked the special effects studio to start preparations? Thank you so much. I hope they can complete the technical preparations as soon as possible and strive to start shooting as soon as possible.
I have talked with Jerry Zucker several times about this movie and am planning to ask him to direct it.
As for the heroine, Jerry suggested Demi Moore, a young actress with rich acting experience.
After someone introduced me, I fell in love with a young model, Julia Roberts. She comes from a family of actors in Europe. Although she has never appeared on camera, she has a lot of experience in stage plays and has good acting talent.
However, after watching Ren, I feel that the two of them paired with Ren are not very ideal in terms of appearance. So I have to reconsider the choice of the heroine.
As for the male and female supporting roles, I don’t have suitable candidates yet. However, according to Hollywood conventions, in a movie, at least one of the main roles must be played by a black actor, and it cannot be a villain.
In other words, in this movie, the male lead is definitely played by Ren, and the supporting actor is also the villain. Therefore, at least one of the two roles of the heroine and the supporting actress must be played by a black actor.
I prefer to let black actors play the female supporting roles. Otherwise, if the male and female protagonists are of color, those tabloid reporters will make trouble again."
"Okay, you and Jerry should consider these issues. If you decide them early, you can fine-tune the script.
Sorry, I'll excuse you for a moment."
Julie entered the studio at this time, and Nick quickly left Bruce behind to meet his nominal boss.
