"The novel is just average, but the idea you adapted it is really good!" Uncle Gao Qun took off his reading glasses and sighed.
Then he looked at He Xin, who was sitting opposite, with some confusion, and asked, "What do you mean by coming to me today? Do you want me to help you with the script?"
"Not only the script, I also want to ask you to direct the play." He Xin said with a smile.
"Hey, you really think highly of me, aren't you afraid that I'll mess up?" Uncle Gao Qun laughed twice.
If we want to say which domestic director has advanced the fastest, then Lao Gao will definitely be ranked number one. When he collaborated with He Xin on "Conquer", he was still called "the one who shoots documentaries" in the industry.
But since "Conquest" became a hit, he has filmed several hit TV series in a row, and has become a leading director. Later, he transitioned to movies, although the difficult "Tokyo Trial" made him less than two years old.
It's hard to catch my breath, but as a film with a main theme, it received a good response after its release. It even won the Special Jury Award at the Changchun Film Festival last year. It also established his status as a film director in the industry.
"Brother Gao, I'm not kidding you."
Of course, Uncle Gao Qun knew that He Xin was not joking with him, but he just said with a troubled face: "Xiao He, I am already preparing a project, I'm afraid..."
"What project?" He Xin asked quickly.
This news caught him somewhat unexpectedly.
"Four Famous Catchers!"
"Hey, are you planning to switch to making martial arts movies?"
"Tsk, how is that possible! You know I never like those high-end and high-end costume martial arts movies. It's so fake! This is a true story. There is a criminal police team in the southwest that specializes in chasing fugitives. In six years, thousands of fugitives have been arrested.
After falling into the law, they are known as the 'Four Famous Catchers'! Let me tell you, all four of them are extraordinary..."
Uncle Gao Qun eloquently introduced to him some of the deeds of this professional fugitive police team known as the "Four Famous Catchers", and then introduced him to the outline of his almost complete script and character settings.
The more He Xin listened, the more familiar it sounded, especially when he heard the duel between the last four people and the two killers. He suddenly remembered, wasn't this the "Western Wind" he had watched in his previous life?
At that time, he watched this movie purely because of Lao Duan, who was very popular due to the hit of "My Leader, My Regiment". After watching this movie, which is said to be the first western movie in China,
His first feeling at the time was that he was quite disappointed.
Not to mention the beginning of the four male protagonists chasing fugitives on horseback. At first glance, it seems that they are imitating Hollywood westerns. But make no mistake, most of the stories in Hollywood westerns about horseback riding and shooting took place in the 1970s and 1980s.
It was a hundred years ago, and the traces of imitation are very heavy. It is obviously also deliberately pretending.
What’s even more embarrassing is that the entire film is filled with advertisements for a drug that cures diarrhea called Xie Li Ting. In an deserted and abandoned town, there is actually a brand new huge advertisement erected on the roadside, which is implanted.
It's simply heartbreaking.
At the end of the sentence, Lao Gao blinked and looked at him and said: "Xiao He, actually you didn't come to me this time, but I still want to come to you! Haven't you always wanted to play the role of a policeman? I am the male lead here.
I think it’s particularly suitable for you.”
"Uh, no, Brother Gao, I've already played the role of a policeman in "I'm Not a Hero"!"
He Xin has no interest in this kind of film that deliberately imitates Hollywood westerns.
As he said that, he didn't care whether Uncle Gao Qun had any projects or not, and directly raised his two fingers and said: "Brother Gao, we are prepared to invest this amount in this project!"
"Twenty million? Xiaohe, you've made it big!"
Uncle Gao Qun subconsciously exclaimed, the current Uncle Gao Qun is not the same as after filming "The Wind". When he first tried movies, when filming "Tokyo Trial", he encountered a withdrawal of capital, and there were various differences between the investors.
He was a quarrel with Bo Gongtang about all kinds of nonsense. Although he later completed the movie with his own money and gained a good reputation, he still lost all his money at the box office.
And although he signed a contract with Huayi Brothers, if he wanted to make a movie, he had to find projects by himself and see if the company would give him money. Otherwise, he would have to go back to his old job and make TV series.
Lao Gao really wanted to say to He Xin: Xiao He, please invest 20 million in my "Four Famous Catchers"!
Obviously this was unrealistic, not to mention that the suspense theme of "The Wind" that He Xin showed him was very much in line with his appetite.
Just when he was still hesitating, he heard He Xin ask again: "Brother Gao, do you have any idea about this project?"
"Well……"
Uncle Gao Qun really couldn't speak for a while.
It should be said that Lao Gao is quite thoughtful. Since he started preparing for the project "Four Famous Detectives", he has never wanted to make it a traditional detective film. Instead, it should revolve around competition, with a lot of fists, speeding cars, and chases.
Explosions and other stunt scenes. In this case, the investment will inevitably reach the level of 20 to 30 million.
But it is still quite difficult for him to attract so much investment. At least so far, he has received a lot of rejections, including the Huayi Brothers who signed a contract with him, and they also lack interest.
On the one hand, the company is preparing to launch a suspense-themed film "Li Mi's Conjecture" directed by Cao Baoping this year. Moreover, the company's positioning from the beginning for this cultural film with a small investment is to be high-quality and win at the box office.
The requirements are not high.
On the other hand, based on Huayi's consistent virtue, in the field of commercial films, apart from pants directors, they trust directors from Hong Kong and Taiwan more. As for Lao Gao, he can make TV series, but as for movies, the company does not have the resources to focus on him yet.
The sides are tilted.
He Xin understood it at first glance. After "Conquest" became a hit, he and Lao Gao were both beneficiaries. Lao Gao was still very prosperous in the first two years, but has become a bit quiet in the past two years. In addition, the movie is not a TV series, and he
Lao Gao is not a national teacher, and there are too many uncertainties between Pants and Director Chen. It is normal for things not to go smoothly.
At this time, he also roughly understood why the film "Western Wind" in the original time and space was released two years after "The Sound of the Wind" was released. That was after the success of "The Sound of the Wind", and Lao Gao already had enough capital.
"Brother Gao, why don't you put the project you are working on aside and help me work on the "Wind" project first?" He Xin said sincerely.
"Um...are you in a hurry for this project?"
Uncle Gao Qun asked, still a little hesitant.
"I'm not in a hurry, I plan to start filming in the second half of next year. But I haven't finished the script yet..." He Xin looked at him awkwardly and said.
"I see that the outline of your script and the character settings are very good. Can't you find a few screenwriters to enrich it?"
"Well, I still think it's a bit unreliable. Brother Gao, you should help me with it. With this kind of suspense theme, you are the one I trust the most," He Xindao.
Although he has no impression of who the screenwriter of the original "Wind" was, Lao Gao is one of the directors after all, and there must be Lao Gao's factors in everything from the script to the movie. Like "Latent", he still hopes to avoid
After some obvious flaws, try to restore the original flavor as much as possible.
What's more, Lao Gao was originally a top student in the Journalism Department of Hebei University. He has been studying various suspense themes all year round. In terms of handling details, he believes that Lao Gao is more reliable than professional screenwriters outside.
Lao Gao pondered for a moment, then nodded and said: "There is no problem with the script. Please let me think about other things first."
To be honest, he still couldn't let go of his "Four Famous Catchers". After all, the idea of this book from the beginning was his, rather than a propositional composition like "The Wind".
"No problem, I'll give you half a year to think about it, as long as you give me a reply before the end of the year." He Xin said with a smile.
When Lao Gao heard He Xin's words, it seemed that he had to do something with him, and he was inevitably moved. After all, in adversity, what people often need most is a sense of trust.