In the chairman's office of China Film Group, Han Sanping carefully read the more than 30,000-word literary script in his hand word for word, word for word, and couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.
"Director Li, is this the film you want to hit the record of "Avatar"?"
"Yes, what do you think, Director Han?" Li Qian nodded.
Han Sanping did not answer, but asked, "Why did Director Li think of shooting this subject?"
Since Li Qian threatened to hit the box office record of "Avatar", although there has been a lot of criticism both inside and outside the industry, Han Sanping is very happy.
Being able to break the record is something he is happy to see. After all, as the helmsman of the largest state-owned enterprise in the film industry, all the achievements of Chinese-language films during his tenure are his political achievements.
Even if it can't be broken, as Li Qian is so confident, it will definitely be an extraordinary movie.
Even if it doesn't reach 1.3 billion, it can still hit one billion.
However, what I originally thought was a shocking production turned out to be a reality-themed drama.
Moreover, the content is so sensitive.
It involves the issue of the survival of ordinary people, which is much more sensitive than sentimental feelings, bloody violence, and the darkness at the bottom of society in a backward area.
Li Qian shook his head, "There's no reason. I discovered this group by chance before, learned about it in depth, and decided to shoot this subject out of inspiration."
"But, I'm afraid it will be difficult for the script to pass the review." Han Sanping also shook his head.
For many banned movies, some of the scripts submitted for review were submitted for review, but the ones that came out were different from the scripts. Some of the films had no problems with the review, but when they were filmed, they thought there were problems and they weren't released.
Of course, some of them are suddenly banned for you halfway through the release.
Li Qian's script is a typical, sad script.
Han Sanping explained, "This involves people's livelihood issues. It is not an isolated case that exists in individual areas. It is closely related to 1.3 billion people. People's livelihood issues have always been very tight."
"I understand this."
As a filmmaker, I have some understanding of the censorship system.
The three aspects of gore, violence, and astringency are relatively low-level factors. Above that are some dark aspects of society and political factors. And above that are social problems, and they are also negative social factors.
The phenomenal TV series "Snail House" was banned the year before last. Some people said it was too pornographic. It seemed to be the 15th episode. Xiaobei called Haizao. Song Siming got under the sheets from the end of the bed and gave her something, and then the seaweed came out.
The sound was heard by Xiaobei, and Haizao said he saw a cockroach.
It's so dirty. There are many large-scale scenes like this in the whole drama.
But the main problem is not this, nor is it corrupt officials, otherwise it would not have become a star after being broadcast on local channels.
The biggest problem is that after going to the star, the problem of the house has aroused the attention of the whole society.
The rise in housing prices and the huge impact it has had on young people's ideals, the lives of ordinary people are just like what is described in the play, and everything is exposed to the sun.
Taking the social problems caused by housing to the extreme, this cruel life affects everyone whose life is troubled by housing prices.
This then triggered a discussion throughout society: Who forced the masses to become house slaves?
Power controls everything, capital shakes human nature, and interests force good people into prostitution. The powerful class can rob people of their ancestral homes, bankroll their wives and daughters, and control everything.
It's also the Chinese New Year, and the rich are living in big, magnificent houses full of warmth, while the poor are suffering with no water or electricity, lighting candles.
The masses work hard under the pressure of overtime, but only get a meager income, while the powerful Er Nai buys a piece of clothing and sells it for tens of thousands.
Some thoughts and social phenomena triggered by the house are the fundamental reasons why "Snail House" was banned.
To put it bluntly, why was it banned? Because it was too real and touched everyone’s pain points.
The same is true for "I'm Not the God of Medicine". Although cancer and houses, the latter is more immersive. After all, it is difficult for most people to afford a house themselves, and there are far fewer people with cancer.
However, the cost of getting cancer is life, a predictable death.
And although cancer affects only a small number of people, most people will get sick.
It is too easy to resonate. It is a matter that is closely related to everyone. When the time comes, like "Snail House", it will cause a sensation and arouse strong social repercussions, and the finger will naturally be pointed at the government.
Li Qian knew all this, but since he wanted to shoot, he had to be certain, otherwise he wouldn't have done such a useless thing.
Li Qian sat up straight and explained, "This is a movie with great personal heroism. The character Cheng Yong is the hero and the savior. The whole movie revolves around him. He is the hero of all leukemias."
People's hope, so this is not a dark movie.
The movie mainly involves three groups, the patient group, the drug dealer group, and the police group that represents justice. Patients want to live and get cheap medicines, drug dealers want to make money and ensure the price of drugs, and the police group must abide by the law and ensure the price of medicines.
Maintain social order.
Although the patient group, the drug dealer group, and the police group are in opposition, they have not touched any truly extraordinary boundaries. The patients' demands are affirmative, and people are extremely sympathetic. The drug dealer's behavior can be described as "Glenin of the world."
"The prices are extremely high" explained the universality and rationality of the high prices, which gave them a step forward, and the medical representative was not punished.
The police as a group represent the government in a certain sense. I don't accuse or criticize them like some dark movies. In fact, it is as perfect as the director's sentence, "Have you seen too few things where law is greater than love?" This is
It was his responsibility as a policeman. If he let Cheng Yong go, from a legal perspective, it would be dereliction of duty and a crime.
Of the three groups, there are two criminals in the whole movie. Zhang Changlin, who sells counterfeit medicines, is suspected of fraud, and the protagonist Cheng Yong is suspected of smuggling, and both of them were punished."
Han Sanping listened quietly to Li Qian's explanation, couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief, and looked at Li Qian more and more differently.
"Director Li is very thoughtful."
He did not criticize the government or drug dealers, but the man who was the savior was punished.
It is hard to imagine that such a mature and appropriate idea was thought up by such a young man.
"The police are right, the drug dealers are right, the patients who buy the medicine are right, and the three groups in the movie are all right. The only thing wrong is that the relevant laws and regulations are not perfect enough. I don't mean to criticize anyone. Society is constantly making progress.
among them.”
"By the way, the background of the movie will be set in 2002, before Mr. Li became the president of Novartis China, and he resigned from Novartis last year, so the movie will not be insinuating." Li Qian added.
.
Novartis is the manufacturer of Gleevec, and the previous president of the China region was a top second generation. In order to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings, the background of the story must be taken into consideration.
"Okay, I will relay your words to the leader intact." Han Sanping said with a smile.
"Thank you so much, Director Han."
"But don't get your hopes too high. After all, this topic is too sensitive and involves many aspects." Han Sanping took another shot.
With Li Qian's bad temper, Han Sanping didn't expect to change his mind and let him make blockbusters. As a director who broke the record for Chinese films, even if he was a little unhappy before, this little help would still help.
Moreover, if Li Qian continues to maintain his magic and the box office exceeds 1 billion, he will be able to create a domestic movie with a box office of 1 billion.
Finally, Han Sanping couldn't help but ask, "Director Li, did you shoot this subject just because you saw the miserable life of a few leukemia patients?"
Why ask again...
"Director Han, I don’t know if you have heard this sentence. The meaning of being an entrepreneur is that the country will be strong because of you, the society will progress because of you, and the people will be rich because of you. Although I am only a director
, I don’t have much ability, but I can still do something to the best of my ability.
Li Qian said and smiled, "Besides, this is still a purely commercial movie, not a literary film, and has no trace of a literary film at all. It is a commercial film that can make people laugh and move people to tears, and
There is no fundamental difference between all my previous films."
...
"The country will be strong because of you, society will progress because of you, and the people will be rich because of you?"
After Li Qian arrived, Han Sanping chewed on this sentence over and over again, sighed, took the literary script and went to Optoelectronics the next day. Speaking of which, Director Wang of the General Administration was also from Jiangnan, and he also praised Li Qian, a fellow who broke the record.
That's a plus.
However, the problem is not limited to optoelectronics, the Ministry of Public Security and the Ministry of Health are also big problems.
As one of the most well-known directors in the country, with a box office record, Li Qian also received some preferential treatment and did not have to go through the same procedures as ordinary directors.
Zhang Yimou and Chen Kaige are both very respectable in the official circles. All the top leaders know about them, but Li Qian is still far behind.
At that time, film expert Zhong Dianpei said that film is the only art that can enter the cabinet, and it is the only art that can enter, so the trouble is not unreasonable.
...
Three days later, under the leadership of Han Sanping, Li Qian also met with a deputy director of the Publicity Bureau of the Ministry of Public Security and a deputy director of the Press and Publicity Office of the General Office of the Ministry of Health.
Li Qian spent a lot of words to convince them. His original words were that what every policeman in the movie did was not wrong. Whether it was the chief or Cao Bin, they represented two types of law enforcers.
One insists on taking the law as the standard, and the other has a more emotional side. At the end of the movie, Cao Bin goes to pick up Cheng Yong after he is released from prison. He is also a representative of the police. On behalf of the police, they are based on the law and respect human feelings, not ruthless law enforcement.
machine.
As for the Ministry of Health, the movie does not involve the Ministry of Health at all, but only the relationship between patients, drug dealers, and law enforcement officials.
Let’s lie first and then talk about it.
The two departments also put forward some requirements, which are orders to be precise. They are nothing more than not to tarnish the image of the police, incite confrontation between patients and law enforcement agencies, government agencies, etc.
Finally, I left a message for Li Qian to have a meeting to discuss.
The problem shouldn't be big. As Li Qian said, the movie didn't criticize anyone. As far as the literary script is concerned, except for the two people who committed the crime, everyone else was not wrong.
And without seeing the movie, no one except Li Qian would have thought about what the final effect of the movie would be.
"Dwelling House" passed censorship from the beginning and was already a hit when it was released on local TV stations. However, there was no intention of banning it, so it was still released on the stars. Several satellite TV stations aired more than ten episodes. The response was so great that it was released.
Forbidden.
What is banned is not the TV series, but the discussion caused by the TV series.
Therefore, there are no standards. It depends on the situation. "Apple" was not banned at the beginning. It was banned after it was released for a while.
For example, "Lust, Caution" was successfully released purely because of Li Bian. Otherwise, if Jia Zhangke had tried it instead, even if the released version was deleted, it would never have been released. This film is wrong from a political perspective.
Reputation is still very useful. Li Qian cannot compare with Zhang Yimou or Chen Kaige, but he is much better than ordinary directors.
At that time in 2007, Wang Shuo suggested that Zhang Yimou should be the deputy director of the General Administration of Optoelectronics and be in charge of films, which aroused widespread discussion. What netizens said was true.
When the two of them were filming "Yellow Earth", the director of the Film Bureau criticized them, saying that if he hadn't been the director of the Film Bureau, he would never have watched the movie. As a result, the young Cheng Kai went to argue with them angrily.
After becoming famous, when "House of Flying Daggers" was released, the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Culture, and the Federation of Industry and Commerce jointly cracked down on piracy, and even vacated the summer release.
Brother Cheng Kai's "The Promise" directly replaced "Kekexili" in the Olympic quota. In order to meet the requirements, it was screened once a day in a cinema in Shudu in advance from September 29th to October 5th.
The fame of these two great directors has reached the point a few years ago that they can influence optoelectronics and receive full support from many government departments.
...
When asked to wait for news, Li Qian went back to wait and prepare for the company's affairs.
Du Yang had already left with his team and went to a small marketing company together, and the integration was completed.
Guo Fan's "Time Planning Bureau" will be released in half a month, and it can't be delayed any longer, so Li Qian bought the new company for 2 million and personally injected 100 million in cash to rent it.
Office space, recruitment, and subsequent film and television production.
And, an opening conference was held for the new company.
Li Qian opened a film company?
The entire industry was shocked, and countless reporters came to the press conference.
It's just an ordinary person who doesn't know how to do it. He invited some reporters, but his colleagues didn't.
There is no need. After today, the entire industry will naturally pay attention to his new company.
"Welcome all friends from the media to attend the establishment press conference of "Future Films Co., Ltd." This is a film and television company established by me personally. I hope to contribute more to the film industry in the days to come."
"I would like to formally introduce the members of our company to you. Ms. Du Yang serves as the general manager of the company, and Guo Fan, Su Lun, Qi Yukun, and Wen Muye are the contracted directors of the company."
...
Du Yang was left to handle the situation, but for such a small company, if it weren't for Li Qian, no one would care about it and there would be nothing to say.
The reporters' eyes were still focused on Li Qian.
"Director Li, are you ready to fully enter the film and television industry?" a reporter asked impatiently.
"Where do these words come from? I am a practitioner in the film and television industry." Li Qian smiled.
"After establishing the company, will Director Li focus on the management of the company? Will he continue to make movies?"
nonsense!
Li Qian shook his head, "My first career has always been a director. Making good movies that the audience likes has always been my ideal and has never changed. I started this company to shoot better."
, the promotion of the movie and the company’s operations are all handled by Mr. Du, I am just a director who makes movies.”
"Will Director Li's new movie be released as scheduled this year?"
The reporter asked about the new film again. Compared to Li Qian starting a small company, his new film deserves more attention.
Not only reporters, Du Yang, Su Lun, and Guo Fan are also looking forward to it.
"Preparations for the movie have already begun, and we will see you as scheduled this year."
"Director Li, you have said before that the new film will hit the 1.3 billion box office record of "Avatar". Are you serious? Many directors and netizens have questioned this."
Li Qian smiled and said, "My friends from the media are all familiar with me. When have you ever seen me say such big things?"
If you are familiar with someone, don't try to establish a relationship. You don't have enough big words!
The reporters were slandering in their hearts, but when they thought about it carefully, they found that Li Qian had indeed said a lot of big words, but he had all come true one by one.
"Can Director Li reveal the genre of the new film? Is it a science fiction blockbuster?"
"Everyone will know this after a while."
Li Qian still keeps silent about the movie information.
After several inquiries, Li Qian still couldn't get any information. A reporter asked again what the name of the new company meant.
"Actually, it doesn't have any special meaning. Guo Fan, Su Lun, and I are all young people. Being young means there are infinite possibilities in the future. I hope that the film industry will have a more brilliant future created by us!" Li Qian smiled slightly.
road.
Children are the flowers of the motherland, and young directors are the future of the industry. There is nothing wrong with them at all.
However, these words sounded a bit arrogant to the ears of reporters.
"Li Qian really dares to say that they are the future of the industry, so what do other directors mean?"
"You won't drink fake wine again today, will you?"
"Do you feel that Li Qian has become more and more public during this time? He won't be the next Ma Dapao."
"Hehe, I hope he is."
"But I'm more curious about what he is going to shoot."
"Whatever, let's make it public. We have a topic."
...
It was just a press conference, nothing happened, it was over in about forty minutes.
After that, it was time to start the promotion of "Time Planning Bureau". Although it was a little late, it was almost there.
In addition, the company's publicity and marketing team is far from sufficient, and it has to find people everywhere.
Not only the publicity and marketing department, but also the distribution and production departments have to be set up. If artist manager Du Yang wants to do it, that's fine, but Li Qian doesn't care.
Form three departments and find a few producers.
It is not difficult for Li Qian. With last year’s box office of 1.5 billion, all blind people know the future of the film industry.
As the general manager of the company, Du Yang was not worried about the manpower problem. She smiled and said, "Director Li, I am afraid that in the next period of time, major companies will usher in a wave of resignations."
"I hope you don't blame me for poaching their people." Li Qian spread his hands and smiled as well.
"Wherever you can use Director Li to scout, you will receive countless resumes if you know that the news will be released later."
The box office record of Chinese-language movies is maintained. Several top-selling directors have a yearly output of 1.5 billion tickets. This is definitely a huge attraction for practitioners in all aspects of the film and television industry, as well as actors.