After Zhang Zhao read the script, he immediately made a corresponding evaluation in his mind.
The creative theme of the story is similar to the core creative idea of "The Butterfly Effect", about traveling through time and space to fight fate, but they are interlocking.
The theme of the story is commercial, and it contains ups and downs of crime, suspense, brain-burning, and soft science fiction themes with family elements. It has a wide audience.
The character setting is innovative, with opposite personalities, opposite surrounding environments, and two father and son of similar age.
The story structure is reasonable, multi-line narrative, the story structure is unique and complete, but not complicated.
The story has a tense rhythm and the final climax is touching.
Zhang Zhao, who graduated from New York University with a master's degree in film production, also learned a little bit about the way of thinking of Hollywood producers.
Although the director's level is not very good, and his first film co-produced with Mi Lijian ended his career as a director, his professional level is still there.
Giving Wang Changtian an affirmative look, Zhang Zhao smiled and said, "With family affection as the core, Director Li's script style is rare in China."
Most of these domestic directors who focus on emotion focus on love and national justice.
For example, in "House of Flying Daggers", the core is free love.
"The Promise" is about love and destiny.
"Hero" is just like the title of the film, the core is righteousness.
Commercial movies with family ties as their core are extremely rare in China, but they are the most common in Hollywood.
Li Qian smiled and said, "Emotion is the most touching thing. Whether it is science fiction, suspense, or crime, it just adds an extra layer of skin to increase the selling point of the movie. The core competitiveness lies in the characters in the movie."
Family love.”
After chatting about the script, we started discussing the details of the cooperation.
"If this movie was shot on film, the production cost would be about 7 million. I can personally bear 80% of the cost. The remaining 20% will be troublesome to Mr. Wang."
"In terms of distribution, your company needs to pay 3.6 million in advance for publicity and copying expenses. The distribution fee will be 10% of the normal rate. What do you think, Mr. Wang?"
Li Qian proposed an investment plan and only gave Guangxian 20%.
Wang Changtian burst into laughter. Zhang Zhao had already said when he came back from Donghua last time that Li Qian would have full control over his project, but he didn't expect that he would directly contribute 80%.
But Wang Changtian didn't care, there was not much difference between 20% and 30%, and he didn't care about his investment share.
After all, this is Li Qian's first time making a theatrical movie. Even if it is based on the phenomenal Internet movie "Jaws", the box office of the first movie will not be too high.
The production cost is 7 million yuan, the promotion is 3.6 million yuan, and the box office is only 30 to 40 million yuan, it will not make much money.
Issuing companies mainly make money from issuance fees.
On the big screen, fame is all that matters.
No matter it is the fame of the director or the actor, only with fame can the audience enter the cinema. Otherwise, the producer would use millions or even tens of millions of mainland male actors who are less than one million.
The Hong Kong superstar with the highest salary.
After Li Qian's first movie is successful and he truly establishes his reputation on the big screen, it will be time to make money.
However, Wang Changtian also proposed to use part of the share to exchange part of the advertising resources with provincial optoelectronics.
Li Qian also has no objection. Provincial Optoelectronics not only has TV stations, but all media in the province are basically owned by local Optoelectronics.
Moreover, the current theater chains are very regional. Most of the province’s film market is controlled by local theater chains, and most of these local theater chains are owned by Optoelectronics.
For example, Henan Oscar Cinema Chain, Western Sichuan Pacific Cinema Chain and Emei Cinema Chain, Xiangnan Xiaoxiang Cinema Chain, Jiangning Xingfu Blue Ocean Cinema Chain, Jiangsu and Zhejiang Times Cinema Chain
These local theater chains, supported by the province's Optoelectronics, basically account for about 50% of the province's box office.
Replacing investment with publicity resources means that they will also have a share of the box office, and they will also have a slight advantage in scheduling films.
No matter how much there is, it is better than nothing.
Therefore, an investment contract between the two parties was first signed. Li Qian invested 80% and Guangxian accounted for 20%. After Guangxian and Provincial Optoelectronics reached an agreement, Li Qian signed a contract to replace publicity resources.
Considering Guangxian's relationship with TV stations around the world, there shouldn't be any problems.
In addition, Li Qian's director and screenwriter's salary combined is 1.5 million, which is already the price of a first-line director.
Li Qian will not be polite about what he deserves, and Li Qian will not care about others' share.
In the end, Li Qian needed to transfer 5.6 million to the project account.
Guangxian paid an advance of 2.55 million for publicity and distribution copies, plus 1.4 million in costs.
Once the script is approved and the movie is officially approved, the total fee of 9.55 million will be credited to the project's account within three days.
All income sharing is calculated according to the investment ratio.
However, after earning 5.6 million yuan, Li Qian could immediately get a salary of 1.5 million yuan.
Although you don't have to pay this account, you still have to go through the procedures that need to be done, and you still have to pay the taxes that need to be paid. There is no need to save this little money.
Large companies pay billions in taxes every year, but Li Qian doesn't feel bad about paying such a small amount of tax. I have never heard of anyone getting rich by saving tax money.
Paying more means earning more. Li Qian actually wants to pay 10 billion in taxes.
After the contract was negotiated, we had a meal together, and then everyone went about their own business. The film review and project approval were left to Guangxian.
Once the contract is negotiated, this phase of the work is over, and the film can officially enter preparations.
However, the film industry is really unfriendly to producers, even though this contract is already more beneficial to Li Qian.
The publisher is guaranteed to make a profit but not lose any money. All the risks are on the producers, and the share is still small.
Regardless of domestic or Hollywood, distribution companies are the most profitable. Regardless of whether the film can recover its costs, distribution will always make money. It is just a question of how much or how little it makes.
After the investment and distribution contracts are finalized, Li Qian will be busy writing storyboards.
But before that, we have to start looking for locations and build a studio.
After discussing this with several artists Zhang Zhonghua hired from the Jiangsu and Zhejiang Film Studio, they were left to act on their own.
The background spans as long as 20 years, which is definitely to highlight the gap between the two eras, but there are not many location scenes, which saves time traveling back and forth.
The actors must also be found first, and Li Qian’s ideal combination is two male actors in their twenties and thirties.
It not only has the contrasting impact caused by a father and son of the same age, but it is not too inconsistent.
I spent a day looking through all the information on mainland male actors aged 25-40.
Fortunately for my son, I can easily find four or five suitable actors in this age group.
The key is the father. He is too young and unconventional, and he cannot play the role of a father.
He can play the role of father, but he is too old.
It doesn't matter if it's older, as long as it's not too old, it's fine.
The key is that my father is a firefighter, and a firefighter is half a soldier.
As a father, you have to be a tough guy, otherwise how can you investigate the serial murder case?
A tough guy aged 35-40 must also be able to play the tender side of a father, which is a bit difficult to find.