Global Film Emperor

Chapter 291 Script Discussion
"How to say?"

Upon hearing this idea, everyone's interest increased slightly, and they looked at Huang Liu, hoping he could elaborate on the concept. Only Deng Bo raised a question.

"This theme has actually been covered in online novels before. I remember reading a similar one before, so it doesn't seem like a new story anymore."

"That's different. Online novels are at the forefront of the entertainment industry in terms of creativity. How can you compare online novels with movies? Otherwise, how could online novels be hyped up into IPs? Isn't it because the creativity of online novels can make people who don't read novels feel very fresh and attractive?"

Huang Liu is right. Online novels and movies cannot be compared. There is a significant difference between fixed and non-fixed visuals, which makes this kind of subject matter quite novel in the film industry.

Upon hearing Huang Liu's explanation, Deng Bo remained silent. In fact, he had also fallen into a cognitive trap, comparing the script with the novel rather than the film itself. After realizing this, he nodded, signaling Huang Liu to continue.

“Even if we’re the same type of story, we can still differentiate the details. If we’re telling completely different stories, then it’s still creative. I was just thinking about what it would be like if God died. Now, let’s broaden our thinking. After all, God’s affairs are quite abstract. So, what if the sun died? The world would be in perpetual darkness, plants wouldn’t be able to grow, and the simplest thing would be that there would be no vegetables or fruits to eat. So what would all living things eat? Meat, right?”

"So, if we set the sun to die, all living things can only survive by eating meat, then all living things will become extremely aggressive, right? My idea is to construct a world with extremely harsh living conditions, at least for humans. It could even be a world where it doesn't rain, because the dragons that control clouds and rain are also dead. Anyway, it's a mythological world, so this would solve many inexplicable problems."

Upon hearing Huang Liu's idea of ​​setting the world as one without the sun or rain, Yu Tai, a stickler for historical accuracy, frowned and raised his own question.

"How can people survive without water? Let alone humans, even monsters need water."

"Drinking blood, monsters kill and eat flesh and drink blood. Since humans are at the bottom of the food chain, they can eat humans. I've also thought that if we want to satisfy our food needs, the population will decrease at a negative growth rate, and the rate of decrease will be quite fast. If that doesn't work, then magic is the way to go. What can't we do with magic? Let's induce labor. Magic can guarantee pregnancy, and within a day or a few days, the child in the womb can grow to maturity. After the child is born, we can use magic to make the child grow into an adult quickly and then eat him. Girls can grow up normally and continue to have children after reaching sexual maturity. Boys can be raised by choosing the strong ones, and the weak ones can be eaten."

Huang Liu's enthusiastic explanation of perfecting his worldview only made everyone's brows furrow more and more. Finally, unable to bear it any longer, he waved his hand haphazardly.

"Hey Lao Liu, this is the first time I've seen you so twisted. I won't comment on whether this idea is good or not, but getting it approved will definitely be a problem. You'd better take back your evil thoughts."

Qin Fei, as if unable to bear Huang Liu any longer, told him to shut up. This kind of dark subject matter has always had the problem of being difficult to pass censorship. Even though the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television has gradually lowered its requirements for subject matter, and many movies that could not be made before can now be passed without any cuts, it would be strange if cannibalism passed censorship.

"Who said it's mainly about cannibalism? I'm talking about the setting of human survival, the background! Isn't the main focus the battle between humans and monsters? The subsequent development requires one or more people to play a decisive role. In other words, it's because of the protagonist that humans are freed from the predicament of cannibalism. That would make it easier to pass censorship. I haven't thought of the setting for this person or these people yet. You guys can imagine how they should appear."

"Stop! Stop! What's the rush? You haven't even done the world setting yet, what kind of protagonist are you thinking about? The most important thing is Lu Ze, what do you guys think of Lao Liu's theme?"

The problem stumped Lu Ze. The script was one thing, and the budget was another. If they were to make an epic battle movie like this, the investment would definitely have to be increased. The original investment of 300 million yuan seemed unlikely to be enough.

He could find these five screenwriters to write the script first, but he really couldn't control the budget, so his gaze involuntarily turned to Feng Changhao on the side.

"Minister Feng, what do you think of this topic?"

Feng Changhao was listening intently, clearly interested in Huang Liu's idea. Upon hearing Lu Ze's question, he twirled his water-based pen, tapped the cap on the table, and pondered for a moment.

"If we want to make this kind of movie, won't we need a lot of special effects? Even ordinary environments need special effects, right? I need to ask President Li about this and see what he thinks. I'll go now. You guys continue talking. It's okay, Lu Ze. We're discussing the script now. As long as the script is okay, that's fine. I'll go out for a bit."

Hearing Feng Changhao's words proved that he was an outsider. If there is not enough funding, then no matter how good your script is, it is useless if you don't have money to shoot it. How much money to spend and what kind of film to shoot are all important. If the amount of funding is not determined, then the script cannot be approved.

But Lu Ze did not stop Feng Changhao. He nodded and let Feng Changhao question Li Shanjun. Then he continued to listen to the brilliant ideas that the screenwriters kept coming up with and made notes in his notebook.

The current world setting places humans at the bottom of the food chain, and their way of survival is just as Huang Liu said: by eating people and hunting monsters they can defeat. However, the human living environment is becoming increasingly difficult as the setting is gradually completed.

No sun, no water, the earth cracked and constantly earthquakes, the climate cold but no snowfall, and short lifespans due to lack of food and sunlight—just thinking about these conditions is enough to make one despair. This is just the initial setup; more will be added later. While everyone was discussing this enthusiastically, Feng Changhao knocked on the door again and entered the meeting room, bringing good news.

"I just briefed Mr. Li on our situation. First of all, the previous script is definitely not needed. As for funding, Mr. Li, out of his emphasis on the first film, has decided to add an additional 200 million yuan to the investment. That should be roughly the amount. Once the teachers have finalized the script, we will make a budget and see how much money we should invest."

"President Li is so generous. He added 200 million just like that, and it's only been less than twenty minutes. This decisiveness is something that most producers can't learn. Rongchuang Group is indeed rich. As for filming, I think 500 million should be enough."

Li Congwen genuinely praised Li Shanjun's boldness. It should be noted that since "Red Cliff," there have been quite a few films with investments exceeding 100 million yuan, such as "Wolf Totem," "The Great Wall," and "The Wandering Earth." However, apart from "The Wandering Earth," none of these big-budget films have been profitable. In fact, there is a saying circulating in the industry that big productions are equivalent to losing money.

Because you invest a lot, plus the revenue sharing from other parties, a movie needs to have two or even two and a half times the box office revenue to break even and make a profit. However, the market's purchasing power cannot keep up, making it difficult for your large base to double. So if you don't lose money, who will?

Therefore, Lee Sun-kyun's courage to take a big gamble and risk whether he will make a profit is truly commendable in this industry and deserves praise.

This put everyone at ease. As long as you have money, anything is possible. Even with a lot of special effects, 500 million is more than enough, and there might even be some left over. After all, the cost of special effects has been reduced to some extent these days, and it's not as expensive as people imagine. Compared to the prices back then, it's a world of difference.

Back then, because China's special effects technology was underdeveloped, it was easy to be ripped off by foreign companies, so how could it not be expensive? In recent years, as the domestic special effects industry has gradually taken off, most special effects can now be produced independently in China, and the price has naturally dropped significantly, now only about one-fifth of that of foreign special effects companies.

Another reason is that the viewing mode has become fixed. There has been no innovation for a long time since 3DMAX, and how many years has 3DMAX been in use? In other words, if you use current technology to make something that existed more than ten years ago, the production will naturally become easier and simpler, so how could the cost not be reduced?

With the money issue resolved, the work officially began. Huang Liu was in charge of setting the world view, Li Congwen set the regional map and environmental overview, Deng Bo was well-versed in ancient books and very knowledgeable about mythological figures, so he was responsible for adding script characters, and Qin Fei was in charge of designing the storyline.

As for Yu Tai, his brother-in-law is a leader in the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, and he was responsible for gathering information to see if the film could pass censorship.
The team worked on the project until after 5 p.m. before stopping to have a couple of drinks at the hotel. The actual scriptwriting was scheduled to begin a week later, after which the team would discuss their ideas.

"To be honest, Lu Ze, that script I just read really annoyed me. That Zhuoma guy, if I catch him, I can forget about working in this industry. Trying to fool my buddy with such a terrible script, were you having a headache back then? Haha, come on, let's drink, I'll drink."

"Excuse me, let me take a call."

After drinking a beer with everyone, Lu Ze's phone vibrated in his pocket. He took it out and saw that it was Zhuang Yu calling. Knowing what it was about, he apologized to everyone, got up, and left the room.

"Hey? Lu'er, where are you? It's so noisy!"

"Sister Zhen, I thought it was your Lao Zhuang. I was out drinking. What's wrong?"

"Oh, then drink less and be careful on your way home. The driver had one drink. Um, um, um, um, I just wanted to ask you, should we wait for you in Paris the day after tomorrow, or should we meet in Cannes?"

"Let's meet in Cannes. Don't you two want to go out for a stroll together? Can I be a third wheel?"

"Well done, bro! You're so sensible! I admire you! Okay, then I won't say anything more. See you in Cannes, and I wish you a romantic encounter in romantic France! Bye."

After the phone call ended, Lu Ze went to the bathroom to wash his face. He had drunk quite a bit and was feeling a little dizzy. He grabbed a few tissues to wipe his face and then remembered that the Cannes Film Festival was about to begin. He had been so busy lately that he had completely forgotten about it. After easing his dizziness, he listened to the noisy sounds in the banquet hall, pushed open the door, and raised his glass with a smile.

"I answered a phone call, and even serious matters can lead to mistakes. I'll punish myself with a drink!"

"."

(End of this chapter)