Huayu: Hard fight against Zhang Weiping at the beginning

Chapter 385 What's the next movie?

Ang Lee is very popular now, really very popular.

Ever since he won the Oscar for Best Director two days ago, he has become the "pride of the Chinese people" and a hot commodity in the eyes of the media. He is interviewed every day and his every word and action is praised.

But Ang Lee was actually quite depressed, because he thought he could win the Best Picture award.

It's really because Brokeback Mountain performed so well.

Not only did it win the Venice Golden Lion, it also swept almost all of the Oscars' precursor awards.

Los Angeles Film Critics Association Best Picture, Golden Globe Best Picture, Best Director, BAFTA Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay…

There are countless other small awards such as union awards.

It is no exaggeration to say that it was the popular choice, but in the end it lost to public relations.

Does the Oscars have a PR?
Of course there are.

The Oscar selection process is very American, and it is clearly stated in the selection regulations that public relations is one of the selection rules.

In fact, no one expected that "Brokeback Mountain" would lose to "Crash".

"Crash" was relatively unknown before being nominated, and even its producer and distributor didn't think about winning the award.

It can be seen from its release schedule that it was released during the summer vacation, not the awards season, which means that the producer didn't even think about winning any awards.

However, after the nominations came out, the producers and distributors realized there was an opportunity and were willing to spend money.

Various gifts were given, and the public relations costs were said to exceed two million.

This is definitely a big deal that has never happened in the history of Oscar public relations. Even the Weinstein brothers have never done this.

This is the rule in Hollywood: you may not win an award if you spend money, but you will definitely not win one if you don’t spend money.

There is another reason many people dislike gay culture.

Although gay culture is prevalent in the United States, it is not mainstream culture and many people still feel disgusted by it.

There were many union members among these disgusted people, and they all voted for "Crash", which made the miracle of "Crash" possible.

When Ang Lee was interviewed, he specifically mentioned Zhang Chen, thanking him for his accurate predictions, which made him a god.

Now Zhang Chen’s greatest title is no longer “No. 1 Director” but “Emperor of Prophecy”.

A word becomes a prophecy~
Words come true~
In the crew, Mr. Zhou always looked at Zhang Chen with a strange look in his eyes.

Zhang Chen was a little scared by being stared at, "Miss, what do you want to do? It's been a whole day, and you have been looking at me with such a weird look. Let me make it clear first, you are not my type, and there is no chemistry between us~"

Zhang Chen's narcissism immediately earned him a roll of the eyes from Master Zhou.

But immediately his eyes were full of inquiry: "Hey, can you tell me how you judged that Brokeback Mountain would definitely win the award?"

Zhang Chen suddenly realized and curled his lips in disapproval: "Just because of this?"

“In fact, there are traces to follow. Don’t think that the Oscars are something grand and noble. They are also politically correct.

And if you know Ang Lee, you will know that he is a professional award winner. He has a sharp eye. Homosexual themes have been very popular in the past two years, and he filmed that kind of love so beautifully, so the chances of winning an award are very high..."

"You mean that kind of love~, are you?"

Mr. Zhou's big eyes were full of inquiry.

"Of course not." Zhang Chen replied unhappily.

Mr. Zhou also reacted immediately. Of course it couldn't be that. After filming for such a long time, everyone knew the relationship between Zhang Chen and Fan Xiaopang.

"I'm saying that homosexual themes have become popular in the past two years. Although there were such themes before, they were too niche. However, they have been emerging in the past two years. Maybe the Oscars will cater to this trend..."

After listening to Zhang Chen's explanation, Master Zhou nodded.

"You are amazing. I thought you would say 'it's just a trifle, not worth mentioning'~"

Mr. Zhou's eyes were full of little stars.

It's a pity that her style is not what Zhang Chen likes, it is too small, otherwise Zhang Chen would just hook his finger and immediately change from Zhang Chen to Zan Chen.

Speaking of Ang Lee, he is indeed a professional award winner.

The Wedding Banquet, Berlin Golden Bear.

Eat Drink Man Woman, nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar.

Sense and Sensibility, Berlin Golden Bear.

"Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film.

"Brokeback Mountain", Oscar-winning Best Director.

In the future, "Lust, Caution" will win the Venice Golden Lion, and "Life of Pi" will win the Oscar for Best Director.

This is a very smart person, born to be in the film industry and very good at choosing subjects.

Zhang Chen even had his eyes on him and wanted to snatch the spotlight from "Life of Pi".

But I gave up in the end because I really wasn't that interested in awards.

Zhang Chen simply couldn't appreciate art films.

He couldn't even say anything good about it if you asked him to review it, let alone film it.

“But now I am looking forward to it~”

"What to expect?"

"Didn't you say that I could at least win a Best Actress award at this year's Hong Kong Film Awards?"

"Do you really believe it?"

"Huh?" Master Zhou widened his eyes.

Zhang Chen quickly waved his hands: "Just kidding~
I really think you can at least win the Best Actress award at the Hong Kong Film Awards or the Golden Horse Awards. If you are lucky, it is not impossible to win both.”

"Really?"

"True, truer than pearls, the prophecy emperor is so accurate~"

"Well, if I really win the Best Actress award, I'll act in your next movie for free~"

Zhang Chen rolled his eyes: "No matter how you calculate the bet, you win. You are a good calculator~"

While I was joking, Dong Jianqiang called me. "You've been really popular these days. Apart from Ang Lee, you've been mentioned the most times. Many media outlets have called and want to interview you. Would you like to do one? It can also be considered as an advance promotion for Painted Skin~"

"Okay, then you arrange it. Try to find media that we are friendly with~"

"That's for sure."

Zhang Chen's popularity is indeed very high these days.

Ang Lee said in an interview: "Before this, Director Zhang Chen and I were not familiar with each other. We had known each other for a long time. We met for the first time in Venice.

At that time, Director Zhang Chen said with certainty that I would definitely win the Best Director award. Even I was not sure at the time. The subject matter of "Brokeback Mountain" was not the type that the Venice judges liked, but I won it in the end.

Later, Director Zhang said that I would definitely win the Best Director Oscar, which filled me with anticipation. Sure enough, I won it in the end. I am grateful for Director Zhang Chen’s blessing. I only regret not asking if I could win the Best Picture award at that time.

Li An's words were full of superstition about Zhang Chen, which immediately pushed Zhang Chen to the forefront.

Now he has almost become synonymous with charlatan.

This is one of the reasons why Zhang Chen agreed to be interviewed:

I was just talking nonsense, but you guys insist on taking my words as the law. How can I speak in the future?

No, the rumor must be dispelled.

However, because of this incident, he also took some time to pay attention to the Oscars.

"Brokeback Mountain" performed well, winning three major awards: Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Original Score.

The previously highly praised "Memoirs of a Geisha" also won three major awards, but none of them had anything to do with Zhang Ziyi. They were Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design, and Best Photography.

But Zhang Ziyi is not at a disadvantage. She is now the most popular actress in the country, without a doubt.

Since being nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress, all kinds of resources have been tilted towards her, and the endorsements she has are more valuable than those of all other female stars combined.

In the list of winners, Zhang Chen also saw a familiar name - "King Kong".

King Kong was released in January in China, right after Huo Yuanjia. But in the United States, it was released in December, so it is also within the scope of this year's Oscar selection.

"King Kong" won three major awards, all of which were technical awards, Best Sound Editing, Best Visual Effects, and Best Sound Effects.

When I think of King Kong, I think of my own monster series - Rampage and Pacific Rim...

It is now March, and on the other side of the ocean, next month, the first film of the big IP "Transformers" will begin shooting.

A total of seven films have been made based on this IP, which shows people's love for robot movies and the huge market prospects.

But whether it is a monster or a robot, it requires powerful special effects support.

However, the cost of special effects at this stage is frighteningly high.

King Kong cost $2.47 million, Transformers cost $1.5 million, and 2012 cost $2 million...

Special effects blockbusters can easily cost upwards of 100 million US dollars.

This made Zhang Chen feel nervous.

He thought carefully about the pros and cons.

"Transformers" will be released next year, grossing $7 million and bringing about a wave of machine fever.

"Pacific Rim" is a mecha movie, barely belongs to the same category, and should be able to take advantage of the popularity.

But every advantage has its disadvantages.

"Pacific Rim" did not sell well in North America, but it sold well in China.

Although a sequel was made, proving that it definitely made money, it was definitely not a huge hit.

A big production like this costs so much money and takes so long. If it doesn't become a big hit, it won't be of much significance.

He himself also analyzed why "Transformers" was a big hit while "Pacific Rim" was a flop, both of which are robot-themed movies.

The reason is probably because the design of the mecha in "Pacific Rim" is a bit too low-end.

By that time, several Transformers movies had already been released, and people were used to the precision machinery of Transformers, so they were somewhat unacceptable to the clumsy, big, black and heavy mechas.

But if you think about it the other way around, this is actually the difference between American aesthetics and Soviet aesthetics.

The Soviet aesthetic looks less sophisticated, but more powerful and closer to cyberpunk.

Later cyberpunk is very popular in the West, which shows that Soviet aesthetics is not without a market in Europe and the United States.

It’s just that “Pacific Rim” did not take Soviet aesthetics to the extreme.

Speaking of Soviet aesthetics, the most familiar one is actually "The Wandering Earth", in which all the equipment are big, black and rough in shape, full of power.

Guo Fan, the director of The Wandering Earth, once said: "The Soviet aesthetic style is the only industrial design that we can find that Chinese people can relate to emotionally. You can see that many clock towers are still preserved on Chang'an Avenue, especially the Military Museum. It is a typical aesthetic system, and we have feelings for it."

This is a kind of industrial design that can resonate with the Chinese people, so "Pacific Rim" with its Soviet-style aesthetic became a big hit in China.

Zhang Chen himself has also thought about this. If he really makes "Pacific Rim" and competes against "Transformers", it will most likely be completely defeated.

But if it's Pacific Rim + Rampage, it may not lose.

A rough and bulky lump of iron that looks tough at first glance, plus a rough and bulky giant beast that looks extremely violent, that style of painting is sure to attract the audience's attention.

But there is one biggest problem: special effects blockbusters are too expensive.

Even if he could control the cost to $100 million, it would still be a huge sum of money. He was a little unsure about using such a large sum of money to practice making a special effects blockbuster.

……

In the past two days, the filming of "Painted Skin" has been going more and more smoothly. In two days, Huang Xiaoming will take a leave to participate in the activities of "The Return of the Condor Heroes", so he has been concentrating on filming his scenes in the past two days.

In fact, it's not just Huang Xiaoming. In April, Zhang Chen and Zhou Gongzi will also have to leave to attend the Academy Awards.

That’s how filmmaking works, there are always things that interrupt your train of thought.

If you want to finish filming a movie in one go, you have to be a small and unknown crew.

Even if the crew spends money like water, the stars have various demands and you have to respond.

For example, someone like Huang Xiaoming, can you refuse to approve his request for leave?
They signed a contract when they were filming The Legend of the Condor Heroes, and it is their obligation to cooperate with the promotion. If you hold them back and refuse to let them go, don't blame them for not cooperating with your promotion when Painted Skin is released.

Why is the entertainment industry called a circle? Because it is full of human relationships and worldly wisdom.

You gave me face, and I gave you convenience...

Even though Zhang Chen complains every day that celebrities have no box office appeal, when it comes to making a movie, if you ask him if he is willing to use celebrities, he will do so.

It is really hard to say whether a movie has box office appeal or not. Sometimes it seems vague, and sometimes it seems very real.

There are so many Hong Kong stars that I have watched since childhood. Do you like them? Of course I do.

But would you go to see his movie just to support someone?

The answer is definitely no.

At this time, Zhang Chen was absolutely right when he said that the so-called stars had no box office appeal.

But if you want to say that Jedi has no box office appeal, of course that's not the case.

Otherwise, how do we explain that Yang Xiaomi's "Far Cry" actually sold 9000 million at the box office? How do we explain this? We can't say that the audience went to see the movie just for Jordan Chan.

……

At night, the coordinator sent the latest expense details report of "Painted Skin" to Zhang Chen's room.

Zhang Chen picked up the report and found that the money was really being spent like water.

Many people think that making movies is expensive because the actors are paid high salaries.

That was after 2016.

Since 2016, capital has entered the film and television industry, a large number of new projects have been launched, and there has been a shortage of people.

Since there are not enough people, capital starts to raise prices to attract people, which leads to a surge in film pay.

But before that, making movies and TV series was already a very expensive business, because it really involved money in all aspects.

It costs money to rent a venue, it costs money to set up the scenery, and other personnel expenses such as food, drink, defecation, accommodation and transportation all cost money.

And anything involving movies is very expensive.

An ordinary piece of clothing might cost just a few dozen yuan, but if it’s a costume, I’m sorry, it’ll probably cost a thousand yuan.

The same goes for makeup.

In the early 2000s, the average person's monthly salary was just over 1,000 yuan.

The most ordinary makeup artist in the crew can earn 5000 yuan a month, and the good ones can earn tens of thousands.

As for props, such as weapons in costume dramas, many of them are fake and made of wood, but they are still very valuable.

If it's the real thing, the price will make your jaw drop.

No crew dares to use all real ones, and any crew that can be a little more particular is already considered a conscientious crew.

For a costume drama like "Painted Skin", every shot really costs money.

Let’s put it this way, in one shot, the cost of the outfit of the maid or soldier in the background alone is probably one thousand yuan.

And whenever there is a frontal shot in the camera, the clothes on the person cost tens of thousands.

The clothes worn by the protagonist or main supporting characters must be more exquisite, costing at least several thousand yuan each.

The weapons are even more amazing, many of them are said to be handmade, and can cost thousands of dollars.

The filming hasn't started yet.

Once filming starts, makeup costs money and film also costs money.

In a scene, if there are a few NGs, the money will be wasted.

So when making a movie, at first glance it doesn't seem like money is spent anywhere, but in fact, money is spent everywhere.

When small trickles of water flow into rivers and seas, they add up to no small amount.

(End of this chapter)