Huayu: Hard fight against Zhang Weiping at the beginning

Chapter 410: Is the fifth generation going to make a science fiction film?

Many people dislike Han Sanping, probably because of their habit of defying authority.

I feel that people exaggerate his contributions.

Some people also think that he caught up with the trend of the times and benefited from the policies.

If someone else were in his position, the domestic film market would still be prosperous even if they did nothing.

Zhang Chen doesn’t think so.

Our film environment used to be more literary and artistic, and the only people who made literary and artistic films were Zhang Yimou and Feng Xiaogang.

Zhang Yimou did this because he had already conquered the art film industry, while Feng Xiaogang had no choice but to do so.

When he became famous, making commercial films was looked down upon.

But he had no choice. According to the style of art films, all the films he made were flops.

He doesn't have the background that others have, so he can continue to attract investment after failure.

The only thing we can do is change our mindset.

You can watch "A Day in the Life of Feng Xiaogang in 2000", which is full of sadness.

Later, he achieved commercial success with comedy films, but deep down he still yearned for literature and art, otherwise he would not have made "I Am Not Madame Bovary" and "1942".

Zhang Chen feels that the times need people like Han Sanping. If Han Sanping does not promote commercial films, there may always be only two people like him making commercial films in China.

He admired this person very much.

If you put yourself in Han's shoes, and put yourself in someone else's shoes, the wisest thing to do would not be to promote any blockbuster strategy.

The more you do, the more mistakes you make; the less you do, the fewer mistakes you make; and if you do nothing, you make no mistakes. This is a principle that anyone with a mixed physical condition should understand.

But Han is still willing to take the risk to do this, which shows that he has his own ideas in mind.

He wants to make a difference, regardless of whether his starting point is public or private, this attitude alone is beyond 99% of people.

Therefore, even if it is a trend, choice is more important.

During the years he was in office, he really developed the domestic film market.

Many people have gradually developed the habit of going to the cinema to watch movies.

In 02, the total output value of the national film market was only 8 million, so "Hero" was able to set a record for the first time. It's not that its box office was 2.5 million, but that its box office was equivalent to a quarter of the total box office that year.

This record is just like when the streets were deserted when "Desire" was played. It is the kind that will never be surpassed and is a gift from the times.

By the time Han Sanping retired 14 years later, the total output value of domestic films had reached 296 billion.

What an amazing achievement. The key is that this achievement was achieved with a group of insects.

When Zhang Chen and the other person left China Film, Guo Fan's head was still hazy. Is this how all big shots talk about business? Just chatting for a while and he got an investment of 100 million?
Is it so easy to attract investment?
As I was walking, Fat Fan called.

Zhang Chen answered the phone, and the person on the other end immediately said, "I didn't audition for The Forbidden Kingdom."

"Oh~"

Afraid that Zhang Chen would not believe her, Jiuyi Jie further explained: "I really did not audition for The Forbidden Kingdom. They did invite me, but I did not go. I know you have a feud with Huayi, and I will not do anything to aid the enemy..."

"Oh, I understand, I believe you~" Zhang Chen's tone was still indifferent.

Fan Xiaopang was very anxious. He thought that the two bastards of the Wang family had no good intentions. They caused such a big trouble even though he didn't go. If he had really gone, he would never be able to wash himself clean even if he jumped into the Yellow River.

"I really didn't go~"

"I know, I believe you. I told you that you are the heroine of Pacific Rim. Only a fool would audition for The Forbidden Kingdom at this time..."

This time, Zhang Chen's words finally made Fan Xiaopang feel a little relieved, but it was still not safe.

"Where are you now?"

"China Film."

"Come to my place in the evening, or I can come find you..."

"What?"

"I'll make you some dumplings."

She felt that she had to convince him herself.

Zhang Chen is a foodie, so making dumplings for him should be able to clear the air.

"Well, let's contact each other tonight."

Zhang Chen generally does not refuse artistic invitations.

After hanging up the phone, Fan Binbin, sitting at home, finally breathed a sigh of relief.

I turned on my computer and prepared to write a blog post to clarify things.

After getting to know Zhang Chen, she gradually developed the habit of using blogs, but she usually used them for publicity. Occasionally, when she wanted to share her feelings, she found that the blogs were too long and not convenient to use.

At the same time, I was also thinking about how to tactfully mention Gao Yuanyuan's matter while making dumplings in the evening.

In the film list released by Golden Harvest, Gao Yuanyuan is the heroine in two of the three films, which made her taste something unusual.

Including "Search", Zhang Chen has now played the leading female role in three films produced by him.

Inside, alarm bells were ringing.

What made her more alert than the heroine was the drastic change in Gao Yuanyuan's image in "Search".

In the past, Gao Yuanyuan was a young literary star, fresh and elegant, yet extremely immature.

Gao Yuanyuan now exudes the aura of an urban slut. As a fellow urban slut, she understands too well how this appeals to men.

It can be said that Gao Yuanyuan's transformation made Fan Xiaopang truly feel a sense of crisis.

After leaving China Film, Zhang Chen went to the digital base again. It was not far away anyway, just nearby.

The progress of "Painted Skin" is going on normally. Zhang Chen checked some of the completed special effects, and they basically met his requirements. He only needed to make some minor adjustments to the unsatisfactory parts.

"Guo Fan, from today on, you will be the coordinator of Pacific Rim..."

"Okay, boss~"

Guo Fan did not refuse and took the job immediately.

Zhang Chen thought he would complain about being tired and difficult, but he didn't. In fact, there was even a hint of excitement in his expression.

Sure enough, this person's personality is determined from the beginning.

In later years, he was able to build the crew of Little Broken Ball from scratch, and he persisted in filming while begging for food all the way, and in the end he actually succeeded in filming it, which shows his great perseverance.

If "The Wandering Earth" is OK, then "Pacific Rim" should be OK too.

"Tomorrow I'll find a few artists to help me finalize the images of the mechas and monsters. The most important things left are the concept drawings and storyboards..."

"Okay, boss. I've got that in mind~" Guo Fan's eyes gleamed with excitement.

In fact, the best candidate is Chen Xi, but he already has three projects on hand. Even with Shi Nansheng added, he is still very busy. Zhang Chen is really embarrassed to add more burden to him.

The group left China Film Studio, and Guo Fan followed Zhang Chen like a little follower.

Zhang Chen didn't make any promises. He just wanted to see if Guo Fan was born to do this.

Guo Fan was working very hard, writing and drawing in his little notebook. No one knew what he was thinking about.

The car sped back to the company.

Along the way, Guo Fan kept writing and drawing in a small notebook, apparently recording things that needed to be prepared in advance.

As expected of a law student, the regulations are indeed clear.

Zhang Chen closed his eyes and seemed to be resting, but he was actually still thinking about the movie.

A science fiction blockbuster of the scale of "Pacific Rim" would take at least two years to shoot.

The shooting time is not long, but the pre-production and post-production time takes seven or eight months. If the special effects are complicated, the post-production time may be even longer.

Therefore, "Pacific Rim" must get back on track as soon as possible.

The car drove to the downstairs of the company. Zhang Chen had just got out of the car when a group of reporters appeared out of nowhere and surrounded everyone in an instant.

Guo Fan had never seen such a scene before, and he struggled to protect the emperor, but Zhang Chen waved his hand to indicate that he was fine.

"Everyone, please don't crowd. Let's stick to the old rules. Three questions, okay? Who's going to go first?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the crowd that had been crowded just now suddenly stopped, and raised their hands one by one, like elementary school students waiting to be called. Zhang Chen randomly called one.

"Yesterday, Huayi's CEO Wang criticized Xingchen Entertainment for announcing that it would start filming a science fiction film purely for the sake of sensationalism. He said that China simply does not have the soil for filming science fiction films.

He also said that the so-called "Pacific Rim" was a complete farce, fabricated to steal the popularity of "The Forbidden Kingdom"...

Director Feng Xiaogang also said that he couldn't imagine how a Chinese director could make a science fiction film. What do you think about this? "

The reporters started off with full fire, eager to make big news.

Zhang Chen was a little unconvinced: "Did they really say that?"

"It's true~"

Not only did this reporter nod, but other reporters also testified for him. Only then did Zhang Chen believe that it was true.

Zhang Chen thought for a moment before answering, "I don't blame them at all for saying that, because they don't understand science fiction at all.

China has not had a pure science fiction movie so far, and I am taking a path that no one has taken before.

It was a success, and Chinese films gained an additional genre from then on.

If this fails, no one in China may dare to touch the subject of science fiction for several years or even more than ten years.

But the attempt must be made.

Someone has to take this step, and it must be us young people. Are you planning to let the fifth generation directors shoot science fiction? Take Director Feng Xiaogang for example. His movies are just lip service. He knows nothing about science fiction~"

"You mean the fifth generation directors can't make science fiction films at all?"

Zhang Chen nodded: "Yes, the fifth generation of directors, their thinking has long been solidified, they can only shoot what they are good at."

Zhang Chen is not afraid of reporters writing nonsense at all. He thinks it is better to write nonsense to stir up the heat.

He just wanted to gild his own image and portray himself as the Shennong of the film festival. Filming "Pacific Rim" was like tasting hundreds of herbs.

It's normal for those people to have such thoughts.

Later, Liu Cixin won the 73rd Hugo Award for Best Novel with "The Three-Body Problem", which was the first time a Chinese won this award.

The novel "The Three-Body Problem" has been sought after by science fiction fans, and even the President of the United States is a fan of it.

With such a great influence, plus the support of China Film Group.

Despite so many convenient conditions, the film project "The Wandering Earth" was still so difficult to come into being.

That was 2017.

If it were the year 2006 now, it would be normal for people to be pessimistic. If they were optimistic, Zhang Chen would have to worry about whether something unexpected had happened.

Who made it so that there was no precedent of successful domestic science fiction films before?
Even in 2017, when everything was much better, when The Wandering Earth was announced to start filming, there were still a large number of die-hard fans online calling for:
Don't let the Chinese take pictures~
Don't let the Chinese take pictures~
Don't let the Chinese take pictures~
"The Wandering Earth" was a success in the end, and Guo Fan's actions such as begging for alms and getting Wolf Warrior out of nothing have become legends.

If it fails, then it’s not the same anymore, it becomes illegal fundraising, a scam or something like that.

To put it bluntly, people still don't believe that Chinese people can make a science fiction blockbuster that can rival Hollywood special effects.

"Okay, there's one last question left. Who's going to do it?"

Zhang Chen didn't want to continue arguing with them, so he decided to make a quick decision and went straight upstairs after answering the last question.

Seeing everyone's raised hands, Zhang Chen randomly pointed to one and said, "You."

This time, the reporter was called on. He thought she would continue to ask about Pacific Rim, but she asked a completely irrelevant question:
"Director Zhang, do you know about the audition for the female lead of "The Forbidden Kingdom"? Rumor has it that Liu Yifei, Fan Binbin, and Zhang Ziyi all auditioned. Who do you think will win the female lead in the end?"

Zhang Chen was stunned. What's wrong with this reporter's brain circuit?

Could it be that this was someone arranged by Huayi?
But he still answered: "I know about the audition, but I don't know who will be the female lead in the end, but I am sure it is not Fan Binbin~"

"why?"

Zhang Chen didn't care that this was his fourth question:
"Because I just spoke to Binbin on the phone, and she told me clearly that she had never auditioned for The Forbidden Kingdom, and it was all just nonsense hype.

I would also like to advise Huayi's big and small Wangs to promote the movie as it is, and there is no need to hype these things up, to paraphrase what Xiao Wang said before, to attract attention~
In addition, I would like to explain on behalf of Binbin that she is very grateful to Mr. Wang for personally inviting her to the audition, but she couldn’t go, not because she didn’t like “The Forbidden Kingdom”, but because I had already decided that she would be the heroine of “Pacific Rim”, and she simply didn’t have the schedule…”

After Zhang Chen finished speaking, he led Guo Fan into the building, with flash lights flashing behind them.

The reporters were excited, thinking that their trip today was not in vain and they had made a profit.

Zhang Chen ignored the noise behind him, and the two of them took the elevator upstairs and returned to the company.

I am a little confused as to what is so good about the role of the heroine in "The Forbidden Kingdom".

Even if you really get it, what can you do?
In any movie that Jackie Chan and Jet Li collaborate on, the protagonists can only be these two.

No matter how big the others are, they can only serve as a foil.

As far as I can remember, the heroine that finally won over Yuan Shi Kong was Liu Tianxian.

To be honest, Liu Tianxian has been really popular in the past two years. In terms of national influence, she ranks first among actresses.

The simplest example is that she won the female lead, and everyone thought it was normal.

This is very abnormal.

This shows that other actresses cannot compete with her at all.

"What's going on? Why are you two so embarrassed?"

As soon as the two entered the door, Dong Jianqiang noticed their bad luck.

"Don't mention it. We were blocked by a group of reporters downstairs~"

Zhang Chen replied casually, then ran to the bathroom to fix his disguise.

He returned after a while.

“Is “The Forbidden Kingdom” using us as a tool for promotion?”

Zhang Chen nodded.

The Wang brothers were not very polite in their conduct, but Zhang Chen surprisingly did not say anything bad to them.

Mainly for Cheng Long's sake.

After all, it was a movie that Cheng Long participated in, and he also recommended Zhang Chen to be the director. Although it didn't happen in the end, if Zhang Chen turned around and criticized the movie, it would make Cheng Long feel embarrassed.

"Lao Tian is waiting in your office, go quickly~"

Zhang Chen originally wanted to chat with Mr. Dong, but the latter reminded him that there were guests coming, so he hurried back.

But before we got there, the phone rang.

Zhang Chen answered: "Uncle Li?"

Mr. Li on the other side didn't waste any words: "I know you are busy, so I'll make it short. I have consulted with our chairman and decided to increase the investment amount to 100 million~"

Zhang Chen paused, feeling quite touched by Lao Li's trust, but finally said, "I'm afraid this won't work, Lao Li. The investment amount has been almost divided up, and I have to keep the rest for the Hollywood film producers. Only if there is enough profit can they really pay attention to promoting the film."

After hearing what Zhang Chen said, Mr. Li on the other end of the phone could only hang up the phone with regret.

When I entered the office, I saw Wang Changtian who had been waiting for a long time.

"Mr. Wang, I'm sorry, I kept you waiting~"

Wang Changtian smiled, and his face looked gentle behind the glasses.

"I don't blame you. I came here without saying hello. I thought I could see you, but I didn't expect you to go to the Central Film Academy at the last minute~"

"Oh, that's really unfortunate."

After a pause, Zhang Chen got straight to the point: "Mr. Wang, are you here for the share of Pacific Rim this time?"

"Yes, I want to ask Director Zhang if he can give some of his shares to Guangguang~"

Wang Changtian had actually heard what Zhang Chen said on the phone, and he also realized that the person on the other end was the lucky guy who had bought shares of "Hurricane" from the Wang brothers and Feng Xiaogang.

He is really a lucky guy. With the huge success of "Taken", he is the one who made the most money besides Star Entertainment.

Lao Li's reputation became more and more famous in the circle.

Zhang Chen looked embarrassed: "I'm sorry, Mr. Wang, after the shares of Pacific Rim were subscribed by China Film Group, Shanghai Film Group and several small companies, I don't have much left.

If Mr. Wang really wants it, he can try to discuss it with Mr. Han. China Film Group has a share of 200 million, so maybe they can give you some.
I really can’t help you with the share, but I can help you with the distribution. How about including Guangguang in this distribution?”

"That's great."

(End of this chapter)