Huayu: Hard fight against Zhang Weiping at the beginning

Chapter 414 Another domestic storm
There was no news from Warner. Zhang Chen waited for two days, but seeing that there was still no news, he decided not to wait any longer.

In theory, large companies like this have their own green light system.

Whether to invest in a project is not decided by one person, but must go through a systematic evaluation.

It is definitely impossible to complete the entire evaluation process in two days.

But Zhang Chen had not originally planned to hang himself on a tree.

Just when he was about to ask China Film to help contact Universal again, news suddenly came from Warner - their evaluation passed.

When I saw David Heyman again, he had become a different person.

Heyman smiled at Zhang Chen and said, "Congratulations, Zhang. After Warner's internal evaluation, they believe that although Pacific Rim has certain risks, it has the potential to be a big hit, so we are willing to join, but I'm afraid a 25% investment is not enough..."

"Then how many do you want?"

"About 15%."

It seems that he is still worried.

"I personally am very optimistic about this project, but the company has some concerns..."

David Heyman was about to find a way out, but Zhang Chen interrupted him directly: "Okay, then 15% is fine. Warner has the right to supervise the use of the budget, but it cannot interfere with the normal filming of the movie. Of course, you are responsible for the global distribution..."

"Deal~"

The above reached an agreement, arranged a lawyer, and looked at the contract.

Zhang Chen can't trust these vampires. They are very evil-hearted. It is better for him to be a villain first and a gentleman later.

There were no major problems with the contract, but there were still a few ambiguous words. After they were raised, they were modified and reviewed again, and this time there were finally no problems.

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“A pleasure to work with~”

Zhang Chen and David Heyman shook hands and took photos.

"Mr. Heyman, don't rush to announce the cooperation. I still need to finalize some things. I will promote it after they are finalized~"

"No problem, you are the main controller, we will cooperate with all conditions~"

This time, Warner behaved very well and no longer had the same attitude as last time.

A day later, Zhang Chen returned to China, accompanied by Trist.

He came back to inspect the special effects capabilities of China Film Digital Center.

Zhang Chen hopes to incubate a group of domestic special effects talents and companies through "Pacific Rim" to create a basic environment for future domestic science fiction films.

Zhang Chen's return to China was very low-key. He did not notify the media or make a big fuss. His main goal was to quietly enter the village without firing a shot.

Only Guo Fan came to pick me up at the airport.

During this period, Zhang Chen went to Hollywood to discuss cooperation, and he was busy with preparations in China. The two of them didn't talk on the phone much, and he had no idea what was going on on Zhang Chen's side.

Seeing that there was a foreigner traveling with him, Guo Fan subconsciously showed joy on his face. After meeting Zhang Chen, he came over immediately and asked as he took the suitcase, "Boss, is it done?"

Zhang Chen smiled and patted his shoulder, but out of the corner of his eye he noticed a reporter secretly filming in the distance: "Get in the car first."

Guo Fan also noticed the reporter and cursed: "These paparazzi are really everywhere~"

He was very careful when he went out, but somehow he was still followed by the paparazzi.

The group got in the car and waited for the car to drive out of the airport. Seeing that there were no paparazzi following them, Zhang Chen said, "It's done. We've already negotiated with Warner, but now is not the time to announce it. We have to wait until the conditions are met before announcing it~"

Guo Fan didn't know when the conditions would be met, but he was overjoyed when he found out that it was successful, with a silly smile on his face.

Zhang Chen couldn't bear to see him like this, so he asked, "How's your progress?"

Sure enough, when asked this, Guo Fan immediately returned to normal.

"There are both bad news and good news. The bad news is that I have investigated several studios, but none of them meet our requirements. There are no studios of such a large scale in China. I am afraid we will have to go abroad to shoot~"

Zhang Chen was not surprised at all, as he had previously guessed that this might be the case.

"What about the good news?"

“The good news is about the physical effects part. I asked around and found out that there are no professional physical effects companies in China, only prop companies.

But the prop company had never made the physical models we needed, so I took the initiative to contact some mechanical design companies and electrical professors from well-known universities and put forward our requirements. They were very interested, so I asked them to make a set of samples first to see the effect..."

Zhang Chen now really looked at Guo Fan with new eyes.

"Am I...doing something wrong?"

Guo Fan felt a little uneasy and thought Zhang Chen was dissatisfied with his self-willed behavior.

“No, you did very well.
There have never been any science fiction films made in China, so those prop companies have definitely not made anything related. If you ask them to make a model, the price will definitely be sky-high.

Since we are starting from scratch, why don’t we do it ourselves? It will be more flexible~”

It is definitely the best choice to make the props yourself.

It is so easy for domestic prop companies to embezzle money. There is definitely a whole chain of interests behind it.

A prop bow in "The Yin-Yang Master: Dream of Eternity" is priced at 60. How dare he do that?

This is not bragging, you can still find related news now.

You know, even the most expensive heirloom bow from the imported American hunting brand Blacktail is only priced at US$9000, which is about RMB 7.

This is already their most expensive model, it is for collection only and not for actual combat.

The handed-down bow has various exquisite decorations and carvings, and is entirely handmade. It is a luxury among bows, but it only costs 7 yuan.

How did you calculate that a prop bow produced by a prop company costs 60?

This reminded Zhang Chen of the straw hat in "The Warlords" that cost 6000 yuan.
"Yes, you did the right thing, but I'm curious, how did you come up with this idea?"

It was the first time that Zhang Chen praised him. Guo Fan scratched his head in embarrassment and said, "No, I didn't have any idea at that time. The price quoted by the prop company was too exaggerated. The price quoted for the cockpit alone was 1000 million.

I just wanted to do it myself, but I didn't know anyone who could do it. I happened to be browsing the forum at the time, so I mentioned it in your forum. I didn't expect that I would really benefit from it. "

"Mine?"

"Yeah, it's Zhang Chen!"

"Oh~" Zhang Chen didn't react for a moment.

Speaking of this, Guo Fan immediately became excited: "There are really many talented people among the forum members. Some said that they studied industrial design and could help for free. Some said that their mentor is an expert in this field and could help contact him if needed. Some said that according to my requirements, although such and such company is not professional in this field, it can meet my requirements without any problem...

I didn’t dare to make it too big, so I found a few friends who said they could help me for free to make a version to see the effect…”

Zhang Chen knew he could definitely do it.

The domestic hands-on ability is too strong.

Apart from anything else, find two people who understand industrial design and some small factories in the south. As long as you pay enough, they can make anything for you.

It was indeed a pleasant surprise, but Zhang Chen didn't have the habit of getting something for free, so he still reminded Guo Fan: "Forget about it being free, but no matter how well you do, you should give me some hard work fee. Generating electricity for love is not a long-term solution..."

But Guo Fan waved his hand and said, "No need, as long as you are willing to meet them, have a meal and take a photo, it would be more than giving them money.

This is the first science fiction movie in China. If they can really get involved, they can brag about it for the rest of their lives..."

Zhang Chen had already imagined how Guo Fan had fooled these bar friends.

When the Industrial Succubus activates the 'Charm' skill, few science and engineering men can withstand it.

"What are you talking about?" Trist didn't understand Chinese, and was very curious about the two people who were whispering to each other and looked excited.

Zhang Chen simply translated it for him, and Trist was also surprised: "The physical model of Industrial Light & Magic is very expensive. If it can really be completed here, we can save a lot of money just on this."

Zhang Chen made the decision directly: "No need to look at any samples, just arrange a meeting with them, get them together, and have a chat in person~"

Guo Fan was extremely excited, feeling that his efforts over the past two days had been noticed by his superiors and that all his hard work was not in vain.

Zhang Chen was also very pleased. It turned out to be a good decision to ask Guo Fan to come. This guy's execution ability was really strong.

The physical model was originally part of the sci-fi infrastructure he envisioned, but he didn't expect Guo Fan to help him with it.

Then there's the studio left.

Originally filmed in Pinewood Studios in Toronto, Canada.

Pinewood Studios has a total of 18 studios, two of which are the largest in the world. Many classic movies have been produced here, including the 007 series, the Marvel series, and the original "Darkness" were also filmed here.

Zhang Chen's version of "Pacific Rim" could certainly be filmed here, but he also has his own selfish motives. He wants to use this movie to build the domestic science fiction film infrastructure.

The studio is one of the basic facilities.

Most of the studios in China belong to former film studios, but these studios are not designed for science fiction films, so they are not big enough.

Because Pacific Rim has a large number of scenes that need to be rebuilt and the mechas are very tall, even if the original proportions are not used, the difference is unlikely to be too big.

There is no studio in China that can accommodate such a large model, so it needs to be rebuilt.

Of course, this cannot be included in the film budget, so it depends on whether the government is willing to pay.

Later, "The Wandering Earth" was filmed at the Qingdao Oriental Movie Metropolis Photography Base. Oriental Movie Metropolis was a joint venture between Wanda and the QD Municipal Government. Qingdao provided the land and Wanda provided the money, with a total investment of 500 billion yuan.

At that time, Wanda was already a wealthy businessman, but now there is no such sucker, and it is even more impossible to expect Qingdao or Zhang Chen to pay the bill.

Zhang Chen thought of Hengdian.

Hengdian is now the largest filming base for film and television dramas in China.

But the original Hengdian was just an ordinary small town in Dongyang, and it would not be an exaggeration to say that it was a remote and poor place.

Its rise was due to one person, Xu Wenrong. It was Xu Wenrong who proposed the concept of Hengdian World Studios.

In 1995, when Xie Jin was going to shoot "The Opium War", Mr. Xu presided over the construction of Guangzhou Street, and then he came up with the idea of ​​turning Hengdian into a film and television base.

In 1997, poet Chen wanted to shoot "The Emperor and the Assassin", so Mr. Xu led the villagers to blast the mountain to the ground and build the Qin Palace scenic area.

In 1998, Hong Kong Street, Along the River During the Qingming Festival, and the Ming and Qing Palaces Scenic Area were built one after another.

In 2000, the slogan of "free venue rental" was proposed to attract film crews from home and abroad to Hengdian.

In addition, two super-large modern studios were built.

I have to say that people of that era were really generous and courageous. They had a soul that dared to change the sun and the moon into a new world.

Zhang Chen was going after Mr. Xu's idea, betting whether the old man would build a science fiction film shooting park for him.

……

In the next two days, Zhang Chen formed a model development team.

The team members come from all over the world, including industrial designers, electrical practitioners, industrial workers, university professors...

The model development team has only one goal, which is to restore the models in the movie as closely as possible.

In the conference room, Zhang Chen projected the slides one by one: "What I want is a heavy industrial style. All the machines must conform to this feature. They must be strong, rough, not delicate enough, and must look very solid at first glance..."

Zhang Chen has said a lot about Soviet aesthetics. This is the tone of the entire film, and everything is based on it.

Zhang Chen pointed to the slides on the wall and said, "This is the concept map of the mecha cockpit that I envisioned. It uses a hydraulic transmission method and is operated by two people. My requirements are that it must be realistic, have a sense of vibration, and be able to feel force feedback.

The pilot is driving a huge ship weighing one to two thousand tons. It is not easy to operate without any movement. In addition, the cockpits of China, the United States and Russia should have their own characteristics..."

As Zhang Chen stated his request, some of the people below frowned in thought, while others wrote something in their notebooks from time to time.

"Can something like this be made?" Zhang Chen finally asked this question.

Although he was confident in his domestic ability to do things, Zhang Chen's knowledge was based on memories from later generations. After all, it was 06...

"Wait a minute, we need to discuss this~"

Several people in the group did not answer immediately, but said they needed to communicate internally first.

Then, several people started discussing various feasibility without avoiding them.

It couldn't be called an argument, but there were definitely times when they had different opinions, but they quickly reached a consensus.

After reaching a consensus, everyone returned to their previous positions.

"You want a heavy industrial style, so we will try to reduce the number of circuits, and use switches or plugs to present the functions..."

“If you want the cockpit to be completely realistic, the best solution is to build a real one that can actually move.

And I suggest that the base be made into a hydraulic device as a whole, so that the bumps and shakes of the cockpit during combat can be simulated to the greatest extent possible."

"But I suggest that the personnel's close-fitting armor should be made more sophisticated. After all, it is connected to neurons, and you said that it was the Americans who broke through this technology~"

Zhang Chen listened to everyone's suggestions, and in a blink of an eye, he had a rough outline.

It turned out that what they were discussing just now was not the question of whether it was possible, but the question of how to do it.

Implementation was not a problem from the beginning.

"Since it's not difficult, can you make a version first and see what it looks like?"

Concept drawings are just concept drawings after all, and the structures inside may not be restored one-to-one during the actual construction process.

The final form should still be based on the real object, as long as the overall style is similar.

Zhang Chen never believed that this thing could solve the problem once and for all. There would definitely be unsatisfactory aspects in the actual use process, which required continuous improvement.

So it is important to do it early.

For many things, existing in imagination and being able to actually touch are two completely different concepts.

"can."

"how much time is required?"

Several people discussed it with each other again, and finally someone said, "About half a month. All the materials need to be ordered from outside, so it takes half a month. If the materials are ready-made, it can be even faster."

Zhang Chen could hear the confidence in their tone, as if this thing really wasn't difficult to make.

"Sure. If you have any problems or need coordination, please find Guo Fan. He will help you solve them."

During the days when the model team started working, Zhang Chen was not idle. He only took 25% of the 15% share reserved for Warner, and someone needed to make up the remaining 10%.

Zhang Chen directly contacted Wanda and Guangxian.

Wang Changtian had thought about the shares before, but he acted too late and failed to grab them. Now that there are extra ones, of course Zhang Chen will give him priority.

As for Wanda, it is a cinema chain after all, and it has developed rapidly in the past two years. Zhang Chen was happy to do them a favor.

Everything seemed to be progressing in an orderly manner, but suddenly a strange wind blew up in the media.

Some media reported that Zhang Chen had secretly returned to China a long time ago, and the cooperation was suspected to have failed. The first science fiction film in China may be groundless~
The accompanying picture was the scene of Guo Fan picking up people at the airport that day, and it should have been taken by paparazzi.

As soon as this news came out, it immediately caused an uproar.

Previously, Huayi ridiculed Zhang Chen for making science fiction films for the sake of sensationalism. Zhang Chen hit back, saying that the other party didn't understand science fiction at all, which made Wang Zhonglei very embarrassed.

When the media wanted to find Zhang Chen again, they were told that Zhang Chen had gone to Hollywood.

What have you been doing?
Of course, I went to discuss cooperation.

A science fiction film with a cost of 800 million yuan must be released globally to recoup the cost.

People's hearts were suddenly in tension, and they were all waiting for the news of Zhang Chen's triumphant return.

But Zhang Chen seemed to have disappeared and never showed up again.

Now it was suddenly revealed by the media that Zhang Chen had actually returned to China a long time ago, which has led people to speculate wildly.

Any normal person would think that something has gone wrong.

If the collaboration is truly successful, only a fool would not announce it.

But Xingchen Entertainment doesn’t have it. What does this mean? It means it has failed.

For a time, there were a lot of mocking voices on the Internet.

Even though the fans of Zhang Chen Bar tried their best to clear his name, saying that he was still preparing the model a few days ago, it was still a drop in the bucket.

Public opinion seems to be moving in a direction unfavorable to Zhang Chen.

As the saying goes, good fortune never comes alone, and misfortune never comes alone.
At about the same time, another piece of news was also brewing in the circle - China Film invested at least 200 million yuan in Zhang Chen's new movie.
The whistleblower described the situation with details, including the day Zhang Chen met Han Sanping and how long they talked. Zhang Chen had a sad face when he went there, but was very happy when he left.

Even Zhang Chen fell into self-doubt after reading this report - did I really go to meet Han Sanping that day?

At first, Zhang Chen thought that it was San Ye's competitor who was setting a trap for him, but later he found out that the opponent's target didn't seem to be Han Sanping at all, but him, Zhang Chen...

Because just yesterday, the sixth-generation director Wang Xiaoshuai publicly called out online: The film special fund should not only focus on science fiction films, but ignore art films...

Then he listed a bunch of data, saying that this year's special film promotion funds were much lower than in previous years.

Zhang Chen was also a little confused, so he called Han Sanping to find out more.

It turned out that the disastrous failure of "The Promise" had a significant impact on China Film. The most obvious point was that the amount of money approved for special film support funds had decreased.

Are you kidding me?
In previous years, there were still three or four million, but this year it was reduced by half, and some people’s applications were even directly cut.

This of course caused everyone's dissatisfaction.

Many people are counting on these projects to make money.

Now the budget is cut in half directly, doesn’t this mean that there are more people making money? Isn’t this going to fight you to the death?
After Wang Xiaoshuai, more and more filmmakers came out to criticize "Pacific Rim". They didn't dare to say that Han Sanping was partial, nor did they dare to say that the budget was halved because of "The Promise". They could only direct their criticism at "Pacific Rim".

If a science fiction film that only talks about theory on paper can get 200 million yuan in investment, then shouldn’t our films that promote truth, goodness and beauty also get more support funds?

Zhang Chen knew that these guys were pretending to be confused.

He just didn't believe that they didn't know that the 200 million investment was from China Film Group, but the special film support funds were from the state, and China Film Group had the right to distribute at most.

"Don't pay attention to him, he's just a bunch of clowns~"

In Zhang Chen's opinion, this is nothing more than the whining of an art film director.

He couldn't apply for support funds himself, but he used "Pacific Rim" as an excuse.

……

When all kinds of criticisms were flying around, Zhang Chen suddenly appeared in Hengdian.

As soon as I got off the plane, I saw a pick-up sign with his name on it.

Zhang Chen walked over and the other party saw him and recognized him at a glance.

"Director Zhang Chen?"

"Yes, it's me."

Zhang Chen came empty-handed, without a single piece of luggage.

"Please get in the car, our old chairman has been waiting for a long time~"

(End of this chapter)