Huayu: Hard fight against Zhang Weiping at the beginning

Chapter 415 Mr. Xu

Hengdian was originally just a town under Jinhua, Zhejiang, but this small town is famous throughout the country and even the world as the "Hollywood of China". It is the only film and television industry experimental zone in my country.

In the 1970s and 1980s, Hengdian, like Yiwu, was still an inconspicuous poor mountain village where people had problems getting enough food and clothing.

It was not until 1996 that Guangzhou Street was built in conjunction with the film "The Opium War". After that, it became unstoppable. The Qin Palace, the Qingming Riverside Scene, and the Ming and Qing Palaces were built one after another. In the future, there will be the Old Summer Palace Scenic Area and the European Style Street...

It has become the largest film and television base in the country.

In the future, two-thirds of the country's film and television dramas will come from here.

Definitely number one in China.

Hengdian’s rapid development is inseparable from the Hengdian Group.

Mr. Xu is the head of Hengdian Group.

However, Mr. Xu has retired, and his eldest son is now in charge of the family.

An hour later, the car carrying Zhang Chen drove into the film and television city park, and the surroundings gradually became lively.

Finally the car stopped in front of a door, and someone was already waiting there.

Zhang Chen got out of the car, and the man came up to him and said, "Hello, Director Zhang. I'm Xu Yongan. We talked on the phone~"

Zhang Chen didn't expect that the president of Hengdian Group would personally greet him at the door. He quickly extended his hand: "Mr. Xu, you are too polite. Thank you for waiting..."

The two hands were held together, as if it was a historic moment.

Xu Yongan said with a smile: "Of course, of course. Director Zhang called me the other day and said he would come over, so we started preparing. However, the one who is responsible for entertaining Director Zhang today is not me, but my father. He has been waiting inside for a long time..."

Zhang Chen didn't expect to see Mr. Xu again today, and his face was full of surprise.

Xu Yongan laughed and held out his hand, saying, "Director Zhang is the best director in the country. My father has long wanted to meet him. When he heard that you were coming today, he came early to wait for you~"

"Please come in~"

After saying that, Xu Yongan led the way and took Zhang Chen into the small courtyard in front of them.

The small courtyard looks nothing special, just ordinary, but it is a different world inside. There are pavilions and towers built on it, surrounded by green trees on both sides, and there is a pond in the middle.

An old man was feeding fish on a rattan chair by the pond.

The old man saw them and stood up with a smile: "I am sorry for not welcoming you, distinguished guest~"

Zhang Chen saw Mr. Xu bowing and quickly clasped his hands together and bowed as well: "Mr. Xu, you're welcome~"

"Please sit down~"

After everyone was seated, Zhang Chen finally had the opportunity to take a closer look at the person in front of him.

Mr. Xu is over 60 years old, but he looks much younger than his actual age, and his eyes are full of energy.

"If I remember correctly, this should be Director Zhang's first time in Hengdian..."

The old man was very talkative. When he started talking, Xu Yongan was making tea beside him. As expected, no matter how high an official was, in front of the old man, he was just his son and had to serve him obediently.

"Director Zhang, have some tea~"

"Thank you~"

After taking the teacup from Xu Yongan, Zhang Chen thanked him and said, "Grandpa is right. This is indeed my first time here. The prosperity here is far beyond my imagination..."

"I heard that Director Zhang's company not only makes movies, but also TV series. As you can see here, not only is the rental free, but we also provide all kinds of supporting facilities. Director Zhang's new project can be shot in Hengdian..."

The old man didn't say any polite words and went straight to the point.

Zhang Chen thought that people in the south were really good at talking business. If they were in the north, they would definitely have a drink first and then talk after drinking, or talk while drinking.

Not only will it delay things, but the key point is that things agreed upon at the dinner table may be disregarded the next time.

The reason is also very simple, I drank too much at that time~
Zhang Chen really likes this efficient way of talking: "To be honest, old man, I came here just for this~"

Seeing the two looking at him, Zhang Chen said, "You all should know that I am going to shoot a science fiction film recently, right?"

"I know. If you turn on the TV now, all the entertainment news will be about this. It's said to be a big production worth 800 million~"

"Yes, the investment is 800 million, it's about robots, and almost all of this movie needs to be shot in a studio, but I can't find a suitable studio~"

Zhang Chen briefly talked about the setting of Pacific Rim. "A lot of special effects are used in this movie, but I still hope to shoot it as realistically as possible, but the requirements for the location are relatively high..."

The father and son on the opposite side looked at each other, and Xu Yongan interrupted, "Are the two largest studios in Hengdian not also OK?"

Zhang Chen shook his head: "No, the height of the robot in my movie is 80 meters. Although it will not be filmed according to the original proportions, it will definitely not be smaller~"

After Zhang Chen said this, the other party immediately understood: "80 meters, that really can't be put down."

The father and son looked at each other again, but this time it was Mr. Xu who spoke.

"Director Zhang, let me ask you something, your film is known as the first science fiction film in China. Did you really invest 800 million yuan?"

"Yes, eight hundred million, absolutely true."

"Can I find out who the investors are?"

"My own company, Golden Harvest, China Film Group, Shanghai Film Group, Warner Bros..."

Zhang Chen mentioned several major investors, and Mr. Xu nodded: "It seems that the rumors outside that Director Zhang is cooperating with Hollywood in this film are true~"

"It's true, but the news hasn't been announced yet."

"Well, as long as Director Zhang decides to shoot the first science fiction film in China in Hengdian, we will make sure that whatever Director Zhang needs is ready within two months..."

Mr. Xu is also a man of great courage.

Back then, in order to get Xie Jin to choose Hengdian as the filming location for "The Opium War", he personally found Xie Jin and promised to build Guangzhou Street.

In order to build the Qin Palace for the poet Chen's "The Assassination of the King of Qin", a mountain was even blown up.

Now that Zhang Chen is going to make a science fiction film, Grandpa Xu also thinks it is a good opportunity. Not to mention two studios, he can even build a science fiction scenic spot.

The old man was born in 35 and witnessed the process of the Republic's development from scratch.

This generation has one characteristic in common: they dare to act.

What does it mean to dare to change the sun and the moon and create a new world?
That's them.

Zhang Chen was overjoyed. This was exactly what he wanted to hear. However, he still said in a falsely polite tone, "Will this be too much trouble for you all?"

"How could that be? Director Zhang, you're welcome...

Our purpose is to serve the crew, and we must respond when the crew needs us.

The studio issue wasn’t a problem either. We were already building an underwater studio, but the scale wasn’t as large as Director Zhang said.

Now it’s just a matter of expanding the specifications.

As for the other studio, it is also simple.

If Director Zhang has other needs, please let us know and we will try our best to meet them. "

The fact that Hengdian has grown to its current size shows that Mr. Xu is a man with a long-term vision and will not focus on short-term gains.

From the current perspective, if Zhang Chen comes to Hengdian to shoot a movie, Hengdian will have to build two studios for free, which will definitely be a loss.

But in the long run, it is definitely profitable.
The purpose of setting up a film and television base is to help people in need and keep as many people as possible in the base.

The crew saved time as all the scenes could be found within the base.

The series of expenses incurred by the crew, including clothing, food, housing, transportation, costumes, makeup, props, and extras, are enough for Hengdian to make a fortune.

Seeing that Hengdian Group was so generous and solved his biggest problem with just one move, Zhang Chen was also ready to return the favor.

He had actually been to Hengdian, but in later life, so he certainly knew some of the development trajectory of Hengdian. If he provided it to the other party at this time, it should help the other party avoid some detours.

But I can’t say this right away, because he just said he had never been to Hengdian.

You haven't even been to Hengdian, and you're already offering suggestions. Isn't that nonsense?
So Zhang Chen asked to visit all the existing scenic spots and studios in Hengdian.

Of course, the Xu father and son agreed.

"Director Zhang, I am not strong enough to accompany you. Let Yongan accompany you..."

"Old man, take a rest. I'm just walking around. It's OK as long as Mr. Xu is with me."

After saying goodbye to Mr. Xu, several people drove Zhang Chen to visit various scenic spots.

The Qin Palace, the Ming and Qing Palaces, and Along the River During the Qingming Festival. Some places were being filmed and could not be entered, so Zhang Chen chose to visit those places that were open.

It took several hours to go around, and that was with a car.

After a round, everyone returned to the courtyard again. Mr. Xu smiled and asked, "How is it?"

"Not bad, not bad. Grandpa's idea is really good. The whole Hengdian is both a film and television city and a tourist attraction. When there are crews, they shoot movies. When there are no crews, it is open to tourists. There are also cultural tourism projects, and living facilities and other things are also well done..."

These words touched Mr. Xu's heart.

What he is most proud of is making Hengdian what it is today.

Zhang Chen also responded: "Grandpa, you are so supportive of my movie, so I also put forward two small suggestions of my own. I don't know if they are right or not, but you should just take them as your own..."

"Appreciate further details……"

Mr. Xu pretended to listen, so Zhang Chen said, "When I visited the base just now, I found that the group performances in the base were very well done. Not only does it have a union, but it also has an organization..."

Mr. Xu nodded: "Indeed, extras are the most used in the crew, and this is also the signature of our Hengdian."

Other film and television cities also have extras, but in terms of the richness of resources, they are definitely not as good as here.

Zhang Chen continued: "But the acting skills of extras are generally worrying. It's okay to be a supporting actor, but it's more troublesome to find a special guest. I think the group can develop training business in this area. There must be extras who want to be content with the status quo, but there must be extras who have dreams. Extras with dreams will think about improving their acting skills, which may become a profit growth point for the group..."

A word to awaken the dreamer.

When Mr. Xu thought about it, he realized that this was indeed the case.

Film and television bases like Hengdian are never short of young people pursuing their dreams.

They also have another name - extras.

Many of the extras are based on their passion, and many people regard Wang Baoqiang as an idol.

These people have little acting skills, earn minimal money each day, and cannot see where their future lies.

It was entirely based on dreams in the movie studio.

Later generations had a movie specifically about extras - "I Am No. 1", which was very realistic.

These people are able to endure hardships and feel that they are working hard for their dreams. What Zhang Chen does is to give them a glimmer of hope.

Strictly speaking, extras don't actually need any acting skills, but having acting skills is definitely better than having no acting skills, at least there is a glimmer of possibility.

"In addition, according to my estimation, dramas set in the Republic of China will probably be popular in the near future. I think Hengdian can build a scenic spot set in the Republic of China, such as Old Shanghai Bund. When the time comes, film crews will definitely line up to shoot dramas..."

When Mr. Xu heard Zhang Chen's ideas, he laughed out loud. These two ideas really hit the nail on the head.

"A great director is a great director. He is really talented. He can come up with so many questions just by walking around. We, the rough guys, stay here every day and can't see them..."

"Don't be so modest, old man. You are blind to the darkest part of the world~"

Zhang Chen didn't dare to accept the flattery. What he said was actually done by Hengdian Future. It was like he, the guest, took something from the host's future and gave it back as a gift to the host.

Zhang Chen stayed in Hengdian for another day to finalize the general direction. He originally wanted to stay for a few more days, but was called back to Beijing by a phone call.

Mr. Xu was a man of swift and decisive action. When Zhang Chen left Hengdian, the design drawings were already being produced.

When I returned to Beijing and just walked into the company, I saw James Wan sitting in the lobby.

"Steve, you finally showed up~"

James Wan's tone was full of resentment.

Dong Jianqiang pulled Zhang Chen aside and muttered, "This guy arrived yesterday. He said he had an appointment with you, but he only speaks English and we can't communicate..."

Dong Jianqiang shrugged helplessly.

Although James Wan had already made "Saw", he was famous for the movie, not the director himself, so Dong Jianqiang really didn't know him.

Moreover, although this guy has a Chinese face, he can't speak Chinese at all. He only speaks English. It was not easy to make it clear that he was here to find Zhang Chen in the past two days.

Even if Dong Jianqiang wanted to chat with him to pass the time, he couldn't do it, which made James Wan very bored.

Hence that expression.

"Oh, James, I didn't expect you to come early, and you should have called me in advance..."

James Wan shrugged helplessly: "I wanted to give you a surprise, but I didn't expect you were not here..."

"OK, wait a moment, I'll make some arrangements~"

Zhang Chen finally found time to talk to Dong Jianqiang: "This guy is James Wan, he's a director in Hollywood. I invited him to shoot "Crocodile Storm"."

"You're going to give "Crocodile Storm" to him?"

“Yes, I don’t have time to take pictures myself~”

“Is he good enough?”

"Don't worry, he'll be fine. He has a movie called Saw that has grossed over 100 million worldwide."

"What did you say? He directed Saw?"

This caused a huge uproar.

"Saw" was not shown in China, but thanks to the ubiquitous pirated resources, many people in China have seen it.

Everyone gave extremely high praise to this famous horror movie, and felt that the box office revenue of over 100 million yuan was well deserved.

James Wan is still quite famous, but not many people recognize his face.

Seeing that the people around him looked at him differently, James Wan was a little scared and asked unconfidently: "Steve, what happened to them? Will I be in danger?"

Zhang Chen smiled and consoled: "Haha, they are all your fans. They didn't know you were the director of Saw before, but now they know, and it's like this..."

"Oh my god, you mean they're all my fans?"

“Yes, they are all your fans.”

After hearing this, James Wan relaxed. He didn't expect that he actually had fans in China.

Who doesn't love fans?

It turns out that they didn't recognize me before. I feel like all the grievances I suffered before are nothing.

"Hello, um, does anyone need an autograph~"

Looking at James Wan who was surrounded and busy signing autographs, Zhang Chen took Dong Jianqiang a few steps back and said, "Call Jing Tian and ask them to come over and recognize the person. Also, send a message to the media. We will hold a press conference tomorrow to announce the news of Pacific Rim and The Greatest Show..."

……

There is a little bit less today, there will be a small climax tomorrow, please give me a monthly ticket

(End of this chapter)