1978 Synthetic Writers

Chapter 513 North American Distribution Rights

Ideas came to mind, and inspiration surged rapidly in my head.

Jiang Xian poured himself a cup of hot tea, took a sip, then tidied up the large green checkered paper from the People's Literature Publishing House and filled his fountain pen with ink.

I picked up my pen and began to write.

Actually, the novel "The Troubleshooters" is already a classic enough.

Jiang Xian was absolutely certain that even if this piece, "The Playful Master," were published verbatim, it would be enough to spark a reading frenzy for "The Playful Master."

Unfortunately, the idea of ​​adding something to it, once it popped into his head, really got him itching to try it.

"The Troubleshooters" is good enough.

With his current abilities, can't he make "The Troubleshooters" even better?

Acting as someone's girlfriend, arguing with someone's wife on their behalf, and presenting awards to writers.
What else can it replace?

Jiang Xian's thoughts immediately drifted to his experience of writing crosstalk pieces for Jiang Kun.

Write crosstalk pieces for crosstalk performers?

No no no.

The only writer in "The Troubleshooters" is Bao Kang, the writer customer who comes to their door.

Bao Kang is a writer who has never written any outstanding works. He shamelessly funded a so-called "literary award ceremony" with the 3T Company as the organizer and himself as the grand prize winner, all for the sake of "showing off".

He was "very excited" after receiving the "trophy": a jar of pickled duck eggs.

In his personal life, Bao Kang's pleasure lies in using "writing tutoring" as a pretext to seduce girls.

There's a dialogue in the novel where the artistic young woman Lin Bei asks him:

"Why can't I write well? My mind goes blank as soon as I put pen to paper. Are there any tips for writing?"

Bao Kang replied, "I'm willing to sacrifice myself."

In short, he's just a rogue writer; you definitely can't expect him to write crosstalk.

However, Yang Chong and his two fellow troublemakers didn't have the ability to write crosstalk. If they could write, their persona would collapse; if they were too capable, they would lose their identity as troublemakers.

There wasn't a single person in the novel who could write crosstalk. Jiang Xian recalled Jiang Kun's criticism of him, saying that his crosstalk performance "Tiger's Mouth Reverie" wasn't funny enough, and that the audience felt horrified after he finished it.

So, the premise is that Jiang Kun is really not a good crosstalk performer, and "Tiger's Mouth Reverie" is indeed a very thrilling crosstalk performance.

And that's how the story begins, isn't it?
A failed crosstalk performer has a very "cold" crosstalk routine. He hopes that Yang Chong and the other two will organize a performance for him and demands that the performance be sold out and that all the audience members must laugh!
After his writing skills improved, Jiang Xian could conceive plots in just a few thoughts.

In just a few minutes, a plot outline that satisfied him perfectly came to mind.

His mastery of "new Beijing-style novels" also made him very adept at writing in the style of "The Troublemakers".

What is "new Beijing-style novel"?

As is well known, Beijing-style novels are mainly the works of Lao She, who is a recognized master of language who wrote excellent literary language using the language of ordinary people in Beijing.

The "new Beijing-style novels" mainly refer to the novels by Wang Shuo.

Wang Shuo uses language that is rich in vocabulary and highly charming, typical of contemporary Beijingers.

His novels are characterized by their strong Beijing flavor, and every character is a genuine Beijing citizen.

The language spoken by each character is undoubtedly the language commonly used by young people in Beijing, and the entire novel is filled with the atmosphere of the 1980s and 1990s.

Therefore, many literary critics call Wang Shuo's works "new Beijing flavor".

Moreover, his writing is humorous and witty, making people laugh and linger, experiencing joy followed by sorrow, and sorrow followed by mockery. In short, as you read, you will inexplicably burst into tears, and after crying, you will want to laugh out loud, generating great compassion and profound enlightenment.

His writing style is absolutely unique.

If Jiang Xian didn't have the expertise to master this "new Beijing-style novel," he really wouldn't dare to touch his novel.

Not very active.

If one sentence is poorly written, the entire novel will lose its flavor.

After filming on location in Northeast China, Bertolucci led his crew back to Beijing.

It was freezing cold in Beijing in November.

Filming was impossible to carry out, so Bertolucci had to shift his focus back to the team he had sent to Rome to film interior scenes, planning to return to the capital next spring to film exterior scenes.

As a result, progress in Rome was incredibly slow.

It doesn't matter if it's slow, Thomas checked the account again.

have to.

Are they still filming location scenes? Jiang Xian's "Today Pictures" just spent $800 million last time, and with Bertolucci's extravagant filming, that money is almost gone.

Post-production hasn't even started yet!
Thomas quickly found Bertolucci, and the two smoked and drank for most of the night. Finally, Bertolucci and Thomas got together and discussed it.

Sigh, I still need money.

At this point, the film production was nearing its end, and Bertolucci believed that securing this investment would be relatively easy.

Since the film already has a basic outline, they don't need to worry too much about Hollywood capital interfering too much in the film's production.

As for investors, seeing that your movie is almost finished filming, the investment risk is naturally reduced a lot, and there will definitely be no shortage of interested investors.

However, before contacting Hollywood, Thomas and Bertolucci went to see Jiang Xian first.

This is, after all, a long-time customer.

If we can continue to cooperate, then we will; if we can't, then we'll go our separate ways. Asking won't make any difference.

"How much more money will be needed to complete the film?" Jiang Xian asked them.

“It’s probably around two million dollars,” Thomas said.

“It’s so expensive.”

Jiang Xian sighed inwardly.

During the same period, the average budget for a film produced by Beijing Film Studio and Shanghai Film Studio was less than one million RMB.

At that time, the film industry was still under a planned economy. There were regulations that all films produced by domestic film studios would be purchased by China Film Group Corporation for 90 yuan per film, and then distributed according to the number of copies.

Of the profits, 70% is handed over to China Film Group Corporation, 30% is retained by provincial distribution companies, 20% of which are handed over to local finance departments, and the remaining 80% is used for the reconstruction of distribution and screening facilities.

In other words, the cost of a film produced by a domestic film studio must be controlled within 90 yuan.

The film "The Mysterious Buddha," which sold over 300 copies and became a huge hit in China, had a production cost of only a few hundred thousand yuan.

There's also Shanghai Film Studio's "The Gunshots of the Secret Service," which had a production cost of only 290,000 yuan.

There's also "Shaolin Temple," a co-production with Hong Kong. That cost more, but it only cost 120 million RMB.

If given the opportunity, Jiang Xian would definitely prefer the distribution rights to these films over "The Last Emperor".

Low production costs and high box office returns.

This is outrageous profit!

Unfortunately, he couldn't get his hands on any of those movies, and he couldn't even think about the money; it wasn't something that could end up in his pocket.

All he could access were foreign films.

In his opinion, "The Last Emperor" was already the most cost-effective option.

The high production cost of "The Last Emperor" still left him speechless.

The cost is tens of millions of dollars.

The total annual film production revenue of all domestic film studios combined probably wouldn't reach that amount.

"If it's two million US dollars, how about selling me the North American rights?"

"North American copyright?"

Thomas and Bertolucci exchanged a glance. It wasn't that they thought Jiang Xian hadn't given enough, but rather that they thought he was being too generous.

God.

The North American rights were sold for two million US dollars.

This is such a great profit!
"Really? Then let's sign the contract right away."

"Don't worry."

Jiang Xian smiled and said, "Besides the North American copyright, you can give me a few more regions as well."

"."

Bertolucci and Thomas then realized that something was amiss.

Meticulous and calculating—that's Jiang Xian for you.

I realized this from our previous negotiations; he's not exactly a benevolent person.

"Does your 'Today Films' have that many familiar theater chains? While I don't mind discussing regional distribution rights with you, you at least need to guarantee the smooth release of our films," Thomas said with extreme caution.

Yes, Jiang Xian gave you a lot of money.

But if your "Today Pictures" mismanages the business and causes our film to flop at the box office, we won't get the real bulk of the revenue from this movie.

"Don't worry about this."

Jiang Xian made a reassuring gesture, "You know 'Green Light,' right?"

"Green Light?"

Bertolucci nodded.

He certainly knew that the art films of the famous French director Rohmer had won the Golden Lion, the highest award at the 43rd Venice International Film Festival, which was held recently.

How did he know?

Because he was the chairman of the jury, this film was the result of his selection.

Recently, "Green Ray" was released in overseas theaters, riding the wave of its Golden Lion Award success.

Thanks to the auspicious title, the film seemed to have encountered a miracle after its release.

This ultra-low-budget film not only won the Golden Lion and Best Actress at the Venice Film Festival as a dark horse, but also became a box office hit both domestically and internationally.

French media outlets claim that "The Green Ray" has become one of the highest-grossing films in French film history.

Bertolucci knew all this, and Thomas, as a film industry professional, was no stranger to the miracle of "Green Ray".

And they know more.

I've heard that "Green Ray" has set a precedent in film distribution, and that news has already spread throughout Hollywood.

In truth, it was a matter of timing, fate, luck, and the brilliant decision of the publishing company.

It's unclear whose idea it was, but at a time when American pay channels Bravo and AMC were just beginning to flourish, "Greenlight" partnered with them and groundbreakingly premiered on television three days before its theatrical release.

But the two of them patiently listened to Jiang Xian recount the story. Just as they were wondering what was going on, he added in a low voice:
“You may not know this, but the North American distribution rights for this film are held by our company, Today Pictures.”

"what?"

To Bertolucci and Thomas's shock, Jiang Xian simultaneously admitted that "Today Pictures" had partnered with American pay-TV channels Bravo and AMC.

"Rohmer has always had a fondness for television. He felt that the relatively private viewing space and close-up viewing method of television were more suitable for his films."

Coincidentally, our company, 'Today's Films,' also values ​​television, and we and 'Diamond Films' hit it off immediately and jointly planned this television premiere before its theatrical release.”

"That's actually the case."

Thomas listened with astonishment as Jiang Xian finished recounting the inside story of "Green Light." Of course, he didn't doubt that Jiang Xian was exaggerating. They were all in the film industry, and this wasn't a secret. They could easily find out by asking around, so Jiang Xian had no need to take credit for it.

The successful distribution of the film "Green Light" also proved that "Today Pictures" does have its own distribution capabilities and is quite adept at marketing.

Two million US dollars.
Bertolucci and Thomas discussed it again.

Today Pictures has proven its distribution capabilities, and the benefits Jiang Xian offers are definitely greater than those offered by all the film companies in Hollywood.

That's definitely worth a try for them.

"By the way, where else do you want the distribution rights?" Thomas asked with some concern, worried that Jiang Xian would continue to make exorbitant demands beyond the North American rights.

How is Japan?

"Absolutely not!"

Thomas's attitude was firm.

The United States, Japan, and Southeast Asia are all major dog-producing countries.

If they take away North America and Japan in a package deal worth 200 million, they'll be so lucky they'll faint.

What about Singapore and Malaysia?

“Then it won’t just be this price,” Thomas said through gritted teeth.

He had done his research; Singapore and Malaysia are traditionally popular locations for Chinese-language films.

Although "The Last Emperor" is not a Chinese-language film, it tells a Chinese story, so Thomas believes the film will have a good market in Singapore and Malaysia.

“Jiang, you know that asking for exorbitant prices is a waste of time. I hope we can both be more sincere.” After arguing with Jiang Xuan for a long time, Thomas couldn’t take it anymore and said this.

"Ow."

Jiang Xian smiled. He knew it was impossible, but he just wanted to try. Trying wouldn't get him pregnant, and maybe Thomas would just have a brain fart and agree.

"Okay, I'll mention three more places: China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. I won't budge any further; this is my greatest sincerity."

"."

Thomas and Bertolucci discussed it and concluded that these three places not only had complex situations, but also relatively small market sizes.

If we have to compare, Taiwan is alright. As for the Chinese market, although China Film Group, which owns the Chinese cinema chain, loves to import foreign films and screen them nationwide, using capitalist films to squeeze money out of ordinary people, being stingy is also the common perception of foreign filmmakers.

There's really nothing we can do about it; China Film Group is indeed poor.

Therefore, if we include these places in the two million dollar offer, these two people might be willing to agree.

Los Angeles, California, a city that champions independence.

Today Pictures' production studios and offices are located here.

There is nothing we can do about it.

The sound stages at the foot of Hollywood Hills and the post-production companies scattered throughout the city can effectively save costs, which is a huge attraction for any film and television company.

"Don't rush, I'll send this script to the boss for review." After reading the script that Ang Lee gave him, Zhao Zhenkai thought it was pretty good, but he didn't dare to make a decision on his own. It would be better to let Jiang Xian take a look first.

Sometimes he wondered if it would be better for Jiang Xian to personally oversee things for the company's development.

Just as I was thinking about this, I quickly received a call from back home.

"Two million?"

"North American distribution rights?"

"A deal has been reached?!"

"."

Whoops.

This person is in the country.

Nothing was left undone.

(End of this chapter)