Huayu: I'm reborn, but you still force me to be a scumbag?

Chapter 317: Never Lost

"Christopher, I must remind you that 3D movies are not some new thing. It is..."

Michael Slan gestured on the bridge of his nose in a somewhat funny way, and the rest of the people in the conference room smiled knowingly.

"There are many people who don't like to wear those funny red and blue things. For example, I would rather die than wear those crappy glasses on my nose."

"Christopher, I don't know what drug James gave you, but 3D is a joke! It's a trick for kids in Disney and Universal amusement parks."

"If it's in a movie theater, in addition to the high cost, it doesn't bring a more enjoyable viewing experience, and there's no way to attract more people to spend money."

"I really don't think the second option you gave is sensible."

"So, sorry, I refuse. Let's just follow the previous contract and make the movie well."

In Chen Nuo's eyes, Michael Slan was still as confident and as stupid as ever.

In fact, most of the senior executives in the current six major companies are of this type.

Short-sighted and conservative.

But I can’t help but feel that the boss is so awesome.

Barry Mayer of Warner Bros., Ron Mayer of Universal, and Jim Gianlopoulos, the man with a unique vision at 20th Century Fox who invested in "Avatar".

Everyone is a hero of the moment.

Alas, on the other hand...

Christopher Nolan said: "No, Michael, you are wrong. I used to think the same as you. But this time James convinced me."

"He invented a brand new 3D camera and a brand new virtual camera system. The movies made with it are completely different from the previous 3D movies. They gave me a great shock."

“If that weren’t the case, I wouldn’t have given up film.”

"His company is currently preparing to rent out his equipment. If we need it, we can rent the relevant photographic equipment before we start filming."

Nolan patiently explained to the vice president of Warner and a room full of senior executives.

It seems that Nolan did not prepare two plans. In fact, he has completely leaned towards the 3D dream option.

Chen Nuo pretended to listen attentively, but his mind had actually drifted elsewhere.

Can the exchange between Christopher Nolan and James Cameron be regarded as the pinnacle forum for commercial film directors?

He really didn't expect that Nolan would take his casual words to heart.

At this point, it became an unexpected surprise that made him dizzy.

James Cameron could never have known as well as he did how 3D movies would develop in the next few years.

In December this year, "Avatar" will be like a god descending to earth, and in a very short time, it will change the way the entire movie world looks at 12D movies and IMAX theaters with a devastating momentum.

Starting next year, whether it is a human or a ghost making a movie, it will be labeled as a 3D movie.

Throughout 2010, the commercial film market had countless pseudo-3D movies shot with ordinary cameras and one or two 3D scenes added in post-production, such as Monster Hunt.

However, the audience still donated generously.

"Even if what James Cameron has created is really that great, I have to remind you that it has a high production cost. Christopher, I bet you that this will eventually cause 20th Century Fox to suffer..."

Michael's chatter passed by Chen Nuo's ears but did not disturb his thoughts.

What was the specific box office of "Inception" in the previous life?
He couldn't remember the exact number.

If a 2D version is made in this life, how much will the box office possibly be?
He had no way of predicting it.

8 million?
10 million?
However, no matter how much, Chen Nuo felt that if 3D and IMAX were added as a pair of wings,

"Inception" is like a dragon on the planet Pandora.

Even if you are standing on the top of a mountain, you can still spread your wings and fly toward the sky.

Because "Inception" is really, really, really suitable for 3D narrative.

And by the time it is launched, it will probably be around the end of 2010.

At that time, audiences all over the world were probably betrayed by those fake and shoddy 3D movies over and over again.

When you feel discouraged,

Suddenly, "Inception", which inherited the authentic 3D bloodline of Avatar, was unveiled in front of the whole world. What will be the effect?
What happens when the plot of Inception is combined with the 3D visual effects of Avatar?
So to speak,

Is there any other movie in the world that is more worthy of going to the cinema to watch three times than this one?

From 2004-2024.

Have it?

After a while, the argument between Nolan and Michael Slan finally came to an end.

Both Nolan and Warner executives such as Michael Slan have turned their attention to this.

Michael Slan smiled and said, "Chen, what is your opinion? You are the one who caused this incident. Now Christopher has given us options. What will you choose? Will you choose safe and smooth option A, or the inexplicable option B?"

Chen Nuo also laughed, but didn't say anything.

After laughing for a while, he stopped laughing and remained silent for a while with a serious face.

Then, under the gaze of the whole audience, he said calmly: "Michael, I suggest that we adjourn the meeting and take a break."

Five minutes later.

In a small conference room at Warner.

Qi Yuntian was guarding the door outside.

Chen Nuo stood in front of the window, looking at the street scene of Los Angeles outside.

The phone was next to my ear, and the sound of a call being connected came from the receiver.

At this time, President Zhang was still awake.

Why haven't you slept yet after 1 a.m.?
Of course it's because of work.

In recent months, Zhang Xing has been working as the bank president during the day and has also taken the trouble to find a part-time job at night.

I go to farm the fields every now and then.

……

President Zhang is very dedicated to his work and truly loves what he does.

Even though it was a part-time job, he was sweating profusely at this moment, like a hardworking ox.

Not only because that half pill of Viagra gave him a strong motivation,

It was also because not long ago, an Internet technology company called Yike opened a basic account in his Asian Games Branch.

All of a sudden, President Zhang once again became a popular figure in the eyes of many leaders.

……

President Zhang was working on this at the moment when suddenly the phone rang.

A killjoy? Of course.

However, President Zhang's first reaction was to be shocked, because the phone that was ringing was his personal cell phone number.

In addition to various leaders and extremely important customers, the only one who knows is his wife.

So regardless of the land's complaints, President Zhang rushed to the bedside table on the other side like a vicious dog and grabbed his cell phone.

When I saw the screen, I was stunned for a moment, then immediately forgot about my part-time job and picked up the phone.

"Hello, Mr. Chen. I am Zhang Liangyong."

"Zhang Xing, it's late now. I have something urgent to consult you about. I hope I didn't disturb your rest?"

"No, no, I'm working overtime. If you have anything to say, Mr. Chen, please tell me."

To be honest, although Zhang Xing holds several positions, he is just a low- to middle-level cadre in the huge system of the Bank of China.

Things like pledging 1% of the shares of Facebook, the most popular social networking site in the world, to a bank, as I said before, he usually only saw it in some financial weeklies or newspapers.

Can Bank of China do this business?
What approach should be taken?

How much money can be made in the end?

Chen Nuo asked questions one after another. Zhang Xing actually had no idea what was going on, but that didn't stop him from answering.

"can."

"Definitely."

"It's definitely no problem."

"Of course it's not absolutely okay, but I think it's 90 percent okay."

The land on one side seemed to be attracted by the fierce and decisive smell of Zhang Xing at this moment, and it seemed to be ready to move.

But Zhang Xingniu glared at the landowner and dared not act rashly, so he could only let the horse plow.

"I won't do that tomorrow morning. I'll report right now. Mr. Chen, please wait a moment."

Chen Nuo hung up the phone.

I stood in the conference room for a while.

Choose A or B?

If I have money, I choose B. If I don’t have money, I choose A. It’s that simple.

He roughly calculated that if the film was eventually changed to 3D shooting, an additional $1.6 million would be required on top of the original $8000 million production cost, which would be borne by him at a cost of $4000 million, plus the $5000 million publicity budget for later stages.

His current gap is as high as 9000 million US dollars, in cash.

Even if he went back and hugged his father's thighs and cried, he couldn't cry out so much money.

Although Chen Bicheng's house sales have been good recently, Chen Nuo estimates that according to the operating model of real estate developers.

The cash I can lend him now will not exceed 3 million yuan at most.

In order to raise 5000 million US dollars for him immediately at this time, we have to give a big discount on the house.

$9000?
Old Chen can only sell the land and spend all his money!
Now, it probably hasn’t reached that point yet.

The first option is to contact the bank for help.

Fortunately, he asked for a high price and used the art of trading to cheat and get options for 1% of FB shares.

Zuckerberg said that if he really needed money, Sheryl Soderbergh could find financial support for him from Bank of America.

But Chen Nuo thought, what about putting this option in the hands of Americans?
If the pledge period really expires and he can't pay, the shares will become the bank's. After three years, won't the Americans be so happy that their faces will implode?
Chen Nuo is not the Empress Dowager of the Qing Dynasty.

His view is that even if the meat is rotten, it has to rot in the pot. It is better to make Bank of China cheap than Bank of America cheap.

Since Bank of China cannot do it, we will consider the second option.

So his first call was to an old acquaintance.

After a while, Zhang Xing called back.

Things sounded good over the phone.

President Zhang replied that it was too late and the leaders could not give a definite answer before they had a deeper understanding of the situation. However, he wanted Zhang to convey a message to Chen Nuo, that is, the mind was open and the pace was firm.

All Chinese people can understand what he said. Chen Nuo felt more confident.

Even if the 9000 million loan cannot be obtained, 7000 million should not be a problem.

There may still be a small gap of around 1000 to 2000 million US dollars.

This amount of money is actually easy to solve.

Ask Lao Chen for support, there shouldn't be any problem.

However, after a little thought, Chen Nuo decided to forget it.

After the news spread, he really changed his bad habit of eating alone.

So he made another call.

Compared to Zhang Xing, Mr. Han Sanping actually has more part-time jobs, but tonight happened to be the day for him to unload his burden and rest his kidneys at home.

When I received the call from Chen Nuo, I couldn't help but feel a little irritable as if I had been woken up by someone.

"…So, I'm sorry, Mr. Han, it's really urgent, so I disturbed you so late. So, what do you think? Are you interested?"

After hearing the whole story, Han Sanping chuckled and said, "Xiao Chen, thank you for still thinking about our China Film Group at this time. Thank you. No matter what, I will remember this favor on behalf of China Film Group. But we will not participate in the matter you mentioned. After all, our board of directors has passed a resolution last time. Why don't you ask someone else?"

"………Oh, no, no, I'm not bothering you. I'm just sorry that I really can't help you with this matter…Okay, okay, bye."

After hanging up the phone, my wife who was sleeping beside me asked dazedly, "Who is it? It's so late. Can't we talk about it during the day?"

Han Sanping said: "Young people are ignorant. Okay, go to sleep."

Han Sanping also lay down again.

Sleeping on the pillow is a bit funny.

I asked you to come back to China to attend the premiere, but you refused. Now you are in trouble and short of money, and you called me, Han San, in the middle of the night?

You were so bold as to cooperate with Warner. Haha, now you know how powerful it is?
They needed additional investment and had no other choice, so they came to me for help. However, their tone was very harsh and it didn't sound like they were begging for help. It seemed as if they were letting me take advantage of them.

He asked whether China Film Group had any intention of investing again, and also said that he was willing to give out a share worth tens of millions so that everyone could make money.

Ha ha.

Everyone makes money?
Forget it, China Film Group will not make this money. If you have the ability, go and earn it yourself.

Han Sanping fell asleep again with a smile that showed he could see through everything.

On the other side of the ocean, Chen Nuo sighed.

Even though President Han had stood him up once before, the two sides actually got along pretty well afterwards, including the joint investment in "No Man's Land" and the conclusion of a strategic cooperation agreement between the two companies, so he thought it might as well ask again.

The result was unexpected...

People treated him like a beggar.

It seems I should go back to ask Lao Chen for the money.

Chen Nuo was about to go out for a meeting, his hand on the door handle, when he suddenly remembered that he had to go to the company alone.

He was not familiar with this person, but he knew that this person had a good relationship with Warner Bros.

This company is the real capital giant in the domestic film and television industry. In addition to film and television, it also has other businesses in various industries. Compared with its scale, China Film can only lag behind.

What about Huayi Tangren? They are not even worthy of carrying someone's shoes.

Isn't it a bit late now?
It should be fine.

The chairman of the group should also be a hard-working person.

Then why not ask while the iron is hot?

……

"I suggest that we end today's meeting here."

Everyone who gathered in the conference room again heard Chen Nuo's sudden words before they even sat down.

Facing the gazes of everyone in the conference room, he said calmly: "Michael, I have made up my mind. Please tell Mr. Mayer that I choose plan B in this matter. I want to make a 3D Inception."

Michael Slan was stunned, “Chen, do you know what you are talking about?”

"of course."

"Even if it costs an additional $8000 million to produce?"

"8000 million, yes."

Michael Slan said incredulously, "Chen, for James Cameron's junk? My God, you have an extra 4000 million. If you have so much money, why don't you buy an island in the Palestinian Sea? Instead of throwing it into the water!?"

"Maybe it's because the island is also in the water."

Chen Nuo smiled. "Don't be angry. I was just kidding, Michael. In fact, if Warner is unwilling to take such a big risk, I have found a Chinese company that is interested in this. After hearing about our plan, they are very interested in it and are willing to participate as an additional investor."

"Who? Could it be China Film Group again?"

"No, no, no. However, it is also your partner in China, China Hengdian Group."

……

……

"China Hengdian Group, a brand new film and television company, and Warner Bros. Pictures signed a cooperation agreement in Los Angeles yesterday to jointly invest in a new science fiction film starring Chen Nuo, which is about to start shooting."

"Afterwards, Xu Yongan, chairman of Hengdian Group, said in an interview with reporters that Hengdian Film and Television Company was honored to have the opportunity to participate in this film. This means that Hengdian Film and Television has officially entered the international stage..."

When Han Sanping saw this news in the newspaper, he took a long time to swallow the tea in his mouth.

After hesitating for a while, he picked up the phone and dialed a number.

"Hello, Mr. Xu. I have something to ask you... Have you returned to China?"

The voice on the other end of the phone was full of energy, "Boss Han, I'm back. I just landed and am still on the plane. Tell me what you want to say... Hey, Xiao Li, come over here and collect the plates."

Han Sanping said, "Haha, it's okay. I just saw the news that you went to the United States and signed an agreement with Warner and Chen Nuo. Did you invest in that film?"

“Yes, we voted!”

Hearing the voice without hesitation, without even a word of explanation, Han Sanping laughed and said, "Haha, so Director Xu and you had different opinions at the beginning?"

"No. Actually, I've always thought this film could be made. But you, China Film, didn't want to do it. I'm also willing to accept defeat. Since you, Mr. Han, said that you make the decision, then you make the decision. I didn't expect that I would have another chance now, so I won't shirk my responsibility. Hahahahaha."

"Boss Han, you won't blame me for this, right? I heard from Chen Nuo that he was the first one to call you, and you asked him to ask someone else. Right?"

Han Sanping forced a smile and said, "Yes, he told me. I felt the risk was too great, so I didn't dare to act rashly. The scale of investment in production is already not small, and now in order to make a 3D movie, they are planning to increase it from 1.6 million to 2.4 million. Haha, I really don't understand..."

Before he could finish his words, he was interrupted. "Boss Han, haha, your information is outdated. In the end, the production budget of our film has increased from 1.6 million to 2.6 million."

".2.6 million!?"

"Yes, an increase of 100 million US dollars."

"However, in the end, we in Hengdian only invested 6000 million yuan, and 4000 million yuan was invested by Chen Nuo himself."

Han Sanping was shocked. "He paid another 4000 million US dollars?"

The voice in the microphone was also quite emotional, "Yes. Unexpected, right? I didn't expect it either."

"When he called me that day, I thought Warner wanted to increase investment and he was out of money, so he came to me for help."

"Guess what?"

"It turned out that he wanted to make additional investments, but Warner Bros. ran out of money. He came to us to help Warner Bros.."

"Such a young actor has become the largest investor in such a large-scale movie. He alone now holds a 45% share, we hold 15%, and Warner holds 35%."

"Based on this financial strength, I think this guy is really the best actor in the country."

"The production cost of this movie is now the highest in the world's history."

"Mr. Han, to be honest, I'm very nervous. I don't know what the final result will be. I hope my 6000 million US dollars will really go down the drain, hahahaha..."

Hearing Xu Yongan's laughter, Han Sanping couldn't help but feel sad and upset.

The most expensive movie ever produced in the world.

Although this title means nothing, it just reveals that the person is stupid and has a lot of money.

But why does it make people so uncomfortable?

Chen Nuo was actually looking for funds for Warner? Where did he get so much money?

Han Sanping was full of doubts, but he still tried to smile and said politely, "Boss Xu, the loss shouldn't be too big. After all, Chen Nuo's box office appeal is still good."

"Well, I hope so. After all, this is also the first step for our Hengdian Group's film and television capital to go overseas. I hope it can be a good start. Otherwise, it will be difficult for our old man to talk to him. If he accuses me of being a spendthrift, what should I do? Hahahaha..."

Although he kept saying that he was afraid of losing money, Xu Yongan never stopped laughing.

Han Sanping really felt that the sound of this man's laughter was so harsh.

He felt irritated again and again, and even felt a little regretful about making the appointment.

However, he thought about it carefully again.

The possibility of this movie making a huge loss, especially after the additional investment, is 100%.

Because a little mental arithmetic will show that the production cost is so high, plus the subsequent publicity costs.

It may take global box office sales of $10 billion to break even.

If you really want to make money, you need to be at least another Dark Knight, or even someone who surpasses the Dark Knight.

Haha, is it possible?

No matter how great a director is, or how good an actor is at the peak of his/her career, can they really break records one after another and shock the world?

Especially since this time it’s a 3D movie?

So, what on earth was he feeling so bad about?

He should be happy.

He wisely avoided a big pit, prevented the loss of state funds, and added another achievement to his career.

When the film is released and the performance is not satisfactory, it will be a critical period for whether I will be successful or not, and it will be a huge achievement.

After Han Sanping thought about it, he finally felt better.

The tone on the phone also returned to calm, and he said with a smile: "Mr. Xu, no matter what, I wish your Hengdian Group's overseas investment will be successful. I hope I was wrong. Haha."

"Thank you, thank you President Han. I will go to Beijing to have dinner with you later. After all, if it weren't for you, we wouldn't have this opportunity, haha."

Han Sanping felt uncomfortable again after hearing what the other party said, and said indifferently: "Director Xu sounds very confident?"

Xu Yongan said with a smile: "No, no. It's just that our old man said something when he handed over the baton to me in 03."

“Doing business is like playing baccarat. The most important thing is not what cards you have but to bet with the winners.”

"And if I remember correctly, this young man Chen Nuo has never lost so far, Mr. Han, right? Hahahaha."

Ps:

I fell asleep while doing some revisions last night. Sorry.

(End of this chapter)