Huayu: Starting from Fahrenheit

Chapter 376: Composing the theme song for Avatar
In Hollywood, on the set of Avatar, Wu Zhuo met with the film's director, James Cameron, who is currently the world's most commercially successful director.

Cameron seemed quite pleased to see Wu Zhuo, giving him a warm hug as soon as they met and personally showing him around the filming locations of Avatar.

During their subsequent conversation, Wu Zhuo learned that Cameron had a very beloved niece who was a loyal fan of Wu Zhuo.

After learning that Wu Zhuo was coming to the Avatar film crew, he called Cameron and pestered him to get Wu Zhuo's autographed photo.

"We filmed in Zhangjiajie, China. The scenery in China is truly captivating. I might choose to film in China for my future movies."

During the conversation, it was inevitable that the topic of this movie would come up.

Cameron told Wu Zhuo that the Avatar crew had filmed scenes in Zhangjiajie, and he expressed his satisfaction with the scenery in China.

Wu Zhuo knew about the fact that Avatar was filmed in China.

During that period, related news was everywhere online and in the news.

It gives off a feeling that China is awesome.

"China has many beautiful landscapes, and Mr. Cameron's idea is correct."

"You can give me a call next time you come, and I can arrange for someone to be your tour guide."

Cameron's enthusiasm after their meeting, and his subsequent praise of China, increased Wu Zhuo's goodwill towards him, and his attitude became less formulaic.

The entertainment industry is a big melting pot.

Wu Zhuo was once considered an honest child.

In my interactions with people, I've always maintained an attitude of either liking or disliking them.

Especially towards people he doesn't like, he's the kind of person who can just give them the cold shoulder.

However, as he has spent more and more time in the entertainment industry, Wu Zhuo has gradually changed this habit.

Now, even when facing someone he particularly dislikes, he can still put on a smile and interact with them enthusiastically.

As Wu Zhuo's fame grows, the people he associates with now are more or less driven by self-interest.

Most of the time, he was only superficially enthusiastic; in reality, he was just being polite.

This applies even to Cameron.

Wu Zhuo doesn't think he can establish a good relationship with such a big director.

So when I came, my idea was to write a song for the film crew and then leave.

However, after meeting Cameron, Wu Zhuo's thoughts changed slightly.

Perhaps Cameron genuinely likes China, or perhaps he has designs on the ever-growing Chinese market.

But whatever the reason.

The other person genuinely wanted to be friends with him.

So Wu Zhuo put aside his previous thoughts and, when Cameron asked him some questions about the film market and films, he revealed his true thoughts.

"I think the Chinese market will experience another surge in the next few years."

Mr. Cameron could seriously consider this market.

"Of course, I did some research when I went to China this year. China is a populous country. If the potential of the film market is fully unleashed, it will be absolutely unimaginable."

It's a pity that your import policy is too strict; many films can't be released in China.

Cameron isn't stupid; he took a trip to China and experienced firsthand the speed of China's development.

I know that China's film market will definitely continue to expand in the future.

However, he felt very troubled by China's film import system.

Wu Zhuo smiled but didn't say anything more.

The domestic import system has always been criticized by investors.

But in fact, this is actually protecting local films.

Without this system, domestic films would have been crushed by Hollywood's industrialized cinema long ago. Without this system, the rise of Chinese cinema would likely remain just a dream, never to be achieved.

Wu Zhuo accompanied Cameron on a tour of some of the filming locations and met with several actors.

On a whim, Wu Zhuo even had Cameron send him a set of Avatar costumes and props.

After looking around, Cameron led Wu Zhuo to his office and showed him the movie script.

Cameron wasn't worried that Wu Zhuo would leak the script.

Therefore, after it was confirmed that Wu Zhuo would be the composer of the theme song, the two parties signed a relevant contract.

Wu Zhuo's team requested to see the script in order to make the song composition more suitable.

The production team specifically requested that Wu Zhuo not leak any plot details before the film's release.

Of course, the contract between the two parties certainly contains more than just this one clause.

Is this a song tailor-made for someone, or a movie destined for global release?

Many details require a contract to define them.

For example, the copyright of songs and the various categories of their use need to be restricted.

This is beneficial to both sides.

And because the theme song of "Avatar" will definitely have a lot of exposure, this is an opportunity that countless top singers are vying for.

Although Wu Zhuo has become a big international star, he is still a relatively new celebrity.

Therefore, Wu Zhuo was unable to obtain all the copyrights for the songs as he did in China.

This time, he only owns the copyright to the lyrics and music; all other copyrights belong to the production team, namely 20th Century Fox.

Of course, as a creator and singer, Wu Zhuo owns the copyright to re-recording.

Within three years, he did not have the authority to re-record a new version, but after three years, Wu Zhuo was able to release a version that he owned all the copyrights for.

Speaking of this re-recorded version, we have to mention G.E.M. again.

This future pop star is really having a tough time.

After terminating his contract with his former company, all the copyrights to his songs belonged to them. Any subsequent recordings of his own versions would be subject to lawsuits from his former company.

Although the song Wu Zhuo plans to compose for Avatar is not a timeless classic.

But given the influence of Avatar, one can imagine the value of this song in the future.

Therefore, Wu Zhuo would absolutely not allow the copyright of his songs to remain in the hands of others forever.

Therefore, he reached an agreement with Fox that he could re-record in three years.

"Mr. Wu, you have one month. You must produce a work that satisfies us within this period, otherwise we will have to terminate this cooperation."

When leaving the Avatar crew, Cameron emphasized the issue of time limits.

This wasn't him deliberately making things difficult.

The movie is not far from its release, and if Wu Zhuo cannot write the song soon, it may trigger a chain reaction.

This could even lead to a situation where the movie is released without a theme song.

"Mr. Cameron, you can rest assured about that. I just looked at the script for a while and I already have some ideas in mind."

I'll produce the work as soon as I get back; it probably won't even take a month, and I can deliver the song to you.

Wu Zhuo responded with a smile.

In fact, he already had this idea before he came.

He planned to use the theme song from his previous life's "Avatar".

(End of this chapter)