I was just thinking about taking the arts exam and you said I've been playing supporting roles

Chapter 389 I admit my voice was a bit loud before...

"Ryan, this is the entire team I have!"

"Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the directors of our next film, 'Hong Kong Trip,' will be David and Chad. The fight scenes in my film 'Killer Dragon' were designed by Chad and Sun together!"

"David was responsible for discussing the shots with the cinematographer Jonathan..."

"..."

Inside the editing room, Chen Jin was introducing David and the others to Kavanaugh.

Editor Delroy Lindo and his team are discussing some editing details.

David Leitch and Chad were clearly very excited. Jonathan, who had little contact with the film industry, was a veteran who had been in the business for over a decade and was well aware of the enormous influence Relativity Media had had in Hollywood in recent years.

Unlike Lionsgate, which is outside the Big Six studios, Legendary Pictures and Legendary Pictures are both involved in projects with the Big Six studios.

It's almost equivalent to a movie produced by one of the six major studios.

Such a film industry is an unattainable goal for many Hollywood filmmakers.

Normally, even the producer ignores the two of them, but now Chen Jin is actually chatting and laughing with the CEO of Relativity Media. This makes David and his partner suddenly feel like they've stumbled onto the "correct" path of their profession.

Who would have thought that Sun Nuo, who naturally asked the two of them for help, would now be able to get acquainted with the upper echelons of Hollywood?

Regardless of whether the other party goes bankrupt in the future, Kavanaugh still wields considerable influence in Hollywood at the moment.

In fact, when Sun Nuo first told them about Chen Jin's film "Killer: Dragon," David and Chad only saw it as a job, something like a temporary work assignment; but now, they have realized Chen Jin's value.

And the Chinese-funded film company behind him, Motion Picture Science, now seems to be a hot commodity in Hollywood.

The recent changes in the Chinese and American film industries are well-known to many in the industry.

Many Chinese investors have set their sights on Hollywood's industries, and similarly, the six major Hollywood studios also want to reach some cooperation agreements with private film companies in China other than China Film Group and Huaying Film Group!
In addition to the quota of 35 films that were imported and exclusively distributed, China Film Group also agreed to allow some large private film companies in China to do business with Hollywood.

This is what is known as "wholesale films".

They buy out overseas films that didn't win the bid but passed censorship and distribute them domestically.

The 35 foreign blockbusters produced by China Film Group and Huaxia Film Distribution are still insufficient to meet the ever-growing domestic box office demand.

This is also one of the current channels.

Just like how the old pervert Weinstein spent $3250 million to buy out the North American distribution rights of "The Battle at Lake Changjin," Huaxia Film Distribution can also allow domestic film companies to buy out the domestic distribution rights of overseas films.

As long as you can buy it, you can apply to the Film Bureau for review and scheduling.

Films like "The Expendables," the upcoming "Lucy," and "Bad Genius" are all examples of films imported from overseas.

The Expendables acquired the domestic distribution rights for only $50 and grossed over 2 million yuan at the box office after its release, making it a huge success.

Therefore, Chen Jin could obviously also use this method to acquire some well-received films overseas.

David was unaware of this, but he and Chad increasingly felt that Chen Jin was truly extraordinary.

Perhaps they could switch allegiance.

There's no need to keep focusing on Hollywood. Maybe by joining a Chinese film company, you can also have a chance to succeed.

The competition among these six major groups is fierce, but Chen Jin and his team are well aware that they are in dire need of manpower.

Kavanaugh's arrival can be said to have made the two of them completely decide to "follow" Chen Jin.

He can chat and laugh with Hollywood moguls. He's just a newcomer to North America. Once he's established himself, he might achieve great things.

Furthermore, if "Killer Dragon" and "Hong Kong Trip" were to actually find a market in North America, the two actors could become household names in the industry because of these two films.

Chen Jin, of course, had no idea that David and the others who were bowing and scraping to Kavanaugh had made a major decision in their lives. He really didn't mean to call Kavanaugh over to support him; in fact, the old man was worried and insisted on coming over to check.

"Director Chen—"

Ye Xiang then approached Chen Jin with a somewhat troubled expression.

"What's wrong?"

Seeing that David and the others were chatting with Kavanaugh about the "Hong Kong Trip" project, Chen Jin immediately looked at Ye Xiang.

"Chang... Brother Chang wants to see your edited version!"

"He insisted on seeing it, and he even threatened me..."

Ye Xiang said with a bitter expression, although he really wanted to show it to Ye Ruchang, but this was not something he could decide.

His mother knew where to put it, but this kind of thing definitely required Chen Jin's consent.

"What about others?"

Chen Jin walked out of the editing room and saw Ye Ruchang standing there with a face that looked like she was constipated.

Upon seeing Chen Jin, he immediately came up to her: "Director Chen, I heard you finished editing a version in three days?"

"It's not that I don't want you to see it, I'm just afraid it will affect your and Lin Duo's editing process!"

"I edited this for myself..."

Chen Jin was also thinking that if the two of them collaborated, they might be able to create even better results.

In Chen Jin's view, the original "John Wick" still had room for improvement. Although it could be considered a rare action film, it was inevitable that there would be flaws and shortcomings as the debut of David and his partner.

Therefore, Chen Jin hopes that the two of them can make the quality of "Killer: Dragon" even better.

Although, it was also his debut work.

But Chen Jin feels that, putting the director aside, his fighting and acting skills surpass those of the original lead actor, Keanu Reeves!

It's not just about age.

It was the systematic experience that gave Chen Jin a deeper understanding of the film.

As for many of the shots, they were all copied from the original by Chen Jin.

Furthermore, the director, cinematographer, and other team members are all from the original "John Wick" crew, which surpasses the level of "John Wick" without any problem in Chen Jin's opinion.

If John Wick is around 8 points, Chen Jin hopes that Killer: Dragon can reach 8.5 or even higher.

If my version of the edit affects the two people's understanding and judgment of the film, then it would be a case of losing more than I gain.

"Director Chen, your version is actually based on the same idea!"

"Other people's editing will not affect our overall judgment of the film!"

Ye Ruchang spoke in a professional tone: "We are trying to recreate the film as faithfully as possible based on the script, and we also consider the visuals, music, dubbing, and so on!"

"The order of editing doesn't actually have a big impact!"

In short, Ye Ruchang was still unwilling to give up and wanted to see how well Chen Jin had performed in the past three days.

It could attract Hollywood boss-level figures, and Ye Xiang's exaggerated claims made Ye Ruchang feel like he could relax and clear his head.

These days, he and Lindo do have some disagreements about editing.

"It's not that I don't want to show you!"

"How about this, you guys finish the rough cut, and then we'll discuss it!"

At this point, the overall structure and tone of the film had been set, and the fine editing was simply to make the film more refined.

The plot and some of the things the film expresses are fixed.

The main focus is on optimizing details and other aspects.

"Director Chen, Lin Duo and I definitely have our own plan for the overall editing of the film!"

"Looking at others' work is about learning from their strengths and making up for your own weaknesses..."

Anyway, Ye Ruchang is definitely going to watch this "director's cut" today.

"Is your rough cut almost finished?"

"It's mainly about adjusting the order and cutting some plot points?"

Chen Jin just reviewed their edits; they've completed about three versions, each around three hours long. Ultimately, they'll choose the version that the team approves of most. Then, they'll do a final, thorough edit based on that version.

Cut the 3+ hour timer into 2 hours or even 2 hours.

However, a 2-hour movie runtime is the most mainstream format; any longer and it would affect the daily screening schedule.

Unless you're a big-name director with no shortage of audiences, 90-120 minutes is a range that many directors would choose.

"Yes, the rough cut will be one of the three options, and it shouldn't be changed again!"

"So, Director Chen, you can also take a look at your version; it might give us some better inspiration!"

This was definitely flattering Chen Jin.

An editor saying something like "inspiration" to a director is as ridiculous as a math teacher telling a PE teacher to "absorb some math teaching experience."

After all, they had all seen Chen Jin's editing skills at the beginning; she was a complete beginner.

At least, Ye Ruchang just said it casually.

"There's no need for inspiration; it wouldn't be good if you had to make further changes!"

Chen Jin was actually still reluctant to show the "John Wick" version, but since Ye Ruchang insisted, Chen Jin had Ye Xiang take him to another editing room to watch his director's cut.

……

The next morning, Chen Jin arrived at the base again.

Last night, I had dinner with David and a few others, along with Kavanaugh. The collaboration between "Killer: Dragon" and Relativity Media is basically finalized.

The next step is to negotiate how much of a share they can get without spending any money.

If the profit margin exceeded 30%, Chen Jin felt there was no need for further cooperation.

If the price is too high, even if it sells very well in North America, he might not make much money. The main reason is that in the previous version of "John Wick," the North American box office was only $5000 million. Based on this ratio, at least $2000 million would have to be distributed.

Not worth the candle.

In North America, if the production company is good, they can get 60% of the box office revenue.

Therefore, 30% of the profits from North America is Chen Jin's bottom line, which led the overseas team of China Electronics Technology Group Corporation to negotiate with Relativity.

Moreover, the CETC side also needs to do the corresponding publicity and promotion.

Unlike in my previous life when there was Keanu Reeves, even though Keanu may not have box office appeal, he is still a veteran star with some popularity.

Besides being a complete stranger, Chen Jin is also Chinese, so it will be very difficult to get such a seemingly "three-no" product out of the market.

Kavanaugh also told him that even if relativity had a good relationship with the six major powers, forcing theaters to screen it might only get a few hundred theaters on the opening weekend, at most a thousand, which was the limit.

Whether more theaters will be added later depends on the box office performance during the opening weekend.

If the box office is bad, the business will be wiped out in three days.

After all, aside from its new violent aesthetics and action movie appeal, "Killer Dragon" doesn't really attract North American audiences.

Chen Jin has absolutely no box office appeal in North America; the only audience she might be willing to pay for is the Chinese community.

This can be considered a basic base.

But the number of companies was actually the result of negotiations between Chen Jin and Kavanaugh.

Like "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," which started as a low-budget film and made a comeback from 20 theaters; unlike "Hero," which had Quentin Tarantino as producer and Jet Li as the lead actor, allowing it to be released in over 3000 theaters simultaneously at the beginning.

A thousand...that's really not bad.

Chen Jin was trying to comfort herself.

It's normal for the first one to be a bit of a flop; the second one, or "Hitman 2," will have a different outcome.

Fame is a gradual process of accumulation.

Even Jackie Chan spent many years establishing himself in North America.

What Chen Jin needs to do now is to take steady steps and gradually enter the Hollywood scene; right now, he may not even be considered an "outsider".

"Hopefully, it will be an instant hit..."

"If the box office is similar to that of the previous film, this movie is a sure thing!"

With a global budget of $1 million outside of China, Chen Jin doesn't have high expectations for her first Hollywood film.

Although no other Chinese film besides "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and "Hero" has been able to meet this requirement, even "House of Flying Daggers" only grossed over 8000 million overseas.

However, this movie is a bit different in nature, as it was produced in Hollywood, so there are some differences.

Chen Jin comforted herself and knocked on the door of the editing room.

Ye Ruchang and the others are already here.

Upon seeing Chen Jin enter, almost everyone's eyes immediately turned to him.

Including Lao Hei Linduo and Ye Xiang.

Chen Jin was startled by the dark circles and bloodshot eyes of Ye Ruchang and several other editors from the Huaxia team.

"What...what's going on here?"

Did you stay up all night cutting hair?

"Mr. Chan!"

Lin Duo actually used honorifics, and upon seeing Chen Jin enter, he immediately exclaimed excitedly, "Was your version of the edit really only taken 3 days?"

Everyone else's eyes were on Chen Jin, waiting for his answer.

"You all saw it?"

He was met with a unanimous nod in response, and Ye Ruchang admitted that he had raised his voice a bit in front of Chen Jin earlier.

That guy's version was amazing.

After reading it, he felt that many parts of his rough cut needed to be changed, and he was indeed inspired.

Lindo was the most shocked.

The old man was initially dismissive and didn't want to watch, but he couldn't resist the exclamations of Ye Ruchang and the others beside him.

Eventually, he got tired of editing and glanced at it casually.

He was completely stunned after just one glance and staring at it for 10 minutes.

Isn't this exactly the Killer Dragon I've been wanting?

It was exactly as he had imagined over the past few days, and there were even many things he hadn't considered.

That's why the old black man was so agitated.

Chen Jin's editing approach was surprisingly in complete agreement with his; while their ideas weren't exactly the same, they were certainly quite alike.

This old black man felt like he had found a kindred spirit!
Surprisingly, some editors even shared the same editing approach.

There was absolutely nothing different from his version. Lin Duo had indeed stayed up all night, watching it several times. The more he watched, the more he felt that this version was exactly the kind of thinking he had in mind.

Little did they know... this was the final cut of "John Wick" that he had originally edited!

Of course they're different!

A person's ideas, editing philosophy, and skills all have a strong personal style.

No matter how the butterfly effect changes, if the source material for the films is similar, the final version will be largely the same.

Because it's his editing habit.

Now, Chen Jin's version unexpectedly overlaps with Lao Hei Lin Duo's...

(End of this chapter)