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

Chapter 398 Global Auditions!
"Hi, Chan!"

David Leitch and Chad, who were about to become the directors of "Hong Kong Trip," were responsible for picking them up at Los Angeles Airport.

Chen Jin originally didn't need these two guys to come, but she couldn't resist their "enthusiasm"!
There was no other way; they were so eager to meet their "sugar daddy" as soon as possible and report on the film's progress in person. They had been busy on the phone these past few days, but in fact, there were many things they needed to report to Chen Jin in person.

It was their first time directing, and they were quite enthusiastic.

Even something as small as connecting the machine was done personally.

"Leitch, I can just take a taxi myself!"

Chen Jin watched the two directors help her with her luggage and open the car door, and she couldn't help but laugh and cry at the same time.

"It's alright, it's alright. We've learned a bit about Chinese culture these past few days!"

"If I go to China, will you send someone to pick us up?"

Alright, you've grasped the essence of Chinese etiquette and manners.

That level of awareness is very good.

After Chen Jin got into the car, before she could even speak, David, sitting in the passenger seat, turned around and said, "Boss, let me guess what you want to ask?"

"The progress of 'Hitman: Dragon' is 90% complete; all that's missing is the graphics rendering and the soundtrack!"

"The voice-over, special effects, and final cut are all done!"

Chen Jin: "..."

This guy is way too enthusiastic.

However, Killer: Dragon is indeed almost finished.

The final version is 2 hours and 13 minutes.

It is 32 minutes longer than the original "John Wick".

The extra 12 minutes are for details, 15 minutes for fight scenes, and some additional shots and transitions.

Chen Jin had already seen the finely edited version in China. After comparing it with the original version of "John Wick" in the system, he felt that his version was actually more outstanding than that version.

This isn't just boasting; I genuinely have that feeling.

I don't know if it stemmed from his blindness, but it's not that the original "John Wick" was that good, it just failed because of its subject matter and visuals.

Actually, the directors are the two guys mentioned earlier, and they're also newcomers.

From his personal perspective, however, his version of "Killer Dragon" surpasses "John Wick" in terms of narrative, cinematography, details, and so on!

It stems from the meticulous collaboration of the original team, his youth and skill as the lead actor, the investment amount, and the processing and enhancement based on the original work.

At least, that's what Chen Jin thinks.

With the original masterpiece preceding it, it's possible that Chen Jin's attempt at copying the work could surpass the original.

As for why the later stages were completed so quickly, it's actually because of the original version.

Chen Jin's editing saved a lot of time.

Everyone made modifications based on his version.

"Leitch!"

Chen Jin felt it necessary to give the new director a warning: "I'm receiving updates on the progress of 'Killer: Dragon' every day!"

"That's not what I wanted to ask..."

Chen Jin shrugged. Actually, he had just casually asked the two guys, but not about the progress, but whether anything had happened during this time.

Especially some of the interesting things.

It's certain that he won't be there, but Ye Ruchang and the others won't tell him.

"Is that the progress of 'A Trip to Hong Kong'?"

"Don't you two report to me every day?"

Chen Jin grinned. Besides the movie "Killer: Dragon", he had been more interested in "Hong Kong Trip" lately!
The main issues are casting, filming locations, and so on.

"Killer: Dragon" is already in the very late stages of post-production, so there's not much he needs to put in anymore; on the contrary, "Hong Kong Trip" is about to start filming, so Chen Jin has more things to consider.

He felt the movie title wasn't prominent enough and wanted to revise and polish it.

"Train to Busan" is the translated title.

Because the movie was a huge hit in South Korea, the name didn't matter; Chen Jin wanted the movie title to emphasize the zombie, apocalypse, and blockbuster feel.

Just like the title of the movie, "Killer: Dragon".

The overseas title for "John Wick" is quite simple—"John Wick"!
Chen Jin is imitating overseas marketing.

The overseas promotion of "Train to Busan" was obviously not very good, especially the title was not intuitive enough; just like the title "World War Z", it sounds like zombies and zombies, and it gives off a strong sense of blockbuster.

Train to Busan?
A trip to Busan?

The title of the movie gives no indication that it is a post-apocalyptic zombie film.

It is very deceptive.

He wanted to change it to something like "Hong Kong: Zombie Siege," but felt it was too cliché.

While it's true that commercial films can appeal to both highbrow and lowbrow tastes, and that popular films often achieve high box office returns, the English translation of "World War Z" is undeniably appealing to overseas moviegoers.

The English translation of "Hong Kong: A Zombie Siege" can actually have a good feel to it.

Domestically, "Zombie Crisis" or "Train to Busan" are both fine. Originally, "Train to Busan" was called that in Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Movies from these two regions tend to have quirky and vulgar titles, while those from mainland China are actually more refined.

"Then I'll tell you something you don't know!"

When David Leitch suddenly turned his head in a serious manner, Chen Jin knew that this guy wasn't just there out of kindness to pick her up; he must have something important to discuss with her.

"you say!"

Chen Jin sat there, watching David, who had completely turned around from the passenger seat.

"Casting in Hollywood requires going through the Screen Actors Guild to qualify for tax breaks in different regions, so we still need to recruit a few actors from North America!"

"Hong Kong also has tax breaks!"

Chen Jin frowned slightly; he already knew about this.

"no!"

Lei Qi shook his head: "If it's a Sino-US cooperation, we have to go through the labor union on our side, do you understand?"

Even if you film in Hong Kong, the production still needs to be done here!

Lei Qi's words made Chen Jin realize what he meant: "You mean?"

"Yes, if you want to make a Hollywood film, you have to go through this process, even if our filming location is entirely in Hong Kong!"

Hollywood allows production companies to shoot overseas, but many procedures must follow North American regulations.

Chen Jin didn't encounter this problem because "Killer: Dragon" was filmed in North America.

But now, if "A Trip to Hong Kong" is to be filmed in Hong Kong and find actors locally, that's clearly not going to work.

North American policy does not allow it.

"If you don't go to North America, it's essentially like we're just co-investing in a Chinese film!"

There is a fundamental difference between the two. Once released, there will be legal and advertising disputes.

If you promote any Hollywood blockbuster, North America can take you down because you don't belong to the American film industry.

Even films co-invested by Chinese and American film companies.

"understood!"

"So, does that mean I can only choose Chinese actors registered with the Screen Actors Guild of North America?"

"Yes, that's the rule!"

Screw the rules, but there's nothing you can do about it.

Chinese films and Hollywood blockbusters co-produced by China and the US receive different treatment, and their box office revenue after release is also different; currently, Hollywood commercial films are popular all over the world.

Even the worst Hollywood blockbusters can be released globally; but even the most amazing Chinese films have to sell distribution rights to each studio individually to get a global release. The difficulty of promotion and distribution is on a completely different level.

Moreover, even if Relativity were willing to help, the six major powers could only go through two methods: distribution and buyout; unlike "Killer: Dragon," which could directly allow Relativity to conduct global promotion.

This is Hollywood's biggest advantage at present, and it's also the reason why North America is so dominant.

Of course, it's also to protect local industries and actors, so that many filmmakers don't have to have everything they want.

The future "The Great Wall" is touted as a Sino-US co-production, which can be released by both sides, as is "The Forbidden Kingdom".

There are many actors registered with the Screen Actors Guild in Hollywood.

Needless to say, the main actors in "The Great Wall" are all foreigners; while in "The Forbidden Kingdom," although everyone seems to be of Asian descent, Liu Yifei, Jackie Chan, Jet Li, and Zhou Zhaolong have all been registered in North America.

"Therefore, boss, the actors you choose in Hong Kong cannot be considered unless they have been registered in North America!"

"According to regulations, in addition to Bale, we need to recruit at least two more lead actors for Hollywood films!"

Originally, Chen Jin had almost finished selecting two young actors from Hong Kong to play several important roles, such as the old lady, the baseball boy, and his girlfriend.

These characters all have quite a lot of screen time.

Chen Jin also wants to take advantage of the Hollywood opportunity to sign some talented newcomers from Hong Kong, or to recruit some box office draws!
Like Huazai and others.

But now it seems the idea has to be shelved.

These roles may only be suitable for people of Chinese descent!
"So, you came to pick me up just to talk about casting?"

Chen Jin sighed helplessly; this was indeed something that was difficult to explain over the phone.

"Yes, so we need to carefully select the actors, and we may need to consult with several talent agencies!"

For example, CAA, William Morris.

"Fine!"

"A few more main characters are missing?"

"Seven, or strictly speaking, nine!"

This is clearly stated in the script. In addition to Chen Jin, Bale, and Wan Qian, there are four other main characters, plus five more needed for the plot!
The main characters are the protagonist's daughter, the baseball boy and his girlfriend, and the train manager.

This train executive can also be considered a villain.

The other five main characters are an old woman and a few scavengers.

When David Leitch said that Hollywood films need actors from two Screen Actors Guilds, he was referring to the main roles.

There must be more than 5 people, and there are also regulations regarding the filming crew, production team, etc.

Chen Jin and Wan Qian have already registered with the Actors Guild, as has Wu Jing. However, for Hong Kong actors to register, in addition to the time required for review, they also need to have a portfolio, which is a mandatory requirement.

You need to have acted in a Hollywood movie to get accepted; not just anyone can register for a union.

In addition, the registration process in North America is very inefficient, taking several months to complete. If too much time is wasted in the early stages, it is obviously detrimental to a film.

Chen Jin didn't have time to wait 2-3 months just because of the actors.

Because the lead actors met the requirements, Chen Jin and the others applied for permission to film the previous movie, "Killer: Dragon".

Once filming is finished, the certificates will be issued, so the film can be released without delay.

The key issue now is that without enough North American actors, the film "Hong Kong Trip" simply cannot be approved.

This delay will cause all subsequent filming schedules to be delayed.

"Forget it, let's try CAA or William Morris!"

Chen Jin also plans to browse the system to see which young Chinese actors are likely to become popular in China in the future.

The main issue is that Chen Jin, a Chinese American, genuinely doesn't want to use these people.

These guys talk too much about ABCs, and many of them have a bad impression of China in private, which makes them prone to making controversial statements.

"Ideally, some actors from Hong Kong who have registered with the Screen Actors Guild of North America..."

Thinking of this, Chen Jin quickly said, "Let's take it in two steps. You first contact the agency in North America to issue an audition announcement, and I'll hold a press conference with Bale to promote the 'Hong Kong Trip' project!"

The actors from North America might not be interested in this movie, mainly because it needs to include Chinese actors.

White people basically have no chance, mainly because they wouldn't even consider them.

However, the situation is different in Hong Kong, mainland China, and Taiwan.

For many actors, such a project is an absolute chance to skyrocket to fame, truly the best of the best!
Just kidding. Don't be fooled by Chen Jin's constant pursuit of collaborations in Hollywood; that's only because he's in Hollywood.

But when Chen Jin arrived in China, she only mentioned Bell's name, along with the theory of relativity and the six major theories, which caused a sensation throughout the entire Chinese entertainment industry.

Which Chinese actor wouldn't want to participate in this kind of movie?

It's so hot!
Even without watching "Jinling", Ni Ni has already become a household name, and Chen Jin has even made it into Hollywood. This is the kind of massive traffic that an international superstar brings.

Bell's value lies in being a stepping stone to international recognition.

With the backing of Relativity and a group of six major companies, it's no different from starring in a Hollywood blockbuster.

The key point is that this movie specifically needs Chinese actors.

When the casting announcement is released, there will likely be a huge rush to cast them.

This is certainly not because of Chen Jin, but because of Bell and the theory of relativity, and the six major theories!
Moreover, there are significant advantages to doing this.

It's very helpful for generating buzz for the movie.

Why does Zhang Yimou always create "Zhang Yimou's leading men" and "Zhang Yimou's leading women," as well as Li An, Feng Xiaogang, and Stephen Chow, all with nationwide auditions? It's because this kind of news can attract a lot of public attention.

With high viewership and buzz, the film can maintain continuous exposure, maximizing public anticipation.

Most importantly, both new and veteran actors will flock to it.

The global auditions for Li An's "Lust, Caution" were so well-known that it's no wonder that "Mulan" became a global sensation even before filming began.

"OK, OK!"

"Let's make this quick and decisive, and try to finalize the roles within half a month!"

"And on the film set, Chad, you need to confirm the start date with Hong Kong, and get the props ready as soon as possible!"

Regarding the filming locations, Chen Jin found Chad an old acquaintance in Hong Kong—Jiang Zhiqiang.

The people that Lao Jiang found were responsible for finalizing the filming location with Chad, as well as props and other related matters. Anyway, they were all Hong Kong filmmakers, from the same circle.

Everything is ready for "Hong Kong Trip" except for casting!
(End of this chapter)