Fooling Huayu for Thirty Years

Chapter 311 added! "Heroes of Heaven and Earth" - 30 million US dollars! "Love Across Time"?
“Mr. Ge, I can say this: this film, ‘Warriors of Heaven and Earth,’ will definitely be a blockbuster.”

"Really?"

"We had already decided beforehand that we would film the famous Battle of Xiangji Temple."

"Huh? What kind of battle is this?"

Have you ever heard of the Mo Dao (陌刀)?

"Mo Dao? What kind of sword is that?"

"The handle is this long, and the blade is this long..."

As Jiang Wen spoke, she even began to gesture to Ge Luming.

Ma Xun watched from the side, and could only smile and remain silent.

To be honest: I never would have guessed that Jiang Wen could be even better at bluffing than me!
Sure enough, the two moves he made did resemble the style of a Mo Dao (陌刀), and Ge Luming's eyes became even clearer.

Of course, their eyes couldn't hide their excitement and exhilaration.

Jiang Wen was incredibly talkative when he talked about the Mo Dao (a type of ancient Chinese sword).

"This thing is amazing. You know, we haven't unearthed anything like it before."

"Huh? Is it really true?"

"It's clearly recorded in history, so it definitely exists. The reason it hasn't been unearthed is because it was managed too strictly... Back then, this Mo Dao was definitely a top-tier killing weapon..."

"Wow..."

When someone is speaking, the worst thing is when the other person doesn't respond.

Ge Luming is doing quite well now; both her voice and expressions convey the right emotions.

With this help, Jiang Wen spoke even more animatedly and with great enthusiasm.

In Jiang Wen's words, this part of the history of the Tang Dynasty can be summed up in just two words.

Awesome!
At that time, you Europeans and Americans didn't have a matching pair!
You know what, Ge Luming was completely engrossed in listening to it.

Ma Xun found it more and more amusing the more he looked at it.

However, even Western history is riddled with errors and omissions.

Their archaeological work is so sloppy.

Many people in China today don't really understand the truth about Western archaeology.

Simply put, Chinese people are not allowed to participate in the archaeological work there.

The reason is actually very clear: they're afraid we'll find out.

Even if we aren't allowed to participate, there are still too many obvious loopholes.

For example, many famous scientists and figures in Europe and America seem very fake.

Looking at Chinese history, almost all the famous figures of ancient times, unless they committed some kind of heinous crime like the extermination of nine generations of their family, still have descendants today.

There are also famous families that have been around for thousands of years, such as the descendants of Fan Zhongyan, and the well-known Fan Family Charity Estate.

And then there's the Qian family. They received a special certificate of merit during the Tang Dynasty, and when it came to the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang recognized it and directly spared them from the death penalty.

Well, Old Zhu himself issued the imperial edict, so he won't honor it.

Ma Xun doesn't necessarily want to question those famous figures in Western history, but they really are quite strange.

This iron certificate is preserved in our museum, and the relevant historical records are very clear.

Our Chinese history, from historical records to archaeological discoveries, all match up perfectly.

But most of the famous people and scientists in Europe and America are just lone wolves; nobody knows who their parents are or who their children are. All that's left is what achievements they've made.

This is too strange!
Putting all that aside, let's return to the current state of the film industry.

Internationally, there is a high level of recognition for Chinese historical films.

The novel "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" was sold to Japan. Some people said it was a loss, while others said it was a profit. But no matter what, it was sold and received rave reviews.

The Last Emperor was also a huge sensation back then.

Even though "The Emperor and the Assassin" was a failure, it did attract international funding back then.

It's clear that foreigners actually appreciate our historical epics about China.

Look at Ge Luming's clear eyes now...

good! Very good!
Ma Xun felt reassured; their direction in producing "Heroes of Heaven and Earth" was correct!
So next...

Jiang Wen had already described the Battle of Xiangji Temple as a bloodbath, a scene of utter carnage and devastation.

The sky seemed to be dyed red!
Ge Luming was so excited when he heard this that he immediately slammed his hand on the table.

"Great! Excellent! This is the kind of blockbuster we should be making!" After saying that, she changed the subject, "The grand scenes are great, but the way they're filmed..."

After all, he's a professional filmmaker; he could tell at a glance that Jiang Wen was going to…

Over budget!
Okay, when it comes to going over budget, Jiang Wen is quite famous in the international film industry.

He and Chen Kai are known as the investors' nightmares.

Seeing that Ge Luming was trembling with fear, Ma Xun thought to himself, "Aren't we in Sanya?"
Jiang Wen, however, said with great confidence: "According to historical records, the number of people involved in this battle was about 200,000, while for our film, it would be about 10,000 to 20,000, which is about right."

That's a pretty good "almost"!

Ge Luming gasped in shock!
Seeing this, Ma Xun smiled and said, "Actually, we also have cavalry, but I have experience in this area and can definitely bring in the best cavalry in our country."

It happened when we were filming "The Legend of the Condor Heroes".

After the show aired, viewers were very satisfied with the scenes depicting the grasslands and deserts, as well as the battle scenes.

It truly showed a different kind of martial arts.

It is fundamentally different from those rudimentary martial arts dramas produced by TVB.

But now Ma Xun is saying this...

"This cavalryman... cough cough..."

Ge Luming was sweating profusely.

Weren't you just shivering from the cold?

Jiang Wen then said, "Mr. Ge, there's a Chinese saying, 'You can't catch a wolf without risking your cub!' You've probably heard of it."

"I've heard of it, I've heard of it." Ge Luming hadn't actually heard of it, but that was all she could say at this point.

Jiang Wen continued, "Not only did they have swords, but they also had armor. Back in the Tang Dynasty, during its golden age, that equipment... the Mingguang Armor."

When this was mentioned, Ma Xun had already made preparations.

"By the way, I've already done some research, and I've also contacted some ancient armor enthusiasts. Here are the blueprints and a rough quote for restoring the Mingguang Armor."

Of course, this armor was worn by generals; soldiers wore a different set.

Several blueprints appeared in front of Ge Luming as if by magic.

Is it really that fast?

However, these blueprints were indeed very attractive to Ge Luming.

This foreigner originally had a great fondness for Chinese culture; otherwise, he wouldn't have been so enthusiastic about investing in Chinese films.

Look at this armor, wow!
Pretty!

Moreover, it's full of details.

From the materials used to the weaving techniques and the intricate patterns.

Ge Luming grew to like it more and more as he watched it.

But then...

"Huh? 40?"

The Mingguang Armor is beautiful, and the price is really beautiful too.

But our movie is different.

"Only $5."

Jiang Wen knows about exchange rates.

40 RMB, 5 USD.

They are indeed similar, but the feeling they evoke is different.

At that moment, Ge Luming had the feeling of earning and spending US dollars.

But he's not stupid.

"This kind of armor..."

Ma Xun added, "At the moment, we should at least get ten sets."

Ten suits of armor, that's 400 million!
In US dollars, that's only 50.

Ge Luming seemed to vaguely feel...

"Hmm, it's actually not bad." Alright, get on the turn!
Seeing that the time was ripe, Jiang Wen simply spoke the truth.

"Which blockbuster doesn't go over budget?!"

That makes sense, especially with Hollywood blockbusters.

In Hollywood, the bigger the investment in a film, the more likely it is to exceed the budget. Basically, there are no films that don't exceed the budget; it's just a matter of how much.

Ge Luming was provoked by Jiang Wen.

It felt like a coward had been emboldened!
"Great! This movie is definitely a big production! I promise you both, I'll go back to the US right now and fight for a higher rating for this movie! At least another ten million in budget!"

Ten million more?

That's thirty million, isn't it?
Based on this calculation, our film "Warriors of Heaven and Earth" has reached 240 million RMB!

So and so...

If Ma Xun and Jiang Wen said they weren't excited, that would be pure pretense!
"Mr. Ge! Awesome!" Jiang Wen is doing cultural export again.

"Mr. Ge! You've got guts!" Ma Xun retorted, not to be outdone.

One was arrogant and the other was tough; Ge Luming was already getting cocky.

They burst into laughter, as if our movie had also achieved tremendous box office success!
……

Thirty million.

It's at least 30 million.

Afterwards, Ma Xun didn't bring out Hainanese chicken rice this time, but instead treated Jiang Wen and Ge Luming to a seafood feast.

Everyone also drank alcohol.

He drank alcohol and then bragged about it.

Anyway, it was a very unrestrained and dissolute lifestyle.

After all, we've already negotiated a budget of thirty million US dollars, so we should have some fun!
But after regaining consciousness, Ma Xun felt a special kind of joy.

This special feature actually comes from the costumes, makeup, and props of our show.

The Mingguang Armor I showed Ge Luming before, this is what I call clothing.

And that Mo Dao (陌刀) was a prop.

Let's put the makeup aside for now; Ma Xun plans to invite Mr. Yang Shuyun, the author of "Dream of the Red Chamber."

Otherwise, it would have to be Mao Geping; the queen makeup he did for Liu Xiaoqing was quite good.

It can be said that in period dramas, especially large-scale productions, money cannot be spared on costumes, props, and sets.

In Ma Xun's view, at least 50% of the investment should be put into this area.

Just like in "Warriors of Heaven and Earth," Jiang Wen only showed a part of the story.

Don't forget about the soldiers' armor too.

The rate of people wearing armor during the Tang Dynasty was very high.

Especially the Battle of Xiangji Temple.

Therefore, Ma Xun's preliminary calculations show the cost of costumes, props, and sets for this project.

It would cost at least 20 to 30 million!

With other expenses added in, this budget overrun was almost inevitable.

But even if it were to exceed the limit, or even if Ge Luming didn't agree to make additional investment, there wouldn't be this extra ten million US dollars.

Ma Xun had made up his mind to do it this way before!

The reason is...

This is actually cultural export!

That's right, never underestimate the importance of costumes, props, and sets.

When our film is released overseas, foreigners will see it and genuinely believe that these things actually happened in history!
Yes, that's really how foreigners are!
Ma Xunzhen wasn't talking nonsense.

Anyone who understands Hollywood knows that it is actually a cultural weapon.

Because of Hollywood, a large number of people in Europe and America believed that the United States was the main force in World War II.

Just like the European theater, the Eastern Front was fought so badly.

But nowadays, when many people mention it, they immediately think of the Normandy landings or General Patton.

Are they comparable to the Eastern Front?
In just a few years, most Europeans and Americans will think that the US military entered Berlin first!

Isn't this a cultural victory?
And what happened to the Koreans later on?
They really will come to steal!
That would be shameless... Oh, by the way, there's still the World Cup this year.

Fortunately, China has real history!
Moreover, we have many such historical epics!

Just like "The Emperor and the Assassin", "Hero" and many other historical epics.

These movies really worked!

And then there were the period dramas.

Although many of the later historical dramas were heavily criticized, they truly played a role in promoting Chinese culture overseas.

It truly preserved our Chinese culture.

This effect is real; it's not just something Ma Xun made up.

If we didn't have so many period dramas, those thieves who stole the country would probably be incredibly smug.

In this respect... Ma Xun actually disliked Yu Zheng quite a bit later on; that guy really had no bottom line in many ways.

However, this guy did something.

That is, most of the companies in our domestic entertainment industry are actually shell companies. They sound famous, but when you go to the company address, it's just a storefront.

However, after Yu Zheng filmed many period dramas, he kept the costumes, props, and sets from those dramas.

He built a museum within his own company.

It's like some clothes and makeup that were actually unearthed from ancient times, like the pearl makeup and such.

He actually kept it.

Therefore, this guy did play a significant role later in the struggle against the theft of culture.

Later, it wasn't just the theft of a state that occurred, but also the theft of the Yue Marquis.

That can be considered a contribution to proving the case.

Now, back to the present, Ma Xun has also made his plans.

After filming "Warriors of Heaven and Earth" is completed, these costumes, props, and sets will also be preserved.

We'll stay at the Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Film Festival; there's a museum there that we can use.

We're doing this for no other reason than to prepare for the cultural war to come!

Having figured this out, Ma Xun felt even more strongly about the novel "Heroes of Heaven and Earth".

Significant!

The day after the seafood feast, Ge Luming set off back to the United States.

He went to ask for money.

Jiang Wen and Ma Xun are still working on the script, but it's almost finished.

At this moment, Ma Xun had another guest.

"Your Highness, it's been so long, and you haven't even made a phone call or anything."

Ye Quanzhen's address of "Your Highness" made Ma Xun feel quite comfortable.

"I've been busy lately, writing scripts, which has really taken a toll on my brain cells."

As Ma Xun said this, his hand was already around hers.

Ye Quanzhen didn't even try to refuse; it was perfectly natural. But she had important business to attend to there.

"Speaking of the script, why not ask Pumpkin's team for help?"

"This time is different."

"But Pumpkin and his wife have written a new script."

"Oh, let me see it."

Indeed, this period was a highly productive time for the Pumpkin Couple's creative output.

Ye Quanzhen presented it to me as if it were a precious treasure.

Love that transcends time and space?
This show is great!

Ma Xun certainly understood that Ye Quanzhen probably also wanted to discuss the casting issue...

(End of this chapter)