Who are you calling "little fresh meat"? I'm the king.

Chapter 459 Venture Capital Meeting (24)

Shen Yan will definitely invest in "Monkey King: Hero Is Back"...

However, Tian Xiaopeng, the director of "Monkey King: Hero Is Back", is a bit too artsy!
"Deep Sea" cost 4 million yuan and took seven years to make. The film is not bad, but the artistic expression is too heavy and too abstract. The protagonist still has an ugly big round nose. It is clear that personal expression was put before market preferences.

However, the visuals in Deep Sea are truly amazing.

Anyone who has seen the movie knows that the budget was definitely not low!

Even if it doesn't reach 4 million, it's close to that.

This visual presentation clearly shows a huge investment. Even if it ultimately fails commercially, the audience will at least see the real deal… Tian Xiaopeng's team has mastered the “particle ink painting technology” with its unique rendering and exquisite color aesthetics…

By the way, his team was also used in "Ne Zha 2"!

Unlike many movies that advertise a budget of 3.5 million or 5 million...

Even the TV series "Chinese Paladin 4" cost 3 million yuan, which is more than the combined cost of all the single-player games in the Chinese Paladin series!

Where did the money go?

The entire production cost of "Black Myth: Wukong" was only 3 million...

How come those live-action movies cost so much money?

Returning to Tian Xiaopeng, Shen Yan didn't quite understand why he didn't continue making "The Monkey King Havoc in Heaven".
Therefore, Shen Yan should just invest in "Monkey King: Hero Is Back"...

He has no ambition to make animated films…

Moreover, after "Monkey King: Hero Is Back," Tian Xiaopeng had no shortage of investors...

Of course, director Dumpling couldn't possibly miss out either...

In fact, after "Monkey King: Hero Is Back," mainland Chinese animated films enjoyed a golden age, and director Jiaozi gained some recognition in the industry with "Hit! Hit a Big Watermelon"...

Otherwise, the light wouldn't have sought him out!

……

The chairman of the judging panel for this year's venture capital conference is Jiang Zhiqiang, and the other judges include Yao Chen, Xu Yuezhen (Chen Kexin's producer), Chen Lizhi, and of course Shen Yan.

At the media briefing, several people shared their views.

Jiang Zhiqiang began by saying, "I always believe in the script when making movies. Once you have a good script, half the battle is won..."

Chen Lizhi said, "The venture capital process is about helping new directors and film professionals get noticed..."

When it was Shen Yan's turn, he spoke in a rather conventional manner: "I am also a creator myself, but my creations lean towards commercialism. However, I believe that a healthy film market should see both commercial and artistic elements develop together..."

Then the reporter asked, "Would you invest in art-house films?"

"why not?"

Shen Yan added, "Art films aren't made out of a sense of indebtedness."

From the very beginning, the investors, director, and producers all believed this movie would make money, which is why they made it; it just ended up losing money.

Art films that started in the 1990s... initially targeted the overseas market.

If the cost is low and the quality is good, their investment is aimed at winning awards. Once they win an award, they can naturally sell it; since it's in US dollars, they can easily make a profit by paying a few hundred thousand.

Even if they don't win an award, the investors won't suffer any losses and will gain a good reputation for supporting newcomers.

Most importantly, it's low-cost!

Many sixth-generation entrepreneurs started this way, but the very first few, such as Zhang Yuan and Wang Xiaoshuai, all raised their own money.

After making a name for himself, many overseas film funds, including Hong Kong film funds, began to invest in mainland directors. "Xiao Wu" was financed by Yu Lik-wai, who is a Hong Kong cinematographer…

After "Xiao Wu" became famous, Jia Zhangke connected with Takeshi Kitano's film studio, and his subsequent films were mostly Japanese-funded.

In recent years, the mainland film market has developed rapidly, and the record-breaking box office returns have made art films unsure of their place. Now, any film dares to ask for 2000 million, 3000 million, or even 6000 million!
A movie with a budget of 6000 million yuan needs at least 2 million yuan in box office revenue to break even.

In recent years, only "The Wild Goose Lake" managed to barely surpass 200 million yuan at the box office thanks to Hu Ge's unparalleled popularity...

As an aside, Feng Xiaogang is truly remarkable. The film *Sunflower* only cost 1500 million yuan to make, and the lead actors and director all invested their salaries as equity…

Making a fortune is unlikely, but breaking even is no problem at all!
……

Since it's a venture capital conference, there will definitely be a selection process.

Jiang Zhiqiang particularly liked a script called "The Old Guard"...

Shen Yan also took a look at the script, which was "My Special Agent Grandpa," and later Sammo Hung was brought in to direct it.

It grossed 3.2 million yuan at the box office thanks to nostalgia and Sammo Hung's fight choreography.

"President Jiang, if you like, you can produce it yourself... This type of film has a very Gu Long martial arts feel to it..."

Jiang Zhiqiang: "Gu Long's martial arts novels?"

"Yes, the trope of a retired uncle making a triumphant comeback and taking down the world probably originated with 'Taken,' right? I think it would be even better if we added the flavor of Gu Long!"

"You're not interested?"

Shen Yan shook his head: "This kind of theme of violence against violence is not suitable for filming in China... If we force it to be filmed, it will be difficult to pass censorship!"

"My Beloved Bodyguard" uses Hong Kong people, border locations, and Korean style to package a story with a very Chinese, rural core...

But it's very clumsy!
After a retired guard suffers from Alzheimer's disease and loses his granddaughter, he develops a bond with the little girl next door without any prior development.

A little girl goes missing, and an old man inexplicably massacres a local gang and a Russian mafia gang, only to discover in the end that the little girl had just gone to a classmate's house to play—a truly farcical story…

A hodgepodge of misfits!

It would have been better to set the story in Hong Kong or Thailand...

Jiang Zhiqiang nodded, then asked, "Which project are you most interested in?"

"this!"

Shen Yan picked up the "Monkey King: Hero Is Back" project: "An animated film!"

Jiang Zhiqiang was surprised: "An animated film?"

"Yes, *Monkey King: Hero Is Back*!"

“I know about this project…” Chen Lizhi interjected, “This project has been taking too long, and many investors have chosen to withdraw their funding…”

The Chinese animated film industry is not mature enough, resulting in low overall box office revenue and a low success rate. Therefore, investors are very cautious when investing in animated films.

The most painful lesson is the domestic animated series "Kuiba". The first film in the series grossed 3.5 million yuan, the second film grossed 26 million yuan, and the third film grossed less than 30 million yuan, which was far from the previously estimated box office target of more than 100 million yuan.

Furthermore, due to the difficulty in recouping costs, subsequent release plans were also shelved.

It's worth noting that the "Kuiba" series has received rave reviews...

A lot of people are speaking out in support of this domestically produced animated series.

how to say…

The plot and setting are not bad, but the mistake is to release it directly in theaters without a familiar IP or animation as a foundation. Going straight to the big movie has a high probability of failure, and naturally, it lacks funds for further development.

Shen Yan waved his hand: "It's okay, I like Sun Wukong... I've even sung 'Wukong'... Besides, how much can an animated film cost? I'll just invest!"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Zhiqiang suddenly asked, "Does President Shen know about DreamWorks?"

(End of this chapter)