Director of Photography Department of Huayu

Chapter 113 Progress, let them come to China
The sunlight outside the window shines into the dormitory through the mottled shadows of the leaves, and is reflected on the wooden table, forming a series of light and dark bands.

There was a cup of steaming green tea on the windowsill. Wu Chen sat on a chair, staring intently at the laptop screen, his fingertips tapping on the keyboard quickly.

The house was very quiet. Park Song-il and the other two had gone to the library. At this moment, only the occasional rustling of branches in the wind could be heard. Time seemed to slow down at this moment.

Suddenly, the ringing of a cell phone broke the silence.

Wu Chen paused, looked down, and saw that the caller ID was - Liu Yifei.

He knew that this call was most likely about the result.

I just didn't expect the progress to be so fast.

As he pressed the answer button, in a villa on the other side of the capital.

Liu Yifei was returning to the room and glanced towards the corridor. Seeing that Liu Xiaoli was not around, she tiptoed and quietly closed the door.

She changed her posture and squatted on the edge of the bed, holding her mobile phone in one hand and supporting her chin with the other, and couldn't help but raise a smile at the corner of her mouth.

"Hey, Junior Brother, I've decided. I want to perform."

There was a hint of playfulness in Liu Yifei's tone, as well as a sense of relief after being determined, like a little girl who had finally made up her mind.

Wu Chen leaned back in his chair and asked with a smile, "What did Auntie say?"

"My mom agreed very quickly," Liu Yifei said with a sly look in her eyes. "Actually, after she got home, she thought about it, looked through the script, and then agreed."

Wu Chen knew Liu Yifei was lying as soon as he heard it.

Seeing Liu Xiaoli's complicated expression in the morning, as if she wanted to say something but hesitated, he knew what she was worried about.

"Black Peony" took two full years to polish, which was a huge challenge for an already famous actress.

Liu Yifei's sacrifice is naturally much greater than Li Qin's. The latter just studied Kunqu Opera as usual and added a performance. But for Liu Yifei, she bet her entire two-year golden period on this movie and lacked sufficient exposure.

If the bet is successful, everyone will be happy, all problems will be solved, and the situation will rise to a new level. However, if the bet is lost, it will be a huge and irreversible loss.

Liu Xiaoli naturally knew that this was a real gamble.

"Auntie, I'm afraid you've softened your heart." Wu Chen said in a low voice.

"Oh, why are you like this?" Liu Yifei snorted softly, her voice filled with coquettishness. "Can't you just keep it to yourself?"

The soft and sticky tone was like some kind of coquettish sugar-coated bullet, hitting my heart and making it numb.

Wu Chen was stunned for a moment, then chuckled and reminded, "Senior Sister, watch your tone."

"What? Can't you take it anymore?" Liu Yifei noticed the fun and her tone became a little more mischievous. She deliberately dragged out her voice and spoke a few words as if she was playing a prank.

"." Wu Chen could only smile bitterly and shook his head, listening to her teasing resignedly.

Finally, Liu Yifei had enough fun and regained her serious tone: "Junior brother, when should I start Kunqu opera and performance training?"

"Don't worry." Wu Chen sat up straighter, "Teacher Zhang Jiqing will come to Beijing in a few days to discuss the time with Teacher Liu Tianchi.

I will also be there and will let you know when it is confirmed."

"Ah? Didn't you mention there's someone around my age? You mentioned it to me, uh, Li Qin."

"She has a foundation in Kunqu opera, so there's no rush. You'll see her later."

The two chatted for a few more sentences until Wu Chen said he had something else to do, and Liu Yifei hurriedly said, "Then I'll hang up."

The other end of the phone fell silent. Wu Chen looked at the call end interface on the screen, was silent for a moment, then lowered his head and returned to the script to continue typing.

He knew that "Black Peony" was basically finalized, and the rest of the things would be left to the producer to handle slowly.

As for "Now You See Me", we must hurry up and start the film.

The May Day holiday has quietly arrived, and the cinemas in Beijing have become bustling.

Several domestic and imported films were released during the May Day holiday, including "Forking Crossroads", "Shark Tale", "The Interpreter", and "Phoenix Tribulation", which started the screen league.

But the most eye-catching event is the 58th Cannes International Film Festival which will kick off in the middle of this month.

The main reason is that this year's Chinese-language films and Chinese-language filmmakers are particularly dazzling.

Wang Xiaoshuai's "Tianqinghong", Hou Hsiao-hsien's "The Best Time", and Johnnie To's "Election", all three films were shortlisted for the main competition unit, accounting for 1/5 of the 15 shortlisted films.

The Cannes Film Festival not only invited Edward Yang to serve as the chairman of the short film jury, but also invited Wu Yusen to serve as a judge for the main competition unit.

Of course, the most eye-catching thing is that Chen Kaige, the only domestic Palme d'Or winner, will take the unfinished trailer of "The Promise" to Cannes for the first round of exposure and hype in the international market.

Domestic and foreign media have reported on it, and the topic remains hot.

After the three-day May Day holiday, Wu Chen's script for "Now You See Me" was finally completed, and he quickly submitted the information to the copyright registration agency for filing.

After doing all this, he immediately called Jason Blum.

The latter couldn't hide his excitement when he heard Wu Chen talking about the outline of the story, "My god, Wu, your idea is great!
But why are we so poor?"

Wu Chen was stunned when he heard this, and couldn't suppress his smile.

"First, you estimate the production costs based on the prototype. We're going to start this project. Oh, and since we can't have our cake and eat it too, why not let Lionsgate have a piece of it too? Ask them if they're interested."

Once they have a share, they'll work harder on promotion and marketing, and I'll also be looking for someone in China." "Good idea," Blum agreed readily. "I'll take care of it. I'll give you an answer within two days."

After hanging up the phone, Wu Chen picked up his phone and called Han Sanping directly. The latter wanted Wu Chen to come over to negotiate immediately, but he had a long list of meetings lined up in the afternoon, so he had to make an appointment for the next morning.

The next day, at nine in the morning, inside the China Film Building.

The elevator dinged to a stop on a high floor. As Wu Chen stepped out, he saw his secretary, Gao Chengsheng, walking quickly towards him with an awkward smile.
"Director Wu, President Han is waiting for you in the office. I'll take you there right away."

Before I even got close, I heard an angry shout from Han Sanping's office from afar:
"Fuck it, tell that Hong Kong weekly magazine that they must restore the reputation of The Promise, eliminate the impact, and issue a public written apology!

Otherwise, I'll see you in court! Who the hell does it think it is? How dare it write like that? "

Gao Chengsheng coughed and explained to Wu Chen:

"A couple of days ago, a Hong Kong weekly published an article titled "Judges didn't like the film, so 'The Promise' won't be at Cannes." They were saying that 'The Promise' wasn't selected for the main competition at Cannes and could only show a trailer.

The news got more and more outrageous, and President Han was furious early this morning.

As you know, The Promise cost over 30 million US dollars, with the bulk of that going to China Film Group. Once the news came out, it had a significant impact."

Wu Chen nodded. "I understand. These days, the media is so outspoken and fabricates stories just to get publicity."

Gao Chengsheng knocked twice on the door and pushed it open. Wu Chen walked in and said with a smile:
"Boss Han, what makes you so angry?"

Han Sanping was holding up his teacup. When he saw Wu Chen coming in, his tone immediately softened:
"Oh, you're just in time. It's just a small matter. Some Hong Kong media outlets just don't take us seriously and write nonsense."

He beckoned Wu Chen to sit down and handed him a cup of hot tea. "If you were two days later, you would have to wait until I get back from the Cannes Film Festival."

"Oh? Mr. Han, are you going to Cannes too?"

Wu Chen handed over the script.

Han Sanping took the script, flipping through it and laughing, "Brother Chen Kai has an appointment with Jacob, the chairman of Cannes.

"The Promise" is also going to show trailers there to compete for copyright holders, so I have to go with them.

Besides, this year the Film Bureau is celebrating the centennial of Chinese cinema with a 'China Night' on the beach at the Carlton Hotel in Cannes. Do you want to join in the fun?

Wu Chen shook his head: "I won't go."

Han Sanping nodded and continued flipping through the script.

As he turned the pages, Han Sanping's originally slightly impetuous mood gradually calmed down.

This is not an easy script.

With a grand layout, showy techniques and an extremely innovative structure, a group of so-called "magicians" join forces to commit a "magic" case that shocked the world, and behind it there is actually a core of revenge and justice.

Han Sanping closed the script and sighed softly.

This script is truly a big production worth 30 to 40 million US dollars. Just looking at the core plot, you can tell that the cost is not low.

Moreover, unlike the big domestic directors, Wu Chen did not choose the path of martial arts and action, but instead took the path of unique and creative themes and gameplay.

Han Sanping looked up at Wu Chen in front of him and couldn't help but sigh:
"No wonder you're going to Hollywood to film this. If this script were put here, we'd have a hard time getting it approved, let alone submitted for review. But it's a truly wonderful story, very commercial, and the subject matter is very novel."

He paused and asked, "Have you estimated the total production cost?"

"We're still in the budgeting stage, but $30 million is the minimum, and it might even be a little higher."

Han Sanping raised his eyebrows and nodded: "How much do you plan to invest?"

Wu Chen calculated and replied, "I won't list the script copyright and director's remuneration separately. I'll just exchange them for shares and add another 10 million US dollars in investment."

He calculated that if he invested 10 million, he would have invested almost all the money earned in North America. Of course, he also kept some for daily emergency reserves. The funds in China would be used for "Black Peony".

"Are you planning to take China Film Group to Hollywood?"

Han Sanping suddenly laughed. No one in China had the ability to lead China Film Corporation to make Hollywood movies. Wu Chen was the first.

Upon hearing this, Wu Chen immediately thought of the Hollywood productions that China Film Corporation had participated in in his previous life. If he remembered correctly, except for two or three that were decent, the rest were terrible and he was badly cheated.

Overseas box office has always been a concern for domestic companies.

Han Sanping felt like he was about to lose his patience and asked, "Besides our two families and your previous partner, who else is there?"

"Lionsgate," Wu Chen responded straightforwardly. "We'd like them to distribute the film together this time. If they have a share, they'll work harder on the promotion. But there's no news yet."

Han Sanping nodded slowly, then suddenly waved his hand and said domineeringly:
"Since the four companies are sharing the risk, why not just raise the bar a bit and make a quasi-A-rated blockbuster with a budget of 40 to 50 million US dollars?"

If this movie is made, Han Sanping's overseas political achievements will be absolutely amazing. He will be the protagonist in every meeting in the bureau these years. What will Shanghai Film's Ren Zhonglun be?
Wu Chen was stunned and laughed: "Boss Han, everyone else is thinking about how to control the budget, but you are trying to increase it?"

"How can we expect such a project to be effective if we're unwilling to invest in it?" Han Sanping said firmly, "Let's arrange for another meeting sometime, and get the media involved to promote it thoroughly."

Wu Chen smiled faintly and said, "Wait until President Han comes back from Cannes."

"Okay, do you need me to come to Hollywood?"

"It's not worth the trouble. I'll ask them to come to China first."

(End of this chapter)