Director of Photography Department of Huayu

Chapter 131 Wu, do you want to compete for Oscar?

"The joint team of Chen Kaige's team, Cui Jian's Gehua Zhongyan, Li An's Gehua team, and Zhang Yimou's Jack Morton"

In the capital, the heat of early summer has completely dissipated.

The atmosphere in the Olympic Organizing Committee building was slightly heated at this time.

More than a dozen heavyweights from the fields of literature, art, sports, media, etc. sat around the conference table with a thick stack of proposal materials at hand, screening the director team and creative plans for participating in the opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympic Games.

"Li An's Gehua team is here too?"

A middle-aged woman sitting opposite pushed her glasses, her tone hinting at surprise.

"His proposal focuses on using modern imaging technology to reflect China's traditional culture. He wants to transform the entire four-sided structure of the Bird's Nest into a large screen. This is a very good reflection of Chinese culture." A middle-aged official said lightly.

At this moment, someone flipped open a creative proposal that was clearly placed at the back of the page, and spoke in a slower tone:
"This is a great idea. It takes 'home' as its starting point and unfolds through the perspective of a teenager, from an oral tradition in a small hutong courtyard. Each family memory is linked to the cultural characteristics of different historical periods in China.
From ancient times to the present, one family after another is connected in a line, like a baton passing through time and space.

Hey, it’s Wu Chen’s plan!”

Everyone flipped through it, and several old professors murmured, "It's really not bad, and creative, but it's a pity that the person is a little young."

"Yes, perhaps the execution experience is still a little lacking." Another official flipped through the notebook, "But the idea itself is quite complete, with warmth and structure.

You can save this idea and provide it to the bidding team for reference later."

Wu Chen naturally had no idea that his creative proposal had been collected, and he was still quickly writing the script for "Get Out".

The original production cost of this script was only 450 million US dollars. If it were today, Wu Chen estimated that it would cost about 300 million US dollars.

At this moment, Xiang Zhuo walked in cheerfully, pulled a stool and sat next to Wu Chen:
"Brother Chen, Li Xiaoping, the producer of Guangguang, told me that Song Zude was summoned and taken away yesterday;
According to last year's standards for electronic information criminal cases, if the actual number of clicks exceeds 500, he can be held accountable. Add to that our three-party accountability, he will be in trouble if he doesn't go to jail this time."

"That's fine." Wu Chen smiled and leaned back in his chair. "How about killing a chicken to scare the monkeys?"

Hearing this, Xiang Zhuo was at a loss whether to laugh or cry: "Brother Chen, after what we did, the gossip has been much more restrained recently. I haven't seen any nonsense for a few days."

"As for the effect, well, just look at the comments on those gossip forums online."

Upon hearing this, Wu Chen opened one at random.

In this day and age, there is basically no need to enter the web page. It is right in front of the navigation page, and there are pop-ups from time to time.

Wu Chen took a look.

"Damn, Song Zude might be sent to prison by Guangguang and the others. How cruel."

"Oh my god, I really don't dare to say anything nonsense now. Damn, this can be checked, but China Film, Guangguang, and Xingchen Films are really serious. They didn't even give me a chance to apologize and directly asked for responsibility for the losses."

"Nah, who can afford to compensate for this loss? There's no way to quantify it. A crew worth tens of millions will lose millions."

"."

Xiang Zhuo felt very happy at this time. If you say a few more words to me, I will give you a big meal.

Although he was not the one who solved the problem, he is now the producer of "Black Peony". These days he has deeply realized that one move in the crew will affect the entire crew.

"By the way, Brother Chen, we've calculated the cost of Black Peony, and I think 2500 million isn't enough."

"Not enough?" Wu Chen was stunned for a moment, but didn't react much.

The budget can often change after filming begins, and may even be exceeded again and again, let alone before filming begins.

There was a huge difference between the estimate and the actual situation, which did not surprise Wu Chen.

"How much?"

"The exact figure hasn't been worked out yet, but based on the scene and the large stage you want, if we want to build it, we're currently calculating that we might need to raise it to over 30 million to be on the safe side."

Wu Chen nodded. "Well, you can talk to Zhang Qiang and the others. Don't be so strict when calculating. Use the best possible standards. Don't be afraid of spending a little more. Once you've completed the calculations, give a copy to President Han and President Wang."

"Okay." Xiang Zhuo nodded in response.

The more he came into contact with this industry, the more he felt Wu Chen's status in the industry.

If other directors want to increase the budget of their films, they may have to ask everyone for help, but for Wu Chen's projects, China Film Group and Light Media will definitely follow up without hesitation.

After finishing the conversation, Xiang Zhuo smiled and leaned in front of Wu Chen. "Brother Chen, can I ask you something?"

"explain."

"It's my senior sister's birthday next month. What are you planning to give her? She invited me a few days ago, but I can't think of what to give her." Xiang Zhuo winked at Wu Chen.

"Are your eyes sick?" Wu Chen smiled and patted Xiang Zhuo, "Go away, I don't even know myself, how can I tell you? Think about it yourself." "It's really troublesome for girls to celebrate their birthdays, unlike us, who can just have a meal and sing karaoke and be done with it." Xiang Zhuo grumbled, still worried.

However, when Xiang Zhuo mentioned this, Wu Chen stopped writing the script and started thinking in his mind.

After thinking for a long time, he suddenly had an idea.

Time flies and it is the end of July.

California, the sun is shining.

The sign for Blumhouse Studios was just put up not long ago, and the exterior wall still has traces of lime that were not completely cleaned during construction, giving it a rough and mixed aesthetic.

It is hidden in an inconspicuous two-story industrial building in the suburbs of Los Angeles. The glass door reflects the blue sky, but the interior is bustling with activity.

"How's it? Pretty basic, right?" Jason Blum said, waving his arms excitedly. "I'm going to turn this area into an editing room, and keep that area for an experimental screening room."

Wu Chen stood at the doorway, his eyes sweeping over the bare ceiling, the unwired light rails, and the few simple desks. He said nothing, only nodding slightly. "Not bad, it has some flavor."

"Right?" Jason smiled as if he had just found a treasure, then lowered his voice and leaned closer, "What you are seeing now is the new base for future independent films.

Blum House, does it sound a bit like the kind of place where something bad would happen in a horror movie?"

Wu Chen smiled. No wonder Jason Blum has always been fond of horror and thriller. His taste remains the same as always.

The two walked into the window-side reception area, where several scripts and market analysis materials were piled on the sofa. Jason poured two cups of coffee and, as soon as he handed them over, he couldn't help but ask curiously, "Wu, didn't you say you had a new, low-budget project?"

Wu Chen responded, pulled out a neatly printed script from his bag, and handed it over.

The cover was simple, almost cold, with the title prominently written in bold letters: "Get Out."

Jason Blum blinked at the name and casually guessed, "From the name, could it be a horror movie?"

"Not really. It's more like a thriller, with a touch of social satire." Wu Chen said calmly, "Take a look."

For a moment, the only sound in the room was the rustling of papers.

The sunlight shone obliquely on the edge of the script in his hand, and the words on the page were like lines of silent undercurrents, slowly but powerfully flowing into the depths of the reader's consciousness.

The more Jason Blum looked, the more complicated his expression became.

After he finished flipping through the pages, he raised his head, his eyes showing a hint of shock:
“Wu, your script is quite sensitive right now. The white characters in the script (Ross, the Armitage family) appear friendly on the surface, but they are actually plotting and exploiting black people’s bodies.

This setting could be interpreted as 'anti-white,' given that narratives of racial reconciliation are more mainstream in Hollywood."

Wu Chen did not refute, but simply said: "Then let them interpret it."

Jason put down the script, his tone more cautious than before:
“With conservatives so dominant these days, pointed works that directly explore race are very rare.

But precisely because of this - last year's "Crash" winning the Best Picture has proved that the Academy judges have no resistance to films that "use genre films as a cover to package social criticism."

He tapped the script cover with his fingers and suddenly laughed:

"Wu, your book is really scratching their itch. Think about it, the thriller genre + racial metaphor + hypnosis setting, it's the perfect balance of 'political correctness' and 'authorial expression'."

The sunlight shone through the glass, casting a slash across the title of the script. Jason's voice was low but excited:

"Wu, do you want to compete for the Oscar?"

"Why not?" Wu Chen raised the corner of his mouth slightly.

In addition to wanting to make money, he naturally had thoughts about the Oscars when he wrote this, but of course the former was the most important.

"I knew you didn't write this story just to make money. Although it's a bit sensitive, I bet someone will cheer for it at the Oscars.

And those old guys on the judges will love this kind of "metaphorical impact wrapped in form". What they like most is to pretend that they understand society and promote progress;
Your story is a slap in the face to them, and yet it moves them.

But as you said, we need to find a more powerful issuer."

"The Hollywood Big Seven?" Wu Chen said indifferently.

If Lionsgate isn't doing well, then the only ones left are those who are stronger than him.

“Of course, we have to find someone with sufficient strength.

After it's finished, we'll try it out with Universal and Warner Bros. They'll like it, but I won't go to Paramount. I don't like their attitude."

"What a coincidence, me too." Wu Chen chuckled.
(End of this chapter)