Director of Photography Department of Huayu

Chapter 408 Signing the Contract, Exposed

People watch the Spring Festival Gala for the atmosphere. Although the Spring Festival Gala doesn't receive much attention in the south, many people noticed one person during the 09 Spring Festival.

"Close your eyes and open them, and a day is gone, howl; close your eyes and don't open them, and a lifetime is gone, howl."

Xiao Shenyang, who speaks with a Northeastern accent, became an instant sensation after appearing on the Spring Festival Gala stage with his Scottish tartan kilt and humorous performance.

The power of becoming an overnight sensation after the Spring Festival Gala is still astonishing. In just one night, this comedian from Liaoning became a household name, his fame spreading to almost every street and alley.

Zhang Weiping keenly sensed a business opportunity, turned on the television, and replayed Xiao Shenyang's "Not Short of Money" from a few days ago. He then turned to look at Zhang Yimou:
"Yi Mou, he's famous."

Zhang Yi was slightly taken aback, his face full of confusion.

What does his fame have to do with me?
"If we cast him as the male lead, wouldn't your movie become more commercially viable?"

“Your reason is too absurd, I don’t agree.” Zhang Yimou almost choked. “We’re adapting ‘Blood Simple,’ a dark comedy with multiple storylines. You’re going to find a folk opera performer to star in it?”

Zhang Weiping immediately panicked: "Yi Mou, I've staked my entire villa on this, and the copyright fees alone are two million US dollars. If I don't make money, I'll really lose everything!"

Zhang Yi felt a headache coming on as soon as she heard it.

Why do you always bet on villas? Don't you have anything else to bet on?
"After all these years, you haven't made any money? You can't possibly be betting on villas every time, can you?"

"Sigh, most of them lost money. They either gained some publicity or just broke even. Only one or two of them made a profit. The operating costs and the expenses of maintaining relationships are very high," Zhang Weiping sighed. "Yi Mou, can you listen to me this time?"

Zhang Weiping spouted nonsense, insisting that he hadn't made much money, with at most one or two films generating a meager profit.
"Next time, let's try to get two more investors; this can't go on like this."

Zhang Yi sighed, then looked at the script. "If we really replace Xiao Shenyang, the script will have to be rewritten. It's almost finalized. Besides, Shi Jianquan doesn't know how to write scripts in the Errenzhuan style."

“Then replace them all!” Zhang Weiping said firmly. “I’ll ask Xu Zhengchao from Zhao Benshan’s team to write it!”

Zhang Yi stood there, stunned, and opened his mouth but didn't say anything.

This sudden change in style by New Visuals left the industry completely bewildered.

On February 1st, "Bad Genius" officially ended its theatrical run, and the media widely reported on it:

[Bad Genius grossed 3.48 million yuan at the end of its run, breaking the box office record for Chinese-language films with realistic themes!]

[A bombshell start to the year! Ning Hao joins the "300 million club," and Liu Yifei becomes the first actress to star in a film with a budget exceeding 300 million.]

【.】

The total box office was 3.48 million yuan, and the various headlines were extremely eye-catching.

Ning Hao, feeling relaxed, shared the good news with Wu Chen, but he was also quite puzzled about the new visuals.
"I just read the report. What do you think Director Zhang and the others are thinking?"

Wasn't he planning to adapt "Blood Simple"? How did he get involved with Xiao Shenyang and his group? Is he planning to adapt it into a comedy film based on Errenzhuan (a traditional Chinese folk art form)?

"How would I know?" Wu Chen smiled and shook his head.

"I don't understand. Actually, I quite like 'Blood Simple,' and it should suit me."

After directing a film that grossed over 300 million yuan, Ning Hao appeared exceptionally confident.

"By the way, Chairman Han said the script for 'No Man's Land' is almost ready for approval," Ning Hao added.

"I'm going to Los Angeles tomorrow, let's talk later."

Ning Hao immediately realized: "Oh, going with Yifei? About Inception?"

"Yes, they're urging us on the other end." Wu Chen nodded.

"."

Although the temperature in Los Angeles was cold in February, the sun was still shining brightly.

The morning after arriving in Los Angeles, Wu Chen accompanied Liu Yifei to the Syncopy headquarters in Burbank.

Downstairs, Christopher Nolan, dressed in a British-style black suit and white shirt, was waiting.

Wu Chen saw him almost always dressed the same way.

"Hey Crystal, welcome, welcome."

Nolan smiled and shook hands.

"Where did my welcoming ceremony go?" Wu Chen joked.

Nolan and Wu Chen hugged: "Ladies First."

"Ok."

Emma Thomas brought up a few cups of coffee.

Wu Chen glanced at Liu Yifei, who was reading the script beside him, and couldn't help but smile.

"Christopher won't let anyone take the script out of their hands, not even Leonardo, so take a good look at it now, otherwise the next time you'll have to look at it is when filming starts."

“That’s prejudice on your part. I’m just doing this for safety reasons.” Nolan chuckled.

Liu Yifei covered her mouth and chuckled.

At this point, Nolan immediately brought up the important matter:
"The movie is expected to start filming in June this year. Crystal, is your schedule okay?"
"Your part involves filming locations in multiple countries, requiring frequent international flights. The total schedule is estimated to be eighty days, including preparation and reshoots." "No problem." Liu Yifei nodded.

She had just read the script and learned about her role. Although she wasn't the main character, she had a lot of screen time and appeared in almost all the key parts of the dream world. She was one of the core members of the dream team.

Scenes such as the "folded city" in the streets of Paris, the dreamlike church, the flipped hotel corridor, the dreamlike snow mountain fortress, the train street, and the "paradoxical staircase" on the bridge all require the presence of the actors.

She even felt that her scenes were significantly more than the female lead's.
"OK, then we'll go to Warner after lunch."

"."

Burbank, Warner headquarters.

As one of the most active film and television production areas in Los Angeles, it is home to a large number of paparazzi and entertainment reporters.

Of course, they usually don't appear at the main entrance, as they would be driven away by security guards. Instead, they appear on the rooftop of the parking lot across the street, outside nearby restaurants or cafes, or simply blend into the visitor group.

At 2 p.m., the three then drove to the Warner Bros. Studios headquarters.

Sunlight streamed through the palm leaves onto the streets of Burbank, where the Warner Bros. building, bearing the iconic water tower logo, stood quietly as always.

Across the street, in an unassuming chain coffee shop, a blond man in a jacket and baseball cap sat by the window, stirring his second Americano, seemingly oblivious to the approaching SUV.

Because that's Nolan's car, it has absolutely no news value; everyone knows about the relationship between Warner Bros. and Nolan.

"Fuck, someone else stole the news about Leonardo DiCaprio. Hollywood news has been terrible lately because of the financial crisis. It's better to go to the beach to take pictures. I can barely afford coffee anymore."

Just as he was muttering to himself, he vaguely noticed that Nolan wasn't the only one getting out of the car. He quickly looked at the camera to confirm:

"Wait, is that Wu? And who's the person holding his arm?"

Before their minds could even process what was happening, the group had already stepped onto the stairs and disappeared from sight.

"Oh, WTF, my money is coming!"

At this moment, in the Warner conference room.

Several executives and legal counsel, dressed in business suits, had been waiting for some time, with complete contract documents laid out on the table.

Warner Bros. production manager Caroline personally received Crystal: "We will explain the contract to you clause by clause. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask."

Wu Chen wasn't worried about Liu Yifei's contract; instead, he chatted with Nolan in the reception room.

"Warner's market share still hasn't increased?" Noland asked.

"They told me there was a variable share, but it's not confirmed yet. They probably want to see how my latest movie performs before making a decision. It seems that a $1.6 million investment is a lot of pressure for them."

Wu Chen took a sip of water from his glass.

Although the streets downstairs are still bustling with traffic, the financial crisis that just hit the United States clearly means that major studios like Warner Bros. are still heavily impacted financially.

“Indeed, many independent production companies have gone out of business recently. They say this year is the most difficult year yet.” Nolan’s expression was also quite serious.

Although Warner Bros. gave Inception the green light all the way, as Warner Bros.' biggest project at the moment, the pressure on him also increased.

"Movies are inexpensive entertainment, and theoretically, movie attendance should increase during a crisis."

"But the film industry is extremely reliant on upfront capital investment, and independent production companies are precisely the most vulnerable link in this chain."

"."

After discussing for a while, the two of them went over after Liu Yifei signed the contract.

“Crystal, we will announce your joining the company through Variety before tonight,” Caroline said at the end.

Wu Chen and Liu Yifei were both somewhat puzzled.

Normally, team lineup information wouldn't be released so quickly.

"Because we're being watched too closely right now, with Leonardo just joining and someone leaking the information, we're now planning to release the squad in stages."

Wu Chen understood instantly.

This is actually a publicity strategy. Instead of announcing the entire cast all at once, announcing each cast member serves as a form of publicity for the film.

“OK, no problem.” Liu Yifei smiled.

After the signing ceremony concluded, Warner's legal staff politely saw the guests off.

The three of them walked out of the reception hall, and just as they stepped out of the glass door, a camera shutter clicked in the window of the coffee shop on the street corner.

“Perfect, clear from the front.” The man in the baseball cap smiled.

He immediately packaged the photos and sent them to several Hollywood gossip magazines and photo agencies.

The man's joy was short-lived; before he even received the money, he was scolded by the editor-in-chief of the photo agency.

"Fuck, you piece of trash, everyone knows about you now. Warner Bros. just leaked that they'd officially announce the second actor this evening, and the variety show already gave it a heads-up."
Next time, you could film them eating a fried chicken burger; I'm sure that would be more exciting!

Meanwhile, Variety's official website has already released the news:
Liu Yifei joins Nolan's "Inception" and is confirmed to play the role of the Dream Builder;
This is the second film to have its cast officially announced after Leonardo DiCaprio. According to director Christopher Nolan, this will be an original film set within the structure of the human mind.

(End of this chapter)