Director of Photography Department of Huayu

Chapter 621 Getting dressed
Despite missing a golden opportunity, Zhang Weiping still knows how to capitalize on it.

On that day, media reports about "The Flowers of War" sprang up like mushrooms after rain.

"Zhang Weiping will hold a grand celebration banquet in Nanjing to welcome the newly crowned Oscar winner, Christian Bale!"

"The Flowers of War" seeks to change its name for Oscar consideration; Zhang Weiping: The story revolves around Bale.

"An additional 5000 million yuan has been invested! The cost of 'The Flowers of War' has exceeded 6 million yuan, breaking the record for Chinese-language films!"

"."

It seemed unintentional, but it was actually deliberate.

Every news item precisely links Christian Bale to the film "The Flowers of War," constantly sending a strong signal to the market that "our film has an Oscar-winning actor."

Wu Chen glanced at it as well, then shook his head with a smile. Although Zhang Weiping's methods weren't great, they were undeniably effective.

However, he didn't pay much attention to these things.

Because his own movie, "Black Swan," is about to be released in China.

Thanks to the hype surrounding the Oscars, the release of "Black Swan" in China required almost no additional promotion.

These days, discussions about the movie have been everywhere, and audience expectations are very high.

China Film Group is particularly enthusiastic about the film's release.

March is traditionally a slow season for the domestic film market. With the Spring Festival holiday over and the May Day and summer movie seasons still far off, the market desperately needs a significant film to stimulate it.

The emergence of "Black Swan" perfectly filled this gap.

More importantly, China Film Group is guaranteed to make a profit from this deal.

According to the box office revenue sharing rules for imported films in China at that time, as the distributor, China Film Group could receive about 15% to 17% of the net box office revenue of these imported films.

Hollywood studios typically only receive 13% to 17.5%.

This is why, in the early years, many Hollywood blockbusters simply didn't bother to promote their films in China.
The costs incurred in advertising may be higher than the final share of the profits received.

However, with the rapid development of China's film box office, even a 13% share of revenue is already a considerable income.

Paramount naturally hopes that "Black Swan" can achieve further success in the Chinese market, adding the final push to reach the $400 million global box office mark.

At Paramount Pictures headquarters, Rebecca Sarkin couldn't help but smile wryly after hearing her subordinate's report.

"The entire process went very smoothly. China Film Group provided tremendous support, from the release permit to the scheduling coordination. Everything was incredibly fast."

"The projects Wu was involved in were much better."

Rebecca leaned back in her chair, smiled, and shook her head.

She recalled the various obstacles they encountered when their Marvel film "Iron Man 2" was released in China last year.

Their legal team alone would spend half a day studying the official documents that require approval.

This time, she didn't even see a single official document before everything was done.

In the China Film Group office, Han Sanping personally called Wu Chen, cheerfully asking for his opinion on the domestic box office performance of "Black Swan".

"Chairman Han, don't have too high expectations," Wu Chen said frankly. "After all, this is still a psychological thriller, a purely art film, and a foreign language film. The box office won't be too high."

He knew very well that the Oscar buzz and his personal fame couldn't possibly elevate a purely artistic film to the level of a commercial blockbuster; that was unrealistic.

"Hey, it's alright!" Han Sanping said cheerfully on the other end of the phone. "Anyway, China Film Group makes money; it's just a matter of how much they make."

With your prestigious reputation, losing money is out of the question.

Moreover, releasing it in March, a typically slow period, wouldn't negatively impact subsequent domestic blockbusters; the timing was perfect.

Of course, while some are happy, others are sad.

Among the films released at the same time, "Buddha Mountain," starring Fan Binbin, seemed rather unpleasant.

This art film, directed by Li Yu, helped her win the Best Actress award at the Tokyo International Film Festival and is an important work she used to showcase her "international" status.

She naturally had high hopes for this film, hoping it would also prove itself at the box office, thus gaining the upper hand in the "battle of the two Bingbings" with Li Binbin and suppressing him.

The result was that I encountered Wu Chen's "Black Swan".
However, when interviewed by the media, Fan Binbin still demonstrated high emotional intelligence and humility.

"Guanyin Mountain is a very sincere work, and I hope everyone can support it."

As for director Wu Chen's "Black Swan," I will definitely go to the theater to see it as soon as possible. This is not only an honor for director Wu personally, but also an honor for our entire Asian film industry and Chinese cinema.

Although they will be released in the same period, I don't think there is any competition between the two films.
These are excellent films of different genres, and I believe audiences will make their own choices. I also hope everyone achieves great success. Meanwhile, Wu Chen, after returning to China, has not made many public appearances.

He declined most interviews and announcements, staying at home to continue polishing his new script.

However, a sudden phone call from director Chen Kaige surprised him.

The directing department is not the cinematography department, so he wasn't particularly close to most of the students in the directing department.

Of course, Chen Kaige is someone I've met several times in the directing department.

"Director Chen." Wu Chen answered the phone, listening curiously to the other party's purpose.

"Please Forgive Me?"

Upon hearing the novel's title, Wu Chen suddenly realized what it meant.

Chen Kaige's "Caught in the Web".

This film is arguably Chen Kaige's most down-to-earth and well-received realist work since the huge controversy surrounding "The Promise".

"The copyright to this novel isn't held by Xingchen Pictures; it's still with Shanda Literature." Wu Chen smiled, mentally reviewing the IP library he'd bought in a package last time, having forgotten about this one.

Upon hearing this answer, Chen Kaige on the other end of the phone inexplicably breathed a sigh of relief.

He himself couldn't explain why he had this feeling; perhaps it was because he didn't want to ask a junior for help in his area of ​​expertise.

He thought for a moment and then said, "Director Wu, would it be convenient for you to pass on a message?"

"no problem."

It was a piece of cake, and Wu Chen readily nodded.

After hanging up with Chen Kaige, Wu Chen didn't linger and immediately called Hou Xiaoqiang, the CEO of Shanda Literature.

"Chairman Wu! Congratulations!" Hou Xiaoqiang's voice was full of enthusiasm. "When are you coming to Shanghai? Chairman Chen has been saying he wants to have a drink with you and hear how you won the Oscar!"

Even though they knew it was a compliment, the listener still felt quite comfortable, and Wu Chen was no exception.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Wu Chen brought up the matter of Chen Kai.

"Director Chen Kai?" Hou Xiaoqiang was startled.

This is indeed a significant matter.

If we're talking about the most renowned directors in the Chinese film industry, Chen Kaige is definitely among them.

Despite the fluctuating reviews of his subsequent films, his status in the industry remains solid.

"Okay. Then, Mr. Hou, you can contact Director Chen directly. I won't act as a middleman." Wu Chen didn't want to get too involved in the specifics.

"Understood, understood!" Hou Xiaoqiang was overjoyed.

It's so much more enjoyable to work with Wu Chen! That shows the importance of top-tier collaboration resources.

For anyone else, although they might eventually need to use various connections to make the connection, nothing is as simple as this, where a single phone call can solve everything.

Moreover, the film and television resources they have access to are things that ordinary people cannot access.

"By the way, Mr. Wu, I'd like to ask you a question." Just as Wu Chen was about to hang up, Hou Xiaoqiang suddenly asked.

Wu Chen almost pressed the hang-up button.

"You said."

"For a collaboration like this with Director Chen, do you think it's better for us to sell the copyright outright, or to try and secure an investment opportunity?"

Hou Xiaoqiang's question made Wu Chen smile.

"President Hou, you need to ask Director Chen and his team whether they're willing to let Shanda Literature get involved." Wu Chen's words shattered Hou Xiaoqiang's dream.

If it weren't for a deep strategic partnership like Starry Night Pictures with Shanda Literature, who would be willing to let a content provider arbitrarily get involved in their project investments?

Unless it is irreplaceable or has significant bargaining power, but clearly the copyright holder of this novel does not qualify.

Wu Chen estimated that Chen Kaige's best-case scenario would be to spend a large sum of money to buy out the copyright and settle the matter once and for all.

"I was too attached to appearances."

On the other end of the phone, Hou Xiaoqiang gave a bitter laugh and instantly sobered up.

(End of this chapter)