The director starts by learning from the abilities of renowned directors.

Chapter 125 A New Blockbuster

"Hunan TV really has deep pockets."

Shen Qing and Chen Zhixi had just seen off Xiao Ning, the deputy director of the editorial department of Hunan TV, who had come to their office. Back in their office, Shen Qing couldn't help but sigh. Xiao Ning had stated that Hunan TV was willing to buy the premiere and distribution rights to "Palace" for 200 million yuan per episode. If this deal went through, it would be the first domestic drama series to exceed 200 million yuan per episode.

"A four-star rating should fetch around 230 million," Chen Zhixi said.

Sold to Hunan Satellite TV, it's called "One Star". Using the 4+X model, sold to four satellite TV stations, it's called "Four Stars". After the huge success of "Scarlet Heart", the value of "Palace" (also known as "Palace: The Lock Heart Jade"), produced by the same team and with the same theme, skyrocketed. Currently, the price per unit for a four-star broadcast has risen to 2 million yuan. If you then find eight local channels to buy it together, at 40,000 or 50,000 yuan each, the total price per unit would be 232 million or 2.4 million yuan.

Generally, the first round of revenue accounts for 80% of the total revenue, while the second and third rounds can still generate hundreds of thousands more.

The 200 million yuan offer from Hunan TV included distribution rights, meaning that after Hunan TV broadcasts the show, they can resell it to other TV stations. The revenue from subsequent second and third rounds of distribution belongs entirely to the distributor, Hunan TV, and has nothing to do with the production company.

Hunan TV has been incredibly sincere this time, pushing the price of the series to a record-breaking 2 million yuan per episode. However, if the production team wants to make more money, they still need to choose the 4+X option, or at the very least, the 200+X option.

"You should communicate with Tangren Media. I reckon Hunan TV has also contacted them. Make sure to clarify things and try to sell four stars if possible."

"it is good."

Have you contacted Baoqiang and Huang Bo?

"I've contacted them, and they're both available."

Shen Qing nodded.

The company has three more films to produce this year.

One is to promote Yang Mi's "Our Times".

Second is "Taken 3".

Third is "Lost in Thailand".

The story of *Taken 3* is also set in Southeast Asia, borrowing some plot elements from *SPL 2: A Time for Consequences*, involving organ trafficking, human trafficking, telecom fraud parks, whipping and electric shocks, men in sacks and women in suitcases, forced prostitution, and a range of other themes. Players fall victim to these scams: tourists, those who fall for high-paying jobs, those scammed by friends, those scammed by relatives, and those scammed by girlfriends. In short, the supporting characters' experiences tell you that Southeast Asia is unsafe; be careful when traveling!

Shen Qing plans to air "Taken 3" and "Lost in Thailand" one after the other, hoping that people who have the idea of traveling to Southeast Asia after watching "Lost in Thailand" will be more cautious after watching "Taken 3".

The investments in these three films this year will not be large, with the largest investment, "Taken 3," not exceeding 1 million yuan.

There are also truly large-scale investments and projects. Someone approached him to direct and star in the film, with production costs alone reaching 1.5 million US dollars. Including subsequent promotional expenses, the total cost would probably be 2.5 million US dollars.

With a production budget of $1.5 million, it's no exaggeration to call it a blockbuster for a Chinese director, but Shen Qing rejected it without hesitation.

The person who came to our door was Thomas Tull, the founder of Legendary Pictures, and the project he brought was called "The Great Wall." The foreigner said on the phone that his inspiration came from seeing the Great Wall from an airplane.

The screenwriter is Tony Gilroy, the screenwriter of the Bourne series, who will also direct Bourne 4 in the future.

Shen Qing didn't even wait for the other person to finish speaking, or for them to finish introducing the exciting plot of "The Great Wall," before directly rejecting them.

Zhang Yimou stumbled on this project, so it's impossible for Shen Qing, who has Zhang Yimou's abilities, to also stumble on this project, right?

What kind of plot is "The Great Wall"? Any random online novelist could write something better by typing with their feet!

Next, Shen Qing focused her main energy on the preparation of "Our Times" and tried to finish filming before the release of "Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons".

Then, just three days later, Shen Qing received a call from Han Sanping, asking him to go to China Film Group.

Upon arrival, they discovered that there was another foreigner in Mr. Han's office, none other than Thomas Tull, the founder and CEO of Legendary Pictures.

Shen Qing immediately realized that he had come for "The Great Wall".

Han Sanping invited Shen Qing to sit next to him. After exchanging a few pleasantries, Han Sanping indeed brought up "The Great Wall".

"Mr. Tours came to me seeking help, saying he's waving $1.5 million and a fantastic script, wanting to recreate the glory of 'Gravity' with everyone. But you're unmoved, as if you have some concerns? Look, Mr. Tours has already flown to Beijing in person, his sincerity is undeniable. Why don't you take a look at his script first before making a decision?"

Shen Qing had already seen the final product of "The Great Wall," so why would he need to read the script? But why did Han Sanping seem so enthusiastic about this project? Wouldn't it seem inappropriate for him to reject it without even reading the script?

In particular, Shen Qing and Legendary Pictures have always had a pleasant working relationship, with the latter splitting profits quickly and never causing any problems. To refuse to take on their film "The Great Wall" without any reason seems rather heartless.

But the problem is that the story of "The Great Wall" is really terrible.

Shen Qing also understood Thomas Tull's thoughts. "Gravity" grossed $15.83 billion, ranking among the top three in film history, and Shen Qing's films had never failed.

Tours was very excited about the idea of "The Great Wall," but he wasn't sure if it would be profitable.

But if Shen Qing were to film it, the risk would be much smaller.

It could even make a fortune like "Gravity".

"Director Shen Qing, please feel free to make any requests you may have," Tu Er said.

Shen Qing thought about it and decided that rather than refusing without any room for negotiation, he might as well ask for an exorbitant amount.

"Mr. Tours, after Gravity, I think my salary should be raised. Regarding the Great Wall project, if you insist on assigning it to me, then I have a few conditions."

"Please speak."

"First, I will direct and star in 'The Great Wall,' and I want a base salary of $30 million, including both the actor's and director's fees. Second, I want 30% of the initial total box office revenue, including the director's and lead actor's share. Third, I want 3000% of the DVD revenue. Fourth, I want 15% of the TV/online revenue. Fifth, I will write the script myself, and I will have the final say."

Sixth, I have the final cut. If you can agree to these six conditions, then I'll take the film.

Thomas Tull's eyes widened upon hearing this, and he kept exclaiming, "Shen, are you kidding me? You must be! Because the conditions you mentioned are impossible. They're too high. There are very few people in all of Hollywood who can meet these conditions. Absolutely not."

Shen Qing calmly replied, "There aren't many people in Hollywood who can make a film that grosses $15 billion. Mr. Tull, you should know that besides being a director who made one of the top three highest-grossing films in history, I'm also a world-class A-list star! A Hollywood A-list male star shouldn't be asking for a base salary of $1500 million, right?"

"But what you want is a base salary of 3000 million," Thomas Tull said.

Shen Qing laughed and said, "Then let's break it down. I want a base salary of 1500 million US dollars for directing. A big director who has made one of the top three highest-grossing films in history, 1500 million US dollars for a base salary isn't too much, is it?"

Tull didn't respond, which meant he tacitly agreed.

Shen Qing continued, "Given my status as an actress, asking for a base salary of 1500 million US dollars isn't too high, is it?"

Tuer remained silent, so Shen Qing took it as a tacit agreement.

"The director's base salary is $1500 million, and the male lead's base salary is also $1500 million—that's the $3000 million I'm asking for."

A base salary of $10,000!

Tours remained silent.

Shen Qing added, "Take the 08 film *Operation Hitler* as an example. Tom Cruise's total compensation was a base salary of $15 million, plus 15% of the initial box office revenue, plus 15% of the global DVD revenue, plus 1500%..."

"The TV/online revenue sharing. Tom Cruise is just the male lead, while I, in addition to being the male lead, will also be the director of 'The Great Wall,' a director with a brilliant track record, so doubling his income shouldn't be too high, right?"

Tuer remained silent.

Shen Qing continued, "The global box office of *The Great Wall* was only $200 million. Besides Tom Cruise, director Bryan Singer received a $10 million base salary, plus a $1.5 million advance payment, 10% of the initial total box office revenue, and 10% of the DVD revenue. Screenwriter Christopher McQuarrie received a $1.5 million advance payment, plus 4% of the initial total box office revenue, and 4% of the DVD revenue. It's said that 20th Century Fox even made a profit. I can guarantee that *The Great Wall*'s global box office will definitely exceed $200 million."

"We can bet on $100 million."

Tuer nodded slightly.

The situation regarding "Target Hitler" was no secret, and Shen Qing was absolutely right.

"The script is ready," Tull finally said.

"Where is it?" Shen Qing asked.

Tull handed over a printed English script. Shen Qing quickly glanced at it, then tossed it onto the coffee table, saying, "This is a complete disaster. Using this script will bankrupt Legendary Pictures. It seems my previous request was correct: the script must be written by me personally, and the final editing rights must also be in my hands. Otherwise, I cannot guarantee the quality of the film."

"We can discuss the details of the cooperation further," Tull said.

"If you can agree to the above six conditions, we can cooperate. If you can't, we'll wait for another opportunity to cooperate," Shen Qing said.

Naturally, the talks failed, and Tours left first.

Shen Qing sat in the China Film Studio for a while longer. Han Sanping personally brewed new tea for Shen Qing and then looked at her with amazement.

"What, Mr. Han, do you think I went too far just now?"

"No, it's not excessive at all, it's even a bit too low," Han Sanping said. "You're the director and the male lead, so you should get the salary of two Tom Cruises, but you only took 15% of the TV/online revenue share. Instead of doubling it, it's actually too low."

"Is it too low?"

Shen Qing's heart skipped a beat. Lowering his offer wouldn't work; what if the other party agreed? Did he really have to make "The Great Wall" like Zhang Yimou in the original timeline?

Does this movie have the potential to be adapted into a decent commercial blockbuster?

Over the next few days, Thomas Tull remained in Beijing, during which time he repeatedly called other executives at Legendary Pictures and Warner Bros., a long-term partner, to discuss whether the six conditions proposed by Shen Qing were acceptable.

Legendary's internal calculations show that the break-even point is $4 million in global box office revenue; if a film can reach $4 million in global box office revenue, it will be profitable. Given Shen Qing's previous performance, it's almost impossible for a film with a production cost of $1.5 million to fail to reach $4 million in global box office revenue.

As for Shen Qing's insistence on final editing rights...

If Shen Qing didn't have the final cut rights for "Gravity," would the movie still have grossed $15 billion?

If Gravity is acceptable, why can't The Great Wall be?

After leaving China Film Group, Shen Qing continued to make final preparations for the start of filming of "Our Times" when she suddenly received a call from President Han Sanping.

Thomas Tull visited China Film Group again.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Tull got straight to the point: "The conditions you mentioned last time—a $30 million base salary, 30% of the initial total box office revenue, 3000% of DVD revenue, 15% of TV/online revenue, and your request for self-writing, self-directing, self-acting, and final editing rights—can all be agreed to. However, a formal contract will have to wait until you finish writing the script."

Shen Qing found it somewhat unbelievable that he had initially agreed.

With a base salary of $30 million, 30% of the initial total box office revenue, 3000% of the DVD revenue, and 15% of the TV/online revenue, he didn't know if any single person in Hollywood history had ever received such a salary for a single film!

That's right. Although Shen Qing is a single person, he simultaneously holds the positions of director, lead actor, and screenwriter. It's understandable that he would receive three salaries, but no one has ever received one before!

Han Sanping has really seen something new today.

The base salary is $3000 million, which is equivalent to 2 million!

In addition to a base salary of 2 million, there is a 30% share of the initial box office revenue, plus a 30% share of the DVD revenue, and a 15% share of the TV/online revenue.

That's a huge sum of money!

Han Sanping said he didn't want much because he thought Shen Qing's analysis made a lot of sense.

But no matter how reasonable you are, the idea that you received a base salary of 2 million and would receive even more bonuses later sounds a bit unreliable.

2 million base salary!

Han Sanping felt that the world had gone a little crazy.

On his way out of China Film Group, Shen Qing began to think: "Does this mean I've agreed to make 'The Great Wall'? Making it exactly like the original is definitely out of the question, but if I were to make it differently—will this be a disaster?"

When I talked to Chen Zhixi about it after I got back to the company, Chen Zhixi was very excited.

"A base salary of 3000 million US dollars plus so much bonus, we're going to make a fortune this time!" Chen Zhixi said happily.

"If I had known they would agree, I should have asked for a base salary of 4000 million US dollars!" Shen Qing had actually considered asking for 4000 million back then.

The initial base salary was $10 million, but they later felt it was too outrageous and changed it to $30 million at the last minute. Who would have thought the other party would actually agree?

"What if they don't agree to take too much?" Chen Zhixi said.

"Yes, that's perfect. I didn't want them to agree," Shen Qing said.

Chen Zhixi asked, "Why? If you have money, why not make it?"

Shen Qing shook his head and said, "That script was terrible, it was simply unbearable to look at!"

"Didn't we give you the screenwriting rights? Let's write something decent ourselves!" Chen Zhixi said.

"If only things were that simple! I should have taken a photo with a top screenwriter back then," Shen Qing thought to himself.

He realized he might have made a strategic mistake.

In the following days, Shen Qing even put aside the preparations for "Our Times" to carefully consider whether the script for "The Great Wall" was still worth revising.

After thinking about it for two days, I actually came up with a little idea.