Huayu: Everyone's been reborn, who's still going to be an actor?

"You are the director and screenwriter of this film. How did you create such a story? It's unimaginable that one person could act in an entire film."

The host looked at Cheng Yuan and asked.

"Maybe it's because they're poor!"

Cheng Yuan provided an answer.

"what?"

The host was stunned.

Jiang Wen, however, laughed.

"I'm a sophomore acting student. Switching to directing, I definitely can't attract investment. I'm not a rich kid, so I can't invest myself. I have to keep the investment costs to a minimum," Cheng Yuan said. "Actually, my initial idea was a hilarious robbery story that takes place in a 24-hour convenience store. But then I realized that would cost at least a million, and the actors' salaries couldn't be too high. So I started thinking about how to scale down the setting and reduce the number of actors."

"So, the scene was shrunk to a coffin, and the number of actors was reduced to one?"

The host began, his words tinged with emotion.

This movie was actually forced out of necessity due to funding constraints.

"It's probably because I've been thinking about it all day and it's reflected in my dreams at night," Cheng Yuan said. "I was overthinking it, and as a result, I had a nightmare that night. I dreamt that I was trapped in a dark cage and couldn't break free. After I woke up, I got the inspiration for 'Buried Alive'."

"So how did you manage to secure investment?" the host asked. "Even with a low budget, making a movie still requires a considerable amount of money."

"He is not only the director and screenwriter of this film, but also the producer and investor," Jiang Wen said. "He didn't spend a single penny to make this film, and he even had tens of thousands more in his pocket after it was finished."

"what?"

The host looked at Cheng Yuan with a puzzled expression.

"A living person can't be suffocated by needing to pee, right?" Cheng Yuan said with a smile. "If we can't get investment, then we won't. What do we do if we don't have money? Then we'll figure out a way."

"What plan did you come up with?"

The host couldn't help but ask out of curiosity.

He simply couldn't imagine how to make a movie without spending money.

"Actually, it's nothing. I have to thank Brother Wen for this," Cheng Yuan said. "Brother Wen acted in 'Buried Alive' for free, and the actors didn't pay any fees. Then, I used Brother Wen's name to find mobile phone and lighter brands to sponsor the film. In the end, I got hundreds of thousands of yuan in investment from brands like Motorola and Zippo lighters, and then used that money to make 'Buried Alive'."

"Brother Wen's acting skills are undeniable. He nailed many scenes in one take. The shoot was supposed to last half a month, but it was finished in just ten days," Cheng Yuan continued. "It was actually my first time directing a movie, and it exceeded the budget."

"I didn't act for free," Jiang Wen said, shaking his head. "He gave me a script that I couldn't refuse as payment. I actually wanted to offer a high price to buy the script, but he wouldn't. He said something like, 'That script isn't something I can just ask for; he gave it to me, and that's why I have it.' Meaning: if you want that script, you have to act in 'Buried Alive'!"

"Paying for the script?" the host said. "You mean you couldn't refuse the script, rather than being attracted by the script for 'Buried'?"

"The script for 'Buried Alive' was quite appealing, but I had my doubts about him as the director," Jiang Wen said. "A second-year acting student seemed unreliable no matter how you looked at it. If the director is bad, even the best script can turn into a bad movie. However, after seeing his storyboard drawings, I thought they were pretty good, and when I discussed them with him, I discovered that the movie had already taken shape in his mind."

"So, you didn't offer any guidance during filming?"

The host asked with a smile, saying that although he said it was "guidance," everyone knew what it actually meant.

"How can I give you pointers?" Jiang Wen said. "I was lying in a coffin during filming. Besides, this kid doesn't need my guidance."

"Brother Wen is afraid that I'll bury him alive, coffin and all, which would really be burying him alive."

Cheng Yuan laughed heartily.

The host and Jiang Wen also laughed.

The next day, Cheng Yuan was woken up by a phone call while he was still asleep.

"How many?"

"Two million six hundred and eighty thousand!"

"So many?"

"Is that much? It's not even as good as 'New Police Story,' which was released a week ago. That movie grossed more than three million in a single day."

"What about reputation?"

"The reviews are definitely top-notch, after all, it won an award at Venice. Everyone who saw it will say my acting is phenomenal!"

"What about 'Kekexili'?"

"Why bother? It seems to be less than two million, but it's hard to say exactly how much. Huayi Brothers has set a target of ten million. However, I feel that the opening day box office figures are inflated."

"Yeah, whatever. Buried was never that movie's real rival."

......

The call was from Jiang Wen.

The box office figures for "Buried Alive" are out. It grossed 2.68 million yuan on its opening day, ranking second on the daily box office chart.

However, there aren't many movies being released these days.

The National Day film season hasn't really taken off yet, and right now only the Lunar New Year film season is packed with blockbusters.

With box office revenue exceeding two million on its opening day, is a box office of ten million in the pipeline expected?

This is really hard to say.

If he remembers correctly, the total box office of "Kekexili" was only over six million.

Buried Alive became a hit.

The box office figures for the first day have attracted a great deal of attention.

The interviews with Jiang Wen and Cheng Yuan broadcast on the movie channel sparked even more discussion.

The focus of the discussion was not on Jiang Wen's further clarification that the film was directed by Cheng Yuan and that he had no say in it.

Indeed, once filming started, Jiang Wen was lying in a coffin, so how could he possibly get involved?

Although some media outlets still have doubts, it's much better than before.

After the show aired, the focus of discussion was clearly on Cheng Yuan's outrageous actions.

Who would have thought that the movie would be made in that way?

They used the script as payment to get Jiang Wen to star in the film, and then used his name to get GG sponsorship, using the GG product placement fees to make the movie.

I didn't spend a penny, and I still had tens of thousands left after the shoot.

And the GG logo was seamlessly integrated into the movie without feeling out of place at all.

If this hadn't come out, probably no one would have thought it was related to GG implantation.

To generate buzz, brands like Motorola pushed their advertising efforts to the extreme, and it was revealed that they had signed additional agreements.

How much is the additional value of being shortlisted for an international film festival?

They won an award, and then they got an extra amount of money.

This means that Cheng Yuan not only didn't spend a single penny making this movie, but also made millions through product placement.

The film rights are still in his hands.

He gets all the profits from the movie.

This is hardly the work of a genius!

This guy is a monster!

But here's the problem?

Can this be replicated?

I'm afraid it will be difficult.

Cheng Yuan seems to have gotten something for nothing this time, but the key to this matter lies in those two scripts.

Not every script can be irresistible to Jiang Wen.

A script like "Buried" is also very difficult to come by.

The difficulty of having a person act in an entire movie inside a coffin, and even implant a penis, is beyond imagination.

Even if you have the script, it's still very difficult to get someone to play the role of a "GG" (a term used to describe someone who is not good at playing the role).