Huayu: The director just wants to save money

Chapter 834 Zhou Mo, I’ll give you a big gift!
"Military Bugle"?
Zhou Mo searched for information about the movie in his mind, and after a while, he had some impression of it.

"Is it the movie about our army establishing a base in western Fujian and ultimately clarifying our army's ideology and discipline?"

Han Sanping looked at Zhou Mo with admiration on his expression.

"Sure, I thought you didn't know these things."

Zhou Mo said helplessly, "No, what do you think I am? As a director, and also to make mainstream films, these knowledge are basic requirements, how could I not know them?"

"I don't know about Chen Kaige." Han Sanping replied subconsciously.

Zhou Mo was shocked on the spot.

I rub.

What did I hear?
Did you two have any conflict?
Han Sanping felt a little uncomfortable with Zhou Mo's gaze, and he sighed and explained, "You know the situation in the market. A few years ago, they have been deliberately promoting the commercialization of some mainstream movies.

To make a movie, you naturally need to find a director. Besides you, the first person considered was Chen Kaige, but the script and opinion collection he handed in... Tsk!"

Just one "tsk" has fully reflected Comrade Lao Han's thoughts.

Han Sanping is the director of "Daye" and "Weiye". He has a comprehensive understanding of the history of the past and has higher requirements. In his opinion, many scripts handed over by so-called great directors can be described in four words:

Miserable.

Not to mention whether the scripts have good intentions or not, the common sense errors in them alone are so numerous that they make one's scalp numb.

When Zhou Mo heard this, he did not respond to Han Sanping, but asked:
"Then you still let Director Chen make these movies?"

Han Sanping's eyes widened.

"That's because you didn't want to shoot! You left, so I chose him."

Zhou Mo didn't admit it at all: "Who said I didn't want to shoot? I accepted your invitation. It was Producer Huang who didn't agree to my request, so I left."

Han Sanping wanted to get angry when he heard this, but when he saw Zhou Mo's unhappy expression, he calmed down instead. He patiently explained to him: "Don't blame Lao Huang for this. He is responsible for the entire crew. If you kick out a lot of people as the chief director, he will definitely not be able to handle it."

"Then don't say it's my problem!"

Zhou Mo spread his hands, looking unhappy: "Anyway, I think I am not wrong in this matter. I won't talk about other movies, but for the filming of mainstream movies, it is the minimum requirement for the staff, right?"

Han Sanping snorted: "Then do you think that the candidates I selected for "Da Ye" and "Wei Ye" did not meet your requirements?"

Zhou Mo was silent for a while.

Han Sanping clenched his fists on the spot.

"Do you really think that the people I selected don't meet the requirements?!"

Zhou Mo waved his hands quickly: "Ah, no, no, no, listen to my excuse... Explanation, what I mean is that the times are different. "The Great Cause" was produced in 09. Being able to shoot "The Great Cause" under the circumstances at that time was a kind of progress in itself, not to mention that it took million at the box office.

But now the times are different, the audience’s preferences have changed, the market trend has also changed, and there are definitely more and more audiences who have requirements in this regard.”

Han Sanping sighed. He knew that Zhou Mo had high demands in certain aspects and was quite persistent. Sometimes he couldn't quite understand why Zhou Mo, a young man, was even more "stubborn" than him, an old man, when it came to some things.

"I understand what you mean, but you also know the facts. The movie has to be made. If you don't allow these people to make it, will a different group of people definitely meet the requirements?"

"Why not work with directors and actors from film studios or theaters?"

"Then what about the box office appeal?" Han Sanping said the most crucial thing: "Those people you think are not up to standard are originally compromises for the sake of marketization. If they are replaced by other people, their identities are fine, but the movie is not popular, wouldn't that be putting the cart before the horse?"

What Han Sanping said was very realistic. How could he not know that these people had weak historical knowledge, some of them couldn't even understand the basic knowledge, and some even went astray from the purpose of the movie?
But we can't just stop filming because of these problems.

"Take Motherland for example. For a film like this that consists of several chapters, the chief director needs someone who has both status and achievements to speak for him. Tell me how many people in the industry meet these requirements.

One for you, one for Director Zhang, and one for Chen Kaige.

Now you don't want to shoot, Director Zhang is the chief director of the anniversary film, tell me, in this situation, who should I use if not Chen Kaige? "

"Where's Lao Jiang?"

When Han Sanping heard this, he looked at Zhou Mo with a very complicated expression.

"Do you think I can call him over? I don't know who provided him with the scripts, but after reading them, he was determined to film those scripts..."

Zhou Mo burst out laughing.

Unexpectedly, things took a turn and finally happened to him again.

"Forget it. Since the matter has already passed, can you please tell me about "Gutian Military Call"? I remember that this movie should have been filmed by someone, directed by Chen Li, and the film is going well. It would be inappropriate for me to go over and snatch the position from someone else."

Han Sanping didn't say anything, but looked at him with a look that Zhou Mo was very familiar with.

That kind of light is called "It would be a shame not to use such a useful person."

"Who said you had to grab a spot? The movie is almost finished, we don't need you to be the director."

"So what am I going to do?"

Zhou Mo was completely confused this time.

If he is not allowed to be a director and the film is almost finished, then what is the point of calling him to be the director?
"Be responsible for finding ways to let more people see this movie and have it appear in more cinemas." Han Sanping finally explained the purpose of his visit today.

Zhou Mo suddenly realized that it was actually a commercial matter.

"Is the communication with the theater going smoothly?"

Han Sanping nodded straightforwardly, "Isn't this inevitable? If theaters want to make money, they will naturally increase the screening rate of more commercial movies.

Chen Li from "Military Bugle" called me and said that she had discussed with the theater chain several times but couldn't agree on the screening schedule. It just so happens that you are an expert in this area and are very good at how to revitalize the film, so I recommended you to her and asked you to be a producer and be responsible for the release of the film, so as to let more people see this movie..."

Han Sanping spoke in a relaxed tone, as if he was talking about something very ordinary, but after Zhou Mo finished listening, he felt a lot of pressure.

With half an hour of communication with Han Sanping, his memory of the movie "Military Bugle" has become clearer and clearer.

It's a main-theme celebration movie with good content, a positive stance, and good acting from the characters. The only problem is that it didn't make much at the box office, not even 100 million.

On the one hand, neither the director nor the leading actors in this movie are very famous, except for Wang Zhifei who plays General Zhu.

If the person is not famous, it means that the box office potential of the movie itself is not high. If you want to make money at the box office, you must work hard on promoting the movie.

But the publicity for this movie was pretty average.

The most core and attractive content (the contradiction between the teacher and General Zhu in the command of the army, the difference between ideological and political priority and combat effectiveness priority) was not shown before the movie was released;

At the same time, after the movie was released, the crew's very scarce publicity resources failed to attract audiences who might be interested in the content of the movie.

These various conditions led to the unsatisfactory final performance of the movie "Military Bugle".

"You really gave me a difficult problem." Zhou Mo sighed.

Han Sanping said bluntly: "It's because of the problem that we need you to step in."

"You really think highly of me."

"Otherwise, you were able to promote "Li Yannian, the Man of Both Literature and Martial Arts" so well before. You are the only one in the industry who has this ability."

Zhou Mo couldn't hold it anymore.

"Can "Li Yannian, a Man of Both Literature and Martial Arts" be the same as "Military Bugle"? Can these also be counted together?"

"How can they not be counted together? Li Yannian has two main focuses: war and ideology, why we fight and for whom we fight; Military Bugle also has two main focuses: ideology and the army, why we fight and who will direct the war. Since you can do a good job with Li Yannian, you can definitely promote Military Bugle as well."

After hearing this, Zhou Mo changed his excuse: "What about the team? Our company arranged the entire process of Li Yannian from beginning to end. We arranged the promotion and the spending. Can we do the same for Military Bugle?"

Han Sanping hesitated for a moment. He really hadn't given Zhou Mo a guarantee on this matter.

When it comes to mainstream movies, there are definitely more rules, requirements, and restrictions than for ordinary movies.

"I can't promise you anything. I can only say that I will give you as much room as possible... But I can tell you another thing. If you can do a good job in promoting The Bugle, you will get a big gift."

Zhou Mo raised his eyebrows. "A great gift? What great gift?"

"How about letting you shoot "The Final Battle"?"

Zhou Mo's mind went blank for a moment, and when he came to his senses, he stared at Han Sanping in shock.

"Really?"

"of course it's true."

"Why?" Zhou Mo asked the second question.

It’s not a thank you, nor a reassurance, but why?
Logically speaking, Zhou Mo is indeed capable and qualified to film this drama, but Zhou Mo himself knows the actual situation very well. If the higher-ups want to film this kind of drama, they will not look for him and will only consider other people.

Zhou Mo is young, has radical ideas, is bold, and doesn't like being controlled. When he is asked to shoot a film, the result is often that the work is very popular, but the content is too stimulating.

Under normal circumstances, the above situation alone would not be enough to disregard Zhou Mo.

If it really doesn't work, just force him to change!
Lao Mouzi was very courageous when he was young, and Jiang Wen was also very radical when he was young and didn’t like being controlled, but didn’t they both “get on the right track” later?

But Zhou Mo is different. This guy has an incredibly strong network of connections. No one knows who he will call on to support him if he wants to "correct" him.

So, since you can't control it, just don't shout.

Han Sanping was very satisfied with Zhou Mo's surprise, because he was also shocked when he heard the news.

"You said why, didn't you say it yourself? No one in the industry can make "The Final Battle" better than you. If that's the case, then why don't you do it?"

Zhou Mo immediately defended himself: "Hey, I didn't say that. I just said that the project that is about to start the final battle may be a little ill-considered and not sufficient in all aspects."

Han Sanping sneered: "Is there any difference? Don't you think Gao Xixi can't shoot the decisive battle well? Now the opportunity is given to you, it depends on whether you are willing to accept it."

Zhou Mo paused. What Han Sanping said was indeed correct. He really felt that Gao Xixi was not a good director of "The Decisive Battle".

Judging from the level of the TV version of "The Final Battle", the effect that Gao Xixi, as the chief director, presented to the audience was only worthy of letting the movie version eat dust in the end!
Take the performance of Lin, Luo and Liu in the "Liaoshen Campaign" chapter of "The Decisive Battle" as an example:
Lines from the movie version of "The Final Battle":

"Liu Yalou, please remember this."

"I will make the following deployment adjustments, with the 4th column and the 11th column..."

"Hello, is this the Niulangshan Command Post? Who are you? I want to ask you, what's going on at the Niulangshan position... Your sorghum rice was eaten in vain!"

"Send a message to Cheng Zihua. I don't want his casualties, I just want Tashan!"

"General Reserve, don't move!"

...

It can be said that just by listening to these lines, you can imagine the scenes.

In the TV version of "The Final Battle", during the Tashan sniper battle, after 101 was unable to finish issuing the order "General Reserve, do not move", 103's reaction was to excitedly shout at 101:

"General Lin, the Fourth Column is the old base of the East Field Army. Do you really want to wipe out all the brothers?"

The fact that Gao Xixi was able to come up with such lines full of "mountain" characteristics only shows that even if his understanding of our army's several movements during the war years was not zero, it was not much more.

To be honest, when Zhou Mo read this sentence in his previous life, he complained about Gao Xixi's "General Manager's brilliant opinion".

You say he has poor abilities, but this guy has actually made some good films.

You say he is capable...

In Zhou Mo's opinion, Gao Xixi is good at something, but that's all he is good at. He doesn't know much about history, and he has never thought about doing enough research in advance. Once he encounters unfamiliar content, he will follow the template according to his old habits.

This is true for "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" and "The Decisive Battle".

The result of using templates in this way is a lot of hilarious jokes.

Back to the present, Zhou Mo said to Han Sanping: "I can't give you an immediate answer whether to accept or not, but I said something wrong. What I meant was not that Gao Xixi couldn't take the photo."

Han Sanping frowned: "It's not Gao Xixi, what does that mean?"

Zhou Mo said seriously: "I mean, based on my understanding of the circle, no one else can take the photo."

As a tribute drama, the drama version of "The Decisive Battle" involved far more design personnel, workload, and units than an average TV drama. In an environment where high standards should be maintained everywhere, so many units and departments ultimately handed over such a work to the audience. Of course, Gao Xixi was not the only one who was incompetent.

Han Sanping was troubled by Zhou Mo's conclusion.

"You said that others are not good enough, but you yourself don't accept it. What should we do? Will we not shoot this drama?"

Zhou Mo immediately said: "Of course I don't mean that, but for me, since this drama is going to be filmed, it naturally has to be filmed as perfect as possible. Even if it can't compare to the movie version of that year, at least it has to be as elegant as the drama version.

Now you suddenly ask me to take on this project, and I don’t know the manpower, conditions, requirements, or restrictions. If I rashly take on this task, I don’t have the confidence that I can shoot this work well.”

Han Sanping understood Zhou Mo's caution, but he didn't believe that Zhou Mo was not confident enough. This guy definitely wanted to find out how much freedom he had before deciding whether to accept the job.

"I can't promise you this. I'm just a messenger after all... How about this, you come with me for dinner in a couple of days, and then you can talk it over with them in person, and then decide whether you want to take on this mission or not? How do you do that?"

Zhou Mo was startled, "Huh?"

"Ah, what? If you have any request, just say it yourself when the time comes, so as to avoid misunderstandings caused by passing messages." Han Sanping smiled slightly. He didn't want to be Zhou Mo's mouthpiece all the time. Anyway, he had already passed the message, and the rest depended on Zhou Mo's own operations. The most he could do was to help out from the side.

Zhou Mo thought for a moment and nodded slowly.

"Okay, I'll leave it to you then."

……

Half an hour later, Han Sanping declined Zhou Mo's invitation to dinner and left Shanhe Company by car.

Zhou Mo and Da Tiantian returned to the office together.

On the way, he told Da Tiantian about the situations of "Military Bugle" and "The Decisive Battle".

Da Tiantian asked: "Is it because you filmed the Pingxingguan battle in Battlefield better that you were chosen?"

"It's possible." Zhou Mo nodded slightly.

"Then do you want me to accompany you to the dinner that Mr. Han mentioned in a few days?"

Zhou Mo didn't hesitate for a second, "Of course I will. With our sweet princess here, I'm not afraid of any danger!"

"loquacious……"

Da Tiantian rolled her eyes at Zhou Mo, then thought about what preparations she needed to make in advance if she really wanted to shoot "The Decisive Battle".

In terms of time, preparations must be started at least one year in advance, otherwise it will be too late.

In terms of the number of people, according to Zhou Mo's requirements, two or three thousand people would definitely not be enough. It would probably have to be in the six digits, otherwise it would be impossible to capture that kind of magnificent scene.

As for the venue, that is not a problem and is the easiest to solve.

The last step is professional guidance, which is the most difficult.

Da Tiantian vaguely remembers that the consultant for the movie version of "The Decisive Battle" was a real-life general, and before filming, director Li Jun even visited Marshal Nie for guidance.

Such a super luxurious lineup would definitely not be assembled now.

Da Tiantian will be satisfied if she can invite some of the people who participated in the filming that year.

After returning to the room, Da Tiantian immediately began searching for relevant information.

After a while, she called Zhou Mo who was eating.

"Look, let's be honest. President Han was quite attentive in arranging your film. The production company of "The Decisive Battle" was the Bayi Film Studio, and the production company of "Military Bugle" was also the Bayi Film Studio. I guess he had the idea of ​​asking you to contact the instructor."

(End of this chapter)