Huayu: Director started with art films

Chapter 111 [Berlin Raiders, starring Gong Li]

Even though there was no female agent present, Tom Cruise was very cooperative and started filming.

The acting was just average, and Lee Yi-su didn't intend to make an art film, as long as it suited her. After most of the day, the British scenes were basically finished.

The crew is packing up and preparing to go back and rest. They will go to Germany to shoot tomorrow, then go to western North America, and then return to Japan.

The actual shooting time is estimated to be only four to five days, and the rest of the time is spent on post-production.

Time flies.

Since that day, Pat Kingsley returned to the United States, leaving two assistants to accompany Tom Cruise.

The filming of the crew has been going smoothly. After the filming in Europe and North America was completed, Li Yishu brought the crew back to Japan.

After Zhao Fei used the camera array method to shoot the bullet time special effects shots, Tom Cruise also left in a hurry.

end of September.

After Li Yishu finished the special effects shots, she contacted Canon to see the first film. They were naturally satisfied with the effect presented in the advertisement.

These four time and space are constantly switching, and finally the reason why Tom always wins is revealed, and the advertising slogan pops up: Canon, capture the wonderful moments!
A perfect illustration of the capabilities of their latest camera automation.

Look, it can even capture the instant of a bullet, not to mention the wonderful moment that the photographer wants to capture. Can anything be faster than a bullet?
"awesome!"

Canon Group President Fujio Mitarai couldn't help but applaud after watching this wonderful advertising blockbuster that had only completed the initial editing.

Fujio Mitarai said, "Director Li, this commercial you shot is so wonderful. I have never seen such a wonderful commercial that is like a movie."

"President Mitarai, you are too polite. It's mainly because your company is willing to spend money."

Li Yishu was also very satisfied with the initial editing results and smiled: "We used the world's top equipment, directors, and actors, so that we can present the most perfect advertising blockbuster!"

"As long as the advertising effect is good, we at Canon don't care how much it costs!"

Fujio Mitarai is very wealthy. Their Canon market has been on the rise in the global market, so they are naturally willing to spend money on advertising. Then he remembered something and said, "Our Canon Group is ready to launch the promotion in December according to the advice given by Supervisor Li."

"Well, this is a good time."

Li Yishu's eyes flickered. After the Canon advertisement was released on European and American TV stations, "Sword Rain" would be released there and could attract a wave of audiences by claiming it was a sci-fi blockbuster directed by the director who created "bullet time".

It is a bit of a gimmick, but without it, how could the box office be high?

He is also counting on the hype of this global release to hit a global box office of 5000 million US dollars.

It became the best-selling Chinese-language film in the world in 1992.

"By the way, Supervisor Li."

Fujio Mitarai suddenly said, "After learning that Canon and Director Lee had collaborated on a commercial, Hisao Morishima, the president of Sony Columbia Pictures, seemed to be very interested in Director Lee."

Although Sony Camera is a competitor of Canon, Sony's business is more extensive, including not only cameras but also various electronic products. A few years ago, it even acquired Columbia Pictures in the United States.

Sometimes, Canon Group has to cooperate with Sony Entertainment on some of its business in the United States, so Fujio Mitarai has a good relationship with the president of Sony Entertainment, Hisao Morishima.

This time, Canon was able to contact Tom Cruise so quickly thanks to the help of Sony Entertainment's president Hisao Morishima.

"Sony Columbia~"

Li Yishu was stunned for a moment, then her eyes gradually brightened.

He remembered that in the first few years after Sony acquired Columbia, it seemed to have been in a state of huge losses. It was not until the mid-to-late 1990s, after the production of films such as "Night Man" and "Spider-Man", that it gradually turned losses into profits.

Sony Columbia Pictures is now in urgent need of high-quality film projects, so I can try to cooperate with them.

In the 90s, although the eight major film companies still firmly controlled the market in the United States, second-tier film companies such as Summit Entertainment, Lionsgate, and DreamWorks were also born one after another.

If the cooperation with Sony Columbia is successful this time, Li Yishu can also take this opportunity to set up a production company in the United States.

We don't pursue surpassing the Big Eight. It would be enough to have an independent film company like Summit Entertainment or Lionsgate.

In early November.

Under the reluctant gaze of Izumi Sakai, Li Yishu set off for Hong Kong.

Qiu Fusheng has called several times, and Li Yishu can't keep standing him up. After all, Qiu Fusheng has made a lot of efforts to make "The Mountain" such a high box office, and he also helped him a lot at the Venice Film Festival last year.

It is only right and reasonable that this favor must be repaid.

Era Films.

Inside Qiu Fusheng’s office.

"Director Li, as long as you ask, our company will invest in any film regardless of the subject matter!"

Qiu Fusheng waved his hand and said that neither funding nor genre was a problem, as long as it was shot by Li Yishu, he would invest in it.

Li Yishu said, "Mr. Qiu, I have two movie ideas now. It depends on which one you choose."

"Director Li, please speak." Qiu Fusheng's eyes lit up.

“Both are art films.”

Lee Yi-su first recounted the general plot of "Hidden in the Dust", and then recounted a later Brazilian film "Central Station". (I will only recount it briefly so as not to give away anything, as this kind of story is very common, and it is mainly about filming and acting)
During this period, Li Yishu studied the Berlin Film Festival carefully and also recalled many award-winning works at the Berlin Film Festival.

There are only a few films that are truly suitable for Lee Yi-su to shoot, and the most suitable one may be "Central Station".

The story of this movie is very simple. Dora is a letter writer at Grand Central Station. She charges one dollar for writing a letter, and another dollar if she needs to mail it.

Then Dora met a mother and son. The son had never seen his father, so he wanted to write a letter to his father, but after leaving the station, the mother died in a car accident.

Driven by maternal instinct, Dora agreed to take her son to the northeast to find his father. The scenery along the way became more and more unfamiliar, but the two became closer and closer.

It is a heartwarming road-themed film that won the Golden Bear Award at the Berlin Film Festival in 1998.

It would not be a problem to adapt this film into a Chinese-language film, and it wouldn't feel too abrupt.

Li Yishu has thought about it. He wants to win the Golden Bear Award in Berlin after winning the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. But it may not be that easy. So the best way is to make a few more films to compete for the Golden Bear Award.

Taking advantage of the golden period in recent years when the three major European awards are very favorable to Chinese films, and winning all three awards, Lee Yi-su is probably content with art films.

But if he couldn't win any awards before 1997, Li Yishu would not continue to strive for awards, but would focus on domestic blockbusters, and he would start a new era of domestic blockbusters.

Although the domestic box office was not enough to support blockbuster movies in the millennium, at least the title is here, the first domestic movie with an investment of over 100 million yuan~
It should be pretty good?
“They’re all good stories.”

After all, Qiu Fusheng had worked with Zhang Yimou on "Raise the Red Lantern" and the later "To Live", and he also invested in Hou Hsiao-hsien's "A City of Sadness". He was quite familiar with art films, so just by listening to the two stories told by Li Yishu, he knew that this would definitely be an award-winning movie.

Lee Yi-shu has proven her ability to win awards. As long as the quality of these two films remains high, they can at least win small awards, if not big prizes, and then sell the copyrights overseas.

Thinking of this, Qiu Fusheng couldn't help but say, "Director Li, I wonder if I can be a little greedy and choose both?"

"Haha, of course no problem, Mr. Qiu."

Li Yishu smiled cheerfully, "But things have their priorities. Let's first decide which one to shoot. It won't be too late to talk about the other one later."

Hearing this, Qiu Fusheng knew that there was no hope. He thought for a while and said, "Director Li, I'm not the only one who wants to work with you this time. Qingxia also hopes to work with you, Director Li."

Qingxia? Li Yishu looked at her in confusion.

Qiu Fusheng said: "After meeting in Formosa at the beginning of the year, I met Miss Qingxia at several cocktail parties. She always asked me about Director Li and said that if Director Li had an idea for an art film, he would definitely consider her and she would be willing to act even if she didn't get paid."

"this…"

Li Yishu was a little hesitant. He also wanted to work with Qingxia, but "Hidden in the Dust" and "Central Station" were not suitable for each other.

He plans to ask Gong Li to play the role in "Hidden in the Dust", as he feels that she is the only one in China who can perform that kind of feeling.

He still plans to find Gong Li for "Central Station"...

Suddenly I feel like there aren't many suitable actresses in China~
First of all, she must not be too pretty or too delicate, otherwise she would be like Fan Bayi in "I Am Not Pan Jinlian". Her face does not look like a peasant woman at all...

To be honest, the foot washer girl in the early "Apple" was pretty good, but the peasant woman in this movie makes people feel like someone asked: Is the emperor's farming hoe made of gold?

"Of course, Director Li, if it's not suitable, then forget it." Qiu Fusheng smiled. He was just saying something for Qingxia.

(End of this chapter)