Huayu: Director started with art films

Chapter 134 [Director Li goes to Hollywood]

However, what really made Li Yishu familiar with Ye Jin was the other party's later role in the TV series "Blood Romance", in which he played the cold-faced killer Ning Wei.

This TV series has subverted Ye Jin's image as a child star in the public's mind.

It can be said that among the many child stars, he has the best acting skills and the most successful transformation after growing up.

The villain he plays is also very profound, making children feel that such bad guys deserve to be caught, and allowing adults to see a tragic hero who is played around by fate.

Unfortunately, I didn't seize this opportunity.

"Put on some makeup."

Li Yishu patted Ye Jin's shoulder, then turned and walked out of the room and came to Gong Li's dressing room next door.

Jana hesitated for a moment, but did not go in and waited at the door.

“Isn’t this makeup a bit old?”

Seeing Li Yishu coming in, Gong Li looked at herself in the mirror and felt a little embarrassed.

Women don't like to show their worst side in front of the person they like, and Gong Li is no exception.

This role completely subverted some of Gong Li's previous images.

Even Qiu Ju in "Qiu Ju Goes to Court" did not deliberately pretend to be old. She was just a country woman living in the northwest, with dark and slightly cracked skin after being exposed to wind and sun.

Unlike now, she deliberately put on middle-aged and elderly makeup, with wrinkles at the corners of her eyes and spots, and her hair was highlighted with several strands of white, making her look 20 or 30 years older in an instant.

"pretty good."

Li Yishu smiled and said, "This is exactly the effect I want. And don't mention Gong Li, even if it's old age makeup, you still look so good."

"We are all old. What's so good about it? Look at all the spots on it."

Gong Li complained, but she was very happy in her heart.

Seeing Gong Li, who said she hated him but acted honestly, Li Yishu smiled and said nothing more. Instead, she talked about the first scene: "The first scene was when the mother and the little boy went to the station to mail a letter..."

Just when Li Yishu was preparing to start filming.

Yanjing.

In the restaurant of a big hotel.

"Miss Mei, can you let me think about it?"

Zhao Wenzhuo looked at the big star Anita Mui in front of him with a little hesitation.

If Anita Mui, a famous singer from Hong Kong Island, took the initiative to invite Zhao Wenzhuo to film in Hong Kong, most people would definitely agree. However, Zhao Wenzhuo was a little hesitant. It was not that he didn't want to go, but he was a little worried about whether he would be able to go after he went.

Even though Zhao Wenzhuo has become a new generation of kung fu actor with his hit movie "Sword Rain", this is in the mainland. Hong Kong is a little different from the mainland.

Moreover, Zhao Wenzhuo was discovered by Li Yishu. He felt that he was really unworthy of Li Yishu's cultivation and seemed very ungrateful if he went to Hong Kong to film without any notice.

Mei Yanfang looked at the other party with burning eyes: "Of course, but can I know why you want to consider it?"

Ever since she met Zhao Wenzhuo at the premiere of "Sword Rain" on the 15th, and then saw Zhao Wenzhuo in person at the dinner party afterwards, Anita Mui developed a slight liking for this big boy.

Both men and women are visual animals, and the first impression is particularly important. Zhao Wenzhuo is only 20 years old this year. He has an upright figure, thick eyebrows and big eyes. He is definitely a handsome guy in this era. In addition, he has been practicing martial arts since he was a child, which makes him look more martial.

It was very attractive to Anita Mui.

So not long after returning to Hong Kong, she came to Yanjing again and invited Zhao Wenzhuo to Hong Kong to film.

Zhao Wenzhuo hesitated and said, "Ms. Mei, I would definitely be happy to go to Hong Kong to film. I would be very happy if you could invite me, but Director Li..."

After hearing this, Anita Mui suddenly realized that it was all because of the relationship between Lee Yi-su and Director Lee.

After Zhao Wenzhuo said this, Anita Mui admired him even more. The four words "knowing a favor and repaying it" are qualities that are worthy of people's praise no matter what era it is. Not to mention that the interpersonal relationships and backgrounds in the Hong Kong entertainment circle are much more complicated than those in the mainland today.

Ingratitude is not uncommon in Hong Kong.

So Zhao Wenzhuo is now worried that Director Li will think too much, and thus has concerns about the opportunity to go to Hong Kong to film. Anita Mui is naturally very happy, because this shows that the other party is not an ungrateful person who would just walk away.

Thinking of this, Anita Mui smiled and said, "I thought it was something else. If it's just this, I'll talk to Director Li for you. I believe he will definitely not refuse you to go to Hong Kong to film."

"To be honest, the themes of mainland movies are still too monotonous. There are martial arts films and kung fu films, but they are definitely not as good as those in Hong Kong. Moreover, not everyone is a director like Director Li who has a wild imagination and directing ability."

"Li Lianjie should be considered as your senior. The reason why he went to Hong Kong to make movies is not only because of the better development in Hong Kong, but also because of the restrictions on the film themes."

"If you really want to develop in this direction, I still recommend you to go to Hong Kong. I also heard that Jet Li is going to make a kung fu movie recently. If you are interested, I can recommend you to join."

Mei Yanfang had said so, and it would be a bit rude for Zhao Wenzhuo to refuse, so he thought about it and nodded: "Then please help Miss Mei to tell Director Li."

"no problem."

Mei Yanfang smiled and said, "Also, don't call me Miss Mei, just call me Sister Mei." "Okay, Sister Mei." Zhao Wenzhuo nodded repeatedly.

After Zhao Wenzhuo left, Anita Mui contacted Zhang Guorong in Hong Kong, got Li Yishu's contact information in the mainland, and also made a phone call.

"Invite Wen Zhuo to film in Hong Kong?"

Li Yishu was very surprised when he first received the call from Anita Mui, wondering why the other party called him out of the blue. But when he learned that the call was to invite Zhao Wenzhuo to film in Hong Kong, his face became strange.

Speaking of which, it seems that Zhao Wenzhuo and Anita Mui did have a relationship, but it seemed like it happened a few years later. I didn't expect that they would hook up so soon.

Could it be that the two of them got in touch at the premiere?

"Yes, Director Li!"

Anita Mui on the other end of the phone laughed heartily and said, "I invited Wen Zhuo to film a movie. He still respects you, Director Li, and hopes to ask for your opinion. That's why I took the initiative to call you."

Li Yishu said over the phone, "I don't have any objection. Wen Zhuo is pursuing the path of a kung fu actor. It's not bad for him to go to Hong Kong to film. At least it's much easier than in the mainland."

It is definitely better for Zhao Wenzhuo to go to Hong Kong to film than in the mainland, simply because the only way out for kung fu actors now is to go to Hong Kong.

There are kung fu films and martial arts films in mainland China, but they are still too few. The main reason is that there are not many directors who can make commercial films. Most of them are directors from studios who are aiming to make feature films.

This habit did not gradually change until after the millennium.

However, overall, the market for martial arts films and kung fu films has begun to gradually decline, and future kung fu films and martial arts films have almost become exclusive themes for online movies.

"Haha, I knew Director Li would have no objection. I'll tell Wen Zhuo later. By the way, Director Li..."

Anita Mui suddenly remembered something and asked, "Are you signing people at the film company in Hong Kong?"

She knew that Li Yishu opened a film company in Hong Kong, so she wanted to ask whether she would sign anyone.

There are definitely benefits to doing this. At least Zhao Wenzhuo will not be labeled ungrateful. On the other hand, Li Yishu now has a great reputation in the Hong Kong entertainment industry.

He won the Golden Lion Award at the Venice Film Festival last year, but he is just an art film director in the Hong Kong film industry.

But with the huge sales of "Love Letter" and "Sword Rain", especially the global sales of "Sword Rain", people have seen Lee Yi-su's ability in commercial films.

Many film companies want to cooperate with Li Yishu to earn dollars. Europe and the United States dare not even think about it, but they will definitely look into Japan, the world's second largest box office.

Everyone in the Hong Kong circle knows that Li Yishu's influence in Japan is so great that she is showing signs of surpassing Jackie Chan.

It is certainly not as well-known, but if we only talk about influence, the three films "That Mountain", "Love Letter" and "Sword Rain" have all achieved super high box office results in Japan.

And most of them are low-budget films. The only expensive one is "Love Letter", but that was also because the director was paid a lot of money.

Although the total investment cost of "Sword Rain" was as high as 800 million US dollars, the actual funds for filming were less than 300 million US dollars.

Because Lee Yi-su invested $400 million as director's salary + additional box office share, she holds a 50% stake.

Investing 800 US dollars will definitely not recoup the cost in Hong Kong, Taiwan and the Mainland. But if the Japanese box office is added, the cost can almost be recouped in this region alone, and the box office in other regions will be pure profit.

Not to mention that Li Yishu is now somewhat well-known in Europe and the United States thanks to her collaboration with Tom Cruise in the Canon commercial and her reputation as the pioneer of the "bullet time" technology.

Hearing this, Li Yishu smiled and declined: "Ms. Mei, my film company only serves me and does not sign contracts with artists."

"Ok."

Anita Mui felt a little regretful. It would be great if the contract was signed. "Then Director Li, I won't delay your filming. I wish your new movie wins many awards and is a big hit at the box office!"

"Haha, thank you very much for your kind words, Miss Mei."

After hanging up the phone.

Li Yishu also chuckled. If the two of them were really in love, who knows if they could end up together?
The filming time passed very quickly, and half a month was gone in the blink of an eye.

When Li Yishu was still filming in Jinan, "Sword Rain" was also withdrawn from theaters in Hong Kong and Taiwan, and there were basically no screenings in Japan.

The final total box office of "Sword Rain" also exceeded the previously predicted 1.5 million US dollars and reached 1.58 million US dollars.

Of course, except for Asia and the United States, he won't get a penny from the box office in other countries. The copyrights have been sold, and the release is just a hype gimmick.

But despite this, this movie can at least bring Lee Yi-su more than 20 million US dollars in return.

However, the distribution in many regions cannot be settled in one go, and there is also corresponding tax evasion.

While Li Yishu was busy filming, news suddenly came from the United States, forcing him to stop his work and rush to the United States.

In addition to being nominated for the American Clio Awards for "Canon Advertising Blockbuster",

The main reason is that Sony Columbia's president Hisao Morishima invited Lee Yi-su to come to the United States as soon as possible.

Several films he was involved in producing had dismal box office performance last year, while films produced by competitors within the group made a small profit.

(End of this chapter)