Huayu: Director started with art films

Chapter 194 204 [2 million to produce the Three Kingdoms: Red Cliff, opening the era of domestic blockbusters]

It wasn't until more than ten minutes later, when the crew finished filming the indoor scenes.

Only then did Wang Fulin take Li Yishu to meet several actors.

After exchanging pleasantries, the group found a place to sit down, drinking tea, chatting, eating melon seeds and laughing.

Most of the time, Li Yishu listened to Wang Fulin and others talking about some interesting things in the crew, and occasionally chatted about some Three Kingdoms stories.

It seems that this "Three Kingdoms Tea Party" is almost over.

At the suggestion of the chief producer Ren Dahui and the general producer Wang Feng, Wang Fulin also talked about the serious matter this time: "Director Li, I wonder if there is any result now about what I told you on the phone before?"

In fact, given the size of CCTV, it is quite easy to find overseas buyers.

Moreover, when the filming of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" started, Japanese TV stations had been in contact with CCTV, hoping to buy the copyright of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" in Japan.

If Li Yishu had not appeared, perhaps they would have chosen to cooperate with each other.

But now there is a big director who has achieved great success in Japan and has achieved super high movie box office in the global market. CCTV is not a fool. How could it not think of finding Li Yishu first to inquire about overseas intentions for the copyright of "Three Kingdoms" and the fees, etc.

"Regarding the copyright issue, I went to Japan this time to ask for your help. The Japanese are very interested in the copyright of Romance of the Three Kingdoms."

At this point, Li Yishu paused and continued, "If CCTV wants to sell it, how much are you prepared to sell it for? Do you have any psychological expectations?"

"This one……"

Wang Fulin was speechless. As a director, why would he care about these things?

Instead, the chief producer Ren Dahui spoke up, "Director Li, of course we hope to sell as many copies as possible. Even if we can't make back our investment completely, we should at least make back half of it. That way, we will have less pressure to make back our investment after the TV series is shown in China."

half?
Just kidding, making back all the investment is not a problem, and this is just the Japanese market.

More than 3000 million US dollars may sound like a lot, but for a developed country like Japan, it is not really that high.

Even though there is an economic crisis now, Japan still has this consumption capacity. What's more, this is not a movie, but an ultra-long TV series on the Three Kingdoms with more than 80 episodes. Two episodes a day can be broadcast continuously for more than a month, so the advertising fees can be collected generously.

Li Yishu hesitated for a moment, then said, "If Producer Ren and CCTV trust me, the overseas copyright of Romance of the Three Kingdoms can be handed over to me. I can guarantee that it will not be less than 3000 million US dollars."

"3...3 million dollars?"

When these words were spoken, everyone in the room was stunned.

Especially Tang Guoqiang, who not only took off his gown and hat, but also kept his beard and makeup on for the next filming. He took a deep breath and sucked his beard directly into his mouth, and quickly made a "Puh Puh" sound.

Ren Dahui swallowed his saliva and said, "Director Li, can you really... sell so many?"

"I don't know if I can sell so many, but I know Japan will be happy to pay a high price for it."

Li Yishu said with a smile: "I have been to Japan many times, and I know very well that the Japanese love the Three Kingdoms culture. The market for Romance of the Three Kingdoms in Japan is no worse than that in China. Japan is a developed country, and they can make back the tens of millions of dollars through capital means."

"Romance of the Three Kingdoms" has a total of more than 80 episodes. Based on the price of 10 US dollars per episode, it is only more than 800 million US dollars. For the mainland, this is definitely a huge amount of money.

But compared with developed countries like Japan, 800 million US dollars is really not high.

Even in Hong Kong and Taiwan, this number is not considered large. After all, according to the exchange rate, it is only more than 5000 million Hong Kong dollars.

Last year, the box office champion of Hong Kong, "Justice, My Foot", reached more than 4900 million.

In addition, there are videotapes. If this kind of super-long TV series is made into a videotape, it will be another huge source of income.

3000 million US dollars is the result obtained by Li Yishu based on the consumption level in Japan. Of course, it may be higher, but the specific negotiation should be left to professionals.

You have to know that the Japanese regard "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" as a collection of books on how to settle down and govern the country. They should be happy to spend a little more money to buy back their recipe for "settling down and governing the country."

Seeing how confident Li Yishu was, Ren Dahui quickly said, "Of course we trust Director Li, but I can't make the decision on overseas copyrights. I have to go back and discuss it with the station."

"It doesn't matter."

Li Yishu smiled and said that this was how official agencies were. Private decisions could easily lead to the so-called misappropriation of state assets.

Wang Fulin stood up and thanked him, "Director Li, thank you so much for taking the time to think about our affairs despite your busy schedule."

"Haha, Director Wang is too polite. Actually, it's not just for your crew. I also want to see how much the Japanese market likes the Three Kingdoms theme."

Li Yishu grinned and said, "I want to make a big-budget film about the Three Kingdoms. This kind of Three Kingdoms-themed film, in addition to mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, is also popular in Japan, South Korea and Southeast Asia, and the largest audience is Japan. If your crew's "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" can achieve good ratings in Japan, then I will consider filming next."

"A big production based on the Three Kingdoms?"

Wang Fulin was surprised and asked, "Which scene is Director Li going to shoot?"

"decide as things go."

Li Yishu thought for a while and said, "If possible, I would naturally like to shoot a trilogy, but the most likely one will be the Battle of Red Cliff."

In fact, according to Japan's preference for Three Kingdoms characters, Lu Bu should be ranked first.

After all, in various Japanese Three Kingdoms-themed movies, animations, and games, Lu Bu is almost always the undisputed big boss.

Next are Guan Yu and Zhuge Liang.

In the Battle of Hulao Pass, the great devil Lu Bu and the martial saint Guan Gong appeared, both of whom are characters loved by Japanese audiences.

But if we really want to shoot a movie, we have to shoot "Red Cliff" first, just because the Battle of Red Cliff is full of gimmicks and has enough big scenes.

Cao's army of 800,000 soldiers fought against the combined forces of Sun and Liu with less than 100,000 soldiers. There were also various naval battles, including Zhao Yun's seven ins and seven outs...

And if it is shown in Europe and the United States, people there will also be able to understand that the two sides are fighting on the water.

Unlike the Battle of Hulao Pass, if there is no preceding cause, foreigners simply cannot understand it, and shooting the Battle of Hulao Pass alone is not visually stimulating enough.

It’s like the "Red Cliff" directed by Wu Yusen later. If you remove the funny headscarf, there is still the inexplicable "cuteness", and Sun Shangxiang becoming a spy and running to the enemy camp... and so on.

Still pretty good.

Hmm...pretty good.

"The Battle of Red Cliffs... If it's the Battle of Red Cliffs, then the investment shouldn't be small, right?"

Wang Fulin has filmed the Battle of Red Cliffs, but the Battle of Red Cliffs in the TV series can only be described as a few wooden boats fighting on the river. It is basically impossible to have the same texture as the movie.

"If we really want to shoot it, the investment should be no less than 2 million, right?"

As soon as Li Yishu finished speaking, the ceramic jar in Sima Yi's hand fell to the ground with a clang.

No one looked at him, but instead looked at Li Yishu in horror.

Wang Fulin swallowed his saliva: "2 million RMB?"

"I would like to use US dollars, but this movie theme is unlikely to be very popular in Europe and the United States."

Li Yishu shook her head. Even though "Hero" made a lot of box office in North America, it was just a curiosity over there.

North American movie fans are not interested in the Western epic blockbusters that they are familiar with, let alone the history of China, a country with which they have hardly any exposure.

"That's 2 million RMB, it's not a small amount. If we use all of it to make a movie, it would be a huge spectacle."

In Wang Fulin's mind, he had already imagined the Battle of Red Cliffs filmed by Li Yishu. It was definitely a huge scene, with thousands of large ships fighting on the Yangtze River, tens of thousands of people fighting on land, and shouting and killing everywhere...

This is the real big scene!

"If we want to shoot, we must aim for a big production and big scenes. Even if we can't get 800,000 Cao troops, we still have hope with 80,000."

Li Yishu smiled. If he really wanted to shoot the film, according to what Han Sanping said before, the higher-ups would definitely give strong support, not to mention that they were planning to invest 2 million RMB.

It's not just the Beijing Film Studio. The Bayi Film Studio will definitely be involved. With the Bayi Film Studio, the support of the army is indispensable. "This... Director Li, I wonder if I will be lucky enough to participate in the production of the movie?!"

Wang Fulin was deeply excited. An investment of 2 million RMB in a film was unprecedented in the country, and it might even be unprecedented. According to the current trend of domestic films, the film market would be very sluggish in the future.

And only Lee Ye-su could shoot such a big production because he has achieved excellent results overseas.

2 million RMB, which is equivalent to a production cost of less than 4000 million US dollars.

According to what Li Yishu said before, the Japanese market likes the Three Kingdoms theme very much. It is estimated that most of the costs can be recovered in Japan, as well as in China, including Hong Kong and Taiwan, and Southeast Asia. It may also be released in Europe and the United States.

Li Yishu smiled and said, "Even if Director Wang didn't say this, I would still invite Director Wang if I really wanted to shoot. You are the only director in China who has shot all the episodes of Romance of the Three Kingdoms. With you on the side, the crew can also check for omissions and make up for them."

Everyone else around looked at Wang Fulin with envy.

With a production budget of 2 million RMB and a production cost of nearly 4000 million USD, it is undoubtedly what Director Li calls a big-budget film.

According to Li Yishu's idea, since "Titanic" can earn more than 3 million yuan at the domestic box office, it can be proved that there is such a basic base in China.

Even if we exclude the audience who go to the cinema specifically to see the naked body of "Rose Silk", the basic box office revenue is estimated to be at least 2 million.

As long as the promotion is proper, "Hero" can get a box office of 2 million in the mainland. Li Yishu feels that her "Three Kingdoms" can definitely get a box office of 2 million in the mainland.

After all, in terms of popularity alone, Lee Yi-su is to some extent more famous than Zhang Yimou, not to mention that in terms of box office appeal in Japan, he is far ahead.

Secondly, the shooting period of "Three Kingdoms" must be very long. First of all, the armor and weapons need to be made, and secondly, there are wooden water boats. If large scenes are to be shot, at least hundreds of large and small wooden boats that can sail on the river are needed.

It is estimated that it will take at least three years from the time the film is completed and released, including the special effects and so on.

On the one hand, Li Yishu herself had no experience in shooting such a large-scale production.

On the other hand, I also want to strive for perfection and would rather spend more time on early preparations than encounter various problems during the last-minute shooting.

After staying in the Three Kingdoms City for a day and visiting their next filming site, Li Yishu hurriedly said goodbye and returned to Sichuan.

He had to finish editing "The Unknown" as soon as possible at Emei Film Studio, and then return to Yanjing to make the final edit of "Central Station".

The next morning, Li Yishu, who had spent the night at home with her parents, went to Emei Film Studio with her parents.

Along the way, he met many uncles and aunts he knew. Facing his mother Zhao Xue's praise and boasting, Li Yishu didn't know whether to laugh or cry on the surface, but he was very happy in his heart. In his previous life, he failed to make his parents proud, so this life was not just about pride.

After hurriedly saying goodbye to his parents, Li Yishu also went to the editing room. He had stayed in this place for more than a month the year before, so he was naturally very familiar with it.

"咚咚-"

Just as Li Yishu was talking with the editor about where to do the parallel montage (fast cut) and reverse montage (flashback) editing next, there was a sudden knock on the door of the editing room.

Li Yishu looked back and saw Han Sanping appear at the door.

Han Sanping smiled and said, "Yishu, come out for a moment. I have something to ask you."

"Okay, Uncle San, wait a minute."

"Well, no hurry, you go ahead and I'll wait for you outside."

After Han Sanping left, Li Yishu also said a few words to the editor, then got up and left the editing room and went outside.

"Uncle San, what's the matter?"

Li Yishu looked up at Han Sanping. He had to keep an eye on the editor. There were very few parallel montage editing methods in China, let alone reverse montage. He had to keep an eye on the whole process and even take charge at key points from time to time.

Otherwise, the wonderful aspects of the multiple narratives of "Nobody" cannot be shown, and the audience will be confused after the movie is released.

Because there are too many characters and the scenes jump too quickly, unlike most domestic movies nowadays, which are narrated in a straightforward manner, if the editing is not in place, the result will be incomprehensible, giving people a sense of déjà vu that the narrative structure is a mess.

"Well, there is something I want to ask you."

Han Sanping said with a smile: "I heard that you want to make a blockbuster film about the Three Kingdoms?"

Li Yishu was stunned, "Uncle San, how did you know?"

"It came from CCTV."

Han Sanping explained, "Weren't you on the set of Romance of the Three Kingdoms the day before yesterday? It seems that the chief producer Ren Dahui talked about it with someone in the studio, and then it spread out. I only found out about it last night when the head of the Film Bureau called me."

"That's it..."

Li Yishu nodded in understanding. It seemed that he still underestimated his current status in the eyes of the Domestic Film Bureau.

With just one sentence from Ren Dahui, the Film Bureau immediately contacted Han Sanping.

“There are some ideas in this regard.”

Li Yishu nodded and said, "But you also know, Uncle San, this kind of big production is not made overnight. Even if we really have an idea, it will probably take one or two years just to prepare. It is impossible for it to take two or three years from the actual start of filming to the release."

"It's true that a large-scale production of a costume drama doesn't happen overnight, but how did you come up with the idea of ​​filming the Three Kingdoms?"

"I had the idea of ​​making a blockbuster film about the Three Kingdoms because I learned that the Japanese really like our Romance of the Three Kingdoms, almost to the point of obsession, when I was helping the crew of Romance of the Three Kingdoms ask for copyright fees in Japan some time ago. This reminded me of the blockbuster that Uncle San had mentioned to me before, so I thought maybe I could give it a try."

Hearing this, Han Sanping nodded and said, "I've heard people say before that Japanese people really like Three Kingdoms novels. I didn't expect that they really like them so much. So if you say so, will Three Kingdoms blockbusters be a big hit in Japan?"

Li Yishu said: "It is very likely to be a big hit, but the Japanese economy is not doing well right now, so if we wait a few years before releasing it, I estimate that Japan alone will be able to recover our production costs."

Wu Yusen's two-part Red Cliff trilogy grossed $9000 million in Japan, almost making back all of the investment.

Moreover, that time happened to be the period of decline of Japanese live-action films, and a large number of Japanese animated films flooded the cinemas. In 2001, "Spirited Away" earned 316 billion yen, which is almost 3 million US dollars when converted into US dollars. It is conceivable that Japanese animated films had an influence after the millennium.

Therefore, if "Red Cliff" was moved to the early or late 90s, it would not be a problem for the box office to exceed million US dollars.

For the medium term, forget it. Japan’s economy has been declining in recent years, and movie theaters will probably be in a depression.

"Okay! Then shoot!"

Han Sanping said with a smile on his face: "When I go to the Beijing Film Studio in October, Yishu, you have to come and support Uncle San. When the time comes, bring this big movie project with you. No matter how much the Beijing Film Studio wants to invest, we will invest!"

"Haha, don't worry, Uncle San, I will definitely seek cooperation from your Beijing Film Studio on this project."

Li Yishu smiled cheerfully: "But the filming period of this movie will be very long."

"It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter if it takes a long time. American blockbusters will be screened in China next year anyway. When they see American blockbusters, domestic directors and studios will have a sense of crisis."

Han Sanping has a very high level of awareness, otherwise he would not have been able to become the chairman of China Film Corporation in the future.

In his opinion, the regulations on introducing foreign films are not actually a bad thing, as domestic films have an advantage in terms of box office share.

Secondly, Hollywood blockbusters are used as catfish to disrupt the now sluggish domestic film market, and at the same time force those unenterprising studios and directors to change their way of thinking.

In the past, production and sales were guaranteed, but after the reform this year, each company is responsible for its own profits and losses. Many people still hold on to old ideas and mindsets and do not follow the trend of the times.

It is definitely not feasible to just rely on talking from above. People will not remember or reflect on their mistakes unless they fall a few times, suffer a few losses, or get slapped a few times.

In fact, introducing foreign blockbusters can, to some extent, be regarded as opening up a kind of competition in the domestic film market.

From the era of costume blockbusters in the millennium to the various crime, romance, and comedy films after 2010, the emergence of various films has greatly enriched the domestic film market.

There are only advantages and disadvantages to introducing American blockbusters, but in the long run the advantages will definitely outweigh the disadvantages.

Li Yishu's eyes were burning: "Then let's wait a few years. After the movie is released, we will start our own era of domestic blockbusters."

"A domestic blockbuster. Yes, it is a domestic blockbuster."

Han Sanping wrote down the word and would talk about it with his superiors when he went to the Yanjing Film Bureau for a meeting.

(End of this chapter)