Huayu: Director started with art films

Chapter 306 Chapter 317 [Another Year in Venice, Wu Yusen Signs a Five-Part Contract]

Li Yishu helped Akina Nakamori on the one hand because of Izumi Sakai, and on the other hand he also wanted to punish the scumbag Kondo.

If he is a scumbag, then he is a scumbag, but to be a scumbag to such an extent that he uses the house bought by his ex-girlfriend as a wedding house, this behavior of rubbing salt into other people's wounds is really rare in the world.

Even Chen Shimei has to admit defeat!
However, the incident with Akina Nakamori was just a small episode after all. After Li Yishu returned home that night, she called Ichiro Tanaka and explained the general situation to him.

Regardless of whether Akina Nakamori joins Music Times Company or not, Li Yishu will let Ichiro Tanaka use this magical girl plan.

In the evening, Li Yishu and Izumi Sakai went to a nearby movie theater and started watching "Nobody".

This movie was released last week. Thanks to Lee Yi-su's fame, the promotional song "I Once Thought About Ending It All" sung by Izumi Sakai, and the release date arranged by Toho Co., Ltd., the movie opened very well, with 50 viewers last week.

The box office in the first week was as high as 8 million yen. Even if there is a decline this week, it will definitely reach 5 million yen. Before it is finally taken off the screen, it will probably be around 20 billion yen.

If we calculate based on the current exchange rate of 1 US dollar to 100 Japanese yen, the box office revenue would be a full 2000 million US dollars.

This number is not low. After all, it is a Chinese-language film. The Lion King, which was released last month, has only grossed 17 billion yen so far. The final box office will be at most around 20 billion yen.

Compared with the box office of tens of billions in previous years, it is indeed a bit hard to accept.

But there is nothing that can be done about it.

Things are different now. Since the bursting of the Japanese economic bubble, all industries in Japan have begun to decline. Few people are willing to spend money on various entertainment projects such as movies, records, electronics, KTV, bars, etc.

More and more people choose to stay at home.

This is why Li Yishu arranged for Ichiro Tanaka to explore the fields of comics and animation. The only pleasure for otakus may be reading comic books. On the one hand, it is cheap, and on the other hand, it avoids unnecessary expenses for going out.

After staying in Japan for only two days, Li Yishu set off for the United States.

Wu Yusen is very anxious as he is now being pursued by investors from Hong Kong and Taiwan.

An investment of less than 1.5 million US dollars is equivalent to million Hong Kong dollars. Wu Yusen made them suffer heavy losses and they couldn't even get their capital back. Even if they were not beaten to death, they would probably have to sign an agreement to sell themselves.

It has not returned yet, and those film investors with dark backgrounds in Hong Kong don’t care whether it is 97 or not. After all, who cares about 97 when the money is gone?

Los Angeles.

Hilltop location in Beverly Hills.

"I heard a noise!"

Li Yishu looked up at Qingxia happily. He had just heard the sound of the fetus in her belly kicking.

The sound is soft but powerful.

Hearing this, Qingxia grinned, "It kicked very frequently during this period. I went to the hospital and the doctor said it was normal and the baby was turning over inside."

"Then you won't feel uncomfortable, will you?"

"It's okay, but it's a little uncomfortable when I sleep at night, but it's fine during the day."

"..."

The two chatted and laughed, and suddenly Li Yishu remembered her mother Zhao Xue and said, "Sister Qingxia, I told my mother about you."

what?
Qingxia was a little flustered: "Ah...what did Auntie say?"

She was really worried that Li Yishu's mother would not approve of her. Although she had no intention of marrying Li Yishu, it was still necessary to get the approval of her parents. She couldn't let her child not meet the Li family in the future, right?
"She didn't say anything, she just scolded me. She also said that when you are about to give birth, tell her and she will take time off to help you take care of the baby."

Li Yishu noticed that Qingxia was a little nervous, so he patted the back of her hand and comforted her, "Sister Qingxia, don't be nervous. My mother is very easy to talk to. She even asked me what I like to eat. She will study hard at home during this time."

Hearing this, Qingxia breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that her mother-in-law should be easy to get along with.

Qingxia shook her head: "Just tell your aunt, there's no need to bother. I've been eating very little during this period."

"If you don't have a good appetite, have you asked Huang Ma to prepare some other dishes?"

"It has nothing to do with the food. I just have no appetite. My mom said it's because the fetus is pressing on my stomach, which is why I have no appetite."

"You still have to eat. Eat small meals frequently. I'll talk to Huang Ma later and ask her to make six stews a year: in the morning, noon, afternoon, evening, and midnight snack."

"Don't!"

Qingxia quickly shook her head: "I've gained a lot of weight now. If I keep eating, it will be hard to lose weight after I give birth."

"Haha, it's okay, you look good no matter what."

Li Yishu smiled. It turned out that women always care about their figure at any time.

Qingxia smiled, seeming to be very pleased. Suddenly she remembered something and asked, "I saw in the newspaper that our film The Reader was selected for the main competition unit of the Venice Film Festival?"

Li Yishu nodded: "Yes, I will leave for Venice the day after tomorrow."

This year's Venice Film Festival will be held on August 8, a month earlier than in previous years.

But for Li Yishu, it’s good to go early. At least after the event, she can participate in the filming of "Chicago" with peace of mind.

Qingxia said with a look of regret: "What a pity, I can't go. This is the first time that my film has been shortlisted for the three major European film festivals, and it will be the last time."

"If you want to participate, I'll arrange another one for you when you recover."

"Forget it, I've already decided to retire from acting, so there's no need to film anymore. I'm satisfied just to be shortlisted."

At this point, Qingxia asked curiously, "Does our film have any hope of winning an award at this year's Venice Film Festival?"

"There is definitely hope, but don't count on the big prize."

Li Yishu is not optimistic about winning any major award this time.

Forget about the Golden Lion. He has already won three awards. The possibility of winning another one is very low. He may not even be awarded the Best Director award. He won the Best Director award at the Cannes Film Festival. If he wins another one, he will be very close to winning three awards.

So it's either the Silver Lion Award or the Special Award. There's hope for the Best Actor Award, but no matter what award it is, Lee Yi-su is confident that she can win one.

On the one hand, it is the quality of the film, and on the other hand, it is Lee Ye-su's fame.

"That may not be the case. The movie is so well made, and a great director like you is starring in it. I believe the judges of the Venice Film Festival will not be so short-sighted."

Qingxia giggled. She watched the movie as soon as it was finished. She had to say it was very well made and some of the scenes were extremely beautiful.

"Hopefully."

Li Yishu naturally hopes to win the award because it will help sell her works, but it still depends on the judges' opinions.

Anyway, he is not planning any public relations for the Venice Film Festival this year, so he will just let nature take its course.

At noon, Li Yishu finished lunch with Qingxia and Lin's mother at home. After sending Qingxia upstairs to rest, he drove to the company. He made an appointment with Wu Yusen to meet in the afternoon.

Arts Entertainment Group.

In the office, Wu Yusen took a sip of tea and said impatiently, "Director Li, what do you think of this?"

"Director Wu, don't be anxious, take your time."

Li Yishu put down the teacup in his hand with a smile. He glanced at Amy and said, "Amy has already told me that it's a pity that the box office of "Inspector Gadget" was so poor. Your film was very well made, but it's a pity that it ran into two dark horses, "The Lion King" and "Forrest Gump."

"Yes!"

Wu Yusen sighed heavily, "I never thought that a children's cartoon and a drama documentary could get such a high box office in North America and overseas! After coming to the United States, I found that I really know nothing about Hollywood. It is obvious that these two types of movies cannot sell well in Hong Kong."

"Hong Kong is Hong Kong, and the United States is the United States. The market conditions on both sides are different. This is normal."

Hong Kong movies are too entertainment-oriented. Any film with a serious subject matter has a hard time getting high box office. This is ultimately due to the fast pace of society. People would rather go home, take a shower and go to bed after watching a movie, rather than reflect on what the movie has to offer.

The mainland market will be almost the same in the future. The consequence of being highly entertaining is the lack of diversity in subject matter. In some years, all the films released were comedies.

Even action movies and dramas have to have some comedy in them, as if they can’t get high box office without comedy elements.

But a truly good movie does not necessarily need comedy elements. "The Wandering Earth", "Wolf Warrior", "The Eight Hundred", etc., from science fiction to war, as long as it is good, the audience is happy to watch it.

"Director Li is right. I still don't have a clear understanding of the North American market."

Wu Yusen said hesitantly, "Director Li, do you think the copyright of Hero Detective is right?"

Li Yishu said, "I can buy the copyright according to the price you and Amy agreed on, 500 million US dollars to buy out the global copyright."

Hearing this, Wu Yusen gritted his teeth and said, "Thank you, Director Li. In addition to the copyright issue, I hope Director Li can help me."

"What does Director Wu mean?"

"I want to sign with Director Li's company like Li An did."

"This one……"

Li Yishu pretended to be hesitant and said, "Director Wu, forgive me for being blunt, you might as well go back to Hong Kong to film. I told Director Li An at the beginning that Hollywood does not allow failure. If you fail once, you will have to stay silent for several years. And now, Director Wu, you..."

Wu Yusen was dejected. How could he not know what Li Yishu meant? He had already failed twice.

Hollywood doesn’t even allow failure once, let alone a second time?

"How about this, Director Li, since we are all family, I can give Director Wu a chance. It's just a small-budget movie, just like the Final Destination that Director Li An shot before."

"I'm fine Director Li!"

Hearing this, Wu Yusen did not hesitate at all and decisively agreed: "I can shoot a low-budget production as long as I can still have a movie to shoot!"

For Wu Yusen, failing once or twice is not a big problem. When he was making movies in Hong Kong, not all of his movies were big hits.

The failure of "Glengarry Glen Ross" this time was more due to bad luck as it ran into two super blockbusters.

"That's no problem."

Li Yishu smiled and looked at Amy: "Amy, please arrange for Director Wu to sign a contract with Golden Lion Pictures."

"Okay, boss." Amy nodded. She understood what the boss meant. It was nothing more than making arrangements when signing the contract.

He has to sign at least five film contracts, and then his salary will increase accordingly, and it cannot be calculated based on Li An's first film salary of 50 US dollars.

The maximum first film salary is 2 to 30 US dollars.

Li An originally found Li Yishu after he won the Berlin Golden Bear Award, so he had some fame behind him.

Wu Yusen is different. After failing twice in Hollywood, no one is willing to give him a chance to try.

If Li Yishu is willing to give him a chance, his initial salary must be lower, and 2 to 30 US dollars is not a small amount, which is about one or two million Hong Kong dollars when converted into Hong Kong dollars.

After sitting with Wu Yusen for a while, Li Yishu asked Amy to take him to the Golden Lion Films downstairs.

Last time he brought several scripts and asked Wu Yusen to choose carefully to see if there was one he liked.

Films such as "Wrong Turn" and "The Hills Have Eyes" are both representatives of low-cost, high-grossing films. Although times have changed, horror films will never go out of style.

The past was scary, and the future will be just as scary.

"Crack!"

Just as Li Yishu was sitting alone on the sofa drinking tea, she heard the door open. Turning back, she saw Monica Bellucci walking in with a smile on her face.

Li Yishu put his arm around the man's waist and let him sit on his lap. He smiled and asked, "How is it going? Has Li An finished the post-production?"

"It's almost done. I've been keeping an eye on it all this time."

Monica let out a long sigh and said, "Honey, you don't know how much pressure I've been under for the past six months. This is an investment of more than 1000 million US dollars. If it goes wrong, it will be terrible!"

"Don't stress so much. If you mess up, it's not your problem."

Li Yishu smiled and said, "And I believe in your ability. Li An told me privately before that you are a qualified producer + supervisor, and you have provided him with a lot of help in the filming of the crew. I believe that you will become a legendary female producer in Hollywood in the future."

"Really?!"

Monica's eyes lit up. She loved what she did. Ever since she tasted the joy of being a producer, she longed to become one of the famous producers in Hollywood.

"of course."

Li Yishu nodded in agreement: "Well, I will arrange for you to be the producer of my movie Chicago, but it will only be a nominal position."

"I don't have that much time if I don't put my name on it."

Monica shrugged and said, "Saw is already preparing a crew, and I'm the main producer."

Now the division of labor in arts and entertainment in the United States is very clear.

Amy is in charge of the head office's business, mainly the cinemas, film companies, and the production department.

David is in charge of the low-budget productions of Golden Lion Pictures, which are small-budget productions below $100 million and do not need to be reported to the headquarters.

Monica is a professional producer and company executive.

(End of this chapter)