Big names rise

Now that the 08-09 Lunar New Year schedule is about to enter, He Mu actually wanted to put "Supermarket" in this schedule, which really surprised Xu Zheng and Yang Qing, and the production cycle is too short.

But if you think about it carefully, it seems that what he said is also true. Chinese people especially like to go to the cinema in pairs to watch some happy movies at the end of the year and the beginning of the year. The important reason for being able to dominate the Lunar New Year file, if "Supermarket" is in other time frames, I am afraid it will be a little weaker.

"But you also have to consider that there are so many strong players in the New Year's Eve. Although the schedule advantage is obvious, the competitive pressure is still high." Xu Zheng said, he also has some research on the film market.

"So we have to choose the best release date in the long Lunar New Year file, and there is still more than a month to enter the Lunar New Year file. Most of the movies have basically confirmed their schedules, and we will go around those blockbuster movies," He Mu said, "I checked For the film schedule for the next three months, I think the more competitive ones include "Mei Lanfang" in early December, "If You Are the One" and "Ip Man" in the middle of December, "Red Cliff Part II" in early January, and "Crazy" in the second half of the year. "Stone", February is the tail end of the Lunar New Year file, and there are basically no strong new films."

He Mu looked at Xu Zheng, "In my opinion, the filming and post-production of "Supermarket" will not take long, and it will be completely completed and ready for release in mid-to-late December, but "If You Are the One" has the labels of Feng Xiaogang and Ge You We will definitely not be able to resist the comedies, and it is best to avoid "Red Cliff: Next" in January, brother Xu. You think the quality of "Crazy Racing" is good."

Back then, "Crazy Stone" was so popular that it attracted a large number of unknown newcomers, so much so that it was heard that Ning Hao was going to make "Crazy Racing", a movie that clearly bears the imprint of madness.And the leading role is Huang Bo, who became popular with "The Stone", and all Stone fans and comedy fans are crazy about it. Although the production cost of the movie "Racing Car" will not be too high, the box office will definitely not be too bad.

Although Xu Zheng is still only a cameo in "Crazy Racing", he is a member of the "Stone Gang" and has a good relationship with Ning Hao and others. He must have watched the finished film. "I don't want to reveal too much. Although this movie may not be as detailed as "Stone" in terms of plot, it is better produced. It is also very good-looking. The box office of 8000 million should not be a problem. It is a very competitive movie. For films, China Film Group moved "Red Cliff" to early January. In fact, it is to take care of the market for "Racing Cars." Both "Red Cliff" and "Racing Cars" have investment from China Film Group.Pulling a two-week gap between the two is hoping to maximize the benefits.

Xu Zheng couldn't say in front of Yang Qing that "Supermarket" is not as good as "Crazy Racing", but the fact is that "Supermarket" is not as good as "Racing", regardless of the investment in the film, the level of the script, or the appeal of the director. With this in mind, the only thing in "Supermarket" that can compare with "Racing Car" is that He Mu is more handsome than Huang Bo.

He Mu originally intended to launch "Supermarket" in late January, before the Chinese New Year, so that it could compete with "Crazy Racing" at the same time.Although it is the same type of comedy, it is a bit of a crash.However, in order to pay tribute to the publicity strategy of "Crazy Stone", it should be good to use the strong fan popularity of Stone Gang members Xu Zheng and He Mu as a selling point, but if "Crazy Racing" has a good reputation and momentum, "Supermarket "I'm afraid it's a bit difficult to get ahead, and it may even be reduced to cannon fodder in the comparison with "Racing Car", so it's better not to go head-to-head with it.

"Then let's set it at the beginning of February for the time being." He Mu made a final decision. The beginning of February has caught up with the end of the Lunar New Year. Although the market is definitely not as hot as it was before, the pressure of competition is also small. If "Crazy Racing" hits the box office, Perhaps it will increase the audience's attention to such films.

After the schedule is confirmed, all the work will be for the release of the movie at that time. He Mu first signed an agreement with Yang Qing, and Tiger Wolf will produce and distribute his movie. As for the production funds, He Mu will invest it himself. When the time comes There is no need to tell Yang Qing and the others about the money handed over to Tiger Wolf Company, and he will still handle it. Next, He Mu got some materials and certificates provided by Yang Qing, and is going to send the script of "Supermarket" to the Film Bureau for project approval. .

"Wait, I thought of a big question. Has this movie really been called this name all the time? "Supermarket" seems a bit too common." He Mu felt that it was necessary to change a new name. Although the name "Supermarket" was appropriate, it was I'm afraid it will be difficult to arouse the interest of ordinary audiences, and it lacks obvious selling points.

Xu Zheng and Yang Qing nodded at the same time, Yang Qing thought for a while, "Why don't we call it Crazy Supermarket?"

He Mu and Xu Zheng shook their heads at the same time. Although "Crazy xx" is not Ning Hao's patent, everyone has the right to call it this name, but "Crazy Stone" is too famous, and Ning Hao's new film is also "Crazy xx", If they are still "Crazy xx", they will easily feel like a cottage, and once "Crazy Supermarket" has a lower reputation than "Crazy Racing", it may affect other audiences' perceptions of this movie.

After denying "Crazy Supermarket", He Mu and the other three successively proposed names such as "Supermarket Heist", "Supermarket Little Heist", "One Thought", and "Nightclub". ", it sounds like it should be liked by young people, after all, our main audience is young people who like comedy."

In the end, Xu Zheng suggested, "Nightclubs are easy to trigger other associations. After all, supermarkets are only stores opened at night, and they are still different from nightclubs in the eyes of young people. Why not add something between nightclubs."

Thus, the name "Nightclub" was finalized, and He Mu and Yang Qing sent it to the Film Bureau for approval, which should be approved within a week.

On the 26th, the Tokyo International Film Festival closed, and there were no Chinese films. Only Chen Kaige and Russian director Nikita Mikhalkov won the Akira Kurosawa Award. Another thing worth mentioning is He Mu's riot in Tokyo. It's over, the impact of that incident has gradually faded now, but He Mu's name has been made public. Now he has a very high reputation in Japan, and next year there will be two movies "Red Cliff. Next" and "One Shot 147" has been released in Japan one after another, and I believe his reputation will be further consolidated by then.

After meeting with Yang Qing and Xu Zheng, Yang Qing continued to improve the script and write the storyboard script, while He Mu had to complete the commercial shooting tasks assigned by his superiors, and often chatted with the boys from the film department. Now they are all He Mu's. soldier.

Chen Li suggested to He Mu: "If the filming starts in November and is released in February, the time in between is too short. I suggest starting the filming or even starting publicity from now on. After a two-month publicity period, it would be better to have By the way, Mr. He, how much is the publicity fee?"

"Small-budget films are easily overlooked by the market, so you can't save on publicity, otherwise you won't have a sense of existence at all. How about publicity costs accounting for about two-thirds of the production cost?" He Mu asked Chen Li, an expert.

Chen Li thought for a while, "The initial publicity cost of "Stewardess" was only 150 million. Mr. He dared to spend 200 million on such an ultra-low-budget movie. Mr. He is very courageous."

"You think this number is okay."

"Pretty good."

"Well, write me a publicity plan from now until it's released in February. The more detailed the better, fully mobilize every factor that can attract the audience to the cinema." He Mu began to give orders.

"But Mr. He, who is the heroine? This is very important for our publicity." Chen Li asked.

"The heroine, Tang Xiaolian," He Mu narrowed his eyes, "Let me think about it again, you write the plan first, I'm going to shoot a commercial."

The commercial for Audi a6l was rather cumbersome to shoot. It was necessary to block off a section of highway to complete the filming. Fortunately, He Mu’s driving skills were good enough to meet the director’s difficult requirements. However, it took three days to complete the commercial. After filming, it was evening when He Mu returned to the villa in the capital. He saw Du Wen walking the dog with his wife. This was the first time He Mu saw Du Wen's mysterious wife. Unexpectedly, Du Wen Mrs. Wen turned out to be a foreigner with blonde hair and blue eyes.

Du Wen introduced He Mu to his wife, and introduced his wife Elena to He Mu. Elena is very beautiful, and she is the kind who kills things. She should be less than thirty years old and a few years younger than Du Wen. He Mu can also speak English but is not proficient, so the dialogue between the two often needs Du Wen as a bridge.

After chatting for a while, He Mu thought of something, "By the way, Lao Du, how about I want to discuss a business with you?"

"What business?" Du Wen asked curiously.

"Do you know about placing advertisements?" He Mu asked.

"You think I'm an uneducated rich man. My buddy is an advertiser in the United States. The model of placing advertisements in film and television works is very mature in the United States. Some domestic commercial film directors represented by Feng Xiaogang also I’m trying to do this, wouldn’t I know?” Du Wen was obviously very dissatisfied with He Mu’s contempt.

"I just remember that you are rich and powerful, but I forgot that you are still a returnee who has never seen the world. I am wrong, it is like this. I am going to make a movie recently. Do you want to cooperate?" To the minimum, He Mu came up with the idea of ​​placing advertisements, because the whole shooting scene was a supermarket, so he first thought of Xi'ao carrot juice, although the situation of Xi'ao carrot juice is very good now, but Du Wen has never decreased Through the investment in advertising, it is even increasing every quarter.

"It depends on what kind of conditions you can come up with. Come on, let's go into the house and talk," Du Wen invited He Mu to his house, "By the way, try my wife's craftsmanship."

... (To be continued..)

ps: [ps: the first update~]