This director is so innocent.

Chapter 159 Mulan and the Pieces

The next day, in the morning.

The sun was shining brightly, the sky was cloudless, and the blue was as clear as a jewel.

Su Jin opened his sleepy eyes, feeling dizzy and extremely uncomfortable from the hangover.

He frowned and rubbed his temples trying to relieve his headache, but it didn't help much.

Just then, the doorbell rang in the room.

"Sleep in the morning!"

Su Jin impatiently got dressed, opened the door, and saw Xiao Ying dressed neatly, carrying a small schoolbag, with a combination lock box standing next to her.

In her hands, she held a glass of dark amber water and a bag of breakfast.

"Good morning, boss!"

"Good morning—what's that in your hand?"

"Honey water! It helps relieve hangover headaches," Xiaoying said, handing the honey water to Su Jin.

"Thank you." Su Jin took the honey water and turned to ask, "Have they all left?"

"Teacher Yan Ni = Husband Han Jiu Zou Zi, Teacher Fu Hong and Uncle are not yet here."

Su Jin nodded, then went to wash up, while Xiao Ying helped him pack his things.

Soon after, I finished washing up, drank the honey water, and felt my headache was much better.

While eating breakfast and watching Xiaoying pack her things, Su Jin suddenly asked, "Xiaoying, aren't you tired of following me around?"

""

As soon as he said it, he knew he had asked in vain. What subordinate would tell their boss they're tired?

Sure enough, Xiaoying said she wasn't tired at all and even enjoyed it.

I don't know if I'll enjoy it, but I'm sure I'll be tired.

There are no specific working hours; we are on call 24 hours a day.

Su Jin rests, she rests; Su Jin goes to work, she goes to work; wherever Su Jin goes, she goes.

In addition to that, she also had to coordinate Su Jin's schedule with Zhao Shan, communicate with the organizers, and run errands.

For example, trivial matters such as buying food, booking plane tickets, train tickets, etc.

However, her salary is quite high, with a monthly salary of 8000 yuan plus 13 months' salary, an annual bonus of 20,000 to 30,000 yuan, and bonuses and gifts during holidays.

Accommodation is free; the company covers it.

Previously, Su Jin had bought more than a dozen apartments in a newly developed residential complex. Renting them out wouldn't bring in much money and would be troublesome, so she simply transferred them to the company as employee welfare housing.

The number of houses is not proportional to the number of people, so only those who make contributions or are in the company's management can have them.

Needless to say, she basically ate whatever Su Jin ate.

Over the course of a year, you should earn around 150,000 to 160,000.

Oh, and she also took out a loan to buy a small three-bedroom apartment near the outer third ring road.

After packing everything up, I said goodbye to everyone and boarded a plane back to Beijing.

There's still some wrap-up work to be done on "Lurking," but that's all for Jiang Wei.

I had just returned to the company when I received some bad news.

An 8-magnitude earthquake struck Sichuan Province, affecting 300,000 to 400,000 people. Su Jin donated 10 million yuan as a token of her condolences.

Several artists in the company also donated money to varying degrees.

On May 12th, we departed for Cannes.

This trip to Cannes wasn't just for the awards ceremony; it was also for selling films.

Filming for "Painted Skin" has wrapped up. We've edited a trailer and there's also a 30-minute clip.

"Ip Man" has not finished filming yet, but a trailer and a 34-minute clip have been edited.

The group that set off included the main cast and crew of "Painted Skin," but Chen Kun was unavailable as he was filming "Flower Cop."

Fan Xiaopang was the same; she joined the crew late, so it was even less likely that she would follow along.

Sister Xia followed along. Although she only had a few short scenes in "The Invisible Guest," she was still a key member of the production team!

However, she wasn't there to crash the red carpet; she was mainly there to have fun.

-

Yang Mi didn't go with them; filming for "The Dream of Red Mansions" starts on the 25th, and she needs to undergo etiquette training. Asa also didn't go; filming for "The Butterfly Lovers" has started, and she's the female lead.

This is where things get interesting.

He sent a text message to Yahuazi, subtly mocking him.

However, he's been riding high lately and no longer cares about "The Butterfly Sword".

A few days ago, Ya Huazi officially signed with WMA William Morris Agency, one of the world's three major talent agencies, becoming Zhang Ziyi's junior sister.

With the recent release of "The Forbidden Kingdom," it's enjoying unparalleled popularity and has the potential to soar to international fame.

As the saying goes, the higher you fly, the harder you fall.

After two years of the darkest period, with no acting opportunities and various negative rumors circulating online, he was left without any work.

"Nightclub" was taken off the air three days after May Day.

The final box office was pretty good, just breaking 60 million – 6034 million.

The original timeline of "Nightclub" grossed 1296 million.

"Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon" almost broke the 60 million mark—5967 million.

However, it grossed HK$1696 million in Hong Kong and performed well in Southeast Asian countries, bringing its global box office to HK$2073 million.

$2.

Airport, VIP waiting room.

Su Jin looked at Zhong Li and said, "Sister Fang, when did you resign?"

"Let's wait! I'll resign after I help Malaysia secure another project." Chung Lai-lao was also a little anxious. Seeing that Jianmu Media was growing bigger and bigger, she thought that if she didn't join now, she might not have a place left.

However, Big Dog Brother had treated her very well, and she just left like that; she simply couldn't get over it in her heart.

"What project?" Su Jin asked curiously.

"Company secret," Zhong Li replied casually. Since it involved company secrets, she didn't elaborate and changed the subject, saying, "Su Jin, Malaysia recently invested in a big-budget film. Would you be interested in auditioning for the male lead?"

"What movie?" Su Jin became interested when she heard "big production." These days, any movie that dares to call itself a "big production" has an investment of at least 8000 million.

"Mulan, with an investment of $1200 million," Chung Lai replied.

"Is the director Ma Chucheng?" Su Jin pressed.

"You know?" Zhong Lilao looked at Su Jin with a hint of surprise.

Logically speaking, the "Mulan" project is still in the project initiation stage, so Su Jin should not know about it.

"Hmm." Su Jin nodded, her interest vanishing instantly.

Are you interested?

"Not interested."

This "Mulan" is the same "Mulan" starring Zhao Zhetian and Chen Kun.

There are four investors in total, with Sina being the main controlling investor.

The other three investors are Hunan Provincial Broadcasting and Television Media Group, Starlight International, and Dama Benteng.

Ma Chucheng is very good at making romance films, that is, emotional films, but he simply can't handle epic period dramas.

Just look at his representative works, such as "Star Wish" and "Butterfly Lovers" —

The only connection between Ma Chucheng's "Mulan" and an epic is that watching the movie feels as long as an epic.

"Are you interested in directing?" Chung Lai suddenly asked.

"Director?" Su Jin asked in surprise.

"Yes, we haven't signed a director's contract with Ma Chucheng yet. It's just a verbal agreement. As long as you agree, the other investors should agree as well."

Su Jin stroked her chin, looking down in thought.

That's right, his interest has been piqued again.

As a legendary story known to every Chinese household, the story told in "The Ballad of Mulan" is actually quite simple.

It is the story of a woman who took her father's place in the army and fought on the battlefield for twelve years, and the twelve years in between were all in a poetic style.

Only the lines, "Traveling ten thousand miles to the battlefield, crossing mountains and passes as if flying. The northern wind carries the sound of metal, the cold light shines on iron armor. Generals die in a hundred battles, brave soldiers return after ten years," truly capture the spirit of those who bravely face danger.

A total of thirty characters.

For movies, this kind of story prototype is actually the best because it leaves a lot of room for interpretation and allows for creative development.

Unfortunately, the story in the movie "Mulan" is told in a bland and uninteresting way. Most of the plot is flat and uneventful from beginning to end. This means that there is a lack of conflict in the specific plot. Neither the relationships between the characters nor the plot has any ups and downs.

If the plot is modified to fit the definition of an action-packed movie, it should be able to gross 200 million yuan at the box office.

The original timeline of "Mulan" grossed 8900 million.

It could have grossed over 100 million, but it stubbornly chose to release during the Lunar New Year holiday, and ended up suffering a crushing defeat.

"Sister Fang, I can direct, but my company needs to invest, and I personally want 15% of the box office revenue."

"Box office revenue sharing is negotiable, but investing is a bit difficult."

"How so?"

"There are four investors in total. The largest investor is Sina, and the other three are Starlight International, Hunan TV & Broadcast Intermediary, and our Malaysian company, Bentech."

To be honest, our Malaysian investment firm, Ben Teng Investment, only has a 10% advantage over Hunan TV & Broadcast Intermediary Co., Ltd., which is negligible.

"Have you secured the funds?"

"No, it's still in the project initiation stage. It's all verbal agreement; there's no signed contract, and the script hasn't been produced yet."

"Then let's kick out the weakest team, Starlight International, and the three of us can form another team to play."

Zhong Li thought for a moment and said, "How about this? I'll contact the other two investors and see if they're willing."

"OK."

Zhong Li is the kind of person who acts decisively. After the chat ended, she took out her phone and went to the side to contact the other two investors.

A dozen minutes later, Zhong Li hung up the phone and came back saying, "Sina Weibo and Hunan TV & Broadcast Intermediary did not reply immediately, saying they would consider it."

"OK." Su Jin nodded and didn't ask any more questions.

After all, getting rid of investors is a big deal, and it can't be decided on a whim.

Shortly after, the plane arrived on time, and the group boarded.

After a day and a night of flying, the plane landed in Paris on the afternoon of the 13th, then transferred to Nice, and finally took an official car to Cannes.

On the way to the hotel, Su Jin saw many giant posters of Hollywood blockbusters.

Indiana Jones 4, Kung Fu Panda, Hancock —

And then there's our domestic blockbuster, "Red Cliff".

"Red Cliff" will be released in July, and we came here specifically to sell the film.

In February, I went to Berlin once, but I didn't disclose how much I sold. I just said that it sold pretty well, which implies that it didn't sell well.

If it were so good, it would have been announced long ago. Why would it be hidden?

The investors in "Red Cliff" include Lion Rock Pictures, which is actually Wu Baige's personal film company in North America. Zhang Jiazhen, a partner and producer of "Red Cliff", is in charge of managing the company.

The reason why "Ip Man", "Painted Skin" and "The Invisible Man" did not use giant posters was because they didn't have the money.

Such a giant poster, if hung for two weeks, would cost at least $100 million.

Upon arriving at the Carlton Hotel, Su Jin took a shower.

The rest of the itinerary was simple: I went with Chung Lai-fong and Wong Ka-keung to the film market on the basement floor of the Film Festival Palace.

Having already sold films once, I've built up a decent network of contacts.

Jianmu Media only set up a small booth here this time; the main deals will be made in the small private rooms rented by the Carlton Hotel across the street.

Looking around, Huang Jiaqiang sighed, "It feels like there are far fewer people this year!"

"That's normal, it's a financial crisis! The whole world is experiencing a cash crunch, only China is doing a little better," Zhong Li replied.

"Should we buy a few movies to take home?" Huang Jiaqiang suddenly said.

Zhong Lilao's eyes lit up: "Buy out the copyright and turn it into a bulk film?"

"Yes." Huang Jiaqiang nodded slightly, then turned to Su Jin and said, "Boss, what do you think?"

Su Jin thought for a moment and said, "Okay, but the cost must be kept below 20 US dollars. Don't buy it if it exceeds that number."

Those who frequently read Huayuwen (a Chinese entertainment news website) know that the rights to import films are held by China Film Group and Huaying Film Group.

In fact, private film and television companies can also buy out imported films and then release them as wholesale films.

However, if you want to release your film, you first need to submit it to China Film Group for preliminary review, and then China Film Group will submit it to the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television.

After the Film Bureau approves the import, it issues an import permit to China Film Group. Once the public screening license is issued, the imported films can be shown in domestic cinemas.

Unlike Hollywood blockbusters with revenue sharing, imported films are much cheaper, generally ranging from $1 to $20. Any more than that and you might lose money.

There are many reasons for the losses, including box office revenue and marketing.

Previously, making 100 copies of each imported film was sufficient. Now, to cover key cities across the country, at least 200 copies are needed, which would cost 200 million yuan (based on the most basic cost standard).

With the addition of a copyright buyout fee of 50 yuan and a translation fee of 50 yuan, the cost alone has reached 300 million yuan.

Of the box office revenue, cinemas and theater chains take about 40%, China Film Group or Huaxia Film Distribution takes about 25%, and private companies that assist in promotion receive about 35%.

Therefore, if the company wants to do more promotion, a single imported film needs to sell for nearly 900 million yuan to break even.

Nine million may seem like a small number, but if you add just 300,000 people, you can easily surpass that number.

But this number is difficult to obtain.

As mentioned before, investing in film and television dramas is no different from gambling.

Take "The Pursuit of Happyness" as an example.

It was released in North America on December 15, 2006, and grossed $3.07 million worldwide on a budget of $55 million, with overwhelmingly positive reviews.

It has a 9.2 rating on Douban in China.

It has an 8.9 rating on IMDb in North America and a 91% freshness rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

He has won numerous awards, including an Oscar nomination for Best Actor, a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor, and an MTV Movie Award for Best Performance. Even two years later, a movie with both critical acclaim and box office success would still require at least $200 million to win.

Then, on January 17th of this year, "The Pursuit of Happyness" was released, and its box office easily surpassed ten million in its opening weekend.

Many cinema chains predicted that the box office would be at least 5000 million, but the subsequent box office performance surprised everyone.

The box office plummeted, ultimately settling at 1321 million.