Chinese Entertainment: Directors Start with the Fairy Sister

Hollywood may be glamorous, but survival is not easy.

With Paul's introduction, Zhao Yanxi learned about the rules of making movies in Hollywood.

Putting aside the deposits required by various unions, there's also the requirement to rent American filming equipment.

These two expenses combined amount to at least a million US dollars.

For the first printing of "Fifty Shades of Grey," Zhao Yanxi only received $500,000 in royalties. The remainder would be settled in installments after the novel had been on the market for six months.

Even if we include the 200 million in China, which is equivalent to nearly 25 US dollars, the total is only a little over 70.

Making a movie? What a load of rubbish!

"etc!"

Zhao Yanxi suddenly had a flash of inspiration: she could actually film a ghost!

Ghosts are not allowed in domestic horror films, but it's different in Hollywood.

There's absolutely no need for me to think about making low-budget, high-return dramas like "Juno," "Neighbors," or "Get Out." I could totally make a horror movie!

I have quite a few low-budget, high-quality horror movies in my mind, such as the Insidious series, the Conjuring series, and the Paranormal series.

Although the first two films in the series cost two to three million dollars, which is not feasible for the time being, we can afford to make Paranormal Activity!

How much does it cost to rent a camera?

The original film initially cost $22, but he used his own house. He doesn't own property in Hollywood and needed to rent a filming location.

How much will the rental fee be for a few days of shooting?

At most $30, the entire movie could be filmed.

And how much did this movie gross? — $1.93 million!

Of course, like other horror film series, the reason this movie achieved high box office success was due to the large amount of advertising expenditure.

Paramount spent $20 million on promotion for "Paranormal Activity," which resulted in a box office success of nearly $200 million.

But Zhao Yanxi's ambitions weren't that great; she didn't need it to reach 200 million in box office revenue.

With a production cost of 300,000, a box office of 700,000 to 800,000 would be enough to break even.

There are also multiple revenue streams such as TV on-demand, streaming media, and DVDs. Even if it only earns $10, it would still be nearly a million dollars when converted back to China.

More importantly, if I don't act quickly, the "Shutter" series will be released in two years.

Strike first and secure the copyright.

When I have the money to do publicity in the future, I will continue to film other parts of the "Shutter" series.

......

"Tom, I feel like you're dreaming. You think you can make a movie with just a camera and a house?"

"Of course, Paul," Zhao Yanxi urged, "Help me get in touch with him as soon as possible. Once my movie starts filming, I guarantee you'll receive a red envelope worth at least five figures."

"Oh God, you are so kind," Paul said solemnly. "Even without this bonus, I would still help you for the sake of the commission from 'Fifty Shades of Grey'."

"Then I won't give it to you?"

"How can you go back on something that even God knows?"

Zhao Yanxi was speechless at the fat black man's behavior of getting a good deal and then acting innocent.

Fortunately, although the other party was all talk, they were very efficient and quickly arranged equipment rental and filming location for Zhao Yanxi.

At the same time, bypassing the labor union, he used his previous connections as a professional manager in the film and television industry to find a casting director for Zhao Yanxi.

American filmmaking craftsmanship is sometimes reflected in its clear division of labor:

For example, the general director oversees the entire film's artistic creation; the assistant director is responsible for supervising the budget and schedule; the casting director formulates casting strategies and signs big-name stars; and the audition director is responsible for the actors' auditions...

Therefore, in Hollywood, the producer-centric system is generally practiced.

Aside from a few famous directors like Steven Spielberg, Christopher Nolan, and James Cameron who also serve as producers, the producers control everything in other film crews, while others, including the general director and executive directors, are basically just tools.

There's no need for audition directors. As for the actors' requirements, there are already successful examples from the previous life, so there's no need for too many auditions.

Ideally, choose a couple who have been together for many years, as this increases the credibility of their identities.

They don't have to be actors, but it would be even better if they could correctly understand the roles and lines of the male and female leads in the movie.

After Zhao Yanxi told the casting director her casting requirements, the director quickly began the recruitment, audition and interview process.

While casting, Zhao Yanxi and several crew members also rearranged the filming location to make the sound effects and set design more natural.

......

"Yanxi, when are you coming back to the capital?"

Liu Yifei, who was in China, also inquired about Zhao Yanxi's situation: "The godfather has arranged my coming-of-age ceremony and the signing ceremony with Sony, which will be on my birthday."

"Mom said that after signing the contract, I will go to Sony headquarters for training."

"I told my mom that 'You Are the Apple of My Eye' will be released during the National Day holiday, and I want to wait until after the holiday to leave, and she agreed."

Because of the time difference between the two places, Zhao Yanxi did not reply immediately.

When he saw the message, he could almost see through the screen a cute girl lying on the bed, fiddling with her legs, playing with her phone and smiling mischievously.

Congratulations! You're finally able to realize your musical dream!

"I'm filming a movie here, and I'll definitely be back before the 25th!"

The casting director has selected the lead actor who satisfies Zhao Yanxi from hundreds of auditionees.

Once everything was ready, Zhao Yanxi immediately turned on the camera.

Hollywood has no shortage of crew members; as long as you have money, you can assemble a crew immediately.

Domestically, Liu Yifei was also stunned for a moment when she saw the news about Zhao Yanxi.

"Weren't you going to publish a novel? How come you're making a movie about it?"

"Hehe, I just got into the mood and made a horror movie. After all, it's not easy to make this kind of thing in China, so I had to do it here."

"Can we finish filming by the 20th? If we really can't come back, then let's just call it a day. Don't rush things."

These words were absolutely sincere. Although she hoped that Zhao Yanxi could witness her coming of age, Liu Yifei also understood the difficulty of assembling a crew to make a movie in Hollywood.

Whether it's rushing to film on schedule or taking leave to come back for their own coming-of-age ceremony, it's a huge loss for the production team.

Domestic film crews can lose tens of thousands of yuan a day if they have to shut down, let alone Hollywood ones!

"It's okay, horror movies are filmed quickly. I estimate it'll be finished in ten days at most!"

"Okay, I want to see it after you finish filming~"

"no problem!"

"come on!"

...

Even if Zhao Yanxi is clueless when it comes to relationships, he knows that if a girl is willing to chat with you across time zones, it doesn't mean she likes you a lot, but it definitely means she doesn't dislike you.

Even if she has some feelings for you, it doesn't mean she's narcissistic.

For Zhao Yanxi, that was enough!

If your idol has a slight crush on you and is willing to take a step towards you, what's wrong with you taking 99 steps towards her?

King Wen pulled the chariot for 800 steps, and the Zhou Dynasty lasted for 800 years; I myself took 99 steps, and we loved each other for 99 years!

Isn't this unreasonable?

Of course it makes sense. Don't forget that you're half a Taoist priest, capable of divination and fortune-telling.

This is the result of my own calculations!

With encouragement from Xiao Liu, Zhao Yanxi put even more effort into the filming.

The filming, originally planned for 10 days, was successfully completed in just 8 days!

"Tom, you're the fastest man I've ever met."

"Paul, I think you don't want the red envelope anymore!"

"Okay, I was wrong. You are the best producer I have ever seen. You got a movie done in 8 days and for 24."

"It's not that fast, it's still a little short."

There's still something to do later.

However, unlike other films with their lengthy post-production process, Paranormal Activity, as its name suggests, emphasizes "realism," meaning the story was filmed in chronological order.

In post-production, they simply edited out the unnecessary footage and added some scary sound effects.

It took Zhao Yanxi three days to finish editing "Paranormal Activity".

We'll deal with the distribution and release of "You Are the Apple of My Eye" after it's released in China.

Once this matter is settled, I'll buy a ticket and head back home!