Chinese Entertainment: Directors Start with the Fairy Sister

The 25th Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Film Festival has announced its nominees: *Kekexili: Mountain Patrol*, *On the Taihang Mountains*, *Zhang Side*, etc.

[Li Yu's new film, "Apple," starring Fan Bingbing and Tong Dawei, has been selected for the Berlin International Film Festival!]

...

At the airport, Zhao Yanxi was still pondering her art film debut.

When I saw "Apple", the image of the big steamed buns I saw on a small website back then involuntarily came to mind.

It seems I won't get this treatment in this lifetime. When Little Fairy becomes Old Liu, things will be the same as before.

We'll just have to wait and see if burying it in the ground will make that hillside bigger...

"Bury... Berlin..."

Zhao Yanxi suddenly became excited, as if she had remembered a bunch of really awesome works on Banana.

A movie that can be made with just one lead actor and a coffin.

The plot is extremely simple; all you need to do is film the male lead. The rest of the plot is driven by voice-over. The original work was filmed in just half a month.

At the same time, Buried is not only a tense and exciting escape room movie, but also a mirror reflecting modern society, human nature and the state of existence, and provides a sharp metaphor and critique of America's Middle East policy and bureaucratic system.

As is well known, although the three major European cinemas are hailed as temples of cinematic art, they each have their own preferences when it comes to film genres.

Cannes, Venice, and Berlin correspond to art, commerce, and complex realistic themes, respectively.

Films like "Buried" perfectly fit the preferences of the Berlin International Film Festival organizing committee.

The timing is also perfect: the deadline for submissions to most sections of the Berlin International Film Festival is the end of November, but the main competition section will be postponed to mid-December.

A full month and a half was enough time for me to complete the production of this film.

I just hope that if it's two or three years ahead of schedule, the male lead won't be too far off, but I think a professional actor should be fine.

"Sissi, thank you!"

Zhao Yanxi excitedly sent a message to Xiao Liu: Who says smaller isn't good?

No one is perfect!

Liu Yifei, who was packing clothes with her mother, was a little confused when she suddenly received a message from Zhao Yanxi.

"What are you thanking me for?"

"Sissi, what's wrong?"

Seeing Liu Yifei staring blankly at her phone, Liu Xiaoli thought something had happened. Liu Yifei shook her phone and said, "Nothing, Yan Xi suddenly sent me a message saying thank you."

"This is a bit confusing, let me ask what's going on!"

"Speaking of Zhao Yanxi," Liu Xiaoli recalled the events of last night and lost interest in tidying up. She pulled her daughter to sit down on the bed and asked, "Qianqian, what do you think of Zhao Yanxi?"

"What do you mean, how do you see it?" Liu Yifei was still playing dead. "Just good friends."

"Hmph, in China, good friends don't usually come from relatives!" Liu Xiaoli gently exposed her daughter's pretense.

"Mom, you're peeking!" Liu Yifei said shyly.

"I was watching openly and honestly. If I hadn't seen it, were you planning to get a marriage certificate with someone else one day and then tell me?"

"How could that be?" Liu Yifei smiled shyly, obediently hugging her mother and sitting down beside her. "Mom, you are my dearest, dearest family member~~"

Looking at her daughter's charming appearance, Liu Xiaoli sighed softly, "Qianqian, just like what Mom told you that night."

"You're all grown up now. Mom doesn't object to you having a boy you like, but you must distinguish between liking and loving."

"Liking is impulsive, but love is restraint."

"You can have a boy you like, but you must never easily give up on yourself, your own life, your ideals and ambitions..."

"You're at the peak of your career right now. If a relationship were to be revealed, it would be a devastating blow to your acting career... Don't blame your mother for nagging..."

As her mother gave her her advice, Liu Yifei listened quietly.

She was already familiar with these words, yet she still sat obediently beside her mother, just like when she was a child, feeling the warmth of this care.

......

After boarding the plane, Zhao Yanxi took out her notebook and began writing the script.

The plot of "Buried Alive" is simple, but it puts the actors' dialogue skills to a severe test, and even more so the plagiarist's memory.

Unfortunately, Zhao Yanxi was exceptionally gifted; her memory was the one thing she had never lacked in her life.

When I landed in Los Angeles, Paul was already waiting for me at the airport.

"Tom, welcome to Los Angeles."

After they met, Paul, speaking in somewhat broken Mandarin, gave Zhao Yanxi a hug.

"Paul, your Chinese surprised me!"

Zhao Yanxi was quite surprised; the last time they met, Paul couldn't speak Chinese.

"Of course, you're my employer, and it's my responsibility to understand your country's culture and language. After all, it's rare to find such a generous boss!"

"Haha, thanks for the compliment~"

Upon arriving at the parking lot, Paul put Zhao Yanxi's luggage into the trunk and handed her a folder.

"Tom, you're a genius! You've written a great novel!"

Zhao Yanxi remained noncommittal, but upon opening the document, she found it contained the sales records for "Fifty Shades of Grey".

The sales contract was signed at the end of July, with the print books officially going on sale in Europe and America on September 1, and the online books officially going on sale on August 1.

Different versions were released for two or three months at a time.

Of these, 48 copies of the print version have already been sold, and the initial print run of 50 copies is expected to sell out this month. The publisher has already planned to print another 50 copies.

However, the e-book version is even more impressive. Each book is priced at only $9.9, and in the nearly three months since it was launched, it has sold an average of nearly 80 copies per month. This figure has already surpassed that of the vampire romance novel "Twilight" during the same period.

Zhao Yanxi was speechless with amazement; indeed, eroticism was the primary driving force.

Roughly estimated, after the initial print run of 50 copies is sold out, the publisher will still have to pay its remaining royalties, which will be similar to the previous transaction, and the publisher will probably receive 50 yuan in return.

Then another 50 copies were printed, and based on different royalty distributions, the total royalties would be approximately 120 million.

The revenue sharing for the electronic version is much simpler. After deducting the handling fee, the platform directly shares the revenue with the publisher. For every book sold, Zhao Yanxi can get 2 US dollars, which amounts to as much as 720 million US dollars.

"These are truly delightful numbers!"

"Haha, I think so too!" Paul said with a laugh.

"By the way, Paul," Zhao Yanxi said with a smile, "since you're learning Chinese, I think you can just call me by my Chinese name, Zhao Yanxi."

"The stove...speaks...happy?"

"Or just call me by my single name, 'Yan'."

Hearing Paul pronounce the word "Yan" most clearly, Zhao Yanxi could only simplify her name, since "Yan" was also the order of inheritance in the family genealogy.

"Okay, Yan!"

......

Crystal Culture Studio—that is, the name of the studio that Zhao Yanxi registered in the United States.

There's "Yanxi Studio" in China, and there's "Crystal Studio" abroad.

After Zhao Yanxi returned to China in August, Paul rented a two-story building in Hollywood as the studio's base.

Just like in China, the first floor serves as the office space, while the second floor is where Zhao Yanxi stays whenever she comes here.

Although the hotel was convenient, Zhao Yanxi still preferred to be alone for a quieter time.

After making some quick changes at the studio, Zhao Yanxi and Paul headed straight to 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood.

This is the headquarters of Paramount Pictures, and the location of the renowned Paramount Film Studio.

Zhao Yanxi did not look for anyone else to distribute "Paranormal Activity," but instead continued to look for Paramount Pictures, just like in the original work.

After all, among Hollywood companies that excel at distributing horror films, aside from Lionsgate which takes an unconventional approach, Paramount is the only one.

Lionsgate has its own Saw series, so putting Ghost in their hands might not be a good thing.

There is no need for extensive communication regarding the specific issuance terms.

Hollywood produces at least 800 to 1,000 low-budget horror films every year, and major companies have long established a very standardized distribution process.

The terms are straightforward—30% of the distribution revenue.

For example, a horror movie grossed 2000 million at the box office.

Of this, the theaters get 50%, which is 1000 million, leaving 1000 million for the distributor and the production company.

The distributor's 30% is 300 million, and the production company's remaining 600 million is the film company's!

If there are advertising expenses, they will be deducted from the 10 million yuan of both parties, and the remaining amount will be split 30/70 between the two parties.

However, distribution companies generally don't promote a horror film unless it shows amazing box office potential during preview screenings.

After the lawyer confirmed everything was correct, Paul signed the contract.

The release date has been set for the last day of October, Halloween Eve.

Although time is tight, it is enough to prepare for the release in dozens of theaters in Los Angeles.

Originally, this step could have been completed earlier with Paul signing the contract, as long as Zhao Yanxi provided a statement of consent.

However, for Zhao Yanxi, who has lived two lives, releasing a film in Hollywood was a first for her—a journey she had personally undertaken for the first time.

On the one hand, it's about seeing something new and interesting; on the other hand, it's about understanding Hollywood's production and distribution processes.

Although Paul was in charge of the subsequent specific matters, as the behind-the-scenes boss, he did not have to do everything himself, but he had to understand the process and key points.

"Paul, help me find an actor!"

"Who?"

"Ryan Reynolds!"