The director starts by learning from the abilities of renowned directors.

2004 was designated as the year of digital cinema at the national level.

On January 8, 2004, the State will release the "Opinions on Accelerating the Development of the Film Industry".

The opinion clearly states that, in order to encourage the production of more high-quality digital films, an Outstanding Digital Film Award will be added to the Huabiao Film Awards to promote the development and prosperity of digital films.

Crazy Stone won the newly established Huabiao Award for Outstanding Digital Film in 2006.

In mid-May 2004, the digital version of "Winter Solstice," the first high-definition digital film in China, was successfully released in digital cinemas across the country.

In early June 2004, the digital-to-film version of "Winter Solstice" was released on a large scale in traditional cinemas across the country.

In other words, if Dingxin Films were to immediately produce a high-definition digital film, there is a very high probability that it would be successfully released in theaters next year.

However, for Shen Qing, who has already acquired 99% of Zhang Yimou's professional skills, the current high-definition digital cameras still have significant shortcomings and are not enough to produce the texture of film.

Digital cameras could not truly replace or even surpass film cameras until the Arri Alexa camera was released in 2010.

The time traveler had countless excellent scripts in his mind that could be made extremely cheaply. Using Zhang Yimou's professional expertise to estimate the costs, Shen Qing easily arrived at a conclusion:

180 million is actually more than enough to shoot a 35mm film, provided that you have a good script that saves money from the start!

Zhao Hongwei and Wang Damin both looked at Shen Qing in surprise.

Shen Qing's expression became very serious:

"The shooting period should be controlled within 30 days, and at most no more than 45 days. The rental fee for all equipment, including lighting equipment, should be controlled within 30 yuan."

「一部电影的时长通常是90分钟，如果片比控制在1：3以内的话，就需要拍270分钟素材。柯达35mm彩色电影胶片每本是400尺，能拍4分多钟，90分钟电影大概需要68本。目前每本大概1500块，68本就是10万2千。洗印费用是3块每尺，总数大概8万多块。那幺电影在胶片上的花费就是不到20万。」

"Even when shooting a 120-minute feature film, as long as the film ratio is strictly controlled within 1:3, it only requires 95 reels of film. Including processing, the cost of film stock does not exceed 30 yuan."

"Frequent location changes consume a lot of time and money. The most cost-effective movies are those that are filmed in one or two scenes. For such movies, it is easy to keep the location fees and set construction costs under 20 yuan."

"The salaries of behind-the-scenes staff will be kept below 15 yuan."

"We'll use film and television academy students or drama center actors. Their acting skills are guaranteed, and they're cheaper. The total remuneration can be kept under 10 yuan."

"Food and lodging expenses should be under 10 yuan."

"The total cost of makeup, props, and costumes is 5 yuan."

"That's already 120 million. The remaining 60 is enough to cover other miscellaneous expenses and to deal with emergencies."

Zhao Hongwei and Wang Damin were both speechless after hearing Shen Qing's words.

"Keeping the film ratio within 1:3 is not easy, is it? Nowadays, the film ratio for commercial films is generally 1:8."

Zhao Hongwei took a breath and then frowned.

「1：3曾是各大电影製片厂的通行标準，张一谋等导演也都是这样过来的。上影厂曾以严格控制胶片的『拍片比』而闻名，当年的行业标準是1：3，上影厂曾做到1：2。那时即使老资历如谢晋，片比也很少超过1：6。」沈青回道。

Wang Damin frowned and said, "I remember that the ratio of your two films to each other was around 1:20, right?"

Shen Qing said, "Because we were using a standard definition digital camera at the time, the control chip ratio was meaningless."

Zhao Hongwei's brow remained furrowed: "A single-scene film would certainly be very cost-effective, but filmmaking shouldn't be about saving money for the sake of saving money. Can a good film be made with a single scene?"

"Give me 150 million, I'll write the script, I'll direct the film, and then making a high-quality 35mm film will be no problem."

After a moment of silence, Shen Qing surprisingly lowered the budget, cutting it from 1.8 million to 1.5 million, even more rudimentary than the digital film "Winter Solstice," clearly to demonstrate his determination and confidence. He continued, "I don't want script fees or director's fees, but if the film grosses over 10 million, I want 20% of the revenue."

The entire office fell silent. The three of them looked at each other, each lost in their own thoughts.

In 2002, there were only nine films that grossed over 10 million yuan at the box office. This year, due to the impact of the pandemic, the situation is far worse than last year, and there may only be five or six films that gross over 10 million yuan.

"I'll add another 50 to your budget, bringing the total to 200 million. We can then hire some well-known actors. However, if the film doesn't gross over 1000 million at the box office, there will be no payment. But all of this is contingent on you first producing a high-quality script!"

Zhao Hongwei broke the silence by staring into Shen Qing's eyes.

"I'll have the script in 10 days!"

Shen Qing immediately agreed.

After Shen Qing left the company, Vice President Wang Damin expressed his confusion to Chairman Zhao Hongwei.

Zhao Hongwei said calmly, "A few days ago, Director Li from the movie channel spoke with me privately and said that if our company takes on any more projects from the movie channel in the future, it would be best to entrust them to Shen Qing for direction."

Wang Damin: "?"

Zhao Hongwei said, "It's not 1999 anymore. In 1999, the movie channel was extremely short of content, so it accepted anything. Now, the movie channel has initially solved the problem of content shortage. Major professional film and television companies, studios, and GG companies are all vying for a piece of the TV movie pie. There are more and more excellent teams working in this field, and the movie channel can be more selective."

Wang Damin remained silent.

Zhao Hongwei was quite open-minded: "My abilities are limited and my level is average. The works I produce can no longer meet the quality requirements of the movie channel. As for Shen Qing, the two movies he directed were among the top in the channel in terms of both critical acclaim and viewership. Our company needs a new partner, otherwise the old model can't continue."

"Being among the top is also being among the top in the TV movie industry. Box office revenue of over ten million means being among the top in theatrical films. It means competing with big directors like Zhang Yimou, Chen Kaige, and Feng Xiaogang!" Wang Damin said.

Zhao Hongwei said, "Our company can afford the 2 million. Even if the box office is dismal after the release, we can still recoup 600,000 to 700,000 by selling the TV rights to the movie channel. If we can also sell the overseas rights and get some government subsidies, we might not lose much. If we succeed, the company will take a big leap forward. Even if we fail, it won't be a crippling blow. And—if we really fail, we'll still invite him to officially join Dingxin as a partner. Won't he give us his all in the future?"

……

Shen Qing left the company and passed by a noodle shop. The unique aroma of the noodles made her mouth water, so she turned around and went inside.

"Boss, a bowl of flat noodles, please."

"Large bowl or small bowl?"

"Big bowl, wide, extra chili, plus an egg and a dried tofu roll."

"Okay, make yourself at home, it'll be ready in a minute."

After sitting down, Shen Qing pondered the script and the comparison of the film while waiting for the film to be served.

Keeping the ratio of film to film within 1:3 is fine.

Zhang Yimou can do that.

One of Zhang Yimou's greatest strengths is his consideration for investors; he almost never overspends.

If Zhang Yimou can do it, he can do it too!

Fortunately, he took the photo with Zhang Yimou, which allowed him to capture 99% of Zhang Yimou's professional abilities, thus making 95 rolls of film sufficient.

If it were Jiang Wen instead...

Even 950 rolls of film might not be enough!

Jiang Wen used 1200 reels of film for his film "Devils on the Doorstep".

All things considered, the ratio of films to screens even reached 1:30!

The movie "Let the Bullets Fly" used an astonishing 250 reels of film and 10 feet of footage just for the Feast at Hongmen scene alone. It was like the budget was flowing like water!

There are even more exaggerated claims that the scene of the Feast at Hongmen used 450 rolls of film, totaling 18 feet!

Shen Qing shook her head.

Regarding the ratio of shots to cuts, he actually has an advantage that other directors don't have: he has the finished film in his mind, so he can shoot only the shots that can be included in the final cut.

He felt he could even challenge a 1:2 film ratio, provided, of course, that there were good actors.

Director Jia's "Xiao Wu" had a total investment of only 38 yuan, and the funds were extremely tight. At that time, the film was even planned according to a 1:2 film ratio.

I remember that when the Kodak manager heard that the production team was in such dire financial straits, he personally gave Section Chief Jia five reels of film.

"Xiao Wu" used 16mm film, also 400 feet per reel, but each reel of 16mm film could be shot for 11 minutes, which means that Kodak's manager gave Section Chief Jia 55 minutes of footage for free.

Even so, the ratio of films to screens for "Xiao Wu" was less than 1:3.

So the film ratio isn't the problem; the key is to find a good script with a sufficiently simple setting.

Crazy Stone is certainly a representative of low-budget films, but the scenes are still a bit complicated. It's not the most cost-effective movie, and the script seems to have already been written by this time.

The scenes in "Lost in Thailand" include airplane cabins, train stations, long-distance buses, ferries, county hotels, villages, highways, and more...

One of the most expensive things about making movies is actually the transitions!

Every time the crew moves, the entire production team—personnel, equipment, vehicles, accommodations, etc.—has to be moved, which consumes a huge amount of time and money.

The textbook example of a budget-friendly movie is definitely "Nightclub," where over 90% of the plot takes place in a supermarket.

but……

Shen Qing rejected what seemed to be the most ideal option.

"Nightclub" is indeed good, but he lacked an instinctive creative impulse for this story.

Are there any other options?