Chapter 1675
Too Naive
After leaving China Film Group, Zhang Yuan went directly to the company and had a formal meeting with Legendary Pictures in his office.
Post-production on Pacific Rim has been completed, and the final film meets release standards.
Thanks to his efforts, the application has also been approved in China.
Now we're just waiting for the film to be released so we can all make money together.
Legendary Pictures boss Toole is quite confident, believing this is the first step for Legendary to produce blockbuster films on its own.
If successful, it can lead to promotion to a top Hollywood studio.
As agreed by both parties, this film will also be one of the few Hollywood movies to be released in other regions first.
“Tour, you have made a very brave decision.”
"I believe that the Chinese market will respond to your decision with the utmost enthusiasm."
"I hope so." The other person didn't really care.
According to the agreement, Zhang Yuan paid 7000 million US dollars, accounting for nearly 40% of the total cost.
He only takes 20% of the box office revenue from the North American market, but all the revenue from the mainland China market goes to him.
Accordingly, Legendary Pictures will not handle the promotion and distribution in mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan; these tasks will be handled by Cross-Strait Films, which will act as the distributor.
You're the one who earns the money, so of course you have to pay for the marketing and promotion.
Tours only provided the minimum amount for publicity and marketing expenses in the name of the company.
The publicity and marketing expenses in mainland China, including Hong Kong and Taiwan, should not be less than US$300 million.
The equivalent of RMB is approximately less than 2000 million.
At this point, China's marketing and promotion expenses had already increased, after all, there were more internet platforms, but it wasn't as exaggerated as it would be in later years.
2000 million can do a lot; half of that money can be used to hold dozens of press conferences and roadshows across the country.
The other party did not want the film to perform poorly in mainland China because Zhang Yuan was reluctant to spend money on promotion and distribution.
Meanwhile, in North America, Legendary Pictures offered ten times that amount for marketing and distribution!
In addition to advertising in theaters and on the big screen, Legendary Pictures also hired Alex Irwin, a contract writer who created background comics for movies such as Transformers, Iron Man, and Batman.
They did detailed background design for the film and also created the novel and comics.
The story begins 13 years before the film's release, when a wormhole appears at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean and Los Angeles is attacked.
The movie's story begins in 2020, while the main storyline starts five years later.
Don't ask why we haven't built a mecha yet, now that it's well past 2020.
The fantasy is this: people tend to think that human technology is too advanced, especially in Hollywood.
Anyway, they're just bragging; I don't have to actually do the work.
The story spanning from 13 to 20 was covered by comics and novels.
These sub-products provide detailed information on the origins, features, and details of dozens of unreleased mechs, establishing a fairly solid world-building framework.
Reading the comic book or novel first and then watching the movie will make you feel more immersed in the story.
However, these items are mainly sold in North America because Americans have a habit of reading comics.
Similar to how children in China used to read comic books.
It's just that we've lost this kind of culture, and it will take time to pick it up again.
They've always maintained this habit; many celebrities are comic book collectors.
They have comic book stores all over the country, and Hasbro and Hottoys have licensed them to produce figurines and models for sale in major shopping malls.
With just these earnings, the movie earned several million US dollars even before its release.
But these things simply don't work in China!
People read pirated comics, and genuine figurines cost thousands of dollars each, but few people actually buy them. Pirated versions will appear soon, selling for only 1/10 of the price.
Therefore, Zhang Yuan did not consider starting from these two points.
"I'm sorry for keeping you from leaving get off work." After speaking with North America, Zhang Yuan called Jia Shikai, who had been waiting for a long time, into his office.
"I ordered takeout, let's have a quick meal together first."
Zhang Yuan beckoned him to the coffee table.
The simple meal Zhang Yuan mentioned was indeed a simple meal—just two Taiwanese bento boxes.
He ordered the cheapest braised pork rice, because he had to film a movie later and couldn't eat anything too fancy.
"I have kept you here today because I have an important task for you," he said while eating.
"Our first major collaboration with Legendary Pictures, the film Pacific Rim, is about to begin its promotional and distribution in mainland China."
“I’m putting you in charge of this job.” He pointed with his chopsticks, then put them down and stopped eating.
Jia Shikai is quite well-behaved now. Seeing that he stopped eating after only eating half of his food, he quickly stopped as well.
"It's okay, you can keep eating. I'm controlling my weight for filming."
"You're so busy with work, you need to eat more."
Only then did the other person pick up their chopsticks again.
"This mission is very important; it's a major project."
"It's also a test for you."
"You need to put in more effort and achieve results in the nationwide promotion and distribution of imported blockbusters."
The man, who was eating chicken leg rice, looked up and asked.
What is the specific budget?
It's right to ask about money first when getting things done.
Those bosses who don't allow money to be discussed are the worst. Capitalists talk about money. If you expect someone to do things without discussing money, that's like a feudal landlord.
Just like Pang Donglai, they are simply providing employees with an excellent working environment and benefits in a very rational way, in order to improve work efficiency and safeguard the company's long-term development and interests.
He is regarded as a "philanthropist" by the people of the whole country, which is entirely due to the contrast with his peers.
Zhang Yuan knew perfectly well that it was impossible to make a horse run without feeding it.
BMWs not only waste grass, but also fuel.
He had thought about this before, and answered without any hesitation.
"8000."
"Take the young master!"
With a thud, Jia Shikai loosened his chopsticks, and the crispy fried chicken leg fell onto the table. He frantically tried to stop it from landing on the carpet.
"You're not talking about the Japanese yen, are you?" the man asked tremblingly.
“I also have US dollars,” Zhang Yuan said with a smile, crossing his arms. “That’s Chinese yuan.”
"I plan to invest 8000 million yuan in the publicity and promotion of this film."
He swallowed hard.
This number is unprecedented and unparalleled in the country!
How much money do most movies make when they're box office hits?
The marketing campaign for "Lost in Thailand" only cost around ten million.
Who would dare to spend so much money on publicity and promotion?
crazy!
What if I don't break even?
"Don't panic, I'll sign off on the project proposal. If there are any problems, the responsibility will be mine."
Zhang Yuan first reassured him.
He could tell the other person was clearly scared.
Such a large sum of money, although it doesn't need to be taken out all at once, still needs to be settled eventually.
He can't afford the losses that would result.
"But I also need to make it clear to you that this money must be used effectively, and I will review and approve every single transaction," Zhang Yuan reminded him, squinting his eyes.
Trying to make a fortune off this opportunity? No way!
"What I'm going to do is a grand plan that's unprecedented."
"This project is very important; it should set a good precedent and serve as a positive example for the company's IPO."
"We must demonstrate our pioneering spirit and our ability to accomplish great things."
"Only in this way can we gain market confidence," Zhang Yuan said with a relaxed expression.
The key now is not how much you earn, but how much you dare to spend!
Afraid to spend money but still want to go public?
"I want to use this film and its promotion to show my colleagues across China how to do film promotion in the Internet age," Zhang Yuan said confidently.
Jia Shikai still dared not speak.
I glanced at the bento box in front of me.
Is it a bit too down-to-earth for us to be eating boxed lunches that cost a dozen yuan while discussing business deals worth tens of millions?
“I already have a clear direction for our marketing strategy.” Zhang Yuan looked at him with a determined gaze: “Are you familiar with the concept of viral marketing?”
……
I talked to him for over an hour, then told him to go home and rest, and that he would officially start work tomorrow.
He sat in the company for a while longer, and around 10 o'clock, he made a call to North America.
"Hey, my friend, how have you been lately?" Soon, a shrewd, gruff voice came from the other end of the phone.
The time difference between China and the United States is at least 12 hours.
It also has Eastern Time Zones, such as New York.
Central Chicago time zone.
Denver is a mountainous time zone.
Los Angeles uses the Pacific Time Zone.
There are also Alaska and Hawaii time zones. North America is not only diverse in terms of ethnicities, but also in terms of time. Los Angeles time is 14 to 15 hours behind China, so it's afternoon tea time there right now.
The person Zhang Yuan was talking to was none other than the fat man Harvey.
This guy partyes every night, and he might not get up until any other time. I deliberately waited until this time to call him.
When he called, the other party was very excited, as if he was about to bite someone.
“Very good, I miss my friend very much.” Zhang Yuan continued to feign politeness with this person as always.
Dealing with this kind of person is purely about mutual benefit; sincerity is unnecessary.
"I miss our collaboration even more."
"Especially like the last 'Fast and Furious' movie."
Last time, he had the other party sell the proceeds from the sixth installment, which hadn't been filmed yet, in advance and convert them into cash.
This time, he approached the other party with the same question.
"Oh?"
However, the other party did not laugh heartily as usual, but quickly continued to look for business to make money.
Instead, he hesitated for a moment.
This was unusual, but Zhang Yuan was preoccupied and didn't pay attention.
“I have another new movie in hand, and I want to do the same thing, package and sell the box office revenue in North America and most of the West in advance.”
Are you interested?
He was referring to Pacific Rim!
……
After a busy night, I took a car to Tianjin the next morning.
This play was not filmed in a studio, and there were almost no special effects; it was all filmed on location.
The main settings are universities, abandoned campuses, and office buildings—that's about it.
Zhang Yuan carefully read the script, including the few outdoor scenes such as the KFC class, the North American street scenes, and the laboratory scenes.
The script is very tightly paced.
Works from this era seem to be all like this. But if you compare "Lost in Thailand" with comedy films from 10 years later, you'll find that "Lost in Thailand" has a much higher pace and information density!
This characteristic is also present in "American Dreams in China".
The reason for coming to Tianjin is that the school used real locations for filming.
However, most schools in the capital city are not convenient for long-term filming.
Moreover, most schools have already undergone campus renovations, and it's immediately obvious that they are no longer in the style of 80s campuses.
China Film Group then searched the surrounding area until Hebei University of Technology offered to let the film crew use the old campus and old dormitories for filming.
Hebei University of Technology, formerly Beiyang Technological School.
It is the earliest university in China to have a school-run factory.
Therefore, this school has had an industrial background since its inception.
This place was built under the order of Yuan Shikai. Although it was bombed by Japanese planes during the War of Resistance against Japan, it still retains many architectural features from the Beiyang period.
It is a Double First-Class University (211 Project).
Zhang Yuan hadn't been to Tianjin for a long time and missed it.
The last time I was stationed here for filming was many years ago during the "The Story of a Noble Family" period.
Looking back, it can be summed up in two words: naive and inexperienced!
He arrived at the film set, which was a corner of the school campus, carrying a set of Jianbing Guozi (Chinese crepes).
Many schools gathered around, eager to see what was happening.
"Come on, Chao, have some."
"Brother Dawei, have some too."
He divided up the breakfast he had eaten for lunch.
Tianjin, located at the confluence of nine rivers, has been a place where people from all over the world have gathered since ancient times, resulting in a diverse and mixed community.
How messy is it?
Guo Degang and Wang Hui are both from Tianjin. Now that they have achieved great success, they want to "return home in glory".
The solution was to open a branch office in Tianjin.
As a result, the venue could no longer operate after only one year.
The local partner falsified accounts, resulting in discrepancies of millions of dollars in accounts.
Even Teacher Guo, a native of Tianjin, couldn't handle it.
The advantage of mixing is that you can find food from all over the world.
In order to maintain his thin physique, Zhang Yuan cannot eat much.
He can't eat himself, so he likes to feed others and watch them eat.
"How about I treat everyone to steamed buns and mutton soup!"
Instead of avoiding the students around him, he went up to them and greeted them warmly.
This was met with cheers and applause.
"Thank you all for your support and for taking good care of me."
He had his assistant buy over a hundred cups of milk tea and distribute them to the onlookers.
"Please keep order and don't rush around, so we can film properly, okay?"
We're going to bother you for a while.
After greeting them, we arrived at a dressing room that had been converted from a classroom.
He didn't use his own makeup artist; let's leave the makeup artists to the Central Motion Picture Corporation.
They deliberately made him look sallow and thin, Tong Dawei was made to look more frivolous, and Deng Chao was made to look refined and serious, with a fair complexion.
The makeup must match the character from the very beginning.
The very first scene is a classroom scene.
The students were all played by professional extras; it would have been difficult to coordinate them if we hadn't had current students.
Zhang Yuanlin glanced at the script before the performance began and chuckled to himself.
He suspected that Chen Kexin did it on purpose, wanting to set the tone for the entire film from the very beginning.
The words "USA Today Lecture" were written in large letters on the blackboard.
A middle-aged teacher wearing black-rimmed glasses was explaining the lighthouse to his students, word by word.
"Racial discrimination in the United States will never disappear."
"In the eyes of white people, black people are always a lazy, ignorant, and savage race."
At Chen Kexin's prompting, the actor playing the teacher spoke slowly and steadily, with a tone as firm as if describing iron and stone.
The actors in the audience at this time were all different.
Zhang Yuan, wearing a worn and not-so-clean blue and white striped sweater, listened with great interest along with his classmates.
Tong Dawei, playing a "playboy," yawned, seemingly very disdainful and too lazy to listen at all.
Deng Chao plays Meng Xiaojun, the third generation of a family of overseas students. His father and grandfather both studied abroad. When he hears these words, his expression turns serious.
To say something bad about the lighthouse was as if it were an insult to him.
"Teacher!" Deng Chao, dressed in a shirt, jacket, and woolen vest, exuding a scholarly air, stood up and questioned.
Have you ever been to the United States?
"You learned about America from books, didn't you?"
“Yes, teacher.” Wang Yang, wearing a bright yellow shirt, also stood up. Unlike Meng Xiaojun, whose white shirt was buttoned up to the top, Wang Yang’s collar was loose.
That's what makes a good movie; even the costumes can reveal the characters' personalities and backgrounds.
"Practice is the sole criterion for testing truth."
"What are your majors...?"
"The so-called American Dream," Meng Xiaojun interrupted the teacher before he could finish his question.
"When it comes to dreams, everyone has an equal opportunity."
"Only the United States in the whole world can do this."
After Meng Xiaojun finished speaking, the teacher on the stage responded in a slow and steady tone, without showing any anger.
"Young man," the teacher said earnestly.
"In the end, you are too young and too native."
Meng Xiaojun in the film is too young and inexperienced.
Too naive, believing the foreign countries as portrayed by family and the media.
Too naive to believe that white people are superior, different, or even superhuman.
He overlooked a very real issue: a person is always a person.
Whether you are Asian, Black, or White, you are a human being.
As human beings, we all share the same underlying code.
How could completely different social systems with no common ground possibly exist under the same underlying code?
"Cut!" Director Chen himself called for a halt.
This is the very first scene of the film.
The North America described by the teacher is vastly different from the North America in the minds of the main characters.
Whether the students are too naive, or the teacher is just spouting nonsense and slander because they've never been to North America, this drama will tell the story in detail. (End of Chapter)