Chapter 239 Director Zhang, can we make a movie about a female demon?
Then He Zhongqiu and Zhang Yimou started chatting again, of course, about movies.

During the conversation, He Zhongqiu mentioned the problem of Chinese films in the overseas market, and said with some emotion: "I am currently working on the Iron Eagle King, which my own company is shooting, and I have to mix Chinese and American elements together, otherwise I am afraid that it will fail at the box office.

I support director Peyton Lee. His movie Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon did average at the domestic box office, but did well in North America, grossing 1.28 million.

The same is true for the films of Chenglong Li Lianjie, which are a combination of Chinese and Western elements. We dare not use only our own Chinese elements. "

Zhang Yimou nodded and said, "The success of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon in North America shows that our Chinese-language films can also be successful."

“Director Zhang, your Hero is also good. It has been the North American weekly box office champion for two consecutive weeks.” He Zhongqiu praised.

Zhang Yimou smiled happily and said, "It's just so-so. It won't do well this week. I estimate the North American box office will be around 3 to million US dollars. It's not as good as Director Li's Crouching Dragon, Hidden Dragon, and it's not as good as your Blade either."

At this point, he added with some regret: "Hero's screening schedule is not as high as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, otherwise the box office could be higher."

"It's not bad. Besides Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, the Chinese movie Hero ranks second in North American box office. Blade 3 is not my movie, and it's not a Chinese-language movie," said He Zhongqiu.

Zhang Yimou nodded and said, "Zhongqiu, are you working in distribution at a Hollywood film company?"

"Yes! I also do distribution in my domestic film and television company."

He Zhongqiu nodded and said, "The person in charge in the United States is Ross Lewis. He was originally a senior agent in Hollywood. He was poached from a big company. He is very capable and has extensive connections in the eight major Hollywood film companies."

"Then are you guys going to distribute the Iron Eagle King yourselves?" Zhang Yimou asked.

He Zhongqiu shook his head and said, "Joint distribution. After all, my company has just started to develop, and I still have to rely on other large companies for theaters. They control the resources."

At this point, he glanced at Zhang Yimou and said, "Director Zhang, if your future films are to be released in North America, you can come to my company first.

If my company doesn’t have the strength, we can find other companies to co-distribute the film. We can also split the profits. After all, my company is in Hollywood and is more familiar with it than you are.”

"it is good."

Zhang Yimou nodded without hesitation.

It is actually not cost-effective to directly buy out the hero and release it in North America this time. It would be better to release it in a profit-sharing manner.

But there was no way. Neither he nor Zhang Weiping had any connections abroad, and they were not so confident about the box office of Hero in Europe and the United States. They could only accept a buyout distribution, which was safer.

The European and North American copyrights were sold for a total of only 1500 million US dollars, which is definitely a bargain compared to the current North American box office results.

"Zhongqiu, your Iron Eagle King patch advertising revenue must be quite high, right?" he asked again.

He Zhongqiu thought for a moment and said, "So far, Lewis has signed a contract for 3120 million US dollars for the patch advertisement."

Zhang Yimou nodded and said, "This income alone is almost half of the production cost. This is the operating model of commercial films! Half of the cost has been recovered before the film is even released."

"How many heroes are there?" He Zhongqiu asked.

"2500 million RMB is not a small amount, haha!" Zhang Yimou said with a smile.

As they chatted, He Zhongqiu suddenly said, "There are more Chinese characters in Hollywood movies now than before, but they are all fighting and killing roles, and the film genres are the same. The path is too narrow."

"Yes, the same goes for martial arts films, kung fu films, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Hero," said Zhang Yimou.

He Zhongqiu said: "Also, I noticed a problem in Hollywood movies, most of the Chinese actresses used are so damn ugly.

There are also models. There are many Chinese female models in the United States, but there are really few beautiful ones. "

"what?"

Zhang Yimou was stunned when he heard this.

He Zhongqiu said: "Director Zhang, I think those Hollywood movies have the suspicion of vilifying Chinese women, or their aesthetics are completely different from ours, both of which are possible."

"Oh." Zhang Yimou nodded blankly.

He Zhongqiu added: "I just like pretty ones. There are many pretty girls in China. Director Zhang, when can we make a movie with a lot of beautiful girls?"

"what?"

Zhang Yimou's mind was confused by He Zhongqiu's ideas.

He Zhongqiu said excitedly: "I like Journey to the West the most. When I was a kid, they liked to watch monkeys, but I only liked to watch beauties. What's so good about monkeys? His stick is not as good as mine."

"Oh." Zhang Yimou just nodded.

He Zhongqiu said excitedly: "Director Zhang, why don't we make a movie based on Journey to the West, or extract a segment from Journey to the West, or be creative like Stephen Chow's A Chinese Odyssey, and once it's done, we can make it into a series.

Find a few more beautiful and charming ladies to play the fairies. They don’t have to be film and television actors. Actors in dramas will do too. Select them from all over the country.

Didn’t the casting for Journey to the West involve a nationwide audition? The same was true for Dream of the Red Chamber.

What do you think about making a movie about female fairies, highlighting their image and presence? "

Zhang Yimou finally came back to his senses, thought for a moment and said, "It's not impossible. There are so many things in Journey to the West that can be used to give full play to one's imagination. Zhongqiu, your idea is not bad."

He Zhongqiu said: "It must be good. Find a group of real Chinese beauties to play the goblins and let foreigners see what real Chinese beauties look like."

"But your physique doesn't seem suitable for playing a monkey?" Zhang Yimou joked.

He Zhongqiu shook his head and said, "I don't have to act in this movie, as long as it's a good movie."

"Then how much do you plan to invest?" Zhang Yimou asked again.

He Zhongqiu thought for a moment and said, "Journey to the West will definitely require a lot of special effects. We will go to the United States to produce the special effects. The level there is higher and the production cost will not be small."

So, I asked Ross Lewis to raise investment in Hollywood, at least 50 million US dollars, less than 50 million, the quality of the special effects will definitely not be good. "

"Fifty million dollars?"

Zhang Yimou just felt a toothache.

He finally managed to shoot a heroic film, which originally had an investment of several million dollars. Later, he took advantage of Li Lianjie's help to get an investment of 30 million dollars. But He Zhongqiu asked for 50 million dollars, or at least.

"Mid-Autumn Festival, are you serious?" Zhang Yimou asked seriously.

"real."

He Zhongqiu nodded and said, "I still think 50 million is too little. Iron Eagle King spent 80 million. Journey to the West has a bigger scene, so it will definitely require large-scale special effects shots. The more production costs, the better."

"We need to think about the character design carefully. The script is also a problem. The script of Stephen Chow's A Chinese Odyssey is pretty good and very creative."

Zhang Yimou also became interested and began to think about the problem.

He Zhongqiu hurriedly said: "I don't understand A Chinese Odyssey at all, what is postmodernism? Even Zhou Xingxing himself doesn't understand what postmodernism is.

So Director Zhang, don’t do what he did. Although he got investment from Hollywood, he lost money and it will be difficult to do it next time.”

"Haha..." Zhang Yimou found it funny, but he also felt that it made sense.

He Zhongqiu added: "When we hire someone to write the script, Hollywood always has a team working on a script. We hire a few good screenwriters to write it, and when it's done, I give them bonuses and big red envelopes.

Director Zhang, as for the character design you just mentioned, we can also ask professionals to do it. Are there any designers in China who specialize in film and television character design?

Hollywood has it, and the characters in animated films are all designed by professionals. If China does not have it, we should develop this industry.

By the way, there is also the special effects industry, which should be developed in China. This industry can make a lot of money, and future movies cannot do without this industry. "

Zhang Yimou nodded repeatedly. He knew that He Zhongqiu had not received much education, but he had seen the world in Hollywood. The saying "reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles" was exactly this truth.

He Zhongqiu said this and then said, "Director Zhang, if you are interested in this project, come to my company and talk to my sister."

Zhang Yimou thought about it and it seemed like a good idea, with an investment of more than 50 million US dollars, and it was a Chinese-language film with pure Chinese elements.

The most important thing is that He Zhongqiu has connections in Hollywood and can get a lot of money there. Distribution in Europe and the United States will definitely not be a problem and it can indeed be done.

"Okay, then it's settled. After the Olympics, I'll go to your company to discuss it," he said seriously.

"It's a word."

"It's a word."

In the afternoon, Tang Yan actually went to Zhongqiu Film and Television Company and signed an agency contract with Lin Xue.

This morning, the NBA announced a new labor agreement, namely the amnesty clause.

The team can buy out a player's contract every season, and the player's contract will not occupy the team's salary space, so the team can pay less luxury tax.

But this is a one-time clause, which means it will only take effect after the clause is announced on August 7 and will expire on August 15.

In addition, players who are bought out cannot re-sign contracts with the team.

In other words, this clause is a one-time thing that you will never see again. If you want to buy out the players, hurry up, because it cannot be used once the validity period expires.

On the 7th, the men's basketball team returned home and entered the final few days of preparation.

The head coach of this Olympic men's basketball team is still Del Harris, the assistant coaches are still Thibodeau and Jonas, and the assistant coach of China is Gong Luming.

The team consists of twelve members: He Zhongqiu, Yao Ming, Wang Zhizhi, Yi Jianlian, Du Feng, Zhu Fangyu, Chen Ke, Li Nan, Zhang Jinsong, Guo Shiqiang, Liu Wei, and Zhang Yunsong.

Daba, who has already returned to China, was not selected for this Olympics. There is no other way. The center position is now full of talented players and there is no place for him. There is a newcomer, Yi Jianlian.

There was one thing that He Zhongqiu found out only after he met Thibodeau. Layden might have forgotten to tell him that Thibodeau was actually abducted by Van Gundy Jr.

"Coach, why did you go to the Rockets?" he asked as soon as they met.

"Jeff invited me several times, and I just couldn't say no," Thibodeau explained.

"Mid-Autumn Festival, congratulations!"

Dayao quickly changed the subject and offered his congratulations, his face full of envy and jealousy.

"congratulations!"

Others did the same and sent their congratulations.

"I'll treat you tonight, you choose the place." He Zhongqiu laughed.

On the 8th, the Knicks became the first team to use this clause, announcing a buyout agreement with Alan Houston.

Alan Houston did not announce his retirement immediately. He still did not give up and hoped that his body could recover during the offseason.

This amnesty clause was also interpreted by the media as a clause specially issued by the league for the Knicks, and was jokingly called the Houston clause.

The opening ceremony of the Olympics was on the 13th. On the 9th, part of the Chinese Olympic delegation set off for Greece.

The men's basketball team set off on the 10th. There was no training on the 9th, so He Zhongqiu went to Beijing Film Academy to find Lao Liu.

Last time, Yang Xue said that Lao Liu wanted to sign with his American company and asked him to find an opportunity for Lao Liu in Hollywood, but he had completely forgotten about it.

Sister Xue called him yesterday to urge him to come, so he had no choice but to make a trip.

At around eleven o'clock in the morning, I drove to Beijing Film Academy and drove straight in. As soon as I parked the car, I ran into Huang Sanshi.

At this moment, he immediately thought of what he had said last year, and hurriedly asked, "Teacher Huang, are you married yet? I have been waiting for your invitation. You are not giving me face, are you?"

Huang Sanshi looked upset and said, “I’ve been waiting for you for a whole year, otherwise we would have been married long ago.”

He was a professional and could tell at a glance that He Zhongqiu had long forgotten about his marriage and was now blaming him. He was so angry that he was speechless.

"Well, has the date been set?" He Zhongqiu asked quickly.

"No." He said depressedly.

"Then why are you still dawdling? After the Olympics, I have to go back to the United States to film. Hurry up!" He Zhongqiu urged.

"Then when are you free?" Huang Sanshi could only sigh his bad luck.

"I will definitely come back after the Olympics, so you can do it in those two days," said He Zhongqiu.

"Okay then, September 1st?" Huang Sanshi said.

"Okay, I'll be there right away. Well, I have something to do with Lao Liu, so I'll leave first." He Zhongqiu left after saying that.

"Wow, it's Wolverine."

"Ah, that's, that's not..."

"Wolverine?"

There was still class going on, so there weren't many students walking around, but there were still quite a few people coming and going. When they saw him, those under the age of 30 who all looked average, hurried over to watch him, as if he were more of a curiosity than a giant panda.

He arrived at the 02 undergraduate class of the Department of Acting. Class was still going on. As soon as he got outside, he was discovered and there was a commotion in the classroom.

"Wow, Wolverine comes to our class. Who is he looking for?" Jiang Yiyan shouted in a low voice.

"Who else could be in our class? Liu Yifei." Zhu Yawen said.

"Wolverine is chasing Liu Yifei?" Luo Jin asked curiously.

"That's impossible. Isn't Wolverine Yang Xue's boyfriend?" Huang Bo said.

Liu Yifei was a little confused. When did Sister Xue become the monk’s girlfriend?

"Be quiet."

Wang Jinsong, who was standing behind the podium, shouted seriously.

"Professor Wang, I'm here to attend your class." He Zhongqiu stood at the door of the classroom and said to Wang Jinsong with a smile.

This professor graduated from the Beijing Film Academy and is now a professor in the Department of Performance. Yang Xue heard that he will soon be promoted to vice president of the School of Performance. He has also taken Professor Wang’s classes before.

"Come on, come on, find a place to sit by yourself." Wang Jinsong forced a smile and waved.

"it is good."

In everyone's sight, He Zhongqiu was sitting in the front row, in the position below the podium where usually no one sat.

As a poor student, he likes this place the most because the teacher is watching him closely, he is less likely to fall asleep and can force himself to listen to the class longer.

In fact, deep down, he doesn't want to be a bad student, but he has no talent for studying. How can he study if he falls asleep even when reading novels?

My dad once said that if he had one-third of the talent for studying that he had for martial arts, it would not be a problem for him to get into Qingbei.

After reluctantly listening for more than ten minutes, he started fishing with great energy.

Wang Jinsong felt helpless as he watched He Zhongqiu begin to doze off.

You say you want to refuse He Zhongqiu from coming in, but that's not a good idea. But if you don't refuse, a student is dozing off right in front of you and is about to snore loudly and drool. What will you do?
"Bata."

He threw a piece of chalk at He Zhongqiu's head with precise technique, which was obviously a skill acquired through years of practice. It was no worse than He Zhongqiu's locust stone.

The other students all burst into laughter.

He Zhongqiu woke up, wiped the corners of his mouth familiarly, smiled without any embarrassment, sat up straight and continued to listen to the class.

After about thirty-five minutes, Professor Wang hit He Zhongqiu three times with the chalk, and the class finally ended.

As soon as the bell rang, He Zhongqiu instantly became full of energy. He quickly stood up and chatted with Professor Wang for a few words. As soon as Professor Wang left, all the students gathered around him, including Liu Yifei.

"Master, what are you doing here?" Liu Yifei asked curiously.

He Zhongqiu glanced at Lao Liu and said, "Your sister Xue said that your overseas contract should be signed with my company. I came to find you."

"Whee!"

Liu Yifei laughed and happily took the contract handed over by He Zhongqiu.

"Wow!"

The others exclaimed in envy and jealousy.

"Senior, please take care of us when you have the chance." Jiang Yiyan shouted.

"Yes, senior." Luo Jin and others quickly agreed.

"You can ask your senior sister Yang Xue for this later. She is the one who makes the decisions in my company." He Zhongqiu said.

"Wow, that's great!" everyone cheered.

"If the teacher doesn't call me senior, I won't care about you." He Zhongqiu muttered in a low voice.

He chatted with everyone for a few words and then left. A few steps away from the teaching building, Huang Bo caught up with him from behind.

"Old Huang, what's the matter?"

"Um, Wolverine, um..."

"If you have something to say, just say it. I'm really busy."

Huang Bo smiled awkwardly, and mustered up the courage to say, "Wolverine, I, I want to join your company, can you sign me?"

He Zhongqiu asked in surprise: "You haven't signed with an agency yet?"

"Hey, who would be willing to sign me when I look like this? I haven't filmed a movie for a long time." Huang Bo said a little disappointedly.

He Zhongqiu looked at Huang Bo, wondering what he was thinking.

Huang Bo was a little nervous, but he was just taking a gamble.

"You are also a talented actor. Go find Lin Xue in my company. He is the manager of the artist department." He Zhongqiu said at this time.

"Really?"

Huang Bo felt a huge surprise.

(End of this chapter)