Chapter 625 Luxurious Lineup
Before the Ministry of Radio, Film and Television issued the "Several Opinions on Deepening the Reform of the Film Industry Mechanism" in 1993, there was no room for private companies to survive in the domestic film market.
First of all, is it possible for an individual to start a film and television company and make movies?
Yes, you can.
But the problem is, if you want to make a movie, you have to find a production studio to rely on.
After the film is finished, the distribution channels are controlled by China Film Group, which is in charge of purchasing and selling. You are only given so much money for a movie, and the box office performance is none of your business.
After 1993, the opinions were released and the domestic film industry ushered in tremendous changes.
Cancel the unified purchase and sale, liberalize movie ticket prices, and cancel the distribution model in which China Film Group Corporation is the only one dominating the market.
It seems to have loosened the constraints on Chinese films, but in fact, it has led Chinese films into a barbaric era.
The cancellation of unified purchase and marketing has reduced the cost pressure on the studios, but at the same time they have lost their security. The inertia developed during the planned economy era has left these studios at a loss, and some have never recovered.
The liberalization of movie ticket prices seems to be a move towards a market economy, but the problem is that there are no rules to follow. Cinemas everywhere charge exorbitant prices, with some movies costing as much as 20 or 30 yuan. When Titanic was released in China, cinemas sold tickets for 50 yuan each, but scalpers drove the price up to 400 yuan each.
What's worse, some local cinema chains have formed alliances, using their monopoly on screenings to raise movie ticket prices and retaliate against local cinemas, production companies, and distribution companies that do not cooperate.
You have to know that in the early 1990s, the average working class earned only one or two hundred yuan a month, and in the late 1990s it was barely over a thousand yuan.
Going to the movies once would cost one or two days, or even four or five days’ wages.
The abnormal surge in ticket prices has killed the eagerness of countless audiences to watch movies. This short-sighted approach of draining the pond to catch fish has almost caused Chinese films to stagnate or even regress in the 1990s.
Of course, the biggest reasons for the rapid collapse of the domestic film market are the distribution of VCDs and DVDs, rampant piracy, and the concealment and underreporting of box office figures by cinemas across the country.
As policies have been relaxed, movie ticket prices have increased, and the cost of watching movies has soared for ordinary people, so they choose not to watch movies.
Then VCDs and DVDs appeared, and piracy of discs became rampant. Isn't it more cost-effective to rent a disc and watch a movie at home than to go to the cinema?
If ordinary people don't go to the cinema, the cinema's revenue will decrease, and the cinema will have to raise ticket prices or even conceal or underreport movie box office revenue.
This cycle has trapped Chinese films in an endless vicious circle.
In the past, the control was too strict, but after the relaxation, the control was too loose.
In the years after 1993, Chinese film experienced the pain of reform.
In the entire industrial chain, private companies are the worst off. No matter how great their contributions are, they have no say or dominance.
For example, Chen Xiaoer has been a popular comedy star in the domestic film industry in recent years.
Hainan Comedy Film and Television Co., Ltd. was established in Hainan last year. It is the first private film and television company in China.
According to historical trends, his film and television company would be affiliated with multiple production studios to invest in and shoot many films such as "The Extra-curricular Husband" and "The Queen Mother's Blessing". Each movie was very popular and the theaters were often full. However, the box office revenue was not enough to even recoup the investment.
Chen Xiaoer became poorer and poorer as he made more movies. In 1997, he finally couldn't support himself anymore and closed his film company.
Lin Weimin later loved watching movies and knew a lot about the film reforms in recent years.
It is certainly a good thing that his works are to be adapted into film and television, but he must find a way that is most beneficial to himself.
It is definitely not possible to set up a film and television company to invest in production, at least at this point in time. The film distribution can only be handed over to China Film. No matter how much money is invested in a film, just give him 900,000, unless he is crazy.
But with Xu Feng and Michael Phillips, things are different. They are foreign capital and enjoy top-notch treatment when they come to China to make movies. Co-productions can be distributed by special zone distribution companies, without the monopoly of China Film. Even if the distribution area is a little less, the revenue will be more than 900,000.
Many people know that Hong Kong and the mainland co-produced many films in the 1990s, but in fact, the so-called co-production often means that a certain production studio cooperates with the Hong Kong crew, and the Hong Kong crew spends low prices to shoot and employ workers in the country.
Both of them are capable producers who can invest out of their own pockets. They provide funds, connections, channels, and the identity of foreign investors. While contributing money and effort, they also bear the risks.
What Lin Weimin contributed was an influential original work.
Mutual benefit and win-win situation.
Michael Phillips arrived a day later than expected and after a night of jet lag, he couldn't wait to meet with Lin Weimin and Xu Feng.
The general details of the cooperation were discussed over the phone, and the cooperation was confirmed after the few people met and discussed it.
Although Michael Phillips moves between major Hollywood companies, he also has his own independent production company, but he only invests in unknown low-budget films or independent films.
Coming up with four million at once was a huge pressure for him.
The same is true for Xu Feng.
"Farewell My Concubine" was invested with 8 million US dollars, which is doubled compared with later generations.
After signing the investment agreement, the first thing they had to do was to organize the crew. The director is the brain of a film and he must be the first person to be confirmed.
The production of "Farewell My Concubine" was mainly led by Xu Feng, and Michael Phillips was responsible for the publicity and promotion.
"Director, I want to find Cheng Kaige!" said Xu Feng.
Cheng Kaige?
Lin Weimin was not surprised by this, but Michael Phillips looked confused as he was unfamiliar with the name.
"Why not find Zhang Yimou?" Michael Phillips asked sincerely.
Cheng Kaige became famous earlier than Zhang Yimou. In China, people often compare the two together, but abroad, Zhang Yimou is much more famous than Cheng Kaige.
With one Golden Bear and one Silver Lion, Zhang Yimou is on his way to becoming a master, while Cheng Kaige can only be said to be a minor celebrity internationally.
Xu Feng certainly knew the name of Zhang Yimou, but this time she was running towards Cheng Kaige.
In 1987, Xu Feng brought more than a dozen films from Tang Chen Pictures to the Cannes Film Festival to rent a booth and sell film copyrights. Coincidentally, that year Cheng Kaige broke his contract with the Berlin Film Festival and took "The King of Children" to participate in the Cannes Film Festival.
Xu Feng attended the premiere of "The King of Children" and met Cheng Kaige. After watching the movie, she was impressed by Cheng Kaige's talent and always wanted to work with him.
This time, after obtaining the adaptation rights for "Farewell My Concubine", Xu Feng's first choice for director was Cheng Kaige.
"I don't know Zhang Yimou, and I admire Cheng Kaige's talent. I think he is very suitable to be the director of "Farewell My Concubine," Xu Feng said bluntly.
Michael Phillips looked at Lin Weimin, "Lin, what do you think?"
"I have no objection."
"Farewell My Concubine" is Kaizi's masterpiece, and with Xu Feng in control throughout, Lin Weimin is not worried.
It's true that Kaizi is talented, but he likes to show off, has some feudal ideas, and is a literary youth. However, he is not a bad person.
His biggest shortcoming is that he doesn't listen to advice. If no one is around to supervise him, he will easily go astray. With Xu Feng and himself around, he can't turn things around, and the quality of the film can be guaranteed.
Michael didn't know Cheng Kaige, but he knew Lin Weimin.
So far, the works handled by Lin Weimin have won more or less awards from the Oscars, Berlin, Venice, Cannes and other major film festivals or awards around the world, so Michael has great faith in Lin Weimin's vision, and seeing that Lin Weimin also agreed, he approved of this director choice.
Xu Feng was very happy that the director she proposed was recognized by her two partners.
After the director is confirmed, the production team behind the scenes will definitely listen to the director's opinions. The three of them did not discuss it, but Michael mentioned the issue of the leading actor.
For a movie, actors are just a job, but for the audience, actors are the face of a movie.
Before movie special effects became popular, the box office appeal of stars was crucial.
"Let Gong Li play the heroine Juxian," said Lin Weimin.
Xu Feng and Michael nodded without hesitation.
"Red Sorghum", "The Last Emperor" and "Raise the Red Lantern" are three movies that made Gong Li famous all over the world, making her an internationally renowned female star in just a few years.
This kind of international fame is incomparable to the "international superstars" of later generations who only exist in press releases. They are all brought about by real film awards and cannot be false in the slightest.
It couldn't be more appropriate to let Gong Li play Juxian.
The three of them reached a consensus on the choice of the actress and then talked about the two male protagonists, Cheng Dieyi and Duan Xiaolou.
Lin Weimin felt that Han Zhuangzhuang was very suitable to play Duan Xiaolou, but he had to respect his two partners, so he only mentioned it briefly, introduced Han Zhuangzhuang's resume, and specifically explained his relationship with Han Zhuangzhuang.
Michael's eyes lit up after hearing Lin Weimin's introduction. "Of course there is no problem. In Red Sorghum, I know that he is Yu Zhan'ao."
Xu Feng has watched not only Red Sorghum but also Benmingnian. "Han Zhuangzhuang is a good choice. He has a certain international reputation and is very suitable for the role of Duan Xiaolou. I agree."
The three of them reached an agreement again, and the atmosphere gradually became cheerful.
Now it’s the turn of the last main character, who is also the soul of "Farewell My Concubine" - Cheng Dieyi.
"Let Zun Long play Cheng Dieyi. There is no star more suitable for this role than him. American audiences are also familiar with him, which will be very helpful for our later promotion in the United States."
"Zunlong is handsome enough, but the angles and lines on his face are too obvious and not soft enough, which does not quite fit the image of Cheng Dieyi." Xu Feng retorted.
"Do you have the right person?" Michael asked.
"Zhang Guorong."
This was another name Michael had never heard of. He couldn't help but frown. "Ms. Xu, you should consider the international influence of the actor. John Lone has masterpieces like The Last Emperor, and he is very well-known in Western countries."
"Leslie Cheung also has works such as "A Better Tomorrow" and "A Chinese Ghost Story", which are very popular in East Asian countries." Xu Feng argued.
The two of them each had their own favorite candidates, and the argument continued, so they looked at Lin Weimin again.
"Lin, what do you think?"
Lin Weimin scratched his head. To be honest, he was impressed by the original version of "Farewell My Concubine" and he recognized Leslie Cheung's acting skills.
But he has also seen John Lone's performance in "M. Butterfly", and his acting skills are worthy of the title of Best Actor, and he is also very suitable for the role of Cheng Dieyi.
Now Xu Feng and Michael are deadlocked over these two candidates, and he is a little embarrassed.
"Why not, let's have an audition after talking to the director and send an invitation to them both," Lin Weimin suggested.
His opinion was mature, steady and impartial, so Xu Feng and Michael considered it and agreed.
After discussing the leading role, Xu Feng sighed.
She was right to agree to the cooperation. She didn't know Han Zhuangzhuang, but Gong Li, Leslie Cheung and John Lone were all very well-known internationally and their pay was high. With only her 4 million dollars to invest, it was even a question whether she could invite the actors over.
Now that the investment amount has doubled, and with sufficient funds, there is no need to worry about the actors' salaries.
Her mood suddenly became cheerful.
(End of this chapter)
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