Chapter 465 International Red
"This is Mr. Schmidt Lowry, the owner of Green Valley Films in the United States."
After the media conference, Tom White took Schmidt Lowry to meet with the creators of "Path of Glory" and introduced him to Lu Yanhe and the others.
Although Lu Yanhe had never heard of Green Valley Film Company, since it was introduced by Tom White, it certainly wasn't some shell company.
They chatted for a while and exchanged contact information. Because Lu Yanhe and his group had other plans, they could only exchange a few words before leaving in a hurry.
After leaving, Fu Kai said, "I thought Schmidt was interested in our film and wanted to discuss the purchase and distribution of the copyright."
Lu Yanhe said, "He might have had that idea."
"Huh?" Fu Kai was a little surprised. "How so? He didn't mention it at all."
Lu Yanhe: "These film distributors won't start by talking business with you. They have to negotiate a lower price with us. So when we meet for the first time, they won't show much interest—unless it's a film that has already received a lot of attention and is obviously in high demand."
Fu Kai had no experience selling films at film festivals.
Shang Yongzhou added, "Furthermore, our film has only received enthusiastic feedback from the audience at the scene. The media reviews have not yet been officially released. At this time, the film distributors will choose to wait and see, and wait for the media's evaluation."
Why have film critics played a less significant role in Chinese-language films compared to their counterparts in Europe and America?
There are various reasons, but one very important one is that their comments and attitudes have not truly participated in the film's economic value chain.
Before the rise of online media, critics were one of the limited channels through which a large audience could learn about a film. Therefore, no film company wanted to offend film critics; on the contrary, they tried their best to maintain good relations with them.
With the rise of online media, their influence has been significantly weakened, and their impact on a film's box office has visibly diminished. However, places like film festivals still retain a place where they can exert their influence. Media ratings are the most important evaluation metric for film festivals, second only to the final awards. Film fans worldwide await media ratings to adjust their expectations. And film distributors from all over the world cannot wait until they have fully considered their options before making a decision.
When a movie comes out, many people are vying for it, and no one gives you a month or two to slowly decide whether or not to buy it.
At this point, the selection criteria of the film selectors and media ratings become crucial.
Fu Kai was also nervous about what kind of media ratings "Road to Glory" would receive.
Lu Yanhe, however, had already figured it out after watching the movie.
The film's core audience is already established; its future success depends largely on luck. Whether a good film becomes widely known depends on a confluence of factors. Even with the most elaborate marketing, a film like *Paths of Glory* can't achieve the box office success and influence of a commercially successful movie. It's destined for a much longer journey, and the only way to shorten that distance is through awards and recommendations from the media and renowned film critics—a shortcut typical of this type of film.
Several film critics have already posted their opinions and attitudes on their social media platforms.
Based on the feedback collected so far, aside from Yongshanhe's ambiguous comment that "Road to Glory" seems like an old film unearthed from twenty years ago, the general evaluation is positive. It's not that there are no criticisms, but overall it's well-received.
French film magazine Cinema commented: "If 'Road to Glory' had been in the main competition, this year's Best Actor award would very likely have come from this film. The director maintained restraint in the camera work and visuals from beginning to end, presenting a fluid sense of balance through the restrained and precise performances of the two actors. If its flaw is that the theme is expressed too directly and is not sophisticated enough, then its strength lies in the high degree of unity and integrity in its staging, performances and film style."
The Italian magazine *The Guardian* commented: "It's been about four or five years since we've seen Shang Yongzhou bring a new film to the film festival. Having primarily appeared in commercial comedies in recent years, he returns to his forte, playing a terminally ill man facing death. His performance is unprecedentedly restrained; beneath his extremely calm exterior lies an emotional tension that seems ready to erupt like a volcano. In what appears to be an evenly matched scene with another actor, he actually maintains complete control from beginning to end."
Variety magazine commented: "Lu Yanhe, a darling of major film festivals worldwide for the past two years, has teamed up with Shang Yongzhou, a once-popular Chinese actor, to bring us this excellent film, which has touched many people. I think the most competitive film in this year's Horizons section has emerged. In addition, it is said that an American film company has its eye on this film, wanting to buy the North American distribution rights and develop an Oscar-caliber strategy for it. Whether the news is true or not, let's wait and see."
...
The praise from major media outlets gives "Road to Glory" something to look forward to.
For a film like "Road to Glory," word-of-mouth and awards are its greatest reliance.
Lu Yanhe, Shang Yongzhou, and Fu Kai all took the opportunity to give some interviews, using this most traditional form of publicity at a film festival that has been traditional for decades to grab everyone's attention for the film, rather than letting its good reputation ferment for a short while and then naturally dissipate.
Of course, there are also advantages to not being shortlisted for the main competition.
People are naturally less likely to scrutinize films that are not in the main competition with a judgmental eye. Therefore, they encounter far less scrutiny.
That noon, Fu Kai, Shang Yongzhou, and Lu Yanhe invited all the media friends from China to lunch to express their gratitude.
Shang Yongzhou arranged the meal and paid for it himself.
Once the meal started, Fu Kai said with a smile, "When I was making this movie, the budget was so tight that I couldn't even afford the normal public relations expenses to treat everyone to a meal. Shang Yongzhou had to treat us."
The media friends laughed good-naturedly.
They were all quite knowledgeable about the industry. Even with stars like Shang Yongzhou and Lu Yanhe starring in a film like *The Road to Glory*, it's unlikely to secure much production funding—they weren't like some clueless online commentators who would say, "Such big stars, how could they lack investment?" In the art-house film market, there really is a shortage. No matter how big the star, investors still have to calculate. The box office ceiling for art-house films is fixed; the bigger the star, the higher the production cost. It's fair to say that if Lu Yanhe and Shang Yongzhou hadn't lowered their fees for the roles, the investors wouldn't have been able to afford their salaries—because they wouldn't have recouped their costs.
"Thank you, Best Actor!" Guan Suchen, a very active entertainment critic in China, was also present today. He raised his glass and said, "I am really moved. It has been a long time since I have seen a Best Actor act in a film like this. His acting skills are as amazing as ever."
Shang Yongzhou smiled.
“I’ve seen many foreign media outlets and film critics praising your acting skills,” said Zhou Yuan, editor of Movie Jianghu. “It’s such a pity. If Road to Glory had been nominated for the main competition, perhaps Chinese actors would have swept the Best Actor and Best Actress awards at this year’s Venice International Film Festival.”
Ning Xiulian from "Happy Time" is still at the top of various media outlets' lists of favorite actresses.
Fu Kai said, "It was mainly because of me that I dragged it down. If it weren't for the fact that it was my first time being nominated for an international film festival, 'Road to Glory' would have been selected for the main competition."
This is indeed one of the facts.
The biggest shortcoming of "Road to Glory" in the eyes of international film festivals is that the director is someone who has only made commercial comedies before, and no one knows him outside of China.
Shang Yongzhou said, "The Road to Glory is a work that you wrote and directed yourself. Without you, there would be no such work. The Horizons section is also a competition section, and Venice is not its final destination."
Lu Yanhe nodded and said, "That's right, this is just the beginning. It's not like winning an award in Venice is the only real achievement. This film will become our representative work in the future, and that's more important than winning awards."
Neither actor wanted Fu Kai to think that he was the reason that dragged down the performance of "Road to Glory".
At this moment when he should be enjoying the glory and peak of his career, the least necessary thing for him is to suddenly start belittling himself again.
At that moment, many people's phones on the table vibrated or beeped simultaneously.
Guan Suchen picked up his phone with a puzzled look, then his face lit up with shock.
"Yu Qin announced that her new film will start shooting today, a brand new movie set against the backdrop of the Venice International Film Festival?!" Guan Suchen exclaimed as she read aloud the message she received. "Ning Xiulian and Chen Ziliang are starring? What?!"
At the table, almost everyone wore an expression of disbelief and utter shock.
Lu Yanhe and Shang Yongzhou already knew about the film, so they weren't too surprised when Guan Suchen mentioned it. They just didn't expect that the film would actually start shooting.
In the ever-changing film and television industry, Yu Qin's decisive, efficient, and rapid-starting approach to filming and assembling a crew will undoubtedly shock these industry professionals to some extent.
If every director or producer had her level of execution, many projects might not have been canceled halfway through.
Guan Suchen looked at Lu Yanhe and the others and asked, "You guys... did you already know about this beforehand? Why do I feel like none of you are surprised at all?"
Lu Yanhe told the truth: "We had heard about this before."
Guan Suchen asked with some surprise, "So, is this true?"
She was even a little skeptical.
The main problem is that this whole thing sounds incredibly unreliable.
Why would someone come to a film festival and suddenly have to make a movie?
The media personnel present were somewhat taken aback.
Lu Yanhe and his colleagues were not involved in Yu Qin's film, so they couldn't say too much.
However, Guan Suchen and his group were eager to find out some information.
After all, Happy Hour is currently a strong contender for awards at this year's Venice International Film Festival. With Yu Qin and Ning Xiulian collaborating again on a new film, any related news is bound to attract a lot of attention.
Lu Yanhe said jokingly, "Friends, today it's lunchtime for our 'Road to Glory' team. If you're interested in their new play, wait until after lunch to ask about it! Anyway, all the Chinese media in Venice are here, so no one can beat anyone else."
His words brought everyone back to their senses.
"Yes, yes, yes."
"Yan He, don't worry. With such a good reputation for 'Road to Glory' here, we will definitely help you promote it."
“Of course I’m at ease. I know each of you, and I’ve read all your articles,” Lu Yanhe said. “No one is allowed to be perfunctory. I will read each one carefully. If it’s written too perfunctorily, I won’t reprint it.”
He was speaking in a deliberately joking tone.
But saying this is actually a reminder to these media professionals.
Everyone responded with laughter and jokes.
-
Because of the good reputation of "Road to Glory" at the film festival, the distribution company also communicated with Fu Kai to see if they could take advantage of the popularity and release the film in the near future.
Since both lead actors were present, Fu Kai also consulted with Lu Yanhe and Shang Yongzhou.
Lu Yanhe looked at Shang Yongzhou.
Shang Yongzhou shook his head directly, saying he didn't understand these things.
He only cares about acting.
Lu Yanhe thought for a moment and said, "Actually, if 'Road to Glory' doesn't win a major award, I think we shouldn't easily use the film festival's popularity to set a release date. September isn't a month with a high box office, and only a small number of people in China pay attention to film festival news. Only some film fans who are truly interested in film art will pay attention."
"With such a short promotional period, it may not be possible to push this film to most potential viewers. I think films like 'Road to Glory' could have more advance screenings and special screenings."
"Because once it's officially released, our movie's attendance rate will definitely be low. Also, there will be many viewers who are unaware of the facts, who come to watch because of your previous movies, or because of my status as a senior or a celebrity. They may not be able to accept this non-commercial narrative style and will feel cheated after watching it, which will actually affect the film's reputation. It's better to use special screenings or advance screenings to slowly spread word of mouth."
Lu Yanhe had some understanding of the film industry.
Lu Yanhe is now gradually realizing that the domestic theatrical release model is actually quite "one-size-fits-all" and "one-size-fits-all".
Regardless of whether it's an action film, comedy, visual blockbuster, or art film, they all premiered nationwide on a large scale at once. Those that can withstand the pressure can maintain their screening rate and hold their ground, while those that can't, like some art films, lost their screenings on the second day of release and were declared failures.
The North American approach of starting with small-scale screenings and gradually increasing the number of theaters has its own historical traditions and industry models, which cannot be directly copied to China.
However, Lu Yanhe believes that art films, which are destined not to attract a large audience in a short period of time, should actually adopt a long-term screening model.
For a film like "Road to Glory," with him and Shang Yongzhou starring, a box office of 20 to 30 million on its opening day would be quite remarkable, and a final box office of over 100 million would be a huge success. In reality, it's highly likely that the final box office will only be 30 to 40 million—given the subject matter of the film, apart from true fans and movie buffs, not many people will buy tickets to see the two of them just to see their faces.
As a result, the film may only survive in theaters for less than two weeks, and its daily box office may even drop to seven figures after the first week.
As the film slowly gained popularity, and more and more people learned about it through chance or became interested because of a positive review from someone they knew, by the time they were ready to see it, cinemas had already stopped showing it. The market had already declared its demise.
Lu Yanhe's suggestion was to extend the battle lines.
Initially, screenings might only be held in a few major box office cities, with one or two screenings per day.
As a result, only one hundred to two hundred viewers in a city might be able to get tickets each day.
With such limited screenings, not only will the attendance rate be high, but those who rush to see the film are likely to be its true audience. Therefore, positive word-of-mouth from the early viewers can gradually accumulate and spread. As discussions about the film increase, naturally, fewer uninformed viewers will go to the cinema, while more viewers who are interested in this type of film will go. The cumulative effect of word-of-mouth will then gradually become apparent.
If it's released nationwide at this point, the effect will likely be much better.
Releasing a film to the market follows the logic of product operation.
The core idea is how to make it sell well. At this point, a good reputation is not its shield, but its advertising slogan.
Fu Kai took Lu Yanhe's suggestion to heart.
Fu Kai communicated this model very seriously with the people at the distribution company.
Preview screenings are something every film does.
However, organizing preview screenings over a period of two weeks or even longer is a time-consuming and labor-intensive endeavor that is not necessarily effective.
Because it hasn't become an industry practice. The absence of an industry practice means an accumulation of communication, coordination, and operational costs.
However, after careful consideration, the publishing company's feedback to Fu Kai was that they believed "Road to Glory" was suitable for such an attempt.
Especially after Schmidt Lowry of Green Valley Films in the United States formally proposed to the producers of "Paths of Glory" that he wanted to purchase the distribution rights in Europe and the United States and arranged for "Paths of Glory" to compete in this year's North American awards season, the domestic distribution company became determined to make such an attempt.
"If 'Path of Glory' can really make a splash during the North American awards season, the number of preview screenings can be arranged in accordance with the rhythm of the North American awards season," the distribution company said.
Building on Lu Yanhe's ideas, they came up with an even bolder one.
Starting in September, there will be very small-scale preview screenings in the country.
In October, when the nominations for the North American awards season begin and are announced and awarded, if "Road to Glory" can get one or two nominations, then it can continue to have special screenings to ride the wave of influence and publicity of the North American awards season. If "Road to Glory" doesn't make a splash, then it can start its nationwide release after the National Day holiday in October and rely on the domestic film awards in late October and November to boost its box office.
"Since this is an award-winning film, let's not let the awards just add to the luster; let the influence of those awards bring some real box office revenue to the film as well," said the person from the distribution company.
-
"One and a half million US dollars to buy out the distribution rights in Europe and America."
These were the conditions proposed by Schmidt Lowry.
Because Fu Kai really had no experience in this area, and his production company had no experience in international transactions, it was Lu Yanhe and Shang Yongzhou who helped Fu Kai come up with ideas in the end.
Lu Yanhe shook his head.
Fu Kai said, "You disagree? This price seems quite high."
Indeed, converted to RMB, that's nearly ten million.
That's almost enough to cover the production cost of "Road to Glory".
Lu Yanhe said, "Buying out the rights means that any copyright revenue from this film in Europe and America will have nothing to do with you. Whether it's theatrical release, online rights, or DVD and other home entertainment rights, the total amount is definitely more than this number. Not to mention, the global streaming rights outside of mainland China that HP bought for this film would cost more than this amount."
This isn't some low-budget film that has no selling points.
The names Lu Yanhe and Shang Yongzhou are worth far more than just a few figures in the European and American film markets. Not to mention, it received such high media acclaim at the Venice International Film Festival.
“$1.5 million, if it's just a buyout in North America, I can accept it a little, but what about Europe? He's underestimating how much a film that has garnered such attention and acclaim at the Venice International Film Festival can fetch in the European market.”
Soon, film distributors from other countries and regions began to offer their services.
The praise from the media and film critics, along with the extremely high score of 3.4 in the festival's daily publication, all translated into jingling cash at that moment.
Distributors from several countries, including Italy, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Spain, and Russia, offered prices no less than $500,000. In the United Kingdom alone, the price for the copyright was $1.2 million.
Fu Kai never expected that his film would be so popular in the international market.
“At any top film festival, the awards are secondary; the key is that its influence can add a zero, or even several zeros, to the price of a film,” said Lu Yanhe.
Effectively promoting film sales is the foundation upon which major film festivals have stood the test of time.
Many art-house films, unless they achieve the exceptional reception and critical acclaim of "Road to Glory," might only gross a few hundred thousand or even tens of thousands of dollars in a single market. However, selling in dozens of markets can still generate a substantial sum, and for many art-house films, ultimately grossing several hundred thousand dollars can be a huge profit.
Fu Kai simply doesn't understand, so he doesn't realize that the film he made has transcended the domestic definition of an art film.
In China, because movies can only make money through theatrical releases, there is a common perception that "art films don't make money."
In fact, these art films in Europe and America have been on the market for decades or even centuries, and they have complete and rich sales channels, from DVD sales to DVD rentals, from television broadcasting rights to broadcasting rights on airplanes, trains and other special spaces, from traditional theatrical releases to streaming media releases. They have too many channels to make money.
It's not that art films are very profitable in Europe and America—that's obviously unrealistic. Rather, it's that in Europe and America, there's a complete industry chain that can make money from art films.
Fortunately, Chen Ziyan was there, and Lin Yu was there too.
One is good at negotiation, and the other is good at film translation.
After three rounds of discussions and negotiations, Schmidt Lowry finally bought out all the North American rights to "Paths of Glory" for $2.3 million. He gave up the European market. It was only then that Lu Yanhe realized that Green Valley Films had not yet established a complete distribution channel in Europe. If they had agreed to buy out both the North American and European rights to him directly, he probably would have resold them to European companies and made a huge profit.
When Fu Kai found out, he cursed Schmidt Lowry as a complete bastard.
Lu Yanhe was overjoyed and said, "They're just doing business."
In the following days, Fu Kai was busy negotiating with film distributors from various countries.
At Lu Yanhe's suggestion, Fu Kai mostly chose the buyout model.
"If you choose to let them distribute the film and you and the production company continue to enjoy the profits, to be honest, we currently have absolutely no ability to ensure that they will give us the profits that are due to us," Lu Yanhe bluntly stated. "They are all experienced film distributors, and they can do everything they can to make the film lose money in their countries and regions, so that we don't get a single penny and have nowhere to complain. In the current situation, buying it out in one go and getting the money in your hands is the most worry-free option."
Thanks to Lu Yanhe's reminder, Fu Kai avoided selling the European and American copyrights to Schmidt Lowry for $1.5 million, and he trusted Lu Yanhe's advice.
As a result, within just a few days, "Path of Glory" secured copyrights in over a dozen countries and regions, and agreements were drafted, with a total value exceeding seven million. If all goes smoothly, the international copyright sales alone could fetch over ten million US dollars—not even counting domestic revenue, it would be a huge profit.
Fu Kai's face was beaming with excitement these past few days.
He even asked Lu Yanhe privately, "My next film could actually be another movie like 'Road to Glory,' right? I thought it was going to be a huge loss, and I was prepared to lose money when I made it, but I didn't expect it to sell to so many countries and regions."
Lu Yanhe laughed and said, "Don't be impulsive, director. The reason why 'Road to Glory' sold so well is because it was shortlisted for the Venice International Film Festival and received positive reviews and responses from the media there. Without these, the number of copies you sold would be reduced by a zero, and probably even more."
Fu Kai immediately regained consciousness.
But after a while, he couldn't help but sigh, "Who says art films can't make money? Who says coming to a film festival is just losing money and making a lot of noise? You're really looking at the world from the bottom of a well."
Lu Yanhe smiled but remained silent.
-
The international acclaim for "Path of Glory" has prompted domestic distribution companies to gradually release information about the film, generating buzz and maintaining its popularity on social media.
Basically, there's one message per day.
Green Valley Films has acquired the North American distribution rights for a seven-figure sum in US dollars!
French film company César has acquired the French distribution rights for a high price!
German company XX has acquired the distribution rights for the German region and announced that the film will be shown on a large scale in Germany!
...
In short, these news reports and propaganda pieces are based on facts but are exaggerated in a vague way to create the image of a hugely popular and successful film, whetting the appetite of domestic audiences and building up their anticipation for the film's release.
Meanwhile, the Venice International Film Festival is finally coming to an end.
At this moment, news suddenly came from the crew of Yu Qin's new film.
Yu Qin seems to be very dissatisfied with Chen Ziliang's acting skills and wants to replace him for a reshoot.
When Lu Yanhe heard the news, he was chatting with Shang Yongzhou in a bookstore cafe.
The two men looked at each other in bewilderment.
Lu Yanhe said quietly, "How come... I'm not surprised at all when I hear this news?"
Shang Yongzhou smiled.
Lu Yanhe asked suspiciously, "Who released this information?"
Shang Yongzhou shook his head.
At that moment, Chen Ziyan came in.
"Did you see the message?" Chen Ziyan asked Lu Yanhe.
Lu Yanhe nodded.
This is clearly an inquiry about Yu Qin's new film crew.
Chen Ziyan said, "Do you know what Guan Suchen told me? Guess who leaked the news that Yu Qin was dissatisfied with Chen Ziliang's acting skills?"
Chen Ziyan's eyes were shining.
Lu Yanhe: "I didn't want to guess that, but since you asked, I think I was right before."
Chen Ziyan laughed.
"Teacher Ning is really... quite shrewd," Lu Yanhe remarked.
Chen Ziyan: "It all depends on how determined Yu Qin is to finish making this movie."
Lu Yanhe recalled the words Ning Xiulian had said to her.
—If you've worked with Yu Qin on a movie, you'll be just like me. Instead of worrying about so many things, you might as well go crazy with her.
Ning Xiulian probably knew that, given Yu Qin's personality, no matter how much she opposed it, she couldn't stop Yu Qin from wanting to make this movie.
Therefore, she did not engage in futile attempts to stop it.
Once you're on set, you, Yu Qin, can go crazy and make a movie to satirize me, and I can go crazy and make your set a chaotic mess.
Lu Yanhe sighed once again, realizing that neither of these two women was easy to deal with.
And so the closing ceremony began.
The crew of "Road to Glory" received an official invitation from the film festival, indicating that they are sure to win an award in the Horizons section.
They also ran into Yu Qin and Ning Xiulian in the red carpet waiting area.
However, the two of them did not stand together, but instead chatted and laughed with the people around them, as if the other did not exist.
Even when they saw them, they greeted each other at different times.
Lu Yanhe: "..."
How could he describe his feelings?
He felt that, many years later, when he recalled this year's Venice International Film Festival, what impressed him most was not the glory of "Road to Glory", but the two women.
In the entertainment industry, he has seen some truly awful people.
For example, there's Chen Ziliang, who has two completely different faces on and off camera; Meng Li, who seems mentally unstable; Ma Zhiyuan, who has a terrible character; and Zhou Changying, the director of "Behind the Golden Robe," who uses any means to achieve his goals.
However, Yu Qin and Ning Xiulian were the first two people he had met in a long time who were truly talented, had strong personalities, and could even be described as somewhat obsessive.
Lu Yanhe felt that some of the traits of these two people would be absolutely dramatic if they were put into a movie.
Of course, just like the story of the female celebrity that Yu Qin told.
Lu Yanhe took a deep breath.
Fortunately, the people he truly befriends are those with whom he can get along harmoniously and who have principles and bottom lines.
As Lu Yanhe pondered these things, he heard the presenter announce that the Best Film in the Horizons section of this year's Venice International Film Festival was "Paths of Glory".
Lu Yanhe had just come to his senses and was about to congratulate Director Fu Kai when he turned around and saw Director Fu Kai looking excited. At the same time, he heard him sigh softly, "Oh dear, we sold it at a loss."
"..."
(End of this chapter)
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