Chapter 34
On the day of the premiere, Qiao Yi Qiao wanted to sleep in, but he was unexpectedly woken up early in the morning.
"What?" Qiao Yiqiao was lying in the dormitory, half asleep. "Who told me to do that? Do you want to be punished by running laps?"
Yangyang looked excited: "Brother, hurry up and get up, we just suddenly thought of something!"
Qiao Yiqiao reluctantly stood up and was stunned for a long time before he came to his senses: "What's the matter?"
"You don't have a Weibo account yet!" Yang Yang said anxiously, "Hurry up, we'll register one for you."
As he spoke, he lifted the boss's quilt.
In order to expand the ways for artists to monetize and to facilitate communication between major agents and them, Yang Yang set up social media accounts for A'mo and Li Wei, and recently also for Su Lang and Wang Song. With the trailer of "Chaotic Campus", both accounts attracted some popularity.
Then, numerous private messages were sent to them asking, "Where is your director Qiao's account? Please show us who Qiao Yiqiao is, etc...."
Yangyang then realized that their boss didn't have his own account yet.
"No," Qiao Yiqiao decisively abandoned the quilt and fell down again, "What a hassle..."
"What if we can get a business?" Yang Yang said, "Now our Ah Mo and Li Wei's quote for a short video advertisement has reached 50,000. If our director can also get up..."
"I'll do it."
Before Yang Yang finished speaking, Qiao Yi Qiao had already sat up.
"You tell me how to do it, and I'll do it right away."
Tens of thousands for one.
If you don't make money, you're a bastard.
Who can resist money?
"Okay, I'll help you, big brother," Yang Yang took the phone from Qiao Yiqiao, "I guess you don't have a Weibo account, so you rely on tourists to log in to watch the melons?"
Qiao Yiqiao was a little embarrassed: "I really don't like the trouble."
He has always advocated a minimalist life.
And I always feel that accepting verification codes or something like that will leak my privacy.
His privacy is precious.
But it's nothing compared to money.
"Okay, let's name him Qiao Yiqiao," Yang Yang thought for a moment, "Director-Qiao Yiqiao, this is the simplest and best way."
Yang Yang quickly helped Qiao Yi Qiao set up his Weibo account, and then sent a message to his assistant, asking him to help authenticate Qiao Yi Qiao's account.
Qiao Yi Qiao looked at Yang Yang communicating with his assistant and smiled silently.
"What are you laughing at, boss?" Yang Yang asked with a smile while typing.
"You're really different now," Qiao Yiqiao rubbed Yangyang's head, "last year you were still a young man, always thinking about how to steal things."
"Yeah," Yang Yang put down his phone and looked at Qiao Yiqiao quietly, "Boss, you have changed too, did you know that?"
This is new.
"How have I changed?" Qiao Yi Qiao asked.
"Your temperament and state have changed," Yang Yang thought for a while, "When I was with you before, you were always frowning and felt under a lot of pressure, but now you are often very relaxed, such as sleeping in, which you never did before."
After saying that, he looked at the boss again and added: "And you are always very happy, boss. It seems that you like yourself now and what you are doing, right?"
Qiao Yi Qiao was silent for a while, then nodded seriously.
Yes, he enjoys both making movies and helping the guys in the Xicui Gang grow into better people who are useful to society.
"Okay, it's done," Yang Yang handed the phone to Qiao Yiqiao, "Boss, you have to post something, otherwise no one will know you've registered."
"Okay." Qiao Yiqiao thought for a moment, "Let's just forward the trailer and promotional song for 'Chaotic Campus'."
Yangyang nodded: "Sure."
After saying that, Qiao Yi Qiao turned around.
Then the two chatted for a while. About half an hour later, Qiao Yi Qiao took a look and exclaimed, "Wow."
There are already 30,000 fans.
"That's great!" Yangyang was also excited, "Maybe some business will find us soon."
As soon as he finished speaking, he saw his boss poking at the screen frantically.
"Boss, what are you doing?" Yang Yang couldn't suppress his curiosity and moved closer to Qiao Yi Qiao to take a closer look.
Then.
People are stupid.
"Boss," Yang Yang said cautiously, "It's probably useless to send a private message to Prada's account to ask if they need a spokesperson now. You'll even be blocked and thought of as a liar."
Qiao Yiqiao looked puzzled: "Didn't you say you were going to take on the business?"
Yangyang smiled: "At the beginning, we can only accept some shampoo and shower gel..."
As soon as he finished speaking, Qiao Yi Qiao was blocked by CK’s official account.
Qiao Yiqiao: “Heh.”
That's all.
The Internet has never been welcoming to me.
…
Near noon, Qiao Yiqiao, Su Lang, Wang Song and Yang Yang rushed to the airport.
They will take off from here and head to Yanjing to attend the premiere of their film.
In fact, during the flight, Qiao Yi Qiao was still thinking about business matters from time to time.
It’s not his fault that he was anxious, but he had settled a score with Chu Feng yesterday.
The revenue he brought to the company from the entire copyright sale was only about one million.
Although it sounds good, in reality, the current revenue of "Chaos School" may barely support the expenses of so many people in Yizheng Entertainment for about a year.
The conversion revenue of Netflix's playback volume is actually not transparent. The click-through rate of streaming media was later criticized by many producers. Qiao Yiqiao also found it difficult to predict the global performance of "Chaos School", so he cannot count too much on this income.
The most important thing is that he now understands Tu Yu’s difficulties.
His "Chaotic School" is already the fastest one, taking half a year in total, and his next movie is still a long way from being released.
Chu Feng felt that the company's account would only be reliable if it had at least two years of expenses, so in short, he still had to make money.
The biggest bet at the moment is the domestic box office of "Chaos School".
In the morning, Yang Yang said that he looked relaxed and had no pressure. Little did he know that he was under a lot of pressure because he had no experience as a director for the first time. In fact, the profit-sharing agreement he signed with Huarui Entertainment had a very low ratio.
In other words, the box office needs to be very high for him to make a lot of money.
At least the money earned should be able to barely cover the operating costs of Yizheng Entertainment for the next year and a half. After all, he has to make another movie, which may take at least two years.
With this mood, Qiao Yiqiao did not really appreciate the scenery of the imperial capital.
Except for the traffic jam.
It was only the afternoon and the entire Third Ring Road of the capital was already red, and their premiere was held in the middle of the core area of the CBD. Even though it was only a 20 or 30 kilometer journey, it took a full three hours to finally reach the theater.
Coming up from the cinema in the underground garage, they arrived at the VIP lounge.
Here, Qiao Yiqiao and his group finally met up with Xiao He.
Xiao He and Sabri just arrived in Yanjing from Pakistan today.
"Hello, Sabri!" Qiao Yiqiao saw the girl's bright eyes, and the worry that had been hanging in the air for the past few days finally settled down, "Welcome to China!"
Sabry blinked and said, "Hello, Director Qiao, thank you for your invitation."
The whole group of people were stunned.
Because Sabri speaks standard Chinese.
"You can speak Chinese so quickly!" Qiao Yiqiao couldn't help but exclaim, "Very impressive."
Sabri smiled shyly, and Xiao He helped her explain: "Sabri has been studying Chinese almost non-stop for the past two weeks, forcing me to teach her 30 Chinese characters every day. Now she knows quite a few."
"I'm still a long way from here," Sabri lowered his head in embarrassment, "but I will try my best and make sure not to worry you."
"That's good enough," Qiao Yiqiao asked again, "Xiao He might be busy at the premiere later, so I'll ask a friend to follow you. I'm afraid you can't understand what we're saying."
"No need," Sabry waved his hand and took out a small device with a screen. "This is the instant translator Mr. He bought for me. Your technology is so advanced that everything can be translated quickly."
Qiao Yiqiao looked at Xiao He approvingly: "Well done."
"It's nothing," Xiao He scratched his head. "China and Pakistan are friendly countries, and Sabri is our friend. You don't need to say 'thank you' so much when you come here. We are a family."
Sabri still smiled shyly, and then she took out a small scarf from her backpack.
"Director Qiao, this is the most famous wool product in our country. I knitted it myself these days. I hope it can bring good luck to you and "Chaos School"."
Qiao Yiqiao took the scarf carefully and put it in his pocket: "Thank you, with your blessing, I will definitely have good luck."
Sister Wu came in at this time and reminded: "Everyone, the screening in the first theater is about to start. We can go to the front to sign first."
"Okay," Qiao Yiqiao agreed, and then he helped everyone get dressed and was the first to step out of the lounge, "Let's go."
A general premiere ceremony will be held in an exhibition center or conference hall, and there will usually be a red carpet segment. Then after the ceremony is over and everyone has finished chatting, they will take the media and industry insiders to the cinema to watch the movie.
But Huarui Entertainment doesn’t have that money.
So the entire premiere ceremony was kept simple. They simply booked the theater for seven screenings, and then Qiao Yiqiao and other main creators went one by one to communicate after the screenings.
It's more like a grand road show.
Qiao Yi Qiao and his friends first walked to the lobby of the cinema, where there was a huge display board with the picture of their silhouette looking at the rising sun on the playground at the end.
Everyone signed their names on the display board, took a few group photos, and then went to the theater.
The theaters are arranged in order from one to seven, and there is a half-hour interval between each screening, so this half-hour is the time for their activities.
Hall No. 1 is a special screening for students. Huarui Entertainment has selected representatives from various universities in Yanjing to watch the movies. These students are also loyal users of Doujia. Each of them has watched no less than one thousand films. It can be said that they represent the most discerning tastes among young audiences.
Qiao Yiqiao and his group were mentally prepared and took a deep breath before daring to step into Hall No. 1.
This is their first time meeting domestic audiences.
"Let's welcome the creative team of this film," the host smiled, "This is the first post-screening exchange in their lives, so please feel free to do so."
Many people at the scene laughed, and then there was applause.
After Qiao Yi Qiao stood still, he looked at everyone and saw smiling faces. He felt much more at ease.
"Let me introduce you. This is our director, Qiao Yiqiao."
"Hello, everyone." Qiao Yi Qiao smiled and nodded to everyone.
After all, he had been on the podium at the Rotterdam Film Festival, so although he was a little nervous in front of this group of students, he was not stage fright.
The host continued, "This is the lead actor, Ming Ziqin."
Ming Ziqin also greeted them in a dignified and graceful manner, "Hello, everyone."
"Next to him are the other two leading actors, Su Lang and Wang Song."
The two looked towards the audience and bowed together in a snap: "Hello."
After all, it was the first time I stood under the spotlight, so it was understandable that I was nervous.
The college students were stunned to see that the two people who had just been so vicious in the movie were so polite in real life. Then they all laughed and applauded warmly.
"I think everyone has seen the movie," the host said. "'Campus of Chaos' is a movie about a transfer student, telling how he escapes from a bad school and gets back on track. The most surprising thing is that this is a movie without a script. All the characters are free to play in the environment set by Director Qiao. Director Qiao, what was the original idea?"
Qiao Yiqiao thought for a moment, "In fact, when Huarui Entertainment approached me, they just wanted to make a youth film. But I thought Ming Ziqin couldn't act, and then I suddenly had this idea. I wanted to see what would happen if he was really thrown into such an environment. Of course, I also took a lot of protective measures, but I didn't expect Ming Ziqin... to take this path. I was also quite surprised."
"So what does Director Qiao think of Ming Ziqin's acting skills now?"
"Very good," Qiao Yiqiao said sincerely, "He is an actor who can grasp the essence of performance and knows how the character should react in each scene. Or, this may not be acting. After all, even though he knew he was filming, all his actions were still autonomous. This is his observant nature at work."
"But there are two other characters in Director Qiao's works who know they are filming from the beginning to the end and have their own main stories, right?"
Qiao Yiqiao nodded: "Wang Song and Su Lang have always known about this. Wang Song's mission is relatively simple, which is to be friends with Ming Ziqin and protect him closely. There is not much room for drama, but he completed it very well. As for Su Lang, I actually made it difficult for him because his personality is very different from that in the movie, but I insisted on him to play the role of a big boss, but he completed it very well, and I am very grateful to him."
"Okay, it's very courageous for a new director to use three new actors," the host asked, "May I ask why Director Qiao made such a choice?"
Qiao Yiqiao smiled and replied immediately: "No money."
Be brief and to the point.
The whole audience was silent for half a second, and then burst into loud laughter.
"Hahaha, Director Qiao is really straightforward," the host asked, "How poor are we?"
Qiao Yiqiao looked at Sister Wu, who gave him a look that said "whatever you say", before answering: "We had so little money that when we made this film, the first thing the investors said to us was 'You created a miracle'. I think ours may be one of the lowest-cost theatrical films."
"I see. I won't ask for the specific figures. How do you save money?"
All those present were college students who were "rich at the beginning of the month and beggars at the end of the month". After the host asked the question, everyone became interested and looked at Qiao Yi Qiao.
"First of all, we didn't pay the actors. Ming Ziqin is one of our investors, Su Lang, Wang Song and the rest of the extras are from my company. The extras are all students who come to take extra classes. We originally wanted to charge them, but then we thought about it and gave up."
"Then the filming didn't cost any money. Our equipment was all stolen from a foreclosure, and we spent half a day fixing it ourselves. The biggest expense in the early stages was the set design fee, but..."
The host asked curiously, "But what?"
"…But we took the opportunity of setting up the scene to renovate the building, so our company doesn't have to do any more renovations. As for the later expenses, we can't save any money, so we just spend what we have to."
The main reason was that Qiao Yiqiao thought about it and decided to use special effects to process all the shots of Mao Mao, making his facial features less like his real self, plus dubbing, reverb, color grading, and special effects, which cost nearly a million in total.
Oh, by the way, the fifty suggestions put forward by the Film Bureau can only be fixed by special effects.
It still hurts whenever I think about it.
Next time you shoot a film, you must think about these issues in advance.
"Hahaha," not only the host, but many students at the scene also laughed so hard, "Director Qiao is really good at saving money. You may be the most cost-saving director in China."
Qiao Yiqiao waved his hands modestly: "I don't deserve it, I don't deserve it... I was forced to do it."
Who doesn’t want to spend money on making a movie?
The students at the scene laughed again.
Being honest.
"In fact, we have always been curious about something," the host said mysteriously, "In the movie, it seems like Ming Ziqin rose to power without the guidance of an expert, and the people who helped them organize the gang experience tour also seemed real. But I watched the ending of the film carefully and there was no guidance from any gang members. May I ask how Director Qiao did it?"
"...Ah," Qiao Yiqiao thought for a long time and uttered, "Please believe in the rule of law. This plot is purely fictional."
Everyone laughed so hard that their stomachs hurt when they looked at Qiao Yi Qiao, and the atmosphere was very good.
The host also raised a somewhat heavy question at the right time: "When watching the film, especially the second half, there was a lot of laughter in the audience, but I also saw that many students were lost in thought. Director, what is the theme of this film?"
All the students also quieted down and looked at Qiao Yi Qiao attentively.
Qiao Yi Qiao thought for a long time.
In fact, he is not a "theme-first" creator. He believes that the essence of a movie is to tell a good story to everyone, and the theme should be interpreted by everyone.
But in the creative process, it is hard not to think about what a film is trying to express.
For example, in "Needle Walker", what he wants to express is very simple, which can be summed up in two words - "cage".
Everyone is in some kind of cage and cannot escape.
As for this "Chaotic Campus"...
Qiao Yiqiao blurted out: "Oppose violence."
This answer seems to be within everyone's expectations, but also unexpected.
Qiao Yiqiao went on to explain: "The first half actually shows the badness of violence, whether it is hard violence or soft violence, but the protagonist has no other choice but to resist violence through violence, which also backfires on him. Only after he takes off the shell of violence can he find what he wants in his heart."
"So the theme is very simple, which is 'oppose violence'. I hope that everyone will not face any violence in real life. Even if they do, they can be helped like Wang Song, Su Lang and the teachers in the film, and they don't need to use any violent means to solve the problem themselves."
"Although we live in a violent era and everyone seems to like the existence of violence, I still want to say that violence is not good. That's it."
Everyone in the audience was thinking.
After a few seconds, applause broke out.
"Thank you Director Qiao for sharing," the host nodded seriously, "As expected of a creator who won the 'Rotterdam Film Golden Tiger Award', he really has some deeper thoughts."
Then, she turned to the audience and asked, "Do you like this film?"
"I like it!" the audience shouted.
One boy even stood up and said, "Director Qiao, I love you! This is the least boring art film I've ever seen!"
The whole audience laughed again and the atmosphere became high spirits again.
Then, the host asked some questions to several leading actors and producers, and everyone answered very well.
The students also asked a lot of questions, and the creators answered them one by one.
Amidst laughter and joy, they ended the post-screening discussion in the student hall.
Some people say that college students are the most difficult group of moviegoers to please, but Qiao Yiqiao doesn't think so.
They are the most sincere audiences. As long as you are willing to put in effort and sincerity, they will return your sincerity.
The next few halls were filled with media and movie-watching groups. Everyone answered questions and interacted just like they did in Hall 1. We became more and more experienced and the meeting was over quickly.
And Hall 7...
This is actually the cinema that makes Qiao Yiqiao most nervous.
Because the people invited to this hall are all industry insiders.
They don’t know specifically who Huarui Entertainment has hired, but they heard that they are all top directors, screenwriters, producers and actors in the industry.
Even though I was mentally prepared, I was still shocked when I actually walked into the theater.
I won’t mention Wang Yige, Qin Duo, or other familiar people…
The key is that there are Director Nie, Director Zheng, Director Hua, etc.
It can be said that those present here are the ones standing at the top of the pyramid in the Chinese film industry!
What’s even more outrageous is that sitting right in the middle of the first row is a middle-aged man with a beard.
Qiao Yiqiao recognized him at a glance. He was Chen Si, who was known as the number one screenwriter in China. It was said that he didn't like to go out and only produced a work every two years. He often won various awards for the best screenwriter. How come he was here too...
After a brief interaction and introduction, the host asked: "Do you have any questions for Qiao Yiqiao?"
"I've seen the film. As a debut film, it has a good conception and is well done. It's also very interesting," Director Nie took the microphone and directly asked a sharp question: "What kind of film do you want to make next?"
Qiao Yiqiao replied: "I want to make a film that makes money and is well received..."
This is the truth.
Many people at the scene laughed.
"Then I have a question for you as well," Director Zheng, who was standing next to Director Nie, also stood up. "Are you satisfied with this film?"
Qiao Yiqiao thought about this question for a while and answered seriously: "There are some satisfactory aspects, but there are also many shortcomings and immaturity. I think everyone has seen it. After all, I can't hide it from you. I can only say that you should keep working hard in the future."
A producer stood up and asked, "Your budget should be very low, right? But I see that when you were conceiving, you actually took into account a lot of commercial considerations. You just said that you also want to make a movie that makes money, but also wins awards. Did you think of all these when you were conceiving?"
"Not really."
Qiao Yi Qiao wiped his sweat off his forehead, thinking that these people were indeed experts in the industry, as the questions they asked were so unique.
"Although I really hope that my film can make money and win awards, these two are not the main considerations when I am conceiving the film," Qiao Yiqiao paused, "I still hope to tell a good story, and a commercial structure is the best way to make people accept this story. As for winning an award, it was completely unexpected. I think the judges of the Rotterdam Film Festival may prefer my innovation when shooting."
The humble yet original answer drew applause from all the filmmakers in the audience.
“You have a strong personal style.
"A screenwriter stood up and said, "We in China are in great need of filmmakers with personality like you. I hope you can continue to work hard and bring better works."
"Thank you," Qiao Yiqiao bowed earnestly, "Thank you all for your love, I will continue to work hard."
After saying this, Qiao Yi Qiao thought this session was almost over.
But unexpectedly, Chen Si, who was sitting in the front row, raised his hand.
This action surprised even the host, but she still asked, "Excuse me, what does Teacher Shen Si want to say?"
Chen Si stood up and cleared his throat. "I want to say that Chaos School is indeed a good debut film, and it shows the potential of Director Qiao, but it is undoubtedly a work that is easy to please. I don't really agree with this kind of innovation of shooting without a script and integrating social experiments. I think it goes against the original intention of what you just said, 'Movies are for telling stories.'"
"When I was watching it, I was thinking, could it be that the director's creative ability is questionable, so he chose this approach? And the reason why you can achieve your current success is also because your subject matter itself is topical, and the character selection is also very smart, and - I want to use this word again - pleasing. Have you ever thought about this question yourself?"
Everyone's attention was focused on Chen Si, and then shifted to Qiao Yiqiao.
Qiao Yiqiao was very nervous, but suddenly smiled: "Indeed, I have no experience in creating feature films. This one also has many tricks. I know it is useless to say that I will work hard, but I also think so. Please pay more attention to my next work that is not so 'trickster'. I also hope that you will invest more. Thank you."
After saying this, many people present laughed.
Chen Si also smiled slightly and sat down.
The premiere was completed without any major problems.
Qiao Yiqiao's hands were still shaking until she returned to the VIP room to remove her makeup.
The question from Mr. Shen Si at the end was so sharp that he had to start thinking about whether the fact that his first work was so unorthodox was a subconscious attempt to cover up the fact that he probably couldn't write a script?
"I'm going to smoke a cigarette," Qiao Yiqiao said to everyone after removing her makeup, "You don't have to follow me."
He needs to think for himself.
But the opposite happened.
When he quietly came to the stairwell to smoke secretly, he suddenly found that there was already someone standing there in the smoke.
It was none other than Teacher Chen Si.
Qiao Yiqiao thought to himself, what you fear is bound to happen, but he still bowed obediently and asked, "Teacher Shen, are you here too?"
Chen Si smiled when he saw Qiao Yiqiao, and his serious expression disappeared: "You come to smoke?"
"Well," Qiao Yiqiao took out a cigarette and handed it to Teacher Shen Si. For some reason, he suddenly said, "Tonight... we're finally done."
Teacher Chen Si didn't respond, and Qiao Yiqiao didn't say anything either. The two of them smoked silently in the narrow stairwell.
"Do you hate the question I just asked?" Teacher Shen Si suddenly asked.
"I don't hate it," Qiao Yiqiao replied, "In fact, I didn't realize it before, and now I'm wondering if I've subconsciously avoided this question."
"Well," Chen Si asked again, "You are not a professional, right?"
Qiao Yiqiao nodded: "Yes."
Chen Si smiled and said, "Do you know what kind of people they were just now?"
Qiao Yiqiao was puzzled: "Who?"
"Some of them can recover their investment costs before the release of their films, some can easily and long-term attract hundreds of millions of investments, and some can make three films a year, all relying on the work of executive directors. Some can ban an actor or director for ten years with just one sentence, and another sentence can make a creator stand at the top," Chen Si sighed, "but they are also excellent commercial filmmakers. When they first meet you, they still have a polite appearance, but you have to know that it can be said that they are the ones who can stir up trouble in the Chinese film market. All the bloody storms are initiated and eliminated by them."
After listening to Chen Si's words, Qiao Yiqiao fell into deep thought.
He seemed to have caught a glimpse of a larger, bloodier world.
That world is the so-called "entertainment industry".
And now he is just a small creator.
The questions those people asked just now seemed like a game to coax children.
Qiao Yiqiao looked at Chen Si with gratitude.
This person can be said to be a troublemaker, but I am willing to tell him about this.
Why?
"I can tell if a person has potential," Chen Si seemed to see the question in Qiao Yiqiao's eyes, "I think that you will join that world sooner or later. It is completely different from the game you are playing now. Those people are the so-called 'big directors', and what I asked is actually the question they want to know, but I dare say that they are only willing to guess."
Qiao Yiqiao understood.
In fact, any experienced filmmaker would try to guess why he came up with this idea when they see his work.
Then I would think about whether he has no creative ability.
"You have no teacher, which means you have no big tree. You can only rely on yourself. This road is very difficult. Only works are the hard truth," Chen Si smiled. "What you said just now is very good. Even I am beginning to look forward to your next work. That is your stepping stone to enter this circle. This group of people, including me, have seen too many new directors who showed their talents and then fell. Everyone says that the first work is important, but I think the second work is the most important."
yes.
Qiao Yiqiao suddenly became excited for some unknown reason.
He wanted to enter that circle and become a part of it.
But now he still doesn't know whether it's because of his competitive spirit or something else...
"Thank you, Mr. Chen Si," Qiao Yiqiao expressed his gratitude from the bottom of his heart. "If there is a chance, can you help me take a look at the script after I finish writing it? Maybe... there will be no reward, because I really don't have much money."
Chen Si looked at Qiao Yiqiao and stared at him seriously, as if he was judging how sincere Qiao Yiqiao was.
Then he put out his cigarette, smiled and replied, "My pleasure."
…
That night, the group took a red-eye flight back to Heng City.
The moment they got off the plane, the eight people opened their phones and started checking.
There is no other reason.
The pre-sale of "Chaotic School" has started. !
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