Chapter 473 Director Xie's Shock

Shanghai.

An elderly man in his seventies is worried about the funding for his movie.

This old man was none other than the great director of "The Opium War".

Originally, Director Xie had no plan to shoot "The Opium War", but last year he received a letter from a friend in which the friend said that the return of Hong Kong in 1997 was just around the corner and that the Chinese film industry could not do nothing about this great historical event.

It was this sentence from his friend that deeply touched Director Xie and gave him the idea of ​​filming "The Opium War".

As we all know, Hong Kong was ceded to Britain because of the failure in the Opium War.

Now that Hong Kong is about to return, it is indeed a very meaningful thing to shoot a movie "The Opium War" as a tribute to this great historical event.

However, these few years were the most difficult period for domestic films. A large-scale production with an investment of hundreds of millions of yuan, not to mention that Director Xie did not have that much money to shoot, even the most powerful state-owned studios at the time, including Beijing Film Academy, Changchun Film Studio, Shanghai Film Studio, and Bayi Film Studio... none of them had the ability to shoot it.

Because on January 5, 1993, in order to implement the decision to accelerate the development of the tertiary industry, the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television promulgated "Several Opinions on Deepening the Reform of the Film Industry Mechanism" and its implementation rules, commonly known as "Document No. 3".

It stipulates that the original unified purchase and sale of domestic films will be changed to direct distribution by the production studios to 32 provincial distribution companies across the country.

In terms of film production, the competent authorities used to allocate funds according to the annual plans of each film studio to organize production. Starting from Document No. 3, no one gave money anymore.

The good days of the past when film studios could just wait, rely on and ask for things are gone forever.

They have to learn to make their own plans, raise their own funds, and be responsible for their own profits and losses to survive in the market.

According to statistics from the "National Film Development Special Fund" in 1991, the fund planned to invest 20 million yuan in 1992 to shoot 19 feature films. The average production cost of each film was just over 1 million yuan, less than a fraction of the Hong Kong and Taiwan co-productions.

By 1995, the Beijing Film Studio planned to produce 14 domestic films annually, with a total investment of 28 million yuan, with an average production cost of only 2 million yuan per film.

In this situation, Director Xie knew better than anyone that it was simply a fantasy to shoot "The Opium War" with a small budget of one or two million under the existing institutional framework and production model.

So, ever since he decided to shoot "The Opium War", he has been troubled by funding and location shooting.

In fact, when preparing to shoot "The Opium War", Director Xie did receive support from many provincial leaders.

From May this year to one year before the filming of "The Opium War" began, a total of five "The Opium War" coordination meetings were held, led by relevant departments. The preparation and filming of this film was included in Shanghai's major cultural and artistic projects and provided financial support.

Such an operation is unprecedented in the history of Shanghai cinema.

But up to now, the company has received a donation from Zhuhai District of Guangzhou, the amount of which is 199,771 yuan, which coincides with the date of Hong Kong's return.

In addition, the company also received a personal donation of RMB 100,000 from a Hong Kong and Macao NPC representative and a Hong Kong entrepreneur.

Although this money represents the donors' high hopes and expectations for "The Opium War", it is really a drop in the bucket for the huge fundraising plan.

Before announcing the filming of "The Opium War", Director Xie knew that raising hundreds of millions of dollars would be extremely difficult, but he never imagined it would be so difficult.

Just when Director Xie was getting anxious and angry, he received a call from Guangxi.

The next day, Director Xie went straight to the airport with several main creative staff.

While waiting for the flight, an old friend couldn't help asking, "Old Xie, who are you flying with us to Guangxi to meet? You look so excited, is it possible that you have found some funding?"

Xie Jin thought of the phone call he received last night and said excitedly, "That's right. If the trip to Guangxi goes well, we won't have to worry about funding anymore. We also have some plans for the location shoot. I don't know the details, but I'll know once we meet the real boss in Guangxi."

Upon hearing this, the other main creators also became happy.

They felt bad seeing their old friend looking so worried about filming funds and location, but unfortunately their abilities were limited and they couldn't help with hundreds of millions of dollars even if they wanted to. Now that they saw their old friend had made a breakthrough in fundraising, they were naturally happy for him.

"Old Xie, please stop keeping us in suspense. Who are we going to meet in Guangxi this time?"

"Yes, Lao Xie, please tell us quickly so that we can be mentally prepared."

"Hurry up and tell us so that we can be happy too."

“…”

Director Xie smiled when he heard this, and he stopped keeping the secret in front of his old friends and said directly: "I received a call from the president of Naye Film and Television Company last night, inviting me to their company to discuss the investment of "Opium War"."

"That's Ye Film Company?"

"The name of this film and television company is a bit unfamiliar. Have you heard of it?"

"I haven't heard of it."

"I haven't heard of it either."

"We haven't heard of it. This should be just a small company, right?"

"Old Xie, you weren't fooled, were you?"

“…”

"This Naye Film and Television Company is just a newly established film and television company. It's normal that you haven't heard of it."

At this point, Director Xie changed the subject and said with a smile: "Although you may not have heard of this film and television company, you must be well-known for its parent company."

"Old Xie, what is its parent company?"

"Deng Group."

As soon as these words came out, several old friends were shocked and instantly understood why Lao Xie was so excited.

Deng Group is a well-known private enterprise in China with extremely strong strength. It is extremely difficult for them to raise 100 million yuan in funds for filming, but for Naye Film and Television Company with such a strong backing, it is just a piece of cake.

…

Three o'clock in the afternoon.

Director Xie and his team arrived in Nanning.

Because they had made the arrangements in advance, the president of Naye Film and Television Company came to pick us up in person to show his importance.

"Thank you, Director. Welcome."

"Mr. Huang, you are so polite that you even came to pick us up in person."

After the two sides exchanged some pleasantries, Huang Zonghan said, "Director Xie, let's get in the car first. I have already arranged a hotel for you. President Deng of our group company will personally welcome you tonight."

"Thank you Mr. Deng and Mr. Huang for your hospitality."

Although Director Xie has received support from many senior leaders since the beginning of the preparations for filming "The Opium War", these senior leaders are either provincial leaders or leaders of big cities like Shanghai, and they all treat him with courtesy.

However, he was still a little flattered when he heard that the CEO of Deng Group was going to host a welcoming party for him.

At the same time, he felt reassured.

After all, even the CEO of Deng Group came out in person to welcome him, so the funding problem that has been bothering him for so long should no longer be a problem.

The main creators who came with Director Xie were also relieved when they heard this.

So, the group got in the car and headed straight to a hotel.

…

6pm.

At Nanning Hotel, Director Xie and his group finally met the president of Deng Group.

The polite words were omitted, and after three rounds of wine and five dishes, the two sides started talking about business.

Deng Shirong was the first to speak: "Director Xie, I heard that you are planning to shoot "The Opium War" as a tribute to this great historical moment in order to welcome the return of Hong Kong. As a son and daughter of China, I fully support your idea.

So, after hearing the news, I have always wanted to do my part.

After this period of preparation, I am almost ready, so I invited Director Xie to come and discuss our cooperation.

I wonder how much funding gap there is for The Opium War? "

When Director Xie heard this, he looked a little embarrassed and said, "Boss Deng, to be honest, we haven't raised a penny so far. We have only received donations of more than 200,000 yuan."

Deng Shirong smiled and said, "Funding is not a problem. Director Xie, our film and television company will invest as much as you need."

Although he was mentally prepared for this, Director Xie couldn't help but feel excited when he heard Deng Shirong's straightforward words.

After all, Director Xie has truly witnessed how difficult it is to raise funds over the past few months.

Precisely because fundraising is so difficult, Deng Shirong's promise is particularly precious.

"Mr. Deng, I'd like to toast you."

Director Xie picked up the wine and said solemnly, "I can't make any other promises about this movie, but I promise you, Mr. Deng, that I will do my best to make it a good movie. I hope that after the movie is released, the box office will not disappoint your trust."

Deng Shirong raised his glass and clinked it with him, then said with a hearty smile, "Thank you, Director. Don't feel any psychological burden. The movie will be made according to your ideas. You can shoot it as you want. Don't worry about the box office.

To put it bluntly, I don’t care about the box office performance, and I’ve never thought about whether this investment can be recovered.

After all, Director Xie, what you want to shoot is not a commercial film, but a tribute film for the return of Hong Kong. It is very difficult to expect it to be a big hit at the box office. This is one of the reasons why it is so difficult for you, Director Xie, to raise funds.

The reason why I am willing to invest is that I think this film is very educational. It can let young people who don’t know the history of Hong Kong learn about the whole process of Hong Kong’s cession, and remind young people in our country not to forget the national humiliation.”

This is really what Deng Shirong really thinks. The box office of this movie in his previous life was dismal, and it only took in 72 million in the mainland. Of course, this box office is not low, because the total box office in the mainland at that time was only a few hundred million, unlike the total box office in later generations that reached tens of billions.

With a box office of 72 million, it is already enough to win the annual box office championship for domestic films.

The box office in Hong Kong also reached over 7 million, while the box office in other regions can be ignored.

The global box office is less than 80 million, which is a huge loss compared to the 100 million investment.

Although he knew that he would lose money, Deng Shirong still decided to invest in this film for four reasons:

First, as a tribute to the return of Hong Kong, the Deng Group also wants to do its part.

Second, with the investment from their film and television company, it was a foregone conclusion that the film would be shot in their film and television city, but Hengdian Group had lost this opportunity and perhaps had no intention of building a film and television city.

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Third, through this investment, their film and television company can officially debut in the film and television industry, and also establish a good relationship with Director Xie, a leading figure among the third generation of directors, and expand their network of contacts in the film and television industry, which will be beneficial to the future development of the film and television city.

Fourth, as a tribute to Hong Kong's return to China, the significance of this film exceeds most people's imagination. After the film was completed in the previous life, not only were many senior leaders invited to watch the film, but even General Jiang personally reviewed the film. The high standards were simply beyond imagination.

Therefore, no matter how much loss this film makes, it is definitely worth investing in.

Director Xie naturally had no idea of ​​Deng Shirong's thoughts. Hearing Deng Shirong speak so bluntly, clearly showing that he was not optimistic about the box office of "The Opium War", but still investing in this educational film without hesitation, Director Xie couldn't help but feel moved.

This is a businessman with a sense of family and country!

Thinking of this, Director Xie stopped worrying about the box office and laughed loudly, "Mr. Deng is very understanding and righteous. I really admire him. Let's put aside the box office. I will do my best to make a film that satisfies you."

Deng Shirong said, "Now that the funding issue has been resolved, let's talk about the location. I heard that Director Xie has been having a headache for a long time."

Director Xie was cheered up after hearing this and said, "Boss Deng, this location has really been giving me a headache for a long time. Do you have any solution?"

Deng Shirong smiled and said, "Of course I have a solution. Let's talk about the Guangdong-Guangxi Governor's Mansion first. I think the Lu Residence in Dongyang, Zhejiang is more suitable. It is one of the best preserved large-scale buildings from the Ming and Qing dynasties in my country. I wonder if you have any impression of it, Director Xie?"

Hearing Deng Shirong's reminder, Director Xie immediately remembered that he had visited Lu's house when he was preparing to shoot the movie "Peach Blossom Fan".

This complex of buildings, built between the Jingtai and Wanli periods of the Ming Dynasty, is lined up one after another, with green tiles and black roofs, pavilions and towers scattered all over the place, and is a breathtaking beauty.

In particular, the Lu family had a historical accumulation of 8 Jinshi, 2 Jieyuan and 29 Juren in the Ming and Qing dynasties, which made the overall architectural style have the luxurious and elegant as well as the meticulously crafted artistic features of southern folk houses, which completely matched the scene in his mind.

Thinking of this, Director Xie couldn't help but clapped his hands excitedly and said, "Yeah, why didn't I think of this? Mr. Deng, your reminder is really timely."

Deng Shirong smiled and said, "As for other exterior scenes such as 'Guangzhou Thirteen Factories', 'Pearl River Tianzi Wharf', 'Victoria Bay', etc., I have already had them built. I can take you, Director Xie, to the scene tomorrow to have a look. If you need anything, you can always ask for it. We will try our best to meet your needs."

Director Xie widened his eyes when he heard this and said in disbelief: "Boss Deng, you are not kidding me, are you?"

Deng Shirong smiled and said, "Our Naye Film and Television Company plans to invest 30 billion to build a large-scale film and television city specifically for directors to shoot. I know that Director Xie, you can't find a suitable location for the filming of "Opium War", so we will invest to build the location you need, so that you don't have to run around looking for these locations."

As soon as this was said, Director Xie and all the creative friends were stunned! Investing 30 billion to build a large-scale film and television city specifically for directors to shoot, this news is really too exciting. If it spreads in the film and television industry, it will definitely cause a huge sensation in the industry.

As a director, Director Xie is well aware of how difficult it is to find scenes during filming. If Naye Film and Television Company really invests 30 billion to build a large-scale film and television city, then directors will no longer have to worry about finding scenes when shooting movies in the future.

This is good news for directors like them, the film and television industry, and the audience.

Director Xie couldn't wait to ask, "Boss Deng, where is this film and television city? Can we go over and take a look now?"

Deng Shirong smiled and said, "This film and television city is in a small town in my hometown. If we rush back tonight, time will be a bit tight. We should have a good rest. Let's go back after breakfast tomorrow!"

"I was impatient. I'm sorry to have embarrassed you, Mr. Deng!"

"I understand. We have been searching for the location for such a long time, and now there is good news. It is normal to be a little anxious."

Next, the two sides ate and talked. Because the fundraising issue had been resolved and there was good news about the location shooting, Director Xie was in a good mood and enjoyed the meal very much.

…

The next morning.

After breakfast, Deng Shirong, together with the executives of the film and television company, took Director Xie and his party back to their hometown.

It was already past one in the afternoon when we returned to Yamaguchi Town.

After having a quick bite in Shankou Town, the group continued on their journey. When they returned to Shuangwang Town, it was already around three o'clock in the afternoon.

As the car passed through the market town, Deng Shirong introduced with a smile: "Director Xie, this is my hometown, Shuangwang Town."

Director Xie looked at the narrow street and said in confusion: "Boss Deng, although the roads in your town are winding, they are already very good for rural roads. However, the market town seems a little small, which is a bit inconsistent with the traffic!"

Deng Shirong smiled and said, "Our town is indeed not good, but our village is not bad."

Director Xie didn't take it to heart, but asked, "Boss Deng, how far is this film and television city from here?"

Deng Shirong said, "A few hundred meters further ahead is actually the film and television city. However, Guangzhou Street is still a little far from here. If you drive there, it will take about ten minutes."

"It's only a dozen minutes, not that far."

While the two were talking, the car had already driven up the slope and then dived.

When the car passed through Mangtouling, Director Xie and his group were stunned by the scene in front of them.

If the 60-meter avenue appeared in big cities like Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, there would be nothing strange about it. But if it appeared in a rural area, anyone who saw it would be shocked.

At this time, ginkgo trees of similar size have been planted on both sides of this 60-meter avenue and the green belt in the middle. Moreover, the shapes of these ginkgo trees are similar, and they look neat and uniform and very beautiful.

Of course, at this point in time, the leaves of the ginkgo trees have not yet turned yellow, and it is not yet their most beautiful moment.

On the left side of this 60-meter avenue is a row of villas that stretches so long that there is no end in sight.

All of this really stunned Director Xie and his team. It was really hard to imagine seeing such roads and buildings in the countryside.

Director Xie asked in shock, "Boss Deng, this road and that row of buildings, are they all part of the film and television city's projects?"

Deng Shirong smiled and said, "This is not a film and television city project. This highway was invested and built by our group. As for that row of buildings, it is where our Naye Deng family lives."

Director Xie couldn't help but exclaimed: "As expected of the Deng family, it's really amazing!"

Soon, the car passed the 60-meter avenue and the road turned into a winding asphalt road like before.

After driving for more than ten minutes, everyone finally arrived at their destination - Guangzhou Street which was under construction.

After getting off the car, Director Xie could not wait to run to the construction site to take a look. The more he looked, the more satisfied he became. This Guangzhou Street was built next to a large reservoir. It would be no problem to create attractions such as the "Pearl River Tianzi Wharf" and "Victoria Bay".

Deng Shirong came over and asked with a smile, "Director Xie, how is it? Does this place meet your requirements for filming?"

"It fits. It fits perfectly!"

Director Xie nodded repeatedly in satisfaction, and said with emotion: "Mr. Deng, you not only solved our funding problem, but also spent a huge amount of money to help us build this location that fits the background of the times. I don't know how to thank you!"

Deng Shirong smiled and said, "You're welcome, Director Xie. If you really want to thank me, then make this film well and introduce more clients to our film studio. Not only are there no rental fees for filming at our film studio, but our film studio can also provide a series of supporting services including scene construction, props production, and accommodation.

Moreover, when shooting in our film and television city, we will also provide security protection for the crew, and there will be no threats, blackmail and other bad incidents, so that directors and actors can finish filming the movie or TV series smoothly. "

Director Xie was shocked and asked, "Boss Deng, your film and television city does not charge rental fees?"

Deng Shirong nodded and said, "Yes, we don't charge any rental fees for filming in our film and television city. Whatever location you need, as long as it is a common and reusable location, our film and television city can build it for you."

"Oh my god, this is the first time I've heard of a film and television city with such great conditions."

"If this news gets out, the entire film and television industry will probably be in an uproar."

"Boss Deng is really courageous!"

“…”

The main creators who came with Director Xie were all amazed when they heard this.

I have to say that the free strategy implemented by Hengdian in the previous life was really awesome.

Director Xie said on the spot: "Don't worry, Mr. Deng, your film and television city has given such good conditions. We will never refuse any director who really needs location shooting. I will say hello to the directors in the circle later. If anyone needs location shooting in the future, please contact your film and television city."

Deng Shirong said politely: "Then I'll trouble Director Xie!"

Director Xie said with a smile on his face, "Mr. Deng, you are too polite. This is not a problem at all. You are doing me a favor."

(End of this chapter)