1980 My literary era

Before the Ministry of Radio, Film and Television issued "Several Opinions on Deepening the Current Mechanism Reform of the Film Industry" in 1993, there was no room for private companies to survive in the domestic film market.

First of all, let’s talk about whether it is allowed for individuals to open a film and television company to make movies.

is allowed.

But the problem is, if you want to make a movie, you have to find a studio to affiliate with it.

After the film is made, the distribution channel is in the hands of China Film Group, which has unified purchasing and marketing. You will be given so much money for a movie, and it has nothing to do with you whether the box office is high or low.

After 1993, the opinions were released and the domestic film industry ushered in great changes.

We will cancel the monopoly on purchasing and marketing, liberalize movie ticket prices, and cancel the sole distribution model of China Film and Television.

It seems to have loosened the shackles of Chinese movies, but in fact, it has introduced Chinese movies into the barbaric era.

With the elimination of unified purchasing and marketing, the cost pressure on studios has become smaller, but at the same time, there is no guarantee. The inertia developed during the planned economy era has left these studios at a loss as to what to do, and some studios have never recovered since then.

The liberalization of movie ticket prices seems to be moving towards a market economy, but the problem is that there are no rules to follow. Movie theaters everywhere charge sky-high prices, and the ticket price of some movies can easily reach 20 or 30 yuan. When "Titanic" was released in China, movie theaters The price is 50 yuan/ticket, and scalpers fetch 400 yuan/ticket.

What's more, movie theater chains from all over the world have formed an alliance to take advantage of their monopoly in film scheduling to raise movie ticket prices and retaliate against uncooperative movie theaters, production companies, and distribution companies.

You must know that in the early 1990s, the monthly salary of ordinary working-class people was only one or two hundred yuan, and in the late 1990s, it was only less than 1,000 yuan.

Watching a movie once will cost you one or two days' salary, or even four or five days' salary.

The abnormal surge in ticket prices has wiped out the eager desire of countless viewers to watch movies. This short-sighted fishing in the river has caused Chinese movies to almost fall into a stage of stagnation or even regression 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 underreporting of box office receipts by movie theaters in various places.

With the liberalization of policies, movie ticket prices have increased, and the cost of watching movies has soared for ordinary people, so they choose not to watch movies.

Then VCD and DVD appeared, and pirated discs were rampant. Renting a disc and watching movies at home is not more cost-effective than going to the cinema?

People don’t go to movie theaters, which means movie theaters’ revenue is reduced. Ticket prices have to be increased, and movie box office reports have even been concealed and underreported.

This cycle repeats itself, causing Chinese movies to fall into an infinite vicious circle.

In the past, we were too strict in controlling things, but after we let go, we were too strict in controlling them.

In the years after 1993, Chinese films experienced the pain of reform.

In the entire industrial chain, the worst situation is that of private companies. No matter how great their contribution is, they have no say or leadership.

For example, Chen Xiaoer has become 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 and is China's first private film and television company.

According to the historical trajectory, his film and television company will be affiliated with many studios to invest in the production of many movies such as "The Supernumerary Husband" and "The Queen Mother's Good Luck". Each movie is very popular. When he goes to the cinema to watch it, the audience is often full. , but when it came to the box office, they couldn’t even get their money back.

Chen Xiaoer became poorer and poorer as he made more movies. In 1997, he finally couldn't support it anymore and closed down his film company.

Lin Weimin liked to watch movies in later generations and knew very well about the film reform in recent years.

It is certainly a good thing to turn his works into films, but he must find a way that is most beneficial to him.

Setting up your own film and television company to invest in production, at least at this point in time, is definitely not possible. Film distribution can only be left to China Film. No matter how much the investment is for a film, only 900,000 will be given, unless he is crazy.

But with Xu Feng and Michael Phillips, it's different. They are foreign investors, and they enjoy top-notch treatment when they come to film in China. Co-productions can be distributed by special zone distribution companies, and there is no one China Film Group to dominate, even if the distribution area is small. Even a little profit is more than 900,000.

Many people know that in the 1990s, there were many co-productions between Hong Kong and Mainland China, but in fact, the so-called co-productions often involved a certain studio cooperating with the Heung Kong crew, who shot scenes and hired workers in China at low prices.

Both of them are capable producers who can invest out of their own pockets. They provide funds, connections, channels, and a layer of foreign investment status. While contributing money and efforts, they also bear risks.

What Lin Weimin contributed was the influential original work.

Mutual benefit and win-win situation.

Michael Phillips arrived one day later than expected and was jet-lagged overnight. He couldn't wait to make an appointment with Lin Weimin and Xu Feng.

The general aspects of the cooperation were discussed over the phone. After meeting and discussing, the cooperation was confirmed.

Although Michael Phillips travels among major Hollywood companies, he also has an independent production company, but he only invests in unknown low-budget films or independent films.

Taking out four million at once this time was also a lot of pressure for him.

The same is true for Xu Feng.

The investment in "Farewell My Concubine" was 8 million yuan. Compared with later generations, the investment amount has doubled.

After signing the investment agreement, the first thing they had to do was to identify the crew. The director is the brains of a movie and must be the first person to be determined.

The production of "Farewell My Concubine" is led by Xu Feng, with Michael Phillips in charge of publicity and distribution.

"I want to find Cheng Kaige as director!" Xu Feng said.

Cheng Kaige?

Lin Weimin was not surprised by this, while Michael Phillips looked confused. He was very unfamiliar with this 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's reputation is much greater than that of Cheng Kaige.

Once a golden bear, once a silver lion, Zhang Yimou is moving towards becoming a master, while Cheng Kaige can only be said to be slightly famous internationally.

Of course Xu Feng knew Zhang Yimou's name, but this time she was running towards Cheng Kaige.

In 1987, Xu Feng took more than a dozen films from Tomson Pictures to the Cannes Film Festival to rent a booth and sell the film copyrights. That year, Cheng Kaige failed to make an appointment at the Berlin Film Festival and took "The King of Children" to the Cannes Film Festival.

Xu Feng attended the premiere of "The King of Children" and met Cheng Kaige. After watching the movie, she fell in love with Cheng Kaige's talent and has always wanted to cooperate with him.

This time he got the rights to adapt "Farewell My Concubine", and Xu Feng's first choice for director was Cheng Kaige.

"I don't know Zhang Yimou, and I admire Cheng Kaige's talent very much. 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 pinnacle work, and with Xu Feng controlling the whole process, Lin Weimin is not worried.

Kaizi is a really talented person, he just likes to show off, has some feudal ideas, and is a young man, but he is not a bad person.

His biggest shortcoming is that he doesn't listen to advice. If no one is around to take care of him, it will be easy for him to go to heaven. As long as Xu Feng is here and he is here, he can't change the world, and the quality of the movie is guaranteed.

Michael didn't know much about Cheng Kaige, but he knew Lin Weimin.

So far, among the works that Lin Weimin has handled, he has won more or less Oscars, Berlin, Venice, Cannes, and major film festivals or awards around the world. Therefore, Michael believed in Lin Weimin's vision very much. Seeing that Lin Weimin also agreed, he recognized it. Director selection.

The director candidate he proposed was recognized by the two partners, and Xu Feng was also very happy.

After confirming the director, the behind-the-scenes production team must listen to the director's opinions. The three of them did not discuss it. Michael mentioned the issue of starring.

For a movie, actors are just a job, but for the audience, actors are the face of a movie.

Before special effects became popular in movies, the box office appeal of stars was crucial.

"Let Gong Li play the heroine Juxian," Lin Weimin said.

Xu Feng and Michael nodded without hesitation.

"Red Sorghum", "The Last Emperor" and "Raise the Red Lantern", these three movies have gained popularity around the world, making Gong Li a famous female star in the international film industry in just a few years.

This kind of international fame is not the same as the "international superstars" in later generations who only exist in press releases. They are all won by real film awards and cannot be fake in the slightest.

It is perfect for Gong Li to play the role of Juxian.

The three of them reached an agreement on the choice of actress, and then talked about the two leading actors, Cheng Dieyi and Duan Xiaolou.

Lin Weimin felt that Han Zhuangzhuang was very suitable for the role of Duan Xiaolou, but he wanted to respect his two partners. He only mentioned 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 he is the Yu Zhan'ao."

Xu Feng has not only watched "Red Sorghum", but also "Ben Ming Nian", "Han Zhuangzhuang is a good candidate, he has a certain international reputation, and he also fits the role of Duan Xiaolou very well. I agree."

The three of them reached an agreement again, and the atmosphere gradually became happy.

It’s the turn of the last main character and the soul of "Farewell My Concubine" - Cheng Dieyi.

"Cheng Dieyi, let Zun Long play the role. There is no star more suitable for this role than him, and American audiences are also familiar with him, which will be very helpful for our later promotion in the United States."

"Zunlong is more than handsome, but the facial edges and lines are too obvious and not soft enough, which doesn't fit the image of Cheng Dieyi." Xu Feng retorted.

"So do you have a suitable candidate?" Michael asked.

"Zhang Guorong."

It was another name that Michael had never heard of. He couldn't help but frowned, "Ms. Xu, you should consider the international influence of the actor. Zun Long has such masterpieces as "The Last Emperor" and has a lot of influence in Western countries. High visibility.”

"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 with reason.

The two of them each had their own favorite candidates, and after arguing, they looked at Lin Weimin again.

"Lin, what's your opinion?"

Lin Weimin scratched his head. Frankly speaking, he had the impression of the original version of "Farewell My Concubine" and he recognized Zhang Guorong's acting skills.

But he has also seen Zun Lung's performance in "M. Butterfly". His acting skills are worthy of an actor crown, and he also fits the role of Cheng Dieyi very well.

Now that Xu Feng and Michael are in a stalemate over these two candidates, he is also in a bit of a dilemma.

"Why don't we do a screen test after we finish talking with the director and send an invitation to the two of them." Lin Weimin suggested.

His opinions were mature, prudent and impartial. Xu Feng and Michael agreed after thinking about it for a while.

After discussing the starring matter, Xu Feng sighed.

She was right to agree to cooperate. She didn't know Han Zhuangzhuang, but Gong Li, Leslie Cheung, and Zun Long were very well-known internationally and were paid a lot of money. With only her investment of 4 million yuan, it was a question of whether she could invite the actors over.

Now that the investment has doubled, and with sufficient funds, there is no need to worry about actors' remuneration.

Her mood suddenly brightened.