1980 My literary era

"Hero" is the pioneer of Chinese blockbusters.

Regardless of the praise or criticism of later generations, it is undeniable that it has achieved great success in business.

Blockbuster is a popular term, but in fact it is the most standard commercial film with huge investment and excellent production.

In later generations, there are always some so-called critics in the Chinese film industry who like to look for connotations in commercial films. They always criticize this blockbuster for being substandard, that blockbuster for not having the right quality, and criticizing it for being "empty" and "soulless".

This is like going to a hot pot restaurant and ordering barbecue. You damn well know they don’t sell barbecue, so you have to order it? What's wrong?

I won't comment on other domestic blockbusters, but "Hero" is indeed a high-quality commercial blockbuster.

Putting aside the empty talk about the history of films, it indeed started a wave of commercialization of Chinese films and became an unavoidable name in the history of Chinese films.

To take a step back, in China at that time, who could do better than Zhang Yimou and "Hero"?

So when Tian Congming expressed the hope that the Chinese Literature Society could lead the production of a domestic blockbuster, the first thing that came to Lin Weimin's mind was "Hero".

After agreeing to Tian Congming's request and getting the conditions he gave, Tian Congming wanted to have the movie released on July 1st next year, which is exactly one year from now.

For preparing to produce a blockbuster, the time is still somewhat tight.

Lin Weimin found Zhang Yimou first and looked at him with burning eyes.

"Yimou, you have been working in movies for many years and you have made so many movies. Do you want to challenge yourself?"

Zhang Yimou said calmly: "Do you have a task for me?"

Lin Weimin then used Tian Congming's rhetoric. After speaking, he frowned and his eyes revealed worry.

"Nowadays, the domestic film market is in panic. Everyone has been scared out of their wits by foreign blockbusters. When she heard the word 'blockbuster,' it was as if Cixi heard the sound of foreign guns and cannons.

Over the years, you have won many awards abroad, and it is no exaggeration to say that you are a leader in the domestic film industry.

The more times like this, the more important it is for you to stand up. "

Lin Weimin spoke eloquently, and his words were full of sadness and concern for the country and the people. After listening to this, Zhang Yimou was silent for a moment, and then said: "What do you think we should do? I will listen to you!"

"Blockbusters are not the exclusive domain of foreigners. If they can do it, we can do it too. This time, we are going to make a Chinese-style blockbuster. This is not only to regain some dignity for domestic films, but also to make a contribution to domestic films." A new path. I want to give this task to you!"

After finishing speaking, Lin Weimin stared at Zhang Yimou. His expression was still dull and unremarkable, but his eyes showed a bit of determination.

"I accepted this mission!"

Without any hesitation, Zhang Yimou said in his usual calm voice.

Lin Weimin patted Zhang Yimou on the shoulder, "Okay! I read you right."

"Yimou, this mission is not easy. You must be mentally prepared."

Zhang Yimou nodded slightly. From Lin Weimin's description, he could tell that the difficulty of this film lay not only in the production level, but also in the psychological expectations of the industry, government and even the public.

"Teacher Lin, can you tell me more about the movie?" Zhang Yimou asked.

"Don't worry, just wait for a while." Lin Weimin said with a smile.

Less than ten minutes later, Yu Dong brought Tong Zhonggui and Mo Yan to Lin Weimin's office.

"President!"

Yu Dong walked in and said hello. Lin Weimin nodded, "Sit down first."

After waiting for the tea to come up and taking a few sips, Lin Weimin repeated what he had just said to Zhang Yimou.

Yu Dong listened with a bit of surprise on his face.

If Wenhua Film and Television wants to produce blockbusters, will it go head-to-head with Hollywood blockbusters?

He is the general manager of Wenhua Film and Television. After listening to Lin Weimin's words, his first reaction was: Where does the money come from?

Wenhua Film and Television has invested in several movies in the past six months. This month, he has just decided to invest in Huang Jianxin's new movie "Tell Your Secrets." The investment amount to be paid out of Wenhua Film and Television's accounts is There are three to four million left.

To invest in a blockbuster film, it would cost tens of millions at least, right?

Yu Dong asked his question, and Lin Weimin said: "It doesn't matter about the funds, the company can borrow part of it. In addition, I plan to attract a few more investors, firstly to spread the risk, and secondly, I can also rely on his strength. Play a better publicity and distribution role.”

Yu Dong asked curiously: "Which other companies can I attract?"

"China Film, Yan Film, and Columbia Pictures are the three companies!" Lin Weimin said.

Hearing the name "Columbia Pictures", Yu Dong looked surprised, "President, do you want to sell the movie overseas?"

Lin Weimin nodded slightly, "That's right. If you don't go abroad, can you call it a blockbuster?"

Yu Dong said nothing, quietly digesting the news.

For domestic films, it is not easy to sell copyrights abroad.

Don't look at the fact that the copyrights of films by Zhang Yimou, Cheng Kaige and others have been sold to many countries before. That's because they have participated in the world's top film festivals in recent years, and being shortlisted is an honor in itself.

Coupled with the fact that they are constantly winning awards, film producers who go to film festivals are motivated by the entries, so they naturally don’t have to worry about selling the copyrights.

But in fact, copyright is not easy to sell. Just like Cheng Kaige, who used to be so famous. "Farewell My Concubine" had such a high box office and won so many awards. His new movie "Feng Yue" received rave reviews at the Cannes Film Festival. Copyright Shouldn’t it be that it can’t be sold? Doesn’t it mean that it can’t be sold anyway?

This is true for Cheng Kaige, who is quite famous internationally, let alone those films produced by domestic product manufacturers.

Wenhua Film and Television wants to make a blockbuster, and the director is Zhang Yimou. It is not impossible to sell it abroad, but the premise is that the quality of the film must be recognized by foreigners.

It can be heard that the president’s intention is to make a historical blockbuster set in the Qin Dynasty.

Will this thing be popular with foreigners?

Blockbusters are different from Zhang Yimou's previous literary films, which require tens of millions of investments. If the overseas copyright can only be sold for hundreds of thousands, or even tens of thousands of dollars, it may be difficult to make back the money based on domestic box office alone.

There was a big question mark in Yu Dong's heart, but he didn't say it out loud, not because he was afraid that Lin Weimin would be angry.

But he understood that even he could think of a problem, how could Lin Weimin not think of it?

Besides, the president just said that he wants to attract more investors to diversify risks.

While Yu Dong was thinking about it, Lin Weimin successively came up with more specific ideas for this blockbuster.

The tentative title of the film is: "Hero".

Summary of the story: At the end of the Warring States Period, seven heroes coexisted, and the Qin State was the most powerful, eager to annex the six countries and unify the world. The knights from all over the world, led by the assassin Wuming and others, planned to assassinate the King of Qin Ying Zheng to stop Qin's invasion of the six countries, but after learning about the King of Qin's ambition to unify the world, they finally gave up for the sake of the peace of the people.

The investment scale is tentatively determined as RMB 60 million.

"Yimou, Xiao Tong and Mo Yan, I have finished telling you the outline of the script. You can brainstorm ideas, or you can bring in other screenwriters to come in and come up with the script as soon as possible." Lin Weimin said.

Several people felt a sense of pressure upon hearing this. To put it bluntly, blockbusters are commercial films with huge investments. For these people, this is an area they have never touched, let alone learn from experience.

Seeing Zhang Yimou's anxiety, Lin Weimin said: "Don't be nervous, blockbusters are also made by people. What we shoot are still Chinese stories. You must remember that only the nation can be the world. Only our own people can see it first. Only by understanding and recognizing us can foreigners recognize us. The first thing you must consider is the quality of the film, not the box office."

Lin Weimin's words calmed down Zhang Yimou's uneasy heart. He thought for a while and said, "Teacher Lin, commercial films need big stars. If we hire stars, 60 million might not be enough, right?"

As soon as he said these words, Yu Dong, Tong Zhonggui, and Mo Yan all looked at him, their eyes full of shock.

Good guy!

You guys really dare to speak out. Is 60 million too little?

Facing Zhang Yimou's lion's open mouth, Lin Weimin not only did not feel displeased at all, but also showed a bit of relief.

At this time, he can still think that the amount of investment is not enough, which proves that Zhang Yimou is not frightened by the word "blockbuster" and the amount of investment of "60 million". He has a clear mind and a big heart. Such a big project is handed over to such a person. Talent is at ease.

"Then tell me, how much does it cost?"

Zhang Yimou pondered, instead of answering how much it would cost, he rambled on.

"If you want to make the top domestic blockbuster, you must use the top stars. I plan to invite stars of Zhang Guorong, Chow Yun-fat, and Brigitte Lin to come over. Each of them will have a salary of at least one million dollars.

And Gong Li, she is more famous in the West, and her salary now is almost 2 million US dollars.

Just to pay for celebrities, at least 5 million dollars must be prepared..."

Yu Dong and the other three listened to Zhang Yimou's ramble and swallowed hard. Now the price of rice to RMB is 1:8.3, and 5 million meters is equivalent to more than 41 million RMB!

More than 41 million yuan, when thinking of this number, the three people's hearts trembled.

It costs so much just to hire the stars, so how much does it cost to shoot the entire movie?

This question lingered in the minds of the three people for a while, and Zhang Yimou gave his answer.

"80 million! At least 80 million!"

There was a brief silence in the office. No one in Yu Dong dared to speak. They were so shocked by the number that they dared not speak.

The production cost of 80 million yuan, if based on the current domestic box office split ratio, from the perspective of the producer, the box office must reach at least 210 million yuan to break even.

With a box office of 210 million, no film in the history of Chinese films has been able to achieve this.

"Haha!" Lin Weimin looked at Zhang Yimou with admiration in his eyes, and said boldly: "Okay! 80 million is just 80 million. You don't need to worry about the funds, so you can rest assured to prepare."

With that said, he said to Dong: "Yu Dong, Wenhua will fully cooperate with us."

Yu Dong had already been stunned by the number "80 million", but when he came back to his senses, he said without hesitation: "Yes!"

After talking about the movie, Lin Weimin asked a few people to leave first.

He picked up the phone again. Even if the investment amount of 80 million was asked to be paid by the Chinese Literature Society, the old man would have to squeeze it out.

Lin Weimin could afford the money, but it was not his character to ignore public and private matters.

Besides, what kind of investment can make money faster than making a movie?

He is a person who has nothing to say to his friends. With such a good thing, how can he forget his friends?

"Hey, boss, let me tell you..."