Chinese entertainment for engineering students

"What business does Zou Sheng have in the mainland this time? Why are you with Sister Manyu?" Wang Xu did not hide his gossip, who made him really curious.

"My friend is indeed a straightforward person. This time, people from the film and television industry in Xiangjiang and Wanwan were invited to hold a symposium. There should be news tomorrow. Manyu and I are both invited guests this time. not much.

Manyu happened to be filming in Hangzhou, so he came over, right, Manyu. "Boss Zou acts domineeringly, but his words are unexpectedly gentle.

He spoke Mandarin. Although it was not very standard, it was understandable.

Most people of Xiangjiang's age have lived in the mainland, so Wang Xu was not surprised that Mr. Zou could speak Mandarin.

"Yeah, I happened to be in the mainland this time, so I came here to listen." Zhang Manyu's Mandarin is not very fluent, and he speaks a bit awkwardly.

"Zou Sheng is the leader of Xiangjiang filmmakers and a model in the industry. As juniors, Feifei and I would like to propose a toast to you." Wang Xu took the initiative to toast you with a glass of wine. This is as it should be. Mr. Zou can be regarded as a senior in any case. .

Several people started chatting in Mandarin and Cantonese. Mr. Zou was quite quack-like and didn't speak in roundabout ways. He also accepted all the compliments given to him by Wang Xu and Wang Fei.

After drinking a few glasses of wine, the scene gradually became more lively, and Mr. Zou brought the topic onto the right track. Everyone here was not idle, and everyone's time was quite precious.

"This time, several leaders mentioned you when talking about the mainland's literary and art industry and said that they would have the opportunity to introduce you to me.

Unexpectedly, Jiang Wen directly attracted investment and brought me here, which is why I invited you today. I hope you don’t blame me for being abrupt. "Boss Zou very gently explained the origin of today's invitation, which solved Wang Xu's confusion.

"I don't dare, I don't dare. It's unreasonable to invite a long-known senior." Wang Xu quickly humbled himself. As a native of the imperial capital, although he doesn't like to be underestimated, he still has the ability to flatter others.

"I heard that Xu Zai is planning to make a big production. Can you tell me more about it?" After the greetings, Mr. Zou got straight to the point.

“At the beginning, it was just a sudden idea, and I had some spare money, so I planned to make a real science fiction movie.

The theme I chose is rare in the world. The basic idea comes from Hilary Putnam, a Chinese philosopher who just became famous a few years ago. A thought experiment he mentioned in his book "Reason, Truth and History"...

The philosophical thought of the story is like this, and its background setting is roughly like this...

The story of the movie is probably something like this... "Wang Xu's voice was warm and magnetic, and he spoke eloquently. He had gone through the story in his brain countless times, and he talked for more than half an hour almost without stopping.

Boss Zou and Zhang Manyu didn't interrupt much from beginning to end, they just listened to Wang Xu's explanation quietly.

"Wonderful story, novel and unique background, very good." After listening to Wang Xu's explanation carefully, Mr. Zou first gave a positive praise.

"The story is great, A Fei. Your

Speaking of which, Wang Fei's status in the music industry is actually similar to Zhang Manyu's status in the film industry. Although Wang Fei is already famous all over the world and has won almost all kinds of awards all over the world, it can be considered as a Grand Slam level. singer.

But at this time, Zhang Manyu already had a golden statue and the title of two golden horses. She even won the Queen's Award in Berlin with "Ruan Lingyu".

In addition, the film industry is naturally superior to others in the entertainment industry, so the two of them are almost equal in terms of celebrity status.

This is also the only person in Xiangjiang who can compete with the current Wang Fei for a celebrity status. However, the two are not on the same track and have no competitive relationship. Zhang Manyu naturally wants to make friends.

In fact, this is not the first time that the two have met. They have met at many award ceremonies.

Even though Wang Fei is a singer, she is also invited to sing songs at various ceremonies from time to time. The two have met several times, but they have never become friends. This time, they can be considered a formal friendship.

"Jiang Wen said this is a project that you wrote, acted, directed, and invested in. Why do you do it yourself?" Mr. Zou was still curious as to why this young man did everything by himself.

"The main reason is the lack of connections. My main job is Professor Shuimu. I have limited connections in the film and television industry. I have never even made a movie. I think I am ignorant and fearless." Wang Xu was modest.

"Newborn calves, youthful spirit, aggressiveness, everyone has their first time, and they should be encouraged." Mr. Zou still encouraged him to save face. This is the benefit of Chinese culture. It can be heard that this is self-effacing.

If facing the big shots in Hollywood, Wang Xu must not be so humble and say that you have to brag to the sky. All kinds of feelings and dreams can be achieved. It's hard to say who is good and who is bad. Cultural background Just different.

"It was still a bit reckless. It was only after Brother Jiang Wen talked to me about the operation of the film that I realized that I needed to find a collaborator.

Filmmaking relies on talent, and I consider myself to be as good as others, but how to market a film is beyond my control. "Wang Xu did not deny his ability, but also explained his shortcomings, which gave Mr. Zou face. He is an expert in marketing movies.

"This film requires a lot of special effects, so the investment must be very high." Zhang Manyu was still very interested in the film, but she was not sure about Wang Xu's true ability and did not take the initiative to speak.

Wang Xu really likes this charming woman, but it's a pity that this film is for his wife, and there are no other women. Maybe he can consider it if he makes a sequel in the future.

"Well, it is initially considered that the film shooting may be no less than 50 million. If you include the investment in research and development of some incidental software and hardware, the total investment may be over 100 million." Wang Xu explained.

Wang Xu had included all kinds of scientific research in his previous estimates, but if he wanted to find someone to cooperate with, he would naturally have to calculate various things separately.

The copyright income of the software belongs to the open source community, and the hardware and other things are also invested in scientific research. Naturally, the subsequent income will not be shared by the movie makers. Apart from anything else, the profits from the 3D modeling software alone are incomparable. How high is the movie?

"Hey, so many?" Zhang Manyu was surprised. She didn't expect Wang Xu to be so generous. You know, there are no large-scale investment projects in Xiangjiang Film at this time.

For example, the investment in "Police Story III" released last year was only HK$7 million, and it was filmed for Jiahe's signature Fanglong. Fanglong's salary alone was as high as 2 million.

It was only after Jiahe was listed that they began to use the money from the stock market circle to make various large-scale productions and raise the stock price. Only then did the investment scale of "Red Zone" reach nearly 60 million Hong Kong dollars a few years later.

In today's Hong Kong film and television industry, generally speaking, 10 million is a big deal.

Zhang Manyu was filming "Green Snake" and it was said that the investment was 30 million, but Tsui Hark later spent it all, leaving no money for special effects. As a result, I looked for investment everywhere and scraped together 10 million to make do with it.

It is also said that the total amount is only 20 million. Wang Xu does not know that the amount of investment in Xiangjiang movies at the moment is very high.

This is also the largest film investment in recent years. The local market in Xiangjiang is too small. Generally, it is difficult to recover the cost of an investment of tens of millions. Big-selling films usually have overseas markets, so that big productions can stay alive.

But this is almost like a gamble. No one knows how much this film can sell. Even if you invest thousands of dollars, you dare to gamble. No matter how much it is, it’s really hard to say.

In the past two years, the Bay Area film market has been gradually liberalized, and a batch of Bay Area funds have flowed into Xiangjiang. Coupled with some unexplained money, some large-scale productions have gradually begun to increase.

Two years ago, more than 10 million yuan could be said to be the largest investment in Xiangjiang.

But Wang Xu directly said that he would invest 50 million, which was very scary. Including the investment in scientific research, it would even exceed 100 million. Even Mr. Zou would take a breath with this amount of money.

"Who do you plan to invite to act? How do you calculate such a large investment?" Mr. Zou was very calm and was not intimidated. He came to hear about this project because he was considering going public.

He is very familiar with the entertainment industry. Large investments are really not a problem for listed companies. The problem is that you have to be able to raise the stock price.

"Wang Fei and I, the male and female protagonists, can't move. This is my original intention of making this film." Wang Xu began to count the people on his fingers.

"Well, that's no problem. Ah Fei is famous enough, so it's worth 2 million. Xu Zai, you're not famous enough, but you direct, act, and write your own projects, so you can get a share of the accounts." Mr. Zou nodded simply, and added He enthusiastically gave his advice.

"Well, that's alright, Captain Jiang Wenyan." Wang Xu pursed his lips at Jiang Wen.

"Yeah, okay."

"Zhang Guorong plays the tank, he promised me." Wang Xu has already spoken to Zhang Guorong on the phone. Although he has not arrived yet, and the film has not even been filmed yet, Zhang Guorong has already agreed to play this wise role.

"Brother, he is very popular now. The two of them have such a good relationship." Zhang Manyu often plays with Zhang Guorong. The two also have a good personal relationship. Zhang Guorong even helps Zhang Manyu a lot.

"Yes, he always stays at Wang Xu's house when he comes to the imperial capital." Wang Fei explained.

Wang Fei and Zhang Manyu didn't have much contact. In fact, the main reason was that the past two years were Zhang Manyu's most productive period and he had been busy making movies. Wang Fei went to Xiangjiang several times to catch up with her on the set.

Otherwise, they would probably have known each other at the mahjong table for a long time. These two are both famous mahjong players.

"Leslie is fine, is there anything else?" Mr. Zou nodded again.

"No more at the moment. This film is an action film. There are two main characters here in the mainland. Xiangjiang plays a female lead and a main supporting role.

I also plan to find a white man to play the big villain. It would be better to find someone from a bad country, someone with a small life, and a United Nations. "

Originally, Wang Xu planned to use Chinese actors, but after talking to Jiang Wen, he changed his mind.

He doesn't need to praise anyone in a film like this. He can become famous even if he doesn't deserve to be famous. He doesn't have to rush to praise him. Since he wants to cooperate, it's better to bring in more people and leave some roles for them.

What he values ​​more is the team behind the scenes. This is his original intention for this project and the core value of this film. Only by staying true to the original intention can we always achieve success.

"If you calculate it like this, the total salary may be a few million, so how can you calculate the cost of 50 million?" Mr. Zou is actually more concerned about the film's budget itself.

“It’s mainly the special effects, there are a lot of car chases, explosions, and gunfights.

Coupled with the production of various computer special effects for virtual reality, I had to make two cities, one was a virtual city, and the other was a wasteland city. They were completely different science fiction styles and required a lot of special effects.

Even if the cost of this is several million dollars, it may not be enough. I thought it would be produced in mainland China and the cost should be lower, so I estimated it would cost 50 million.

If a Hollywood team were hired, the special effects would cost an estimated 100 million. "Wang Xu explained sadly.

"You formed your own team to do special effects?" Boss Zou was even more surprised.

"The computer special effects are definitely good. Xiangjiang is very weak in this aspect, and Chouguo is too expensive.

In terms of special effects software, even many crews of Ugly Country are using our software.

It is no exaggeration to say that I am an expert in this field, one of the best in the world.

For traditional special effects, car chases, and explosions, try to find a team from the mainland. I have a few classmates in Shuimu who are interested in this, and I can lead them to do it.

If it doesn't work, then you have to find the Xiangjiang or Chouguo team to do it, but in that case, 50 million may not be able to stop it. "

Wang Xu dares to say that there are really not many people in the world who know computer special effects better than him. In terms of traditional special effects, his skills are also top-notch, but he really has no other skills and can only rely on cultivating the team.

In Wang Xu's plan, his film is actually a process of him trying to develop his abilities. Several of his classmates are very interested in these things.

In terms of 3D modeling software, in fact, the core module has been available for a long time. This thing, the game 3D engine, and the mechanical CAD are all the same thing, but the focus is different according to different needs, and different interfaces are needed.

Therefore, he is really confident. As far as he knows, many special effects companies in Chou Country have begun to use their modules for special effects production.

For example, ray tracing technology and physics engine technology were all carried forward by Wang Xu. The core programs of many algorithms were simply written by Wang Xu himself.

Tongfang’s dedicated 3D rendering server and supporting rendering software stole the show at the CES exhibition held a few months ago.

Now it has been successfully exported to the computer special effects company in Chou Country. This kind of stacked co-processor idea is not even available in Chou Country, and it is especially suitable for three-dimensional rendering.

"Your idea is to spend a lot of money on film production. This idea cannot be said to be wrong. But it is not good. You need some stars to endorse your project." Mr. Zou spoke in a very calm tone, although he pointed out that Wang Xu's question was not offensive.

"Hollywood? I can't afford it. The salary of a star can account for half of my investment." Wang Xu scratched his head.

"There are also cheap ones, the ones worth hundreds of thousands of dollars are fine. At least you have to be familiar with the U.S. country. Adjust the total investment to about ten million U.S. dollars to compete for the U.S. market." Boss Zou told his story ideas.

Obviously he was already planning to get into the trap. He had always wanted to break into Hollywood. This time, he felt that the opportunity was waving to him.

——

(See you tomorrow)