Choose a day to become famous

"This is Mr. Schmidt Lawley, the boss of Green Valley Film Company in the United States."

After the media conference, Tom White took Schmidt Lawley to meet with the creators of "Path of Glory" and introduced him to Lu Yanhe and the others.

Although Lu Yanhe had never heard of Green Valley Film Company in the United States, since it was introduced by Tom White, it must not be from some leather company.

Everyone chatted with each other and exchanged contact information. Because Lu Yanhe and the others had plans ahead, they could only chat for a few words and left in a hurry.

After leaving, Fu Kai said: "I thought Schmidt was interested in our movie and wanted to discuss copyright purchase and distribution."

Lu Yanhe said: "He may have this idea."

"Huh?" Fu Kai was a little surprised, "What do you mean? He didn't mention it the whole time."

Lu Yanhe: "They, these film producers, will not negotiate business with you right away. They have to lower the price with us, so when we first meet and chat, they will not show much interest - unless it is an early movie." It’s a drama that attracts a lot of attention and is very popular as soon as you watch it.”

Fu Kai has no experience selling films at film festivals.

Shang Yongzhou added: "One more thing, now our film has only received enthusiastic feedback from the audience, and the media evaluation has not yet been officially released. The film producers will choose to wait and see at this time and wait for the media's evaluation."

Why do film critics play a less important role in Chinese-language films than in Europe and the United States?

There are various reasons, one of the most important ones is that their comments and attitudes do not really participate in the economic industry chain of the film.

In the past, when online media did not rise, their attitude was that it was one of the limited channels through which a large number of audiences could learn about a movie. Therefore, no film company wanted to offend film critics. On the contrary, they had to try their best to build a good relationship with them.

After the rise of online media, their influence has been greatly weakened, and their impact on a movie's box office has been visibly weakened. However, there are still places like film festivals where they can play a role. Media ratings are the most important evaluation criterion for film festivals besides the final award. Movie fans all over the world are waiting for media ratings to adjust their expectations for them. And film producers from all over the world cannot wait until they think clearly before making a decision.

When a movie comes out, there are many people competing for it, and no one gives you a month or two to slowly decide whether to buy it or not.

At this time, it relies heavily on the vision of the film selector and media ratings.

Fu Kai is also very nervous about what kind of media rating "Road to Glory" will receive.

Lu Yanhe silently figured it out after watching the movie.

The basics of this movie are all there. How high it can reach in the future depends more on luck. Can a good movie become a good movie known to many people if the time, place and people are right? A movie like "Path of Glory" would never achieve the same box office and influence as a commercial movie, even if it uses fancy marketing. It is destined to take a longer road, and the only way to shorten the long distance is to take the shortcut of this category of movies by winning awards, relying on the recommendations of the media and famous film critics.

Several film critics have immediately posted their opinions and attitudes on their social media.

Judging from the feedback collected so far. Except for Yongshan Kaizan who said that "Path of Glory" seems to be an old movie dug up from twenty years ago, everyone's comments were positive. That’s not to say there aren’t criticisms, but overall it’s positive.

French "Cinema" magazine commented: "If "Path of Glory" is shortlisted for the main competition, this year's best actor will most likely come from this movie. The director has maintained restraint in the lens and picture from beginning to end, and through The restrained and precise performances of the two actors present a flowing sense of balance. If its shortcoming is that the theme is too straightforward and not advanced enough, its advantage lies in its high level of scheduling, performance and film style. Unity and wholeness.”

Italy's "Guardian" magazine commented: "It has been about four or five years since I saw Shang Yongzhou bring his new work to the film festival. He has been appearing in commercial comedies in the past few years and has once again returned to what he is best at. In the field, he played a terminally ill person facing death. His performance showed unprecedented restraint. Under the extremely restrained and calm appearance, there was an emotional tension that seemed to explode like a volcano. In a scene where the actors are evenly matched, he actually has the initiative from the beginning to the end.”

The American "Variety" magazine commented: "Lu Yanhe, the darling of major film festivals around the world in the past two years, teamed up with the once popular Chinese actor Shang Yongzhou to bring this masterpiece, which touched many people. I think, The most competitive film in this year's Horizon section has already appeared. In addition, it is said that an American film company has taken a liking to this film and wants to purchase the North American distribution rights and formulate a plan for it to compete in the Olympics. Let's see if the news is true. We’ll see.”

…

For "Path of Glory", praise from major media gives it something to look forward to.

Because for a movie like "Path of Glory", word of mouth and awards are its biggest dependence.

Lu Yanhe, Shang Yongzhou and Fu Kai all took advantage of the situation to accept some interviews. Through this most traditional promotional method, at a film festival that has been traditional for decades, they tried to grab everyone's attention for the film instead of letting it go. The good reputation fermented for a while and then dissipated naturally.

Of course, not being shortlisted for the main competition unit also has the advantage of not being shortlisted.

People naturally don't look at films that are not in the main competition with a critical eye. Therefore, the scrutiny encountered is much less.

At noon that day, Fu Kai, Shang Yongzhou and Lu Yanhe invited all media friends from China to have dinner together to express their gratitude to everyone.

This meal was bought by Shang Yongzhou Zhangluo, and he paid for it himself.

When the meal started, Fu Kai said with a smile as soon as he opened his mouth: "I made this movie with a tight budget. I couldn't even come up with the normal public relations funds to treat everyone to dinner, and I had to have Shang Yongzhou come to treat me."

Friends from the media laughed kindly.

They all know this industry relatively well. For a movie like "Path of Glory", even if it stars Shang Yongzhou and Lu Yanhe, it is impossible to get much production funding - they are not some people on the Internet who don't understand the market and just say "such a big star" , is there still a lack of investment?” In the literary film market, there is really a shortage. No matter how big a star comes, investors will still have to settle accounts. The box office ceiling for literary and artistic films is right there. The bigger your star is, the higher your production budget will be. It can be said that if Lu Yanhe and Shang Yongzhou did not reduce their salaries for starring in the film, the investors would not be able to pay them because they would not be able to recover the cost.

"Thank you, best actor!" Guan Suchen, a very active entertainment critic in China, was here today and raised his glass. "I'm really touched. It's been a long time since I've seen a best actor act in a film like this. His acting skills are still as good as ever."

Shang Yongzhou had a smile on his face.

"I see that many foreign media and film critics are also praising the acting skills of the two of you." Zhou Yuan, editor of "Film Jianghu" also said, "It is really a pity if "Path of Glory" is shortlisted for the main competition. unit, maybe the best actor and best actress at this year’s Venice International Film Festival will be won by our Chinese actors.”

Currently, Ning Xiulian of "Happy Days" still ranks first in the best actress rankings of various media.

Fu Kai said: "It's mainly because I was dragged down. If I hadn't been shortlisted for the international film festival for the first time, "Path of Glory" would have been selected into the main competition."

This is actually one of the facts.

The biggest shortcoming of "Path of Glory" in the eyes of international film festivals is that the director is a director who has only made commercial comedies before, and no one knows him when he goes abroad.

Shang Yongzhou said: "'Path of Glory' is a work that you wrote and directed. Without you, this work would not exist. The Horizon section is also a competition section, and Venice is not its end."

Lu Yanhe nodded and said, "Yes, this is just the beginning. It's not like winning an award only in Venice is a real award. This film will become our masterpiece in the future, which is more important than whether it wins or not."

Neither actor wanted Fu Kai to think that it was him who was dragging down the performance of "Path of Glory" at this moment.

At this moment when he should be enjoying the glory of his career, the most unnecessary thing is to suddenly belittle himself again.

At this time, the mobile phones of many people on the table vibrated or barked at the same time.

Guan Suchen picked up the phone in confusion, and then showed a look of shock.

"Yu Qin announced that her new movie will start filming today, with the Venice International Film Festival as the background to shoot a brand new film?!" Guan Suchen read out the news she received in amazement, "Ning Xiulian and Starring Chen Ziliang? "

Almost everyone at the table had expressions of disbelief and shock.

Lu Yanhe and Shang Yongzhou had known about the movie for a long time. When Guan Suchen said it, they were not surprised. They just didn't expect that the movie would actually be started.

In the ever-changing film and television industry, Yu Qin's behavior of filming as soon as he wants, acting resolutely, and forming a team immediately will more or less shock those practitioners.

If every director or producer had her level of execution, many projects might not die midway.

Guan Suchen looked at Lu Yanhe and the others and asked, "Have you... known this news in advance? Why do I feel that the three of you are not surprised at all?"

Lu Yanhe told the truth: "We have heard about this before."

Guan Suchen asked in surprise: "So, is this true?"

She even didn't believe it.

Mainly because it sounds unreliable.

Come to a film festival and suddenly have to make a movie?

The media people present were a little stunned.

As for Yu Qin's film, Lu Yanhe and others were not involved, so it's hard to say much.

But Guan Suchen and the others really wanted to get some news.

After all, "Happy Days" is now the favorite to win awards at this year's Venice International Film Festival. Yu Qin and Ning Xiulian are collaborating again to make a new film. Any relevant news will definitely attract the attention of many people.

Lu Yanhe said in a joking tone: "Friends, our "Path of Glory" is inviting everyone to dinner today at noon. Everyone is interested in their new play, so we should wait until the meal is over before asking for news! Anyway, we are here in Venice. The Chinese media are all here, and no one can be ahead.”

When he said this, everyone came to their senses.

"Yeah."

"Yan He, don't worry, "Path of Glory" has such a good reputation here, we will definitely help you promote it."

"Of course I'm relieved. I know each of you and I've read all the manuscripts you wrote." Lu Yanhe said, "No one is allowed to be perfunctory. I will read them one by one. If the writing is too perfunctory, , I won’t repost it then.”

He meant it in a joking tone.

But saying this is actually a reminder to these media people.

Everyone agreed happily.

-

Because of the good reputation of "Path of Glory" at the film festival, the distribution company has also communicated with Fu Kai. Should they simply take advantage of the popularity and rush to release it in the near future?

It happened that the two leading actors were both present, so Fu Kai also asked Lu Yanhe and Shang Yongzhou for their opinions.

Lu Yanhe looked at Shang Yongzhou.

Shang Yongzhou shook his head directly and said that he didn't understand this.

He just acts.

Lu Yanhe thought for a while and said, "Actually, if "Path of Glory" doesn't win the grand prize, I think it's better not to take advantage of the popularity of the film festival to set a schedule. September itself is not a month with high box office. After all, there are only a few people in China who pay attention to the news about the film festival, and only some movie fans who are really interested in film art will pay attention.”

"Such a short promotion time may not be able to bring this film to most potential audiences. I think films like "Path of Glory" can do more advance screenings and special screenings."

"Because once it is released to the public, the attendance rate of our movie will definitely not be high. Moreover, there will be many viewers who don't know the truth and come to watch the movie because of the movie you made before, or because of the celebrity status of my senior brother and me. They will come to watch it." I may not accept this non-commercial narrative style. I feel cheated after watching it, but it will affect the reputation of the film. It is better to use special screenings or advance screenings to slowly spread the reputation.”

Lu Yanhe has some understanding of the film industry.

Now Lu Yanhe gradually feels that the domestic theater release model is actually quite "one-size-fits-all".

Regardless of whether you are an action movie, a comedy, a visual blockbuster or an art film, they will all be released on a large scale across the country in one go. If you can resist the attack, you can maintain your own position by maintaining your own film schedule. If you don't resist the attack, some The literary film lost its schedule on the second day after its release and was immediately declared a failure.

Like the North American practice of small-scale screening and then slowly increasing the number of theaters, it has its own historical traditions and industry models, and it is impossible to copy them to China.

But Lu Yanhe feels that films like literary films that are destined to fail to attract a large number of audiences in a short period of time should actually adopt a long-term screening model.

For a movie like "Path of Glory" starring him and Shang Yongzhou, it would be a huge success to have a box office of 20 to 30 million on the first day. If the final box office exceeds 100 million, it would be a huge success. In fact, it is very likely that the final box office will only be 30 to 40 million yuan - given the subject matter of the movie, except for true fans and true movie fans, not many people will buy tickets to see the two of them in the theater.

As a result, the number of days this movie can actually survive in theaters may be less than two weeks. Even after the first week, the daily box office will drop by seven figures.

As the movie slowly spreads, more and more people learn about the movie through accidental channels, or become interested because of good reviews from people around them. When they are about to go see it, the movie theaters no longer have movies scheduled. The market has announced its departure.

Lu Yanhe's proposal was to lengthen the front.

At the beginning, it may just be to set up movie shows in a few major ticket-rich cities, just one or two movies a day.

In this way, only one hundred to two hundred spectators in a city may be able to grab tickets a day.

If it is screened in such a small scale, not only the attendance rate will be high, but also the people who will grab tickets to see the movie will most likely be the real audience of the movie. Therefore, the early audience reputation will slowly accumulate and spread. As the discussion about this movie increases, naturally, fewer viewers will enter the cinema without knowing the circumstances, and more viewers will enter the cinema who are interested in this type of movie. And the agglomeration effect formed by word-of-mouth will It will also show up slowly.

By this time, if it is released nationwide, the effect may be much better.

Putting a movie on the market is the logic of operating a product.

How to make it sell well is the core thinking. At this time, good reputation is not its talisman, but its advertising slogan.

Fu Kai listened to Lu Yanhe's suggestion.

Fu Kai was serious about communicating this model to the people at the publishing company.

Screening is something every movie does.

However, spending up to two weeks or even longer to conduct organized screenings is a time-consuming and labor-intensive task that may not necessarily be effective.

Because it has not become an industry practice. If there is no industry practice, it means the cost of communication cost, coordination cost and operating cost is superimposed.

However, after careful study, the people from the publishing company gave Fu Kai feedback that they believed "Road to Glory" was suitable for such an attempt.

Especially after Schmidt Lawley of Green Valley Film Company in the United States officially proposed to the producers of "Path of Glory" that he wanted to purchase the distribution rights in Europe and the United States, and arranged for "Path of Glory" to compete in this year's North American awards season, Domestic distribution companies are determined to try this.

"If Glory Road can really make a splash during the North American awards season, the previews of Glory Road can be arranged in line with the rhythm of the North American awards season." The distribution company said.

Based on Lu Yanhe's idea, they proposed a bolder idea.

Start a very small-scale preview in China in September.

Wait until October, when the nominations for the pre-awards of the North American awards season are announced and awarded. If Glory Road can really get one or two nominations, then continue to have special previews to take advantage of the influence and publicity of the North American awards season. If Glory Road can't make any splash, then it will be released nationwide after the National Day in October, and rely on domestic film awards in late October and November to boost the box office.

"Since this is an award-winning film, don't let the awards just do the job of adding luster, but also let the influence of those awards bring some real box office to the film." This is what the people at the distribution company said.

-

"One million and five hundred thousand dollars to buy out the European and American distribution rights."

This is the condition proposed by Schmidt Lawley.

Because Fu Kai really had no experience in this area, and the people in his production company had no experience in international transactions, in the end it was Lu Yanhe and Shang Yongzhou who helped Fu Kai with ideas.

Lu Yanhe shook his head.

Fu Kai said: "Don't you agree? This price seems to be not low."

Indeed, converted into RMB, it is nearly 10 million.

It can almost cover the production cost of "Road to Glory".

Lu Yanhe said: "Buying out means that any copyright income of this film in Europe and the United States in the future has nothing to do with you. Whether they are released in theaters, online copyrights, or some home entertainment copyright income such as DVDs, all the sums added up are definitely not just this number. Let alone our movie, HP comes to buy our global streaming copyright outside mainland China, and it is not just this number."

This is not a small film that really has no selling point.

The names of Lu Yanhe and Shang Yongzhou are not only worth this number in the European and American film market. Not to mention, it also received such high media evaluation at the Venice International Film Festival.

"One million and a half dollars, if it's only for the North American buyout, I can still accept it relatively, but including Europe? He underestimated how much a movie like this, which has received so much attention and reputation at the Venice International Film Festival, can sell in the European market."

And soon, film producers from other countries and regions came to make offers.

The praise from the media and film critics and the extremely high score of 3.4 points in the program book were all converted into jingling money at this moment.

Film producers from several countries including Italy, France, Germany, Britain, Spain, and Russia all offered a price of no less than $500,000. The highest one is the United Kingdom, which offered $1.2 million for the copyright of just one country.

Fu Kai never thought that such a movie he made would be so popular in the international market.

"For any top film festival, awards are secondary. The key is that its influence can add one zero, or even several zeros, to the price of the film." Lu Yanhe said.

Effectively promoting the sale of films is the foundation for the major film festivals to stand firm for many years.

Many art films, if not as well-received and well-received as Road to Glory, may only sell for hundreds of thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars in a single market. But if they are sold in dozens of markets, it is also a considerable amount. Even for many art films, selling hundreds of thousands of dollars in the end can also make a lot of money.

Fu Kai just didn't understand, so he didn't understand that the film he made had surpassed the definition of art films in China.

In China, because movies can basically only make money from theaters, there is an impression that "art films don't make money".

In fact, these art films have been in the market for dozens or hundreds of years in Europe and the United States. They all have complete and rich sales channels, from DVD sales to video disc rentals, from TV broadcasting rights to broadcasting rights in airplanes, trains and other special spaces, from traditional theaters to streaming media broadcasts. They have too many channels to collect money.

It's not that art films are very profitable in Europe and the United States. This is of course unrealistic, but it means that in Europe and the United States, art films have a complete industry chain that can make money.

Fortunately, Chen Ziyan is there, and Lin Yu is also there.

One knows how to negotiate, and the other knows how to translate movies.

After three meetings and negotiations, Schmidt Lawley finally bought out all the copyrights of "Road to Glory" in North America for $2.3 million. He gave up the European market. At this time, Lu Yanhe also knew that the American Green Valley Film Company had not yet established a complete distribution channel in Europe. If they agreed to buy out Europe and the United States directly, he would probably sell it to European companies and make a fortune.

After Fu Kai learned about it, he scolded Schmidt Lawley for being a jerk.

Lu Yanhe was overjoyed and said, "They are also doing business."

In the next few days, Fu Kai was busy negotiating with film producers from various countries.

Under Lu Yanhe's advice, Fu Kai basically chose the buyout model.

"If you choose them to distribute, and you and the production company continue to enjoy the share, to be honest, we are still completely incapable of ensuring that they will give us the share they should give us." Lu Yanhe said bluntly, "They are all Experienced film producers can try their best to make the movie a loss in their country, but in the end we won't get a penny, and we have no place to reason. In this situation, you can buy it out in one go. Having money in hand is the most worry-free thing.”

Because of Lu Yanhe's reminder, Fu Kai avoided buying out the European and American copyrights to Schmidt Lawley for US$1.5 million. He believed in Lu Yanhe's advice.

As a result, in just a few days, "Path of Glory" negotiated the copyrights of more than a dozen countries and regions and began to draft agreements. The total amount has reached more than 7 million. If the follow-up goes smoothly, "Path of Glory" may be sold for more than 10 million U.S. dollars just from international copyright sales - not counting domestic profits, it will be a huge profit.

Fu Kai was so excited that the smile on his face had not dropped in the past few days.

He even asked Lu Yanhe privately: "I can actually continue to make movies like "Path of Glory" in my next movie? I thought I was really going to make a big loss, so I was prepared to make a loss, but I didn't expect it. It can be sold to so many countries and places.”

Lu Yanhe said with a smile: "Don't be impulsive, director, the reason why "Path of Glory" sold so well is because it was shortlisted for the Venice International Film Festival, and because it received praise and a good response from the media here. Without these, the number you sell will be reduced by one zero, maybe more.”

Fu Kai woke up immediately.

But after a while, he couldn't help but sigh: "Who said that literary and artistic films can't make money? Who said that coming to the film festival is just about losing money and making a fuss? It's really just looking at the sky from the bottom of a well."

Lu Yanhe just smiled and said nothing.

-

"Path of Glory" has received a lot of popularity from international film producers, and domestic distribution companies have begun to slowly release news to warm up the film and maintain its popularity on social media.

Basically one message a day.

American Green Valley Films acquired the North American distribution rights for a seven-figure sum!

French Cesar Film Company has won the French regional distribution rights at a high price!

The German XX company has won the German regional distribution rights and announced that it will conduct a large-scale release in Germany!

…

All in all, these news and promotions are vague exaggerations based on facts to create an image of the movie being hugely popular and popular, whet the appetite of domestic audiences, and let everyone start to build up anticipation for the movie's release.

At the same time, the Venice International Film Festival is finally coming to an end and coming to an end.

At this time, news suddenly came out from the crew of Yu Qin's new film.

——Yu Qin is suspected to be very dissatisfied with Chen Ziliang's acting skills and wants to replace the film with someone else.

When he heard the news, Lu Yanhe was chatting with Shang Yongzhou in a bookstore cafe.

The two looked at each other.

Lu Yanhe said silently: "How come... I'm not surprised at all when I hear such news?"

Shang Yongzhou smiled.

Lu Yanhe asked doubtfully: "Who released such news?"

Shang Yongzhou shook his head.

At this time, Chen Ziyan came in.

"Have you seen the news?" Chen Ziyan asked Lu Yanhe.

Lu Yanhe nodded.

This look is like asking about the crew of Yu Qin's new film.

Chen Ziyan said: "Do you know what Guan Suchen said to me? Guess who broke the news that Yu Qin was dissatisfied with Chen Ziliang's acting skills?"

Chen Ziyan's eyes were shining.

Lu Yanhe: "I didn't want to guess like this at first, but since you asked, I think my previous guess was correct."

Chen Ziyan laughed.

"Teacher Ning is really... very skillful." Lu Yanhe sighed with emotion.

Chen Ziyan: "It depends on how determined Yu Qin is to make this movie."

Lu Yanhe recalled what Ning Xiulian had said to her.

——If you have collaborated with Yu Qin in a movie, you will be like me. Instead of worrying so much, it is better to go crazy with her.

Ning Xiulian should know that with Yu Qin's character, no matter how much she objects, she can't stop Yu Qin from wanting to make this movie.

Therefore, she did not do useless things to stop him.

After joining the crew, you, Yu Qin, can go crazy and make a movie to ridicule me, and I can also go crazy and make your crew miserable and restless.

Lu Yanhe once again lamented that these two women really didn't have a fuel-efficient lamp.

The closing ceremony is here.

The crew of "Path of Glory" received an official invitation from the film festival, which means they will definitely win a prize in the Horizon section.

They also met Yu Qin and Ning Xiulian in the red carpet waiting area.

However, the two of them did not stand together. Instead, they chatted and laughed with the people around them, as if the other party did not exist.

Even if they saw them, they would greet each other at different times.

Lu Yanhe: "..."

How should he describe his mood?

He felt that when he recalled this Venice International Film Festival after many years, what impressed him most was not the glory of "Path of Glory", but these two women.

In the entertainment industry, he has met some top-notch people.

For example, Chen Ziliang, who has two completely different faces inside and outside the camera, Meng Li, who makes people feel that his mental state is abnormal, Ma Zhiyuan, who has a bad character, and Zhou Changying, the director of "Behind the Golden Clothes", who will do anything to achieve his goal.

However, Yu Qin and Ning Xiulian are the first two people he has seen in such a long time who are truly talented, full of personality, and even a little paranoid.

Lu Yanhe feels that some of the characteristics of these two people, if put into a movie, will definitely be a drama.

Of course, just like the story of the female star told by Yu Qin.

Lu Yanhe took a deep breath.

Fortunately, fortunately, the people he really befriended are still people who can get along well, have principles and bottom lines.

While thinking about these things, Lu Yanhe heard the award presenter announce that the best film of the Horizon Unit of this Venice International Film Festival is "Road to Glory".

Lu Yanhe just came back to his senses and was about to congratulate Director Fu Kai. When he turned around, he saw Director Fu Kai's excited face and heard him sigh quietly: "Oh, I lost money."

"..." (End of this chapter)