I’m a Director, I’m Not Bad

Chapter 169 167. Garlic Chicken Wings

At noon on April 2, 2007.

Xu Xin, who was visiting the Panasonic Electronics Factory, received a call.

The caller was Qi Lei, the general manager of a film production and distribution company affiliated to Xi Film Studio.

Qi Lei got in touch with Xu Xin after being introduced by Zhang Yimou.

The two parties discussed on the phone the release and review of "The Secret That Cannot Be Told", and the main discussion was about the division of the film.

Normally, investors can only get about 30% of the profit from a film.

And if you are a large investor, you can get up to 35%.

The profits generated by the film are first divided between theaters and investors in a roughly half-and-half ratio, and then tax is paid. The tax amount is generally based on the 3+5 model, which is 3% theater tax and 5% The film studio’s tax. After excluding these, the remaining 40% of the net profit is for the issuer and investors to negotiate profit sharing.

Because it was Zhang Yimou who introduced it, I don’t know what Director Zhang said in the end. In short, Qi Lei gave another very sincere figure, six percent.

Very low.

The industry normal is 7 to 10 points.

As for a distribution company with the capabilities of Xiying, its relationship with theaters and upstream and downstream links through word-of-mouth accumulated over the years is usually an 8 or 9.

But this time Xiying only asked for 6%.

The profit point of "The Untold Secret" is basically the floating box office share of different theaters from 51 to 55 + 3 + 5 for a total of 8 points of tax, plus 6 points of distribution profit deduction.

At the most ideal level, the movie will generate a profit of about 38%.

Xiying is not stingy.

Xu Xin was also very generous and did not waste too much time on these "small money", laying a good foundation for mutual cooperation.

After the cooperation was negotiated, the follow-up chat with Director Zhang that day has not yet been released. As far as this film is concerned, Xiying's actions have to be said...

soon.

And Qi Lei's first words on the phone were:

"Director Xu, the film has been reviewed."

The editing ended on March 20. On that day, Jay Chou took the negatives and handed them over to the people at West Film Studio. It took less than half a month to get the approval number.

Passed perfectly.

So fast.

Xu Xin stood in front of the trash can in the special smoking area in the factory and sighed in his heart:

"Well, thank you for your hard work, Mr. Qi. What should we do next?"

"The follow-up is the publicity stage. We will be responsible for the theaters, film schedules, and screenings. We don't have to worry. What I'm calling is to say, can the trailer be released? And... because I know that we are now I'm busy with the Olympics, so... how should I accommodate Director Xu's time for this promotion?"

"...If I say I won't participate, is that okay?"

Following Qi Lei's question, Xu Xin gave a very ridiculous response.

What was exchanged was a period of silence on the other end of the phone.

"..."

Are you speaking in human language?

Of course, Xu Xin himself knew that it was unrealistic, but there was a reason why he said this:

"That's it, Mr. Qi, what I mean is actually very simple. If it is announced, I can attend the activities in Yanjing. But including Wanwan, Xiangjiang, and other cities, I will definitely be there. I can't go. It's such a waste of time... There are actually only a few people in this film. How about we coordinate the itinerary with Jielun? I will participate in the activities in Yanjing, but you let them come in other places. I’m still busy with business, okay?”

"……also."

Qi Lei thought about it and agreed directly.

Because itself...

In fact, to be honest, ten Xu Xins are not as big as one Jay Chou gimmick.

Whenever Jay Chou appears, there will be a roar of gongs and drums and a huge crowd of people.

Does anyone know who the director is?

"That's it. Taking into account Director Xu's situation, I will try my best to condense Yanjing's activities, and then please communicate with the other actors. We will start planning the itinerary now, and a detailed itinerary will be sent out by then. As for the schedule, let’s get the time right in advance to avoid mistakes later, okay?”

"No problem. It's okay~ Let's just say that, thank you for your hard work... By the way, has the release time been set?"

"Not yet, but we have communicated with Jay Chou last time, and it will definitely be released in the summer. Don't worry, there will be no problem."

"...Well, okay, then I'll hang up first?"

"Well, can we show the trailer?"

"Let it go, let it go as soon as the schedule is arranged."

"Okay, no problem. I hope you'll be busy then."

"Uh-huh……"

Xu Xin responded and hung up the phone.

Xu Xin was quite relieved to leave the announcement to Xiying Studio... As for Liu Momo, to be honest, he hadn't thought about it at all.

This sister is obsessed with going abroad. Although she has submitted her film to Cannes, whether it will succeed or not depends on when the list will be announced in mid-April... By the way, there are so many films sent to Cannes every year, who do you think you are?

Maybe it can be the icing on the cake, but if it is timely help... one Cannes is not enough.

Shaking his head, after finishing his cigarette, he walked into Panasonic's factory again.

The LED screen technology I looked at this morning was quite in line with the director’s expectations.

At least better than Sharp.

After today, everyone took a plane straight to South Korea in the evening to see Samsung and LG.

Time is very tight, so I have to hurry up, but I don't have the time to think about anything else.

…

In fact, to be honest, this is Xu Xin's first time going abroad.

But facts aside, when Xu Xin went abroad this time, he felt as if he had arrived in Wanwan Province.

It doesn’t mean that there is a strong movie atmosphere here or what the purpose is, nor does it mean that there are any similarities between the buildings and streets on both sides... none of that.

The reason why he feels this way is because he can't understand what people are saying, whether it's Korea or Japan.

Hey, what a coincidence.

Xu Xin couldn't understand Hokkien either.

While on the set, Jay Chou sometimes chatted with people around him, babbling, hemming and hawing, um um ah ah, oh and oh... he sounded like someone from heaven.

It feels the same over there, and it feels the same here.

Because of the budget and itinerary, this kind of business trip inspection is different from the kind of business trip in China that is called an inspection but is actually just an entertainment tour. It is really a rigorous inspection.

I inspected during the day and didn’t go to dinner or anything else at night. I just went back to the room and started discussing the pros and cons of various options.

After chatting about South Korea from Japan, Xu Xin, who had a stomach full of spicy cabbage and felt so good that she didn't vomit, returned to China. Her stomach was sour and she had diarrhea.

I wanted him to have a bad mouth and try some raw beef.

His grandma was a bitch, and after a meal of raw beef, she almost didn't let Xu Er Shao return to the underworld.

He was running around and couldn't find his way around.

Those who knew it were going to South Korea, but those who didn't know thought he went to the third brother's house to drink all he could from the Ganges River.

And when he got off the plane with a sallow face and returned to China, he was full of grievances and didn't know who to talk to, and he got another bad news.

For Xu Sanjin, who has diarrhea and is in urgent need of warmth, this is the ultimate bad news, so bad that it is so inhumane and so bad that God cannot tolerate it.

Just twenty minutes before he landed and turned on the phone.

Yang Mi sent a message:

"It's over, I'm here to meet my relatives."

When the plane landed and turned on and saw this message, a thunderbolt shattered his Tianling Gai.

Just... just outrageous!

Originally, we haven’t seen each other since the 20th. It’s been half a month.

When Xu Xin, who was on the phone every day and the phone was being kissed, was buzzing with sparks and was just waiting to return home, he was dumbfounded when he heard the news.

In fact, Yang Mi's days have always been quite regular, just between the end of the month and the beginning of the month, recurring with different physical conditions.

But basically the first seven and the last eight can’t go wrong too much.

On the one hand, it proves that the girl is in good health, on the other hand...this time of every month is the time when the two of them have no inhibitions.

Because it’s safe, safe, so damn safe.

And Xu Xin has been thinking about this in the past few days. After all, they haven't seen each other for half a month. For a guy like him who wants to die on his girlfriend's belly, kissing and hugging his lover is already enough to immerse him. A habit deep in my bones.

As a result, I was thinking about getting on the last train...

If you don't come early, you won't come later... Why are you coming at this time? !

He sighed subconsciously.

This news is quite explosive.

Make him feel bad.

But the more uncomfortable thing is yet to come.

"Jingle Bell……"

Just after saying goodbye to the team and getting into the car driven by Sun Ting, Xu Xin didn't have time to say hello to Sun Ting when Jay Chou called:

"Hello?"

"Hey, Axin, have you got off the plane?"

"Down...what?"

"Mr. Qi just called and said that he couldn't contact you. Let me tell you that the film's release date has been set. It will be released nationwide on July 31st, and the release date will be 38 days!"

Compared with the 45-day release time of "The Golden Jacket", it is only one week shorter, and it is also longer than the 28 or 31 days of ordinary movies.

What's more, it's the most golden day of summer.

It will be released on the 31st and will last until the beginning of September, and students start school again in early September. Young lovers who have spent the summer apart can get together in the first week of school, enter the cinema again, and give the film a box office The perfect finish.

On this day... Xiying Studio's selection was so essential.

It’s also amazing.

Frankly speaking, the first cooperation between Xiying Studio and Xu Xin, to be honest, couldn't be more perfect.

After the date is set, all we have to do is wait for the film to be released, recover the money and make money.

The film has already been seen by Xiying Film Studio.

Honestly, it's great.

This is also the main reason why they gave Xu Xin 38 days of release time.

Jay Chou + Mou Girl Yang Mi.

Regardless of Gui Lunmei, the appeal of these two combinations is enough.

Especially Jay Chou.

This film has a total investment of over RMB 10,000,000. Is it possible that Jay Chou will not be able to repay the investment alone?

Xu Xin was also surprised:

"Thirty-eight days? Not bad. Then the next step is to release the trailer quickly, right?"

"Well, we still need to start publicity and arrange premieres in multiple places. I had a chat with Mr. Qi, because this is also my first official appearance since the establishment of Jewel, so we are going to hold a premiere in six cities across the country. tour premiere meeting event! How about it?”

"…Which six?"

"The first stop is Taipei, the second stop is Yanjing, the third stop is Hangzhou in the morning and afternoon, the fourth stop is Chengdu, the fifth stop is Shenzhen, and the sixth stop is Xiangjiang! Hold a premiere! Stimulate the box office! How about it!"

"Well……"

Hearing the news, Xu Xin couldn't help but say:

"The people from Xiying...are so powerful?"

"yes!"

Jay Chou's tone was also full of surprise:

"Let me tell you, they are awesome! It's really outrageous. They came up with this touring method! I never dared to think of it before!"

"...Why does it feel like this battle is not smaller than "Golden Armor"?"

"Yes! So they are super powerful! And... they are so powerful, I can't be weak here, right? So I arranged here including "Complete Entertainment", "Entertainment News Channel", and "Kangxi Is Coming" Wait for a series of high-rating variety shows! Talk to Mimi later and let her get ready. I will make a plan tomorrow and I will coordinate the schedule with her! It will start in the next two days. "

"...???"

Xu Xin was stunned:

"How about you wait...these two days?"

"Yes, "Kangxi is Coming"! It seems to be scheduled for the day after tomorrow, right? Hey, do you want to come with us?"

"I'll give you a little mushroom..."

Xu Xin rolled his eyes subconsciously.

Does it cost lives?

I have diarrhea and look for warmth from my sister, who comes to visit relatives.

Then wait until the relatives leave and then ask your sister for warmth, while your sister is going to do publicity?

After all the promotion, do you still have to help me go abroad to win the Palme d'Or in Cannes?

After the Palme d'Or, I returned to Shenmu as a supervisor. Why don't we just stop seeing each other this summer?

"You...your uncle's..."

"...????"

Jay Chou was stunned.

Why are you so fierce?

So he asked speechlessly:

"What's wrong? Why are you so unhappy? Tell me?"

He really wanted to comfort Xu Xin, but he didn't notice that he was the culprit...

"……forget it."

Xu Xin, who looked hopeless, shook his head helplessly:

"You can communicate with her about the specific matters tomorrow, and I won't worry about it. I told President Qi before that I will participate in a promotional event in Yanjing... You can take care of the rest. I just got off work right now. Plane, please let me rest for a while."

"Uh... okay then, let's talk tomorrow?"

"Um."

After hanging up the phone, Xu Xin, who was sitting in the passenger seat, let out a long sigh and took out the cigarette case.

The weather in April is still a bit cool, and as soon as the windows are opened, the cold wind blows in.

But luckily it's not bone-chilling anymore.

While smoking, Xu Xin said to Sun Ting:

"have you eaten?"

"I have already eaten."

"Well, you can go home and rest after you send me back later."

"OK."

After Sun Ting responded, she suddenly glanced at Xu Xin.

After thinking about it...

She said nothing.

…

After returning home all the way, holding the suitcase and waving to Sun Ting, Xu Xin opened the door and smelled a very familiar fragrance.

"Sister~"

He shouted and heard the girl's voice in the kitchen:

"Hey, brother, you're back... put your things away first, and then come over and help me."

"good."

Xu Xin pushed the suitcase towards the door of the laundry room and walked directly into the kitchen.

"Mutton?"

"Yes, the dumplings are on the bus and the noodles are on the bus. I specifically asked Uncle Xu how to make the mutton noodles... Hey, you guys are so weird. You eat haggis with potatoes... Oops!"

She tilted her head hard and controlled herself not to shrink her neck. The girl's skin was covered with goosebumps, and she allowed her boyfriend to scratch her neck with his stubble eagerly.

At the same time, he put both hands on the chopping board and followed his wishes.

While trying to maintain the balance of her body, she bit her lip and hummed in a nasal voice with blurred eyes:

"Brother... calm down... can't you please let me take care of you later? I'm doing some cutting!"

"miss you……"

Xu Xin murmured, and the girl had already put down the butcher knife and pulled him into the house.

But today is not the day either.

He could only say helplessly:

"Let's eat first, okay? I've been working on these things all afternoon."

"...Tsk."

Reluctantly pulling out his hand, Xu Xin finally had time to take a look at what the girl was doing.

"Hand-made noodles?"

"Yes, I practiced at home several times before I mastered how to make and roll this noodle. Then I asked Uncle Xu how to make mutton noodles. I will make them for you to try... Isn't it uncomfortable for your stomach? One bowl Once you eat it, everything will be fine~"

She scraped her boyfriend's cheek with her flour-covered hand, and looking at his face that turned sallow after a mouthful... God knows how he had the courage to eat raw beef, Yang Mi sighed:

"Oh... my dear little ancestor, who gave you the courage? How can you eat raw beef?"

"...Liang Jingru."

Xu Xin shrugged.

Yang Mi was stunned...

Then……

"Goose goose goose goose goose goose~ I hate it~ Can you please stop insulting this song?"

She was struck with laughter again and she burst out laughing.

There was no other way, who let my brother be so mean as to untie the belt?

Then he turned around and continued cutting noodles, while not forgetting to say:

"Tie it up for me, how to cook?"

"okay."

Then……

"If you dare to cause trouble again, I will kill you invincibly!"

"...You're just a butcher at best, right?"

Seeing her virtuous manner holding the kitchen knife, Xu Xin said something.

Who knows that my good sister seems to be smiling but not smiling:

"You dare to talk back, right? I'm a butcher, right? OK, today I, the butcher, will never be able to reach level six!"

"..."

The two of them were talking about DOTA heroes.

The Butcher is an abomination-shaped heroic profession in Warcraft.

The level 6 ultimate skill is called "Dismember". It bites a heroic unit and loses blood based on a percentage...

If you don't hit the mark with a butcher, how can you do it without a quick six gank...

Damn, I can't afford it.

Slipping away.

…

A bowl of super luxurious mutton noodles covered with mutton and haggis, a plate of chili peppers fried in soy sauce, and a head of chopped garlic is a simple dinner for a couple.

If he went out to eat, Xu Xin would definitely order five or six dishes, but when eating at home...he would eat whatever his sister cooked, and he wouldn't be picky at all.

Even though the taste of this Shenmu mutton noodles is actually far worse than that of my hometown.

But after a bowl of noodles with the taste of "home", he still regained his soul.

I'm really hungry, because I haven't eaten well in the past two days because of diarrhea.

The pepper in the soup also made him sweat.

Feeling more or less strong, he asked:

"How was the audition?"

"Which one?"

"What is that..."Ugly Girl"."

"I've been selected to play the ugly mother's daughter. Filming is expected to start in September or October."

"Want me to read the script for you?"

"I won't watch it tonight, let's wait for another day. Once you have a good rest, your face will look so ugly..."

"Um."

In response, Xu Xin lit a cigarette and then said:

"Oh, by the way, I forgot to tell you just now..."

After telling the story about "The Untold Secret", Yang Mi nodded directly:

"Okay, then I will check the schedule tomorrow and see if we leave tomorrow or the day after tomorrow."

"...?"

The smoke rising slowly upward flickered.

Xu Xin looked at his girlfriend strangely.

Yang Mi, who was eating noodles, asked in confusion:

"What's wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"..."

Xu Xin shook his head:

"It feels like... why did you agree so happily? You were obviously too lazy before..."

"Well……"

After hearing this, the girl picked up a chopstick of chili and put it into the noodle bowl. She lowered her head and began to slurp the few noodles left in the bowl:

"It's movie promotion, it's an actor's duty. What's there to be lazy about?"

Can't see her expression.

But Xu Xin didn’t think much and nodded:

"Okay, then I will be a monk for another week...Hey, sister."

"what?"

"After you finish eating this bowl of noodles, your experience is almost...enough to level up to level six, right?"

"...Hmph, bad guy."

The girl looked at him speechlessly, finished eating the noodles in a hurry, put down her chopsticks and wiped her mouth:

"Come on, brother, I'll take you to the hot springs."

"Okay."

Not long after, Xu Xin’s doubts came from the bathroom:

"Sister...why are you so hot?"

"Ah... I just ate garlic!"

"Fuck..."

"Oh, who made you so anxious? I told you I had to brush my teeth... Hurry up, hurry up... Pfft... Hahahahaha..."

"What are you laughing at?"

"Hahahaha... I just... thought of something to eat... Hahahahaha..."

"What?"

"Garlic chicken wings...hahahahahaha..."

"..."

Xu Xin may never eat this flavor again in this life.

…

April 6th at 10am.

Thanks to the relationship between Jay Chou and West Film Studio, the two-minute trailers of "The Secret That Cannot Be Told" have been released on their respective websites by entertainment media in the three places across the Taiwan Strait.

It attracted cheers from countless Jay Chou fans.

In fact, to be honest, "The Secret That Cannot Be Tellable" was not very popular before this.

In addition to the media hype when Jay Chou left his parent company Holaday to establish Jewel, the day before yesterday because the crew was very low-key, only a few location photos were taken.

Then, at the beginning of the new year, various singers in the entertainment industry over there began to release albums, which blew away the popularity.

As soon as this trailer came out today, it instantly ignited the enthusiasm of people who are very interested in this film again.

After clicking to watch, the first thing I saw was a musical note composed of sparks with a very classical magical flavor, and began to slowly outline a line of words:

"Secret"

Then the screen went black for half a second, and a row of words appeared:

Director——Xu Xin

Screenwriter——Jay Chou

Their names disappeared, followed by:

Starring: Jay Chou, Gui Lunmei, Yang Mi

At the end of the film, a gorgeous piano sound sounded.

What started with the sound of piano was the trailer edited by Cheng Long himself.

This is actually the fun and interesting part of the trailer.

Obviously they are all from movies, but the taste of the movies produced by different editing styles is also different.

For example, in this first version of the trailer, from the first few dozen seconds when Gui Lunmei and Jay Chou are walking on campus, the audience can see at a glance that they are a "couple".

However, before entering this scene, the first scene of the shot showed a weak-looking Gui Lunmei holding the wall in the corridor, his eyes red, looking very painful.

It flashed by.

Those who know will naturally understand that this is a clip of Ye Xianglun’s graduation day, when Lu Xiaoyu braced herself for an asthma attack to watch his performance.

But in the eyes of the audience, paired with the last scene of Jay Chou and Yang Mi kissing...

Naturally, a bloody drama of "betrayal, sadomasochism, and triangle relationship" emerged...

And the most ironic thing is that the music used is very beautiful, light and lively.

People who look at it will feel a little overwhelmed.

It even made some viewers smash their mouths, and the taste came out...

Why does this smell like a Korean drama?

But there is no way. The cut of this first version of the trailer is actually the intention of Cheng Long and Xiying Studio.

In the past few years, Korean dramas have been fully invaded by the Korean Wave, starting from "Dae Jang Geum".

Whether domestic movies or TV series, they either learn from Korean dramas or simply invite Koreans to act.

The so-called "Korean Wave" culture has gradually become a cultural theme with the widest audience in TV series and movies in the past two years.

Everyone likes torture, and they like the fact that the hero and heroine who are sweet one moment are suffering from leukemia and the other is in a car accident the next...

I just like to see this kind of thing.

Therefore, in order to cater to the tastes of audiences of different levels, there was only one version of the trailer edited according to Xu Xin's ideas, but Xi Film Studio and Jay Chou also had one version each.

This version is from Xiying Studio.

Xu Xin doesn't have any objections. After all, the trailer can't directly tell you the general context of the movie, right?

Therefore, this kind of mystique combined with a version that the two of them understand is just like three smoke bombs, in order to attract more audiences to the theater.

As for what story was filmed...

Come and see if you can find out?