Millennium director

As Wu Yuan was writing the script on the computer, he was also thinking about it in his mind.

"Gravity" is an IMAX 3D movie.

That is to say, this movie uses both IMAX shooting technology and 3D stereoscopic technology.

This has resulted in a very high cost of filming this movie, or in other words, the shooting costs of mainstream science fiction movies after 2010 have skyrocketed.

Just professional IMAX3D cameras are used to shoot 4K movie quality. Such cameras are only for rent and not for sale.

The rental price alone, based on the lowest four units, costs hundreds of thousands of dollars per day, and tens of millions of dollars for 100 days of shooting.

This stuff is really expensive. When Lao Mouzi was filming "The Great Wall", it was because the whole process was shot in IMAX that it cost more than one billion. In the end, the box office did not recoup the cost.

The original version of "Gravity" cost US$100 million, most of which was spent on setting up scenes and CG production.

This movie uses CG technology to restore the deep space and build a large number of real scenes and 1:1 models of space stations.

The remaining half of the money was spent on the actual filming, that is, the actors' remuneration, the crew's remuneration, and the most important IMAX 3D camera rental.

But when Wu Yuan came up with this script now, it was in 2005.

Even if preparations for filming start next year, the film will be released in 2008 at most.

These days, IMAX3D technology is still early.

Audiences all over the world are watching 2D special effects movies, and no one knows what a 3D movie is, let alone IMAX3D.

Reduce the cost of shooting by one IMAX, and the cost of "Gravity" can be immediately reduced by half.

In addition, if you ask the space agency to help you make a real scene and a 1:1 model of the space station, the price will definitely be much cheaper than in the United States where labor charges are high.

The same goes for actors' pay. Domestic actors' pay is also incomparable to Hollywood.

Even if it is true that CG graphics are still very expensive, Wu Yuan can definitely control the cost of "Gravity" to about US$50 million.

It is worth mentioning that the movie "Gravity" itself is a small- to medium-cost science fiction movie.

Yes, this movie has such shocking images, but it is already a small- to medium-budget science fiction film.

Because in the era of IMAX3D, the cost of this movie was only US$100 million.

In the era of 2D movies, a science fiction disaster blockbuster like "2012" already costs US$200 million.

Science fiction blockbusters in the IMAX3D era, not to mention those superhero movies, take "Inception" as an example. The shooting cost was nearly US$200 million.

In comparison, "Gravity" is really a very cheap movie. Like "The Martian", it is a box office dark horse produced for about 100 million US dollars.

If Wu Yuan makes it into a 2D movie, the cost will be even lower.

It is true that changing a 3D movie to 2D will lose a lot of visual effects, and it will never be as shocking as the original version.

But the original version was so shocking that it was brought to the audience in 2013.

The audience in 2013 has already seen a superhero movie full of special effects like "Avengers 1". If you want to shock them, you really need more exaggerated and gorgeous pictures.

But Wu Yuan plans to bring a science fiction movie to Chinese and even Asian audiences in 2008.

Before "Avatar" even appeared, before various space 3DIMAX movies appeared.

The 2D version of "Gravity" can already bring a bit of space shock to most Asian audiences as long as the space environment and the CG of the earth, the home of mankind, in space are done well enough.

The 1968 American movie "2001: A Space Odyssey" is hailed as a masterpiece and a science fiction enlightenment movie. However, looking at it now, it cannot be compared with the special effects of today's movies.

But this does not prevent this movie from being a classic among moviegoers of that era, inspiring countless science fiction fans around the world and influencing their lives.

For current Chinese audiences, the 2D version of "Gravity" is enough to give them a baptism of science fiction movies.

Because the vast majority of Chinese people now have almost no concept of "space".

Everyone knows that the earth is blue and that the sun is red-orange, but that’s about it.

How beautiful it is to overlook the earth from space. At a time when China's aerospace industry is still in its infancy, most Chinese people are actually at a loss.

There are even rumors on the Internet that astronauts on the International Space Station can see the Great Wall when flying over China.

In this case, even a 2D "Gravity", through its own touching and philosophical story, coupled with realistic space CG effects, can already bring space to the audience in 2008. Shocked.

After revising the story of "Gravity" in his memory, Wu Yuan quickly came up with the first version of the script.

Of course, after the script was completed, he replaced "Tiangong Space Station" with "Chinese Space Station" and "Other Countries' Space Station" in general.

Without him, "Tiangong" is indeed a character that hasn't even been written yet, so he shouldn't have named it first.

After completing the script, Wu Yuan immediately contacted Director Han, sent him a copy of the script, and hoped that he could help contact the National Space Administration.

To make this movie successfully, it will definitely require the technical support of the National Space Administration.

And with the support of the National Space Administration, you can save money!

Can save a lot of money!

Let’s put it this way, the National Space Administration has one-to-one simulation props for some of the equipment needed for real-life shooting.

For example, the National Space Administration has one-to-one simulation models of space suits, extravehicular space suits, and Shenzhou series spacecraft. On the one hand, they are used for training astronauts, and on the other hand, they are also convenient for scientists to conduct various simulation tests.

And if Wu Yuan wanted to make these things himself, it would cost a lot of money.

If the National Space Administration provides these equipment support, it will save a lot of money.

Although "Gravity" has not yet set a specific budget, Wu Yuan can roughly estimate based on his experience. If this movie is to be made at an excellent level at the moment, it will cost at least 50 million US dollars. At the current exchange rate , almost 350 million yuan.

He plans to attract investment from three parties this time.

Light and Shadow Times will provide part of it, China Film will provide part of it, and then find a private film company to take on part of it.

There's no way around it. Making sci-fi movies these days is really stressful and thankless, and it's very thankless. It's also destined not to make a lot of money. If you can make one to two hundred million, you'll just have fun.

Maybe after two years of hard work, I might not make as much money as I did by investing 60 million in "Your Name."

But shooting such a large-scale science fiction movie gives me a great sense of accomplishment!

Sniping Wu Baige is one thing, but the sense of accomplishment that the movie itself can bring to Wu Yuan is another.

When the idea of ​​making this movie came to his mind, Wu Yuan couldn't hold it in anymore.

The next day, Director Han, who was extremely shocked by this science fiction film project, invited Wu Yuan back to China Film Headquarters again.

"Director Wu, are you kidding me?" This was the first time Han Sanping had said this to Wu Yuan.

It can only be said that Wu Yuan is indeed a man who makes Han Sanping elusive.

"Of course it's not a joke." Wu Yuan calmly held a cup of tea and sipped it, "Director Han, don't you like blockbusters the most?"

"Don't you like this kind of Chinese science fiction blockbuster?"

"I like it, yes." Director Han nodded tangledly: "But can a science fiction movie like this make its money back?"

"Director Wu, when we make blockbusters in China, we can't just rely on the mainland market. We must look to Asia and even the world to recover the costs."

"But for foreigners, our Chinese movies only attract them with themes such as costume films and martial arts films."

"So director Yimou made "Hero" and "House of Flying Daggers", and Wu Yusen also made "Battle of Red Cliff", all targeting the international market."

"And your "Painted Skin" is also aimed at the Asian market."

"But this is a science fiction movie."

Director Han stopped mid-sentence, but Wu Yuan also knew what he wanted to express in the second half of his speech.

"Why, Mr. Han, as a Chinese, you don't even look down on your own science fiction movies?" Wu Yuan asked with a half-smile.

"It's not that we look down upon it," said Han Dong anxiously, "it's that we have never made a science fiction movie before. The risk is too high."

"If another director were to write this script, I would indeed feel that the risk would be very high." Wu Yuan nodded and said affirmatively: "But I am different."

"Director Han, let's settle an account."

"Do you think the mainland's movie box office market will be able to reach a box office of 340 million yuan for a single film in two years?"

As the helmsman of China Film Group, Han Sanping can be said to be the person with the most data on the mainland film market. He mentally calculated the current expansion speed of domestic theaters and affirmed: "It should be no problem."

"Then do you think that with my name and the first domestic science fiction blockbuster, I can achieve this ceiling of box office results?" Wu Yuan asked again.

"It seems...possible." Han Dong's eyes brightened slightly, but then he said: "This is not enough!"

"Such a science fiction blockbuster, even if it is shot in China, will cost at least US$50 million, right?"

"Hey, don't worry." Wu Yuan said calmly: "I remember that the North American copyrights of "Heroes" and "House of Flying Daggers" were bought out, right?"

"The North American box office of both movies was tens of millions and hundreds of millions, but they actually only received a few million dollars in buyout fees?"

"Yeah." Director Han's face turned ugly when he mentioned this.

"But I have distribution channels in North America!" Wu Yuan spread his hands, "Director Han, things have come to this point, and I won't hide it from you. I have established an independent production company in Hollywood."

"The cooperation with Disney and 20th Century Fox in recent years has been pretty good."

"I can use Fox's channels to distribute "Gravity" normally in North America."

"I think that although movie fans in North America will definitely look down on a so-called Chinese science fiction movie, with my popularity and influence in North America, as long as I promote it more diligently."

"Is it still possible for "Gravity" to gross US$30 to 50 million at the box office in North America?"

"According to the normal share ratio, the producer can also get 10 million US dollars, right?"

"In addition, I plan to invite Gong Li to play the heroine and Zhang Fengyi to play the male lead. With their popularity in Europe, plus me as a double award winner in Berlin and Cannes, more than 30 countries in Europe combined , selling him the copyright for ten million dollars is not too much, right?"

"Look, doesn't this just pay off?"

"Coupled with Hong Kong Island, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia and other markets, I think there is no problem in making one or two billion yuan after "Gravity" is completed."

Director Han's eyes widened and he looked shocked: "You have a film company in Hollywood?"

"Are you still cooperating with Fox?"

"Yes." Wu Yuan said calmly: "In the past two years, you may not know the name of the company, but Director Han should know about the R-rated movie "The Hangover" series that swept North America in the past two years, right?"

“This series is made by my company.”

"The combined North American box office of the two movies is hundreds of millions of dollars, and the global distribution and DVD distribution are all left to Fox."

"In addition, I will soon be cooperating with Fox on a fantasy comedy film, and our two families are in the honeymoon period."

The fact that Wu Yuan opened a film company in the United States cannot be kept secret for long.

Although Cheng Long kept a strict tone and did not disclose this matter to any friends in China, with the launch of the "Rush Hour 3" project and the subsequent cooperation with "Kings Agent".

"Wu Yuan

It would be better to make it clear to Director Han now and give him more confidence.

Wu Yuan really holds the key to Chinese-language films landing in North America.

For other Chinese-language films, even "Lust, Caution," which Li Eu later returned to the mainland to film, if they wanted to be released in North America, they had to sell out the distribution rights, and it was impossible to negotiate a normal share of the film.

But Wu Yuan can.

Because his time in the spotlight can bring considerable benefits to Fox, driven by profits, Wu Yuan asked Fox to help distribute a movie he made in North America, and Fox would agree.

Not to mention "Gravity", Fox is actively talking about the release of the movie "Love" in North America during the Light Era.

If you change it to another domestic director, even if you take Cannes, Berlin, or Venice, the six major Hollywood companies will not be able to actively negotiate distribution with you. The most they can do is negotiate a buyout.

Just like when Wu Yuan's "The Night the Comet Came" was sold to Fox Searchlight for two million.

Hollywood is such a realistic place. If you can bring benefits to the Big Six, especially long-term benefits, the Big Six will be very talkative and helpful.

Anyway, according to the North American distribution system, companies responsible for distribution business have distribution requirements every year, and at least XX movies must be released.

Every year, the Big Six will release some of the stuffed fish and shrimps during the garbage month to make up the required number of movies to be released annually.

It is not difficult for Wu Yuan to release a Chinese-language film.

The premise is that everyone is good friends and partners with interests.

"Director Wu, are you kidding?" Director Han asked again.

Wu Yuan's face was full of dark lines, "Director Han, who has the time to joke?"

"That's okay." Han Dong nodded fiercely!

With Wu Yuan's current fame and influence in Europe and North America, as well as the basic base he has established in Japan and South Korea, and the domestic box office market is higher every year.

He is making a science fiction blockbuster with a cost of 50 million US dollars, and it is indeed successful!

And as the helm of a state-owned enterprise, Director Han knows very well that China now very much needs science fiction movies that are close to reality like "Gravity"!

"I will help you contact the space agency!" Director Han said excitedly.

If you still don’t understand why you made “Gravity” and feel that it must be a loss, I have nothing to say.

Don’t look at 2006 through the eyes of 2022. This was 17 years ago. “Gravity” only needed to be made into a 2D special effects CG movie, which would be enough to bring space shock to Asian audiences.

Before 2006, the last space science fiction movie was from the 1990s.

The high cost of "Gravity" is due to the high cost of IMAX3D. This movie has a total of three and a half actors, and the exterior scenes are all CG. It is really not a big-budget movie.

Looking at it from today's perspective, if "Gravity" were not IMAX3D, the picture would be boring.

But in 2006, before "Avatar" and "2012", "Gravity" even if it was made into a 2D movie, it would be enough to shock the audience, because people at that time had never seen such a realistic space.