Fatty Yu sighed: "Three top directors have joined forces to invite Wu Jing, Duan Yihong, Zhu Yawen, Hu Jun, Li Chen..."
"They are all tough guys!"
Su Ze nodded. I have to say that this lineup is luxurious, but...
"Don't worry, it won't be a big platter!" Fatty Yu saw Su Ze's thoughts and said confidently: "One hundred percent the effect of one plus one is greater than two."
Su Ze was noncommittal and started to read the script. Fatty Yu stopped talking. After working together for several years, he knew Su Ze's habits very well.
This is one of Bona's largest investment projects in recent years. The project was initiated the year before last and was not completed until last month. The crew started preparations immediately, and Su Ze was the last stop.
He had just finished working with Heroes of Fire, and as expected, this kid won Magnolia and became the youngest Grand Slam king. He quickly took advantage of the limelight to gain popularity.
"The screenwriter is Lan Xiaolong?" Su Ze started to read the script. He is the first screenwriter of War, Soldiers Assault, My Soldier My Regiment, and Life and Death Line are all his masterpieces.
I finally feel confident, having experienced that my motherland and I were very worried about a big platter, especially if directors with different styles come together, it could be a disaster.
One plus one may not always be greater than two!
Needless to say, actors, both Wu Jing and Duan Yihong, are talented actors who have been looking forward to working together for a long time. There are also a group of veteran actors such as Hu Jun. Hu Jun is also a big brother of the Chinese Drama Theater and has met several times at gatherings.
In recent years, domestic blockbusters often make two mistakes: either they indulge in grand narratives and appear empty and boring, or they get lost in personal narratives and cannot find the spiritual theme.
The character he plays is called Wu Wanli, the youngest warrior in the team and the younger brother of Wu Jing's character.
First of all, the character design is quite representative. At that time, there were a large number of young soldiers under the age of 20 in the army, and Wu Qianli even lied about his age in order to join the army.
They are not as experienced as the veterans, but they have the same enthusiasm. And his growth points are very obvious: he joined the army at the beginning to make his brother think highly of him. He likes to be brave and fierce, and does not obey discipline.
Unexpectedly seeing the beautiful rivers and mountains outside the train, Mo Hu came into contact with the meaning of defending the homeland and the country for the first time. Watching his comrades of the same age being smashed to pieces by planes, and undergoing the baptism of blood, his impetuosity was washed away all at once.
Following his brother in front-line battles, he quickly transformed between life and death. It must be said that even in a star-studded cast, the character Wu Wanli is still the protagonist.
Su Ze nodded secretly. He liked growth characters the most. The greater the change in character's personality, the more challenging it became. This was the second time he encountered a war theme. Gu Qingming, who was fighting in Changsha, did not have this much room to play.
This is Lan Xiaolong’s intention. Such preferential treatment is meaningful. It not only reflects the tradition of mentoring and mentoring in our army, but also because most viewers lack understanding of the cruelty of the battlefield. Wu Wanli’s perspective needs to be constantly reflected on the war.
Increase the sense of immersion in the process.
Su Ze watched very carefully, especially in the literary and opera aspects. Because there were Lin Chaoxian and Tsui Hark, there was basically no need to worry about the so-called big scenes.
In my opinion, in war-themed movies or action blockbusters, martial arts scenes are indeed the top priority, but they cannot be all fight scenes.
It is more important to let the audience understand why and how to fight.
At the same time, it is also necessary to give the audience more of a process of adjusting their emotions, and the arrangement should follow a step-by-step process, with a certain degree of relaxation and speed, so that the final climax can look more enjoyable.
To put it bluntly, rhythm is very important!
"How about it?" Fatty Yu saw Su Ze thoughtful and asked tentatively, "Is that okay?"
The whole circle is convinced by the fortune-seeking boy's vision in selecting scripts. It's hard not to be convinced. The dark horse's counterattacks are the best proof.
The reason why I came here so quickly was to find out the bottom. The investment budget of 200 million US dollars is really a waste of money.
"It's not bad." Su Ze said truthfully: "At least the characters are bright, and the plot seems smooth, but..."
"I'm afraid of such a big scene..."
Su Ze didn't say the rest. I believe Fatty Yu must know it well. What the audience sees is the final product on the big screen. No matter how exciting the filming process is, the result of stretching the hips is in vain.
I am most worried about whether the styles of the three major directors can be unified. Both Lin Chaoxian and Tsui Hark have outstanding personalities, plus Cheng Kaige's habit of adding private goods...
Secondly, a movie is a movie after all. Su Ze was worried whether it would be able to carry such a heavy battle in just over two hours?
If it’s a certain section of the battlefield, that’s fine. But what if it’s the entire battle of Changjin Lake?
A bit confusing!
"Don't worry, I've specially hired Huang Jianxin this time." Fatty Yu said with a smile, "With Lao Huang here, it's no problem."
Su Ze was noncommittal. He had no idea about the legendary gold medal producer. After all, he had never worked with him before. At least the script was pretty good so far, and he couldn't find any faults for the time being. Lan Xiaolong's war scene was still okay.
The character Wu Wanli also has a high growth potential. The process of transforming from a new recruit into a predator through the baptism of war is very challenging. I like this more than Gu Qingming.
"You said 200 million investment?" Su Ze put down the script and asked: "Or US dollars?"
"The estimate is about the same. The main reason is that the war scenes and special effects are too expensive." Fatty Yu heard Su Ze ask and quickly said: "Let's invest some for fun?"
Su Ze curled his lips, already knowing that you had ulterior motives, so he changed the subject and said, "I don't know much about investing. Let Kong Xue talk to you. The amount is small, so you can consider it."
Fatty Yu chuckled. He came here mainly to try to improve Su Ze's luck. As long as he was willing to appear, everything else would be trivial.
The best thing to do is to pull Kanazawa into the water. This kid will definitely contribute 100% when the time comes. It doesn't matter if he doesn't invest. Bona has no shortage of wealthy financial backers. There are many people who want to participate in this kind of annual big project.
He promised to consider it as soon as possible and give a specific reply within two days, send Yu Dong away, and call Kong Xue in for discussion.
"Should we invest in such a big project?" After learning the details, Kong Xue reluctantly said: "Two hundred million US dollars is absolutely nonsense, but five or six billion yuan should be indispensable."
"War scenes and special effects cost the most money. Fatty Yu is very ambitious this time, and many of them are specially produced by top international teams."
"Three major directors plus a group of talented people can easily exceed 100 million in salary alone."
"After all the miscellaneous calculations..."
“It’s hard to make back even if the box office doesn’t reach 2.5 billion!”
Su Ze nodded, believing that Kong Xue's experience, after several years of baptism with live ammunition, was just a little less qualified than the so-called gold medal producer.
Fatty Yu is playing big this time. Let alone tens of millions, investing 100 million is just a splash.
"We are not short of money now, but the risk is a bit high. We don't necessarily have to wade through troubled waters." Kong Xue tried.
"Yeah, I think so too." Su Ze nodded. The role of Wu Wanli can be discussed. The script and role are both good. As for what problems may arise in the future filming process, who can predict?
It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to work with Tsui Hark and Lin Chaoxian, as well as Wu Jing, Duan Yihong, and Hu Jun. Over the years, I intuitively told myself: I can take on this movie! This chapter has been completed!