Compared with the crew of "Datang", the food of other crews on the set of Golden Harvest is simply weak!

Most of the crews only order a boxed lunch for 5 yuan from the food stalls.

If you pick the door a little more, or even only provide steamed buns for 5 cents each, let the crew members eat a little side dish and swallow the steamed buns.

The more than 200 people in the Baolong crew add up, and the daily food cost of the crew alone provides two meals, which is extremely extravagant in the eyes of thousands of hard-working filmmakers on the set

At noon, Zou Wenhuai had just returned to Hong Kong, and he hadn't eaten yet, when he smelled the fragrance, he came over and smiled: "Wow!" Zhang Shaojie, you guys are too unkind. Every day, there are so many fish and meat, and the other crews are hungry! We have at least 2,000 employees on the set, and we strongly demand that we provide better food! When asked why, they said that when Baolong Film Company was filming, they ate a 30 yuan box lunch! Golden Harvest's actors can only eat a boxed lunch of 5 yuan, which is really too picky and unrighteous! ”

Zhang Shaojie was stunned and said: "Is there such a thing? ”

On the set, Tsui Hark saw Zou Wenhuai coming, and hurriedly asked someone to find a stool for him to sit on.

Zou Wenhuai is not polite, open a box of lunch, pick up chopsticks and eat, although the dishes are very simple, just braised pork, chicken thighs, ham, vegetables, however, the advantage is that the chef has good skills, and the taste is very different.

"Yes, that's good!" Zou Wenhuai was full of praise.

Not long after, He Guanchang and Xu Guanwen also came.

He Guanchang said with a smile: "Boss Zou has come to eat, I don't know, can we do it?" ”

"Please, please!" Zhang Shaojie hurriedly said.

Soon after, Xu Guanwen said with a smile: "As soon as Boss Zou came back, he encountered employees protesting that the food was too poor!" Because "Modern Bodyguard" was a big hit at the overseas box office, I was in a happier mood, and I actually approved an increase in the food expenses of the major crews of Golden Harvest. In the past, Jiahe filmed a day, and the cost of food was only 20,000 yuan, but now the cost of food will be increased to 70,000 yuan! If I don't come to slaughter you, Boss Zou will be psychologically unbalanced! ”

Zhang Shaojie, Tsui Hark and others laughed.

This is not Zou Wenhuai's stinginess and deliberate abuse of the Jiahe crew! You must know that the Baolong crew is only 200 people, and the luxury food expenses of 20,000 Hong Kong dollars a day can be afforded.

However, Golden Harvest is a big business, and it is not easy to operate. There are more than 10 crews in the entire Golden Harvest that are working, thousands of mouths, and each person's food expenses will increase by 20 yuan, and the cost will increase by an additional 50,000 or 60,000 yuan a day, and it will cost an extra 20 million yuan in a year!

Although Golden Harvest can earn HK$20 million a year in Hong Kong, it can earn more overseas. However, the additional cost of 20 million yuan in food expenses has directly increased the operating costs of Golden Harvest by a large margin, and it is resolutely impossible to compromise on Shaw Brothers! However, Zou Wenhuai only earned 40 million a year from Golden Harvest, and he actually had the courage to spend an additional 20 million to improve the food of thousands of Golden Harvest crews, which is a great merit for low-level filmmakers.

―――――――― the current team of Baolong Film Company has a new look. Others haven't realized how strong the crew of "The Legend of Double Dragons of the Tang Dynasty" is.

But Zhang Shaojie always sees these names that later affected the Hong Kong film and television industry and influenced the entire era - Tsui Hark, Yuan Heping, Cheng Xiaodong, Zhang Shuping, and Lin Qingxia

Just by seeing the list of the crew, Zhang Shaojie felt that his blood was boiling and full of strength!

These people, in later generations, reminiscing about the glory of the Hong Kong film industry in the 80s ~ 90s, have to mention their names! Among these people, during the decline of the Hong Kong film market, Tsui Hark, Yuan Heping, and Cheng Xiaodong all entered Hollywood one after another, and after exercising in Hollywood, they basically returned to the Chinese film market to develop, bringing a lot of valuable experience and ideas to the Chinese film industry.

In the 90s, after Lin Qingxia married a businesswoman, she withdrew from the film industry and made a comeback in the public eye again, Lin Qingxia is a writer. After years of precipitation, Lin Qingxia's writing is very beautiful, and she wrote some prose when she didn't publish a book before. Not only has it been published in the media in Taiwan and Hong Kong, but also many of Lin Qingxia's essays and travelogues have been reprinted by top domestic journals. It's just that it wasn't until 2011 that the published text was officially compiled and published as a book.

Looking at the familiar people, the best and most promising filmmakers in the Hong Kong film industry in the next 30 years are gathered under their command! Zhang Shaojie felt a sense of pride.

There are such a group of Hong Kong's new martial arts film era, the most outstanding talents, plus I can see the development trend of future Hong Kong films and future world films!

So what other forces can stand in their way?

Zhang Shaojie doesn't believe that after such a good person has pointed out the correct development route, he can't turn things around and fight a new bloody path in the future of Hong Kong's film industry.

The yield of one or two movies, in Zhang Shaojie's view, is no longer important. Whether the film can win the International Film Award or not is not important in Zhang Shaojie's eyes.

The important thing is to win the audience with the movie!

One day, the audience will realize that these directors and filmmakers under Zhang Shaojie are the hope of Hong Kong films, and even the entire Chinese film, and will be the only force in the Chinese-language film market that can resist the iron hooves of Hollywood blockbusters!

Although the overall size of Baolong Film Company cannot be compared with Hollywood. But in the sincerity of the film and the innovative spirit of the film, it will definitely not lose to the Hollywood filmmakers.

The sincerity in Zhang Shaojie's mind is usually reflected in big productions!

Zhang Shaojie suddenly asked Tsui Hark: "One day, if you are given a budget of hundreds of millions, what kind of movie can you make?" ”

When Tsui Hark heard this, he felt that it was too exaggerated and unrealistic, and said with a smile: "Is it possible to make a movie for hundreds of millions?" Hollywood blockbusters are only three or four million dollars! Hong Kong? Can there be hundreds of millions of big productions? Don't forget, the local box office of the whole of Hong Kong is only 180 million Hong Kong dollars, so plus the whole of Asia, the total box office of Hong Kong movies will not exceed 1 billion Hong Kong dollars! This is the stage that the entire Asian market can provide for Hong Kong films, except for India and Chinese mainland! No matter how big the stage is, with an investment of hundreds of millions of dollars, do you want 100 million viewers to watch your movie? ”

Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, and Xu Guanwen can become the most popular superstars in Asia, but their movies can only have tens of millions of viewers in the whole world

Hong Kong is not Hollywood!

Hollywood movies, in the domestic market of the United States, there are 100 million audiences who are accustomed to going to the cinema to watch movies, and when a Hollywood blockbuster is released, there are tens of millions of viewers in the local market! Therefore, Hollywood film companies have the courage to shoot blockbusters with a cost of tens of millions, or even hundreds of millions!

And the combined box office market of movie audiences in Asia is not comparable to that of the North American market

Zhang Shaojie played with the globe on the table and said with a smile: "What you see is only the traditional market for Hong Kong films - Hong Kong and Taiwan!" At most, there are Ben, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, and the Philippines entering Chinese mainland, which is an unexpected joy, and it can enter Europe and North America, but also because the number of screenings is too small, the publicity is not enough, and there is often little response! ”

Tsui Ke was silent, looking at him.

At this time, Zhang Shaojie said excitedly: "And what I see is the future, the whole world!" What kind of movie can get what kind of shows and publicity in theaters around the world, I am confident that I will earn hundreds of millions of dollars to make movies for you in the future, don't you have the ability to spend hundreds of millions? ”

Tsui Hark was provoked by Zhang Shaojie, and laughed: "As long as you let me shoot three or five "Datang", I am confident that I will be able to control a big production of 300 million at that time!" Within 5 years, if you can come up with 300 million, I will definitely be able to come up with a quality that is not inferior to Hollywood blockbusters! ”

"Really? What is the stake? Zhang Shaojie smiled.

"Well, if I have the ability to control a blockbuster of 300 million, then I ask for a 30 million director's salary! A bet of 30 million salary, ha!" Tsui Hark joked.

Zhang Shaojie smiled and said: "If I earn 300 million within 5 years, and invest 300 million in you to make a film." If I win, I want to bet that you will work for me for the next 30 years! ”

Tsui Hark was stunned for a moment and said, "Wait, it seems that our bets don't conflict." Suppose you make 300 million in 5 years, and I have the ability to make a big production of 300 million, wouldn't we both win? ”

"Then it's a win-win situation, and the bet is true!" Zhang Shaojie smiled, "At that time, I gave you a salary of 30 million directors, and you worked hard for me for 30 years!" ”

Tsui Hark suddenly felt fooled, and shouted: "Aren't you equivalent to you buying me for 30 million for 30 years, and the average is only 1 million a year, damn, it's too cheap." Director Tsui Hark, who can shoot 300 million big productions in the future, was actually bought out of the future by you so cheaply, Annihilation businessman"

Although Tsui Hark called Zhang Shaojie a businessman. However, the bet between the two still invited Yuan Heping, Cheng Xiaodong, Lin Qingxia, Wan Ziliang and others to testify.

Black and white!

In fact, if Zhang Shaojie can come up with 300 million within 5 years, and give Tsui Hark a salary of 30 million, and buy out Tsui Hark for 30 years, it is only equal to the signing fee. In 30 years, if Tsui Hark makes films for Zhang Shaojie, the salary of each movie will be calculated separately.

Cheng Xiaodong quietly said to Tsui Hark: "You are simply too annihilated!" This bet, no matter how you look at it, you make a lot of money! I knew that I also made a bet with the boss that I didn't want a salary of 30 million, as long as I gave 5 million, Lao Tzu would give him 50 years! ”

Tsui Hark put the piece of paper in his pocket and said with a smile: "So, you are still a little tender." ”

"Cut!" Cheng Xiaodong is envious and jealous!

Of course, everyone present also began to look forward to whether Zhang Shaojie would really be able to earn 300 million in the next 5 years.

Although Zhang Shaojie's novels and scripts can make a lot of money, how to make up to 30 million Hong Kong dollars a year! After all, the total market for martial arts novels, as well as the market size of Hong Kong films, is so large. In such a small pool, if you want to make 300 million in 5 years, it is almost impossible!

However, no one can ignore Zhang Shaojie's earning power. Even if you can't make 100 million a year, in the eyes of everyone, earning 20 or 30 million a year should be no pressure for Zhang Shaojie.

With this bet, no matter whether they win or lose, Tsui Hark, Cheng Xiaodong, Lin Qingxia and others also look at Zhang Shaojie differently - at least they all firmly believe that Zhang Shaojie is comfortable investing in the movie "Datang".

――――――――― bet with Tsui Hark, not on a whim, but because Zhang Shaojie really loves talent, and he is reluctant to let go of this Hong Kong movie geek Xu Laowei!

The Hong Kong film industry has always pursued a return on investment. With 5 million funds, if 10 movies with a cost of 500,000 yuan can be made, the general investor will not make 5 movies produced with 1 million yuan.

Hong Kong films in this era, although there are four or five hundred films a year, have trained a large number of talents, but it has also made Hong Kong filmmakers lose the opportunity for further development!

Accustomed to this kind of impetuous short-term and quick way to make money, then Hollywood's large-scale and high-cost spending methods, Hong Kong filmmakers will definitely not be able to learn!

In fact, in the 80s, in the Hong Kong film industry, Shaw Brothers also wanted to imitate the kind of "Star Wars" and invested tens of millions of Hong Kong dollars to make "Interstellar Blunt Tire", but this movie was simply a farce that looked very mentally retarded and funny. There is neither a visually stunning effect nor a reasonable plot that reflects the large-budget production. Shaw Brothers' "Interstellar Blunt Tire" is probably the worst-quality big-budget film.

Later, some sci-fi special effects movies by Hong Kong filmmakers, such as "Cyborg" and "Future Police", also seemed very stupid, stupid, and thunderous, and the plot of the movie was forgotten, and the special effects part was completely the same as watching cartoons, completely separated from the movie itself. After watching this kind of sci-fi movie, most of the audience can't believe that Hong Kong directors can make sci-fi anymore!

If you are used to making small-budget movies, you will lose the ability to control big scenes!

A director who shoots million-dollar movies all day long, and gives him tens of millions of costs, may make a funny farce. Tsui Hark, Cheng Xiaodong and others are good seedlings, and they can make classic blockbusters such as "Smiling Proud Jianghu" and "A Chinese Ghost Story", which is not comparable to ordinary directors.

But Hong Kong's petty investment restricts their development!

The reason why Zhang Shaojie wants to bet with Tsui Hark is actually to let him gradually get used to big scenes and big productions, so that he can exercise the kingly temperament of the director!

The kings of directors are all trained by big productions.

Cameron, who was able to shoot "Titanic" and "Avatar", also started with a few million dollars, and there are constantly people who are willing to pay tens of millions of dollars, tens of millions of dollars, hundreds of millions of dollars, hundreds of millions of dollars, and billions of dollars, gradually making Cameron ascend to the throne of "King of the World" that countless directors around the world look up to.

With film investors in Hong Kong and Taiwan alone, those millions of investments will never be able to cultivate a king like Cameron!

Film companies like Golden Harvest and Shaw Brothers really want to develop Hong Kong film companies. Even if you are willing to support the director to make a large-scale special effects movie regardless of the gains and losses. But make one, lose one. In the end, I will be discouraged and gradually reduce the frequency of this kind of money burning!

Zhang Shaojie thought to himself: "Don't say anything else, at least raise the gorgeous combination of Tsui Hark, Cheng Xiaodong, Yuan Heping, and Zhang Shuping!" Not to mention that I can make "Avatar", within ten years, I can make a 2011 "Painted Wall" and "The Legend of the White Snake" movie, you can always do it! ”

(To be continued)