Shen Zhenghui once again stepped into the rhythm of work, although he did not make it clear that he would take over the filming of "Magic Apprentice", but he still began to prepare under the pressure of Mitsumi Fukuda, and if the final evaluation was unprofitable, he would give up more naturally.

Shen Zhenghui first summoned Lu Yang, and for the novel "Magic Apprentice", it is easier to understand the Chinese. But as soon as Lu Yang heard that the plan was to be made like "The Lord of the Rings", he retreated on the spot. It's not that he's afraid of difficulties or anything, but he feels that this cycle is too long, and if he really wants to shoot, it is estimated that he will only do such one thing in ten years. Although it is very likely to be famous in the history of film, or even the history of world cinema, Lu Yang is in the rising period of his career, he is eager to express his creative ideas after filming "Black Fist 3", and his current fame is enough for him to rely on his face to finance the filming of his favorite movies. returned to Shen Zhenghui as an assistant director for Shen Zhenghui, and he instinctively refused.

Shen Zhenghui realized that in terms of talents, his company's reserves were far from enough. But sometimes the world is so unfair, some directors want to make movies, and people who want to invest have to queue up; And those guys who are not famous have to stay up little by little, looking forward to one day having a chance to shoot, and at the same time he has to look forward to not messing up for the first time, and he has to get up little by little if he messes up.

As a director, just mastering enough skills and experience is not enough to become a sufficient condition for success, especially as a film director, sometimes the times can't keep up with you, sometimes you can't keep up with the times, and it is often difficult to match the public's taste. Lu Yang relied on Shen Zhenghui to gain his current fame and status, as well as income. He is also a contracted director of Haruga, but when he reaches a certain Cheng dù, Haruhi's care for him becomes his shackles, at least sometimes he thinks so.

Shen Zhenghui's several blockbusters with a box office of hundreds of millions of dollars Lu Yang have participated, and in a sense, he is very familiar with Shen Zhenghui's movies. His impression of Shen Zhenghui is that Shen Zhenghui's subject matter is very ingenious every time, and his shooting skills have never been his forte. If you stay by the side of success for a long time, you will feel that it is very easy to succeed, and Lu Yang is this mentality.

In fact, he has already submitted a shooting plan to Mitsumi Fukuda, and Lu Yang has planned for himself to focus on Hong Kong and the mainland, or more ambitious, expand to Hollywood, he feels that he can't play to his advantages in Japan.

Mitsumi Fukuda pressed these until Shen Zhenghui came back to decide, so when Shen Zhenghui talked about the adaptation of "Magic Apprentice" with great interest, Lu Yang said very regretfully. He hopes to be able to complete his work.

"Yes." After thinking about it for a while, Shen Zhenghui agreed to Lu Yang's request, for a director, the director's life is not complete without the experience of failure. Shen Zhenghui didn't maliciously want to curse Lu Yang, but really felt that if the other party was not interested in this plan, then there was not much point in getting involved.

"Can you read my script?" Lu Yang asked cautiously, "President Fukuda said that he would wait until you came back to decide whether to invest or not." ”

"What's the budget?"

"The total amount is 10 million yuan, or Hong Kong dollars." Lu Yang added. "I want to participate in the investment as a studio, and I can personally contribute half of it."

"Yes." Shen Zhenghui readily agreed, "That's it, anyway, if you want to go to Hong Kong and the mainland to shoot, you can go directly to ATV's Wang Bin and talk to him about investment, since you are going to open your own studio to participate in investment." The issuance fee can be amortized into the cost, and we also contribute half of each, which can be regarded as my support for you. ”

Lu Yang was stunned for a moment, he probably hadn't thought about the issue at all, "Can't I completely entrust the spring to publish?" ”

"Then the issuance fee is cheaper for you. It is deducted from the box office share. ”

Lu Yang fell into a kind of entanglement, if the box office fails, his investment will be wasted, even if he does not fail, the cost of publicity and distribution will be counted in the box office, and the share that can fall into his hands will not be too much. Although Lu Yang knew that he was already very famous, he did not have the confidence to achieve a big hit at the box office without stars such as Tony Jia. He is familiar with the subject he wants to shoot, which has been churning in his mind for several years, but he doesn't dare to bet that this subject can be sold well in Japan, but when he really returns to the mainland and Hong Kong markets, Lu Yang is a little hesitant.

"If you think about it, it's really risky to be your own boss." Shen Zhenghui reminded him, he patted Lu Yang on the shoulder, and then sat down in his place to call Miyamoto to his office.

Lu Yang walked away with a loss, and happened to meet Miyamoto at the door, Miyamoto looked at him quite strangely, and after entering Shen Zhenghui's office, he saluted respectfully, and then asked, "I see that Lu Jun is in a trance, what's wrong with him?" ”

"He's thinking about whether he wants to be his own boss." Shen Zhenghui replied, then walked to Miyamoto's side and pulled him to sit down on the sofa, "Have you thought about this problem?" ”

"I don't want to think about anything other than making a movie." Miyamoto replied earnestly, "The company is very ambitious, and I would very much like to continue to do so." ”

There is something about loyalty in this.

Compared with Lu Yang, Miyamoto's position in the company is much more important, and many projects have to be sent to follow up in the end, such as cooperation projects with several Japanese directors, cooperation projects with Zhou Xingxing, etc., Miyamoto is a relatively simple director in a sense, and what he cares about is to do a good job. In the past few years, he has not made less personal works, he has a close relationship with Nasu Mushroom and Takeuchi Chong, and has made several more cult movies, but they have only been well received in a small circle, and the box office can only be said to be passable. He himself is ambitious and has always wanted to one day be able to make a live-action movie in the world of Shigetsuki, and his films have always pursued this style.

For Miyamoto, Shen Zhenghui is a lot more relieved, this gentleman is like a cow, what he eats is grass, what is squeezed out is milk, and he is in his work attitude. There's really nothing to say. This is Shen Zhenghui's impression all along.

"What do you think," Shen Zhenghui asked, and Miyamoto subconsciously held his breath, "What about the idea of a live-action movie for 'Magic Apprentice'?" ”

Miyamoto was about to jump up from the couch, "Has it already been decided?" ”

"It's an idea. Sony is interested. ”

Miyamoto finally couldn't help but stand up, walked around the room, kept clenching his fists hard, and whispered, "Great, great! ”

"Don't be so excited," Shen Zhenghui waved his hand, "If the final audit finds that the prospects are not good, then this project will be resolutely canceled." ”

"No, how can the prospects be bad?" Miyamoto sat down again. "The novel is selling very well in Japan, and the anime has set a DVD sales record. "It's like a Western fantasy story in terms of subject matter, but I think it has a larger audience in Asia." ”

"You're bullish on this plan?"

"Of course," Miyamoto continued, "Mushroom and Takashi Takeuchi discussed this work with the three of us. It's fairly well structured, and the story is pretty complete as a whole. The echo before and after is very well done, the huge hidden background, and the blend of Eastern and Western cultures are vividly reflected in the whole story, not to mention those clever allusions to history, this story also provides a lot of reference for the story of the mushroom conceived moon world. ”

"So," Shen Zhenghui cleared his throat. "Can I understand that you are very willing to join the preparatory crew?"

"Of course!" Miyamoto immediately replied, "How many films are we going to make?" Three main sequels, three prequels, three prequels? ”

"This will be seen after the adaptation," Mr. Shen said. "In that case, then you should work hard first and sort out the script. You also think about what conditions an actor should choose. ”

Miyamoto had an expression of being hit by the jackpot, "Is it, it's all up to me?" ”

"It's all said that this is preparation," Shen Zhenghui pursed his lips, "Of course, when the specific revision of the script is made, we will contact the original author and ask him to participate." Let him revise the whole book first. ”

"This novel is already finished?" Miyamoto asked in disbelief, "I haven't seen the whole work yet!" ”

"Miss Fukuda has the complete works there, and I have them, but mine is in Chinese." Shen Zhenghui said, "Of course, Kadokawa Bookstore can't finish the whole book at once. ”

Miyamoto scratched his hair, "Can I go to President Fukuda first and borrow the complete Japanese language to read it?" I've been tormented by the story for weeks now - since I watched the last episode that was published. ”

"Okay, go talk to her." Shen Zhenghui nodded.

Miyamoto immediately stood up, but then he stopped and turned around, "Can I invite Takazu Takeuchi and Mushroom to join the crew?" He asked.

"It's the preparation crew," Shen Zhenghui reasserted, "if they're interested in having time," Shen Zhenghui spread his hands, "Of course I'm welcome, but I'm worried that they're busy enough with their own work." ”

"They must be interested." Miyamoto hurriedly bowed, and then hurriedly walked out.

Shen Zhenghui looked at his back, and then said to himself, "The arrow is on the string, you can't help it!" ”

At this time, the phone on his desk rang, and Mitsumi Fukuda said on the other end of the phone, "Sony's people have come, we are all waiting for you to come and talk about the specific conditions!" ”

Shen Zhenghui crooked his mouth, closed his eyes, and then took a deep breath.

Sony's assistant manager looks domineering enough, his name is Kazuo Kawasawa, according to himself he is the general manager of the project, "Sony hopes to be able to create a boutique movie that is not inferior to Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings," he said, "Of course, in terms of film production, of course, Kasuga will be the mainstay, Sony will be in charge of publicity, and Columbia will specifically assist Kasuga in the work," he glanced at Mitsumi Fukuda, "I think you and Columbia should have a good time working together, right?" ”

"The previous cooperation was relatively pleasant." Mitsumi Fukuda raised her neck, "So how much can we get for Columbia's shares?" ”

"Sony is not short of money," Kazuo Kawasawa said proudly, "but we can't afford Colombia to keep losing money." ”

"It's no longer a loss." Shen Zhenghui said in his heart.

"We are also willing to minimize the risks, and at the same time, we are also willing to show the sincerity of our cooperation, so that everyone can share the same interests." Kazuo Kawasawa looked at Shen Zhenghui and said, "This is a normal cooperation, and we are willing to strengthen the relationship with Kasuga." ”

"Given that we have always performed well in the Marché du Film." Mitsumi Fukuda added.

Kazuo Kawasawa frowned, but still admitted awkwardly. "You do have a good reputation," he added, unconvinced, "but the biggest film market in the world is North America. ”

"Of course I admit it, and our cousin in North America is not bad," Mitsumi Fukuda said, staring at Shen Zhenghui, "Otherwise." Sony won't take a fancy to us either, will it? ”

Kazuo Kawasawa had to nod his head, he looked at Shen Zhenghui, "I have to admit it," he said, "Director Shen does have the potential to let Sony take this risk." ”

Venture? You obviously watched "The Lord of the Rings" win Warner nearly three billion at the box office, and "Harry Potter" is a long-term money printing machine from Warner, and your eyes are so red that you drool. Of course, reluctant to let the child trap the wolf, Shen Zhenghui rubbed his chin. In this way, the appearance of "Magic Apprentice" is really opportune. Shen Zhenghui couldn't help but think about it.

"The budget for the first film was $130 million, and it was purely for filming." Kazuo Kawasawa and Mitsumi Fukuda said about the contract, "Sony guarantees that the cost of publicity and distribution will not be less than half of 130 million, that is, 65 million." The cost of filming, Columbia and Kasuga are half each, of course. Both sides can bring in collaborators, and the share is limited to 65 million each. Then he said again. If the budget is exceeded, within 10% by the spring sunrise, more than 10%, and then negotiate ......"

Kazuo Kawasawa and Mitsumi Fukuda discussed a lot about the details, and Shen Zhenghui listened while wandering the world.

"Director Shen?" I don't know how long it took. Kazuo Kawasawa woke up Shen Zhenghui, "Are you listening?" ”

"I'm sorry, I'm already thinking about shooting."

"That's right," Kazuo Kawasawa said, "just recently." People from Sony and Colombia are going to visit Director Shen and communicate with Director Shen about the specific preparations for filming, such as the selection of filming locations, the design drawings of buildings, etc......"

Kazuo Kawasawa talked a lot about the aspects to be involved in the movie, and Shen Zhenghui strongly realized that he was facing a large project with an investment cost of almost 200 million US dollars, and his experience was not enough.

"I think New Zealand is good, "The Lord of the Rings" was filmed there, of course, it's better that we can send someone to see what it's like there, and some parts of Europe are not impossible to consider, this has to be looked at specifically, and it would be better if we could get a tax refund......"

"Actors are also a big issue, and since it's a Hollywood movie, I think it's better to use white people. But I don't think it's going to be a big name, it's going to be troublesome to shoot a sequel like this, of course, there must be casting, the description of the characters in the novel is a bit beyond imagination, how to achieve those descriptions on real people, it's very difficult, I need a smart makeup artist, well, and martial arts instructors, since this is a Western fantasy story, then we'd better follow the Western martial arts routines......"

"Of course I have no objection to Sony and Colombian crews playing a role in the crew, but the director should be the key to the whole crew, and I hope that the producers will cooperate with me......"

There are no practical problems yet, but on many issues of principle, Shen Zhenghui also discussed with Kazuo Kawasawa with dry saliva, which made Shen Zhenghui more and more aware of the pressure of the blockbuster, and everyone felt this pressure.

But after seeing off Kazuo Kawazawa, he will continue to visit tomorrow, when he says he will communicate with Shen Zhenghui for more details. Shen Zhenghui saw the smile on the corner of Fukuda Mitsumi's mouth.

"Looks like you're having fun." Mitsumi Fukuda said leisurely.

"It's better to say that this is a kind of pressure," Shen Zhenghui raised his eyebrows, "If this kind of blockbuster misses, the fame I have accumulated before will be deeply damaged." ”

"But you're still not looking back!" Mitsumi Fukuda's tone was high.

Shen Zhenghui patted his forehead vigorously, "I didn't realize that this was completely premeditated by you!" He knocked his head again, "Sony's like this, isn't this a duck on the shelf?" ”

At this time, Mitsumi Fukuda suddenly kissed Shen Zhenghui on the cheek, "I knew you could do it." ”

"Don't think that this kind of Cheng dù will be able to perfunctory me."

"What? Weren't you enough last night? ”

Shen Zhenghui blushed, "These are two different things, right?" ”

"It's the same thing in my opinion," Mitsumi Fukuda picked Shen Zhenghui's chin with her fingers, "remember to leave an important role for Tomoaki Aonuma." ”

"Ha ......"

"Don't forget Liu Xin's script." Mitsumi Fukuda said, and then pushed Shen Zhenghui out of his office, "You hurry up and go busy with your own!" ”

Shen Zhenghui walked out of Fukuda Mitsumi's office a little helplessly, thought about it and sent an email to Ning Huan, asking him to call him back immediately if he had time.

Then he went back to his office, took out a blank notebook, and began to write down the work plan on how to prepare for the shoot. (To be continued......)