Money, money, money!

After returning home, after eating the leftovers left by her mother, and putting her homework aside, Ye Wei was like a running Lola, constantly rummaging through boxes and cabinets in her room.

He first took out his bank passbook and looked at it, and there was $3,136 in it, which was a miracle that there was so much left.

In addition to his usual pocket money, most of his savings come from the Lunar New Year, which is the New Year's money that people love to death......

"Damn, don't be wordy like a woman. ”

Ye Wei scolded himself and glanced around the room, although it was best to use other people's money to make a movie, but the situation was urgent, and it would be as much as he could to loot himself.

He walked to the row of bookcases and looked at the neatly arranged comic books inside, many of which were out of print, and if he sold them all, and those treasured toys or something, they should sell for 30,000 or 40,000 yuan......

The more he thought about this thought, the more Ye Wei felt breathless, and his heart ached even more, "Oh no, is it a heart attack......?"

Despite experiencing that dream, these things are still like the first experience, he, a loser who has no worries about food and clothing since he was a child, and only spends money with a large amount of money, is finally forced by life.

The thought of these treasures leaving me and maybe never seeing them again, God, I hate that feeling!

"Please, please, be mature, you can't do anything big in this way, it's difficult? It's hard to go to the battlefield and kill the enemy like grandpa! There are many challenges in the future." ”

Ye Wei's mood gradually calmed down, and then he became firm, in order to create a better future, sell, sell them all!

Back then, 22-year-old Kevin Smith sold all his treasured comic books, scraped together tens of thousands of dollars, and filmed "Crazy Clerk" at his own expense.

"Shoot first!" Ye Wei took a pen and paper from the desk and began to record and evaluate, including all the things that could be sold in the room......

After a long period of work, he came up with a valuation that was exactly what he had expected: around $40,000. With that deposit, if you're lucky, you can get 50,000.

But there is still a difference of 450,000, what should I do?

Ye Wei sat down on the edge of the bed and pondered, the current choice is nothing more than those few.

Apply to the Youth Film Fund? The Los Angeles Film Commission has a program like that. Forget it, dealing with these organizations takes a lot of time, a lot of preparation of documents, and then after a long period of approval, maybe a year or two, and then you get the results.

It takes two years to get a "Sorry, you're not eligible...... To hell with you, we don't like you, we don't want to give you a penny, bye-bye"?

In fact, the most suitable for the current situation is crowdfunding.

It is a lot to let one person invest 450,000 US dollars, but 100 people, 1,000 people invest a total of 450,000 yuan, and the difficulty and risk are greatly reduced.

In his dream, he studied two of the most typical examples of crowdfunding during his production course at USC.

The first is "Hand in Hand" in 2oo1, whose production fee of 55o is jointly invested by more than 9ooo Germans, with an average of more than $6ooo per person.

Because Germany has a related preferential tax policy for investing in films, it is better to invest in films than to pay an extra 600 yuan in taxes, so as soon as those Germans see an opportunity for film investment, they will surge, as if they are going to attack Poland.

The second is the Coen brothers' debut film "Blood Labyrinth" in 1984, whose production fee of 15o yuan was jointly owned by more than 6o small businessmen.

The reason why this case has become a classic of production financing is that the money is not raised in places like Los Angeles or New York, but in Minneapolis.

It was the Coen brothers' hometown, a cold little place, but it was just what made crowdfunding hot.

If you are on the streets of Los Angeles and you shout "I'm a filmmaker", maybe an old man not far away will say "I'm Spielberg" and another old lady will say "I'm Elizabeth Taylor"; in Minneapolis, people will look at you curiously and respectfully, wow, filmmaker! What? I have a chance to invest in films!

They are not even high-income professionals, they are small businessmen with a little spare money, like those who open a barn or a bowling alley, and it is difficult to find them in big cities.

So after "Blood Labyrinth", independent filmmakers no longer only focused on the monopoly, and a new trend of financing to find "rednecks with movie dreams" arose.

But these two kinds of crowdfunding take a lot of time, like the Coen brothers used a year and a half, and it can't solve the immediate need, and they don't even have a script, so what can they do to gain the trust of potential investors?

"It seems...... can only ......" Ye Wei's eyes rolled, and he naturally aimed at a group: relatives and friends.

In fact, relatives and friends are the easiest investors to attract in crowdfunding, and they are also the main source of film school students' production funding, and there is an old saying that "if you have relatives and friends, you will have money." ”

It's just that his relatives have just witnessed the fiasco of "The Wedding is Coming", and with his age and reputation...... They won't throw money.

Well, friends!

"Guys, it's up to you. "Ye Wei can be 99. 9% are sure that the script value of "Little Sunshine Beauty" is far more than 5o thousand, o. The 1% risk is worth taking!

At that moment, he picked up his phone, walked to the window, and called Lev.

"Hey Brother Wei, are you going out to play? All night! I know that ucLa has opened a new coffee shop, and there are a lot of beautiful college students working part-time there, hehe......"

"Not today. I remember during the day, did I tell you that I was going to do something big?" Ye Wei stood by the window, looking at the starry night sky, "There is a new progress." ”

"Wow, what's the big deal?"

"I want to make a movie, and now I like a good script, and it costs 5o yuan to buy it, but I can only take out 50,000 yuan, I need to invest, do you want to join the gang?"

"Slow, slow, slow! you mean ......" Lev over there gasped and suppressed his voice, "You mean, the kind of movie that is a movie?"

"Yes! Feature film, real movie!" Ye Wei laughed, "Brother, are you afraid?"

"Afraid?!" Lev screamed, "I admire you so much! Brother Wei, you are a genius! You are so right, how can we show our extraordinary talent when making such a short film of a few minutes!? Feature films, only feature films, are what we want to do! We will become big stars, baby!"

Ye Wei smiled: "Brother, this is a very strict thing, but you are right, if we succeed, we will definitely be cool boys in the United States and the world!"

"Oh my king, we're going to the White House, Bush is going to receive us, what am I going to say to him? Hello, George-...... BuLLshIT！”

Lev fell into a kind of uncontrollable rhapsody, "Also, we're going to be at the Oscars, Meryl Streep will definitely be there, she's nominated every year! I'm going to get her autograph, and the group photo, she played so well in Sophie's Choice......"

"You could call her mom then, but now, listen, it's a game of money, and I want to make sure you don't even add yes or no. ”

"I've been waiting for an opportunity for almost 16 years in my life......," Lev's tone deepened, "a chance to make me a heartthrob!!!

"Very good!" Ye Wei punched the edge of the window and asked, "Then how much can you invest?" Remember, the rules of the game are not to touch the family's money, you can only use your own private money!"

"I'll see...... Uh, uh, ten thousand...... Oh my God, I really want to invest 450,000, but I only have 10,000 in all my savings. Lev spoke helplessly.

"Ten thousand is okay, the players in this game are not just us, I'll call Bard first, and I'll tell you later." ”

Ye Wei ended the call, immediately called Bud, and said almost the same thing to him. Bard chewed something and replied vaguely and excitedly, "I'll join, I'll join!" Brother Wei, you must leave one for me, I can vote...... Fifteen thousand!"

"Wow!" Ye Wei was really surprised, how many hamburgers, burritos, and pizzas should be...... Bard hasn't eaten it all yet!

"Why don't I ask my dad to get some more ......?"

"Don't, don't reach out to your parents, this is the rule of the game!" Ye Wei said resolutely, a group of teenagers jointly making movies, which is completely different from adults investing in movies seriously, the latter means endless trouble, and what adults need to do is: they sign the names of guardians on various contracts.

"Oh, brother, you have the final say. ”

After Bard, Ye Wei called Chen Nuo again, Chen Nuo was not particularly excited, but he did not hesitate: "I joined, but my mother is very strict with my money...... 8, OK ooo?"

Then came Corwin, who spoke softly, like a cold-blooded animal: "Well, count me in, I'll invest 20,000." More than 10,000 yuan is the money to buy a car at the age of 16 next year, so I will invest it in you, but if you have a car next year, you can let me get in the car by the way. ”

"No problem, unless there's a hot girl in the car. Ye Wei said with a smile, thought for a while, and said, "Then the five of us can add up to about 100,000." ”

"Another 4o thousand. ”

"Adding the scope of public fundraising, I, the 'bridesmaid', have a large group of bridesmaids. ”

Ye Wei had already made a plan, his eyes flashed brightly, brothers and friends, teammates, "Covering them for so long, it's time for them to pay tribute to VIy......"

The next day, November 11, Veterans Day, a statutory holiday, was supposed to be no longer in school, but some students went back to school to study, or play.

At the same time, an undercurrent quietly swells up on campus......

Early in the morning, Lev, Bard, and Chen Nuo made a lot of phone calls and text messages to inform the guys to come over, and they went around talking to the boys in the school......

Most of the people nodded, their faces full of excitement. If anyone hesitates, they will immediately be looked at with contempt by their peers, just like Li Ming in the ninth grade, who just said, "It seems to be a bit big this time, should we ...... again?"

"What do you know!?Are you VIy?!" A few people around immediately scolded, "You idiot, do you want to stay like this for the rest of your life? Or be a cool kid!", "Movies, make movies!, isn't it more meaningful than buying some junk soap stocks? Why, do you like soap very much? or do you like to pick up soap?"

"Don't say it, I was wrong, take me to VIy, I'll join!"

When Li Ming, led by a few people, came to the corridor outside the utility room on the first floor of the academic center, he was stunned, it was so lively that it seemed that a pie was open, the sound of rock and roll music came from the room, and familiar and unfamiliar faces lined up in a line, waiting to enter.

Today, there will be people at the Dream League Club almost 24 hours a day.

After a while, it was Li Ming's turn, he walked into the room a little awkwardly, only to see several people sitting or standing on the other side of the sand, and the smiling person sitting in the middle was VIy.

The TV was playing a movie collection, accompanied by a bright and dynamic singing voice, and the glance he glanced at was a clip of "Good Boys Are Crazy".

"Welcome, welcome. Ye Wei smiled enthusiastically and pointed to the position next to him, "Please take a seat, Bud, quickly bring Li Ming something to eat." ”

Bud then took a pack of Oreos and solemnly handed it to Li Ming, which made him a little flattered, "Thank you, Boss." ”

"So, how much do you know about our plan?" Ye Wei asked with a smile.

Li Ming scratched his head while sitting down: "It's not a lot, I know that Boss wants to make a feature movie, wash away the shame of the past few days, and now you are raising money." ”

Ye Wei shook his finger, "It can be said that it is not strictly speaking, because the current crowdfunding is to buy scripts, and it has nothing to do with filming for the time being." ”

"Oh......" Li Ming understood something, and nodded confusedly: "I believe in you, Boss, I want to join, I want to invest a thousand dollars." ”

"It's just a thousand!?" Over there, the big-nosed Lev glared at him and roared, "Li Ming, you want three hundred Nike shoes, right? What about this Versace top! You coquettish ghost! Why don't you put on nail polish and paint one finger with one color? Do you know the meaning of making a movie?!

"Two thousand......! I'll vote for two thousand. Li Ming was a little ashamed and a little frightened.

"Give him a thousand. Ye Wei nodded to Chen Nuo, who was doing paperwork on the other side, and said with a smile: "I never force others." If you want to vote for a thousand, you can get a thousand, but you can help me tell my trusty friend about it, but remember, we have three rules. ”

Lev cleared his throat and took over the words and declared: "First, you can't reach out to your parents to ask for money, you can only use your own private money. Second, be mentally prepared to lose money and don't cry like a little bitch in the future. Third, we are chasing dreams, when you invest money, hold your head up, and tell others generously, now I am a film investor!"

"Li Ming, go ahead. Ye Wei waved his hand.

Li Ming's blood boiled when he heard this, and the shame became heavier, and he was almost about to cry, and said hurriedly: "Boss, I was wrong before, let me vote two thousand!

"Ok, I accept this friendship, add a thousand to him, give him a small gift, Ming, it's time for you to grow up. ”

Li Ming walked out of the utility room with his chest held high, as if he had just received a holy baptism, with the residue of Oreo at the corner of his mouth and a Playboy magazine hidden in his jacket.

His name is not Li Ming anymore, his name is Li - Cool Kid - Ming, a film investor chasing dreams!

I saw that the corridor was getting more and more lively, and a steady stream of students were coming, and behind him was a Hispanic child, who heard VIy's laughter coming out: "Hey, Babu!my-Boy, I haven't seen you in a long time, please sit ......"

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