Chapter 415: Say it's this year, it's this year
Time stepped into February, starting from February 1st, the preliminary preparations for "Soul Surfing" were officially launched, and Ye Wei's big plan for three projects a year also began to be implemented.
Work six days a week, from Monday to Saturday, with all day off on Sunday.
It's not just Ye Wei, the whole crew has to be like this, this is a plan that exceeds the working hours, but everyone who joins is ready.
Ye Wei thinks it's nothing, he goes to school six days a week for three years in junior high school, he is familiar with this rhythm, and the definition of "hard work" and "not enough fun" is different from the definition of Chinese and white, black, and Latinos, etc., in his opinion, he is only diligent, far from the level of desperateness, and still has a lot of time to play.
But for these lazy Americans, who have been shouting like slaughtering pigs, can they still go to the beach to bask in the sun? Can they still go to the ball game?
No. You can go to the beach in the evening to soak up the moonlight, or go to a ball game.
"Soul Surfer" uses a lot of exploitation film production methods, illegal, non-union, and stealing time...... Ye Wei also has two bigger weapons, power and money.
He is very authoritarian, he knows it in his heart, but in the administrative aspect, the dictatorship of the elite can have faster and better results, and the creative side also needs decision-makers.
He is very willing to pay money and make profits, and there is still a lot of money waiting to invest in him.
From late December to now, the investment and distribution of the three projects have been completed as scheduled, and now his independent production is just a phone call, a meeting, and a contract.
The budget for "Soul Surfer" is 10 million, Lionsgate is 5 million, Dream League is 3 million, and Pretong is 2 million. Lionsgate, the first producer and distributor, is the scheduled workhorse for Lionsgate's next awards season, which is scheduled to be released on October 13 this year, and pre-publicity has already begun.
As the producer, director, screenwriter, and only superstar of the project, he only gets a salary of $1, and enjoys an exclusive 20% share of the gross profit of the North American box office, the cash break-even point is $1, and other shares.
He didn't go to the end and asked for a 30% gross profit share to make things much smoother.
Pulling Lionsgate in, in addition to sharing risks and toppling dominoes, is also for the purpose of issuing a place. And without a large stake, Lionsgate wouldn't be focusing on issuing it.
45/55 (distribution/production) account, at least 10 million publicity expenses, 2,000 North American theaters of the largest screening scale.
Even if he shoots a huge mess, Lionsgate will fulfill the issuance of SS according to the contract and hand it over to the market for evaluation. In fact, this is not a grievance Lionsgate, SS is the first of the three projects to be released, and the genuine "Ye Wei's new film after LMS" has collected the box office of fans and fans, and it can't lose much.
The reason why the Dream Chaser Alliance was used to pay instead of Weiduo or Cliff was because of his relationship with everyone, and the shareholders agreed to the investment.
It is also because he has the idea of making the company bigger and stronger in the future, and one person can't do it, and the other 161 partners of CDLF don't know how many graduates from Ivy League universities, USC, NYU and other prestigious schools will be in the future.
But...... There has been a change in the company's shareholding.
A few days ago, Lily sold all her shares to Gia, and I heard that she had also quit the club at school, and she was no longer a member of the Dream Chasing Alliance.
The script of "Soul Surfer" has been finalized, and the lines and some small aspects will continue to be refined.
Ye Wei finally decided that there is no need for villains, and there is no need for a real competition in the competition part, the whole story further focuses on family warmth, there is no separate mentor, family and friends help each other, and each other is a mentor.
There are multiple endings, such as Bethany winning the championship, finishing fifth, or ending with her embracing a new life in the sea arena. Both end the film with Bethany's live-action situation.
As for which ending to use, we'll see when we edit it later.
The preliminary preparations are beginning, splitting the script, formulating the shooting plan, buying insurance, finding the shooting venue, artifying the props, and assembling the cast......
On the question of how to spend money, Ye Wei chose the path of accurate shooting, because the post-production is only 1 month, and in a limited time, too many materials will only be unable to be processed. The less time you have, the more precision you need, and all three projects need to be precise, efficient, and high-quality.
So he allocated more budget to the staffing and cast, not to invite stars, but to as many old actors as possible.
A month or even less than a month after signing the film contract to prepare for the role, this is a challenge for all actors, the old actors can be more calm, faster and better, and the salary is higher.
Also prepare a large amount of flexible bonuses to boost morale, and next month's filming period, maybe even he feels desperate.
※※
Gary Gozman has tasted a dream come true and he is one of the signatories of the Oscar nomination for Best Picture for Little Sunshine Beauty!
Since the age of 12, he has been in the industry for more than 40 years, from a small actor to a producer, to being nominated for an Oscar, I feel that I have lived several lifetimes.
Now the big project "Charlie Wilson's War" initiated by him and Tom is no longer just an idea, financing is not difficult, and the budget is even higher than previously planned, but Universal is very interested, filming will start this year, it will be released next year, Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts teamed up for the second time!
It turns out that all of them who invested in Ye Wei have made a lot of money, and they really deserve to do their best for his youngest Best Director nomination, and they will continue to make profits.
Gozman knew that there were people inside and outside the industry who were dissatisfied and scolded them for creating a "monster", he could swear to God, when he first discussed whether Pretong would invest in Ye Wei, he shook his head, he had doubts about Ye Wei more than once in the past two years, no one thought that it would evolve into the present, it was Ye Wei himself who fought and created a little bit.
This kid is so smart, don't look at him very wild, almost no one will be really difficult to do, and there will always be a plan for people to follow his wishes.
Let's say "Lovely Bones", it has a budget of 25 million, which will be funded by DreamWorks with 10 million, and Amperin Entertainment, Dream Chasing Alliance, and Pretong will each contribute 5 million.
The issuer is Paramount, the top of DreamWorks, and whether to share or negotiate spot transactions is still being discussed.
Gozman appreciates Ye Wei's attitude to make independent films, but he does not block the opportunity to cooperate with big studios. The film industry is like this, Ye Wei doesn't like big studios, and Tom doesn't like big studios, but it's not an antagonistic relationship, and it won't be severed.
In fact, no one quarreled with VIY, but the industry rules and business machinery did not allow him to give him the right to cut big projects.
Determined to make an independent film, Weige made the smartest choice, both to pay off his personal debts, to develop relationships, and as he wished, he had the supreme power over the project.
Because this is an independent project, DreamWorks is funded rather than produced, and the role is like a bank, and the production rights are all in the Dream Chaser Alliance. They invest, they monitor, but how to produce the film and how to do it is the only thing, he is ready to hand over the film to Paramount for distribution, no one can move, he has the right to cut it.
Gozman, one of TLB's executive producers, knew that the script was already in development and was scheduled to start pre-production in May.
Given that Weige has always been too young, he has been a lot more crazy lately...... He reminded Weige not to mess around, and not to stop being professional just because he has a lot of power. If he goes too far, they, the investors, can withdraw their funds, and when they are about to start filming and suddenly have no money, it will be a mess.
"Then I'll fill the gap at my own expense. Weige replied to him at the time.
VIY isn't a poor boy anymore, but he makes TLB with zero pay, but he has a 20% gross profit dividend at the North American box office, a $1 cash break-even point, and a number of other dividends.
"Lovely Bones" is scheduled for November 10 in the fall, and Paramount couldn't wait to announce the news at the beginning of the month, taking advantage of Ye Wei's Oscar nomination.
As far as film distribution is concerned, handing over the film to the Big Six is the most worry-free, thanks to their respective parent companies media groups, they have the most mature and powerful distribution resources, and they can do more with less money, as long as they really invest money, no matter whether the film is bad or good, they will try their best to make money back.
TLB's distribution plan has not yet been determined, and the intention has been preliminarily set for "no less than 10 million publicity expenses and 2,000 North American theaters to be released", which is the treatment that Ye Weihe can get for the adaptation of his best-selling book.
Gozman wants to talk about at least 15 million in publicity expenses.
※※
Weinstein Pictures intends to obtain the release of "Winter's Bones"! In addition to the model of setting a date for December 15, first screening and then expanding the scale, the rest has to be discussed in detail.
What a joy.
Harvey Weinstein and Bob Weinstein couldn't watch "Half a Nielsen", but when they read the unpublished manuscript of W'sB given by VIY, their first words were "Hey!", "I was bought by this bastard first!"
The brothers love the awards season, but after leaving the hand-created Miramax last year, the new company Weinstein Pictures is not doing much, "Jedi Dragon" has lost a lot of money, and this year's awards season's main "Mrs. Henderson Tribute" has only two Oscar nominations, Best Actress and Best Costume Design.
There are a lot of commercial films in the company this year, and when it comes to literary films that can make a difference during the awards season, "Deconstructing Life" and "Ms. Potter"?
But they are in desperate need of a good film to make a name for themselves in the new company, and to assert their status in the awards season.
This cooperation with Ye Wei is a perfect combination!
The Weinstein brothers also wanted to invest in production, but Ye Wei refused, he revealed that the project budget was 3 million, and he would be a sole proprietorship of Cliff Film Company, "You can just distribute it." The two asked him if he wanted to take his time, starting from Sundance next year, the film festival throughout the year, the fall screening, and the awards season, and he replied, "It's this year." ”
It's not impossible, "Shakespeare's Love History" was released on December 11, and there was enough time for them to operate.
But there is a problem that according to Ye Wei's plan, W'sB will not be completed until the end of November, which is very nervous about holding screenings and distributing trial DVDs.
Last year, Spielberg's "Munich Tragedy" was filmed in October, and the post-production was not done in December, and it was released on December 23 in a hurry, so that it could be regarded as catching the last train, with 2 Golden Globe nominations, no Best Picture, 5 Oscar nominations, and Best Picture.
In fact, when the Golden Globe judges nominated it, they only saw a rough cut, but it was Spielberg, and he made such a serious Jewish theme, and the Best Director nomination would not be wrong.
W'sB is likely to also encounter the Golden Ball cold, too rushed, but not absolutely. As long as Ye Wei can hand over the film before December, if his previous two films are successful, the release and public relations of this film will not be afraid.
Of course, the premise is that W'sB will be a good movie with enough qualifications, otherwise everything will be in vain.
If there is a chance to make a difference at the end of this year, the Weinstein brothers will not let it go.
But think about it, if VIY's three new films have LMS quality, the two brothers will feel their scalps tingle. If the story of SS and TLB is filmed, it will also be the darling of the awards season, and the announced publishers Lionsgate and Paramount are all ruthless characters......
At the end of the year, in the next awards season, the prodigy Ye is likely to be even more divine than now, even more divine than Steven Soderbergh, who had "Drug Network" and "Uncompromising" six years ago.
None of the three publishers will snub him,
It's all up to him to make the three films.
"Soul Surfer" October 13
"Lovely Bones" November 10
"Winter's Bones" December 15