The production of "Spirited Away" is almost complete.

Fang Xing has already seen the first cut version, and the overall effect is still very satisfied.

The total duration of the first cut version is 150 minutes, which is a little longer in a movie released in theaters.

However, it is normal for the first cut to be a little longer.

Fang Xing hired another team that is good at animation film editing, and cut it again, asking to cut the film to about 120 minutes.

Today's theatrical movies, in order to have a tight rhythm, usually control the duration to 90 minutes.

However, the 120-minute movie is not too long.

For the movie "Spirited Away", it is a relatively appropriate duration, plus the opening and ending credits are about 125 minutes.

The duration of two hours will not make the audience feel too dragging and not too tight.

After the final cut comes out, it will be ready for release.

Fang Xing plans to release it during the 10.1 long holiday, so during the editing period, it is necessary to seek a release channel.

In the cinema film industry, there is a set of standard processes.

Usually, a movie needs three links from production to release.

Production, production, distribution.

Ark Culture is the producer of "Spirited Away", and Liang Whale Studio is the producer.

At present, Ark Culture has not yet obtained a "film distribution business license", and cannot distribute films yet, so it needs to cooperate with another company with a distribution license.

In fact, even if Ark Culture has a film distribution license, it still needs to find a film and television company to cooperate in distribution.

The water in the cinema chain industry is deep.

Ark Culture is still far from having the strength to be able to release films on its own.

Because the job of film distribution is not so simple.

The distributor should make a copy of the film and send it to theaters across the country to apply for a key and schedule.

In addition to this, it is necessary to do publicity and buy advertising.

The movie posters and standing signs in cinemas in major cities across the country all need to be arranged, and these are the work of the distributors.

Therefore, with the scale of the Ark culture, it is simply impossible to cover so many cities across the country.

In addition, during the release of the movie, people will be sent to cinemas across the country to do activities, do publicity, watch pomp, do scrutiny, and so on.

These jobs can only be done by specialized distribution companies, and ordinary production companies can't do it at all.

Therefore, if "Spirited Away" wants to be released in theaters, it has to find a distribution company to cooperate.

The stronger the distribution company, the more publicity resources the film can get, and the distribution company needs to fight for the local push and advertising space.

Of course, the stronger the distribution company, the more the film will definitely be asked for more money sharing.

There is no such thing as a free lunch, and if you want to get more distribution resources, you need to pay more money.

Ark Culture has two hit TV series, but it has not won results on the big screen.

Therefore, in the film industry, Ark culture is actually equivalent to starting from scratch.

Of course, "Wulin Gaiden" and "The Beginning" have been released successively, and Fang Xing already has some connections in film and television.

At least you won't be blinded by a black eye.

Moreover, many film and television companies have taken the initiative to ask Ark Culture if it has any new projects.

"Spirited Away" has actually been in production for more than two years, and it is not a new project, but it is about to be released and needs a distribution company to work with.

Therefore, when "Spirited Away" was in the final editing, Fang Xing arranged for the company's publicity and distribution department to contact film and television companies in the industry to find the possibility of cooperation.

Ark Culture has relied on two popular TV series, which has made many film and television companies remember this name.

Therefore, many film and television companies are willing to approach, but when they hear that it is a film project and an animated film, they are not so positive.

If Fang Xing is filming a TV series this time, there will be many film and television companies rushing to cooperate.

However, movies are completely different.

TV series and movies are two very different industries.

Directors, stars, and film and television companies who are thriving in the film industry want to enter the film industry, but it is very difficult, and many of them end up in failure.

In the TV circle, as long as you invite a top star to play the male lead, shoot it, no matter what the plot is, at least you won't lose, some fans are willing to pay.

After all, the cost of TV series is relatively low, and if you are not even in a hurry to catch up on the drama, you can watch the full episode for free.

However, when it comes to the film industry, it is different.

Every movie ticket is real money.

The top stars don't care how popular they are, how popular they are, and how crazy their fans are, as long as they are in theater movies, they are the eight kings who have receded the tide, and it is clear at a glance whether they are Guoyong or not.

Therefore, the film industry is much more difficult than the television industry.

Even many TV series are popular through half the sky, and they are popular every year, and the top stream of hot searches every day is not easy to make when it comes to the film industry.

Therefore, he has proved his strength in the TV circle, and if he wants to enter the big screen, he still has to start from scratch and get not much preferential treatment.

Of course, the name Ark Culture is not useless.

At the very least, it allows the distribution company to sit down and talk about the project seriously, instead of sweeping the proposal straight into the trash.

During this period, Fang Xing took the first cut version of "Spirited Away" and personally talked to several film and television distribution companies.

However, the talk is more general.

Because the distribution company has little confidence in animated films, and "Spirited Away" is not yet in a refined animation style.

Nowadays, animated films, with exquisite character modeling, are popular, with the aim of making the audience feel that the characters are beautiful at first glance.

Let's try it soon, everyone. 】

However, "Spirited Away" is not this exquisite style of painting, and in the current animated film environment, it is not so mainstream.

Although the plot looks good, the distribution company has no confidence in the film.

Although not confident, it is not completely uncooperative.

It's just that because of the general interest in the film, the opening conditions are generally low.

According to the guiding opinions of the film industry regulatory authorities, the combined ratio of the producer and the distributor cannot be less than 43% of the net box office in principle.

Therefore, movies released in theaters will first be divided by 57% by theaters and theaters, and the rest will be divided between producers and distributors.

Ark Culture is the producer, and Liang Whale Studio has already signed a share ratio when it invested in "Spirited Away".

Therefore, Liang Whale Studio is only responsible for making animation, and the rest of the things are taken care of by Ark Culture.

In the remaining 43% of the account, the specific share between the producer and the distributor depends on how the two sides negotiate.

In addition to this, there are also publicity costs.

Usually, the distribution fee is paid by the issuer, and the amount is written in the contract.

How much the distributor is willing to pay for publicity and distribution depends on how much they value the film.

So far, Fang Xing has talked with several distribution companies, and the conditions offered by these issuing companies are very ordinary, and the publicity and distribution fees are very small, but the required account sharing ratio is very high.

In the film industry, this is a common occurrence.

You must know that in the film industry, less than one-tenth of the movies made every year are eligible for theater release.

Of the ten films, only one has a chance to be released in theaters.

What about the remaining nine movies?

Don't these movies compete in theaters?

Competition, of course.

So, the reality is that ten movies are competing for a chance to be released in theaters.

In order to get this opportunity, many producers can only take the initiative to lower the conditions and give the distributor more shares.

The competition in the film industry is so cruel.

The situation of Ark Culture is still good, at least as soon as it comes up, we can talk about the specific distribution and details of the issuance.

In other words, "Spirited Away" has beaten 90% of movies before it has been released, and has a chance to be released in theaters.

All that needs to be talked about is the split ratio.

However, the proportion of account sharing and publicity resources given by these issuing companies are much the same.

After all, the distribution company has a mature set of criteria for judging movies, and there are conventions for what kind of movies and what kind of account sharing and publicity resources should be given.

Ark Culture, a company that has never proven its strength on the big screen, is difficult to get good resources just by relying on the fame of the TV circle.

……

On the contrary, if it is a big director in the film industry, the situation is completely different when it comes to the movies that are made.

For some films with optimistic box office prospects, such as the Spring Festival film of a certain director, the distributor will take the initiative to bear the distribution costs in order to grab the project and strive for the right to distribute the agency, and even promise a minimum box office guarantee.

Of course, this kind of situation where the distributor promises to guarantee the box office will only appear in directors and producers who have proven their box office appeal on the big screen.

A company like Ark Culture, which is involved in the big screen for the first time, is unlikely to be favored by the film and television industry.

……

While looking for distribution channels, Liang Whale Studio is also carrying out final modifications and production.

After what happened last time, the hearts of the people in Liang Whale Studio have been scattered.

Some people want money, and some people want better works.

Of course, when it comes to the project of "Spirited Away", the team at the studio is still very attentive.

Because the final results of this project will determine how much money they can get, and how much investment they can get from film and television companies in the future.

……

The news about the Ark Culture's animated film "Spirited Away" looking for distribution cooperation soon spread in the film and television industry.

There are also some film and television companies and distribution companies that take the initiative to come to the door.

It's just that the distribution companies that will take the initiative to come to the door are not very strong in themselves.

The ability of the distribution company is very important when the film is released.

Because, after the movie is released, how many films can be scheduled, and in what time period, a strong distribution company has the ability to influence the theater's film scheduling.

Suppose that the proportion of film scheduling is 50% for both films.

The schedule of one of them is mainly concentrated in the morning and noon.

The other part is scheduled, mainly focused on the evening.

Don't think about it, if the quality of the movie is not much different, the box office of the second part will definitely crush the first part.

After all, most audiences concentrate on watching movies after six or seven o'clock in the evening, and the morning show may be chartered with a movie ticket.

Therefore, the strength of the issuing company is also very important.

……

Among the many cooperative companies, Penguin Video is the most cooperative.

After all, the first two TV series were broadcast exclusively on Penguin Video.

This level of relationship will make it easier for both parties to cooperate and negotiate.

However, Penguin Video is not responsible for the distribution of the film.

Penguin Pictures is responsible for the distribution of the film, which is not strictly the same company as Penguin Video, but they both belong to the same business group.

Regarding the fact that "Spirited Away" is seeking a theatrical release channel, Li Xueying, vice president of Penguin Video, has also heard about it for a long time.

However, because Penguin Video was not responsible for the work of film distribution, Li Xueying did not contact Ark Culture for the first time.

Of course, if "Spirited Away" fails to be released in theaters in the end, it is possible to settle for the next best thing and release it online.

Therefore, as the vice president of Penguin Video, Li Xueying will naturally pay a little attention to this project.

This afternoon.

Li Xueying took the lead in inviting Fang Xing, Qiao Yinghong and other high-level cultural executives of Ark to introduce the high-level understanding of Penguin Pictures.

It's time to get to the appointed time.

Fang Xing, Qiao Yinghong and other core layers of Ark culture came to the golf club booked by Li Xueying.

After the meeting, Li Xueying took the initiative to introduce herself: "Mr. Fang, Mr. Qiao, come on, let's introduce first, this is Zhang Changfeng, President of Penguin Pictures, and Xu Guangyi, General Manager of the Investment Department of Penguin Group." ”

Fang Xing stepped forward to shake hands with the two groups of Penguin Group executives and got to know each other.

Originally, Fang Xing thought that he was coming over this time to meet the senior management of Penguin Pictures, but he didn't expect that there was another general manager of the investment department.

Xu Guangyi's head is the general manager of the investment department, but his rank is actually the same level as Zhang Changfeng, the president of Penguin Pictures.

In fact.

It's not the first time Ark Culture has been exposed to Penguin Pictures.

As early as a week ago, the "Spirited Away" project team of Ark Culture had been in contact with the distribution team of Penguin Pictures and had also talked about the project "Spirited Away".

However, the situation is similar to that of other distribution companies, and there is nothing special about it.

Of course, the previous contact with the "Spirited Away" project team was only the project manager of the distribution department of Penguin Pictures.

The project has not yet reached Penguin Pictures' top management.

This time, the president of Penguin Pictures mainly sent out invitations, which should have new ideas for this project.

Of course, Fang Xing was not in such a hurry on the project of "Spirited Away".

If there is a good cooperation plan, we will cooperate, and if not, then put it first.

Zhang Changfeng, president of Penguin Pictures, did not talk about the project at the beginning, but talked about playing ball first: "Does Mr. Fang usually play golf?" ”

Fang Xing turned his head to look at the green grass in front of him and replied, "You didn't fight well." ”

"I didn't play well either, mainly because I moved my muscles." Zhang Changfeng smiled easily.

After playing golf for a while, I slowly talked about the project.

"I heard that Fang always wants to release an animated movie?" Zhang Changfeng took the initiative to talk.

"Yes, your company's distribution manager has already seen the film." Fang Xing replied casually.

"In the film and television industry, there are many distribution companies that want to cooperate with Mr. Fang, why haven't the distributors been determined yet?" Zhang Changfeng leaned on the club and turned his mind to ask.

"The reason is very simple, the conditions have not been negotiated." Fang Xing didn't hide it.

"Oh? What are Mr. Fang's expectations for this film? Total box office. Zhang Changfeng asked.

Fang Xing smiled and replied, "This is not easy to answer, the number is too big, Mr. Zhang thinks I am joking." It's too small, I'm worried that Mr. Zhang will take it seriously. ”

"Haha......"

Zhang Changfeng smiled heartily and replied, "It's okay, you talk about it, according to what you expect in your heart, I have heard all the numbers." ”

Fang Xing also put down the club, looked at him for a while, and replied, "Let's start with a billion." ”

When Zhang Changfeng heard this number, his face did not show surprise.

People who dare to break into the big screen have no dreams in their hearts, which is not normal.

He thought about it for a while and said, "If your expectations are so high, it will be really difficult for domestic distribution companies to meet your requirements." ”

Of course, Fang Xing understood this.

Because the higher the expected box office, the higher the publicity cost that needs to be smashed.

However, if the publicity and distribution costs are smashed, once the box office of the film hits the streets, it is possible that the publicity and distribution costs will not be recovered.

Especially for such an animated film, no distribution company is willing to take such a high risk and spend so much publicity and distribution costs.