In terms of influence, there is no doubt that the biggest name here is Spielberg... He is also the biggest director on the planet!
But the problem is that after analysis, the film experts in the company raised a concern.
It seems that Spielberg is not suitable for directing this kind of purely commercial hero action drama. Moreover, there is no such similar theme in his previous works... Although there is an "Indiana Jones", it was more than 20 years ago!
Luc Besson also has a lot of action movies, but this old man is too naughty, and sometimes he plays too much! And he has a lot of good works, but he also produced a lot of bad films! This is our first movie, and we were a little worried about asking him to do it.
Mel Gibson... This guy who once directed epic and action masterpieces like "Braveheart", his works in the past two years have become more and more artistic and deeper... This is not what we want need.
As for other directors, in terms of temperament, the most suitable one is Michael Bay. And his famous work "Brave to Kill the Island" is also a typical Hollywood commercial hero action blockbuster. However, from the point of view of directing skills, he doesn't seem to be able to reach the master level.
In normal times, it would have been great news to invite him to direct... But now, in the list of master-level candidates, he doesn't look outstanding.
And finally, a new name has appeared on our list!
James Cameron! ! !
First of all, he is also an Oscar-level film director! Although his status in Hollywood is not as good as Spielberg's, it's not much worse! Especially the "Titanic" that year was popular all over the world!
Secondly, he is also a director who is very good at commercial action films! ! And the action movies he produced are all classics!
The first two installments of The Terminator! Plus "True Lies"! ! And the second episode in the "First Blood" series! (This is also recognized as the best episode in this series), these are classic commercial action movies!
Moreover, it can even be said that he single-handedly achieved Schwarzenegger's status as an action superstar! ! ("Terminator" two parts and "True Lies").
No matter in terms of fame, prestige, qualifications, director skills, and suitability, there is no doubt that James Cameron is the best candidate!
And the only problem with this director is...extremely paranoid and stubborn...plus, burning money! !
If the problem of stubbornness can be seen as a display of the personality of a genius director...then, the problem of burning money is enough to drive any film company crazy!
Among his several classic works, the second part of "Terminator" originally planned to invest 60 million yuan, but when the filming was finished, he spent a total of 120 million yuan! The film company that invested in shooting went bankrupt! And the filming of "True Lies" also doubled the budget! In the end, although the box office was a big hit, James Cameron's own film studio was acquired by someone!
As for the most famous "Titanic"... a full investment of more than 200 million! Although it is not a big deal to invest 200 million U.S. dollars in movies now. But you know, that was more than ten years ago! ! It was the most expensive movie in movie history at the time! Moreover, the investors at that time were Fox and Paramount among the seven major Hollywood film giants! In the end, it was dragged to the ground and complained. Originally planned to finish the film with more than 100 million yuan, the additional funds were added in the end!
So, when faced with this director candidate, Yang Wei and I both had a concern...
That is, money! !
According to the calculations of the experts in the company, if you want to shoot a well-produced commercial action blockbuster based on the current script... the approximate budget should be around 140 million.
But if it is handed over to this Hollywood money-burning director... I am afraid that this number will not be enough!
When the Titanic was filmed, even the two giants in Hollywood were dragged intolerable. What's more, I have this small company in my hand now
We are not giants! Moreover, I don't have that much money to burn it for him!
At present, all my assets, added up, have already exceeded 100 million. But the problem is, I don't have that much cash! All you need to make a movie is cash! According to my current property, I can only take out about 80 million at most.
As for Yang Wei, she said that she could get about 40 million loans from the bank. As for the remaining Yang Wei, she said that she can spend 20 million yuan...
This adds up to exactly 140 million. If it is not enough, we can also add a short-term loan to the bank, which is about 20 million yuan.
"If it weren't for the fact that this movie is almost guaranteed to make no loss, I wouldn't go crazy and spend all my assets to make a movie." I sighed: "If I lose money, I will only go bankrupt, but I still Trust your judgment."
Yang Wei is also rubbing her temples. Although this woman is extremely smart, film is an industry she is completely unfamiliar with after all. Although she can plan the pre-production work, once the filming starts, it will be the job of the director.
What's more, James Cameron is the famous "super-budget king"!
"If we ask him to shoot, I'm afraid we have to prepare 200 million yuan." I smiled wryly: "If it really doesn't work, we can only find another investor? Anyway, everyone is optimistic about this movie, and there should be a lot of it." People are willing to invest.”
"No." Yang Wei shook his head: "Opportunities to make money are hard to come by. This kind of opportunity cannot be easily given up. I can talk to the bank about the money issue. And... we can also try to find out The insurance company, or the insurance company may allow us some commercial lending funds."
"Oh?" My eyes lit up.
"Yes, I think it's possible." Yang Wei said very seriously: "First of all, the insurance company is willing to invest. We borrow money from them, anyway, we give them interest. Moreover, our movie is stable. They should be able to understand whether they earn money or not. They won’t worry about our ability to pay back... The second point is even more important! That is, the insurance company is also grateful to you! Think about it, if it wasn’t for you to resolve this crisis ... Hmph, with so many celebrities dying all at once, just losing money is enough to bankrupt the insurance company!"
I thought about it, and thought what Yang Wei said made sense, so I might as well give it a try.
"Also, we only need to make a good budget for the filming of the film, and the money does not have to be all in place at once. When it is used, it is enough to take it out one by one. It will take about half a year. After half a year, you will have money again, whether it is the business of the company, the dividends of the casino, or the income from your smuggling business. After half a year, you will have a lot of money again !" Yang Wei thought for a while, then looked at me: "So, we might as well make a vote!"
…
It was a great meeting with James Cameron.
This recognized paranoid, the "tyrant" in the mouth of film practitioners, is actually very kind outside of work. Moreover, to be honest, he is also in a rather embarrassing period now.
Because of his "notoriety" of burning money, shooting movies often far exceeds the budget. Although nearly every one of his subsequent films was a success. But after all, investors can't bear the feeling of burning a lot of money!
Besides, after you burned the money in the past, the movie sold well, and you earned it back. But can you guarantee that every time you burn out the money, the movie will still sell well
There are always times when you miss, right? If the movie loses money, investors can only jump off the building!
Therefore, even though he is a great director, few investors dare to approach him for filming!
A great director, of course, can't always have no works. James Cameron naturally hopes to produce one or two more powerful works as soon as possible. At this time, our meeting almost felt like a hit-and-miss!
"I've read the script." James Cameron held his coffee and thought for a while, "I'm basically satisfied, but there are some places I want to modify... and I need to have autonomy in this regard."
I glanced at Yang Wei and accepted it.
In fact, this guy is not only a great director, but also a very good screenwriter. Many of his works and scripts are written by himself or participated in the creation.
"Also, the selection of actors." James Cameron thought for a while: "I hope to have my own selection power."
On this point, Yang Wei and I have no objection... Our current problem is not that we have no choice, but that we have been dazzled!
"But Bruce and Jessica must stay." I made my request: "Bruce has signed with us. And Jessica, she is currently the highest voted by fans."
"Okay." James smiled, and the bearded director smiled slyly: "I admire Bruce very much. As for Jessica, she is very beautiful, and we don't need to fight against the fans."
I breathed a sigh of relief.
Then, I immediately asked the most troublesome question in my heart: "About the male lead, I think you should have a feeling in your heart after reading the script. And we have already shown you the list of candidates .This question is killing me so much that I can't sleep now. Those agents are like the devil urging us to answer."
What I said is true! Now more and more actors have expressed their request to appear in this movie! Most people come here to repay favors. And there are many more, and they are also smart enough to see that this movie is bound to be a big hit!
Just this morning, Nicolas Cage's agent also called... saying that the big-name star wants to be in the movie, too.
"Actually... I have an idea in my heart." The bearded director looked up at me, and then he suddenly said: "Chen, why don't you think about it... you act in this movie yourself? I think it will definitely sensational."