Feng Nan's first reaction was the same as Tao Cen's agent Chen Jiao: this matter must not be leaked out, so as to connect Jiang Se with Cesare and let her fame in the country continue to rise. She should be suppressed.
In terms of dining etiquette, Cesare maintained impeccable habits. He was not very skilled in using Chinese chopsticks, and occasionally needed to use a knife and fork:
"In the eyes of many people, Matthe's novel did not sell well, and to this day, it has not been reprinted many times."
He forked a piece of meat and said, "I want to bring it to the screen so that more people can see it, but now the plan has been shelved again and again."
"It's not because she's not good enough, it's just because you like her so much that you're more cautious." Jiang Se answered Cesare's question, making him laugh:
“That’s just one of the reasons.”
There was a gleam of joy in his eyes. He put down his knife and fork and raised one hand:
"But I like the way you put it. It makes me feel comfortable."
"In fact, the real reason, besides the fact that she deserves my careful consideration, the most important reason is the investment."
Cesare sighed, and the smile on his face faded a lot.
Jiang Se frowned. Cesare was still young, in his thirties and less than forty years old, but he was already a young director who had gained great recognition in the film industry. He was very well-known internationally, and as long as he put forward an idea, there should be many people willing to invest.
She had memorized Cesare's information and was aware of some of his achievements. Many well-known Hollywood stars would be happy to work with him.
But at this time, Cesare said that the reason why he did not shoot his favorite "Prisoners" was because of investment reasons.
Jiang Se reacted quickly and realized that it should not be just an ordinary investment, but Cesare had certain requirements for these investments.
As for this request, Jiang Se guessed that since Cesare valued and liked the novel "Prisoners", he should hope to obtain greater authority as a basis for filming.
Jiang Se has not yet been exposed to the foreign film industry, but he has some understanding of it. The role of the director on the set is to give the story artistic depth.
However, with the intervention of investors and producers, if the director is not strong enough, it is very likely that the final direction of the story will deviate from the director's imagination and be based on the preferences of the market audience.
Today, the Hollywood film industry has matured. A large number of investors can invest in many films at the same time. The loss of one film can be recovered from other films. Under this circumstance, commercial blockbusters are frequently produced, but there are not many films with real depth.
Since Cesare likes "Prisoners", he naturally does not want it to become a commercial film. However, when the original novel does not have a large number of fans, how can the producers invest in him if he wants to follow the original novel and make an authentic "Prisoners"
This is probably the real reason why "Prisoners" has not been filmed yet.
As Cesare said, it's not because the movie is not good enough, nor because he is not famous enough, and it's not just because he likes it very much, but because his ideas are likely to conflict with the market.
It is a very difficult task to make a movie that the audience likes and that he is satisfied with.
“It’s not an easy thing.”
Jiang Se wiped the corner of his mouth with a napkin. Cesare was young and wealthy, but it was obviously unrealistic for him to invest in a movie on his own.
Especially for a work like "Prisoners" with a magical color, the hiring of actors, the post-production team and special effects production all cost money. Jiang Se thought about it and made a suggestion:
"But if you have high hopes for this film, you can invest first, shoot a segment, and then apply for a bank loan."
Cesare laughed again. He took the wine glass beside him, raised it to Jiang Se, and made a toast gesture:
"Your suggestion is very good, and I have considered it."
As soon as he mentioned this, Jiang Se had already guessed what he hadn't finished saying. This obviously made Cesare in a good mood. He took a sip of the wine in the glass:
"But I finally convinced Bojier and the Roundabout Company."
He shook the glass, and the transparent liquid rippled in the crystal glass. The air was filled with a faint aroma of wine:
"The people from Bojier Company wanted to invest in an adventure series three years ago, and they found me." He leaned back in his chair, his lips curled slightly: "I agreed to direct this series of films, and they invested in my "Prisoners"."
This was an exchange. He made the Island Company invest in his "Prisoners" in exchange for making a commercial film. There must have been some negotiations, but Cesare did not describe it in detail here.
Having said that, Cesare paused, put down the cup, looked at Jiang Se, and finally stated his biggest purpose for this trip to China:
"Jiang, I remember you were a student in the history department?"
"Yes."
When Jiang Se heard him mention the name of the "Bojier, Huandao" company, she already had an idea in her mind. She remembered Xia Chaoqun's reminder and guessed Cesare's intention in asking this question.
At this moment, Jiang Se's heartbeat quickened slightly and her blood boiled. She guessed that the opportunity Xia Chaoqun mentioned was about to come.
But she remained calm and didn't behave inappropriately.
"I've read the script for this adventure movie series, and one of the characters is very suitable for your image. Are you interested in learning more about it?"
Cesare laughed and held out his hand to Jiang Se.
He seemed very confident that Jiang Se would not refuse, and Jiang Se had no reason to refuse. She did not even ask what role Cesare had prepared for her, but she had already extended her hand:
"Of course!"
The two shook hands.
After confirming Jiang Se's attitude, Cesare immediately stopped talking about other irrelevant topics:
"'Lost City' is mainly about adventure, and one of the characters happens to be a woman who graduated from the history department. I've seen your performance in 'Beijing Events', and it has very Chinese characteristics."
He rested his elbows on the table, clenched one hand into a fist, and described the female role needed in "The Lost City" in just a few words.
Based on what he meant, Jiang Se roughly guessed what kind of feeling he wanted. Since the character came from the history department, he should have a wealth of historical knowledge. At the same time, because it was an adventure movie, there could be a lot of action scenes.
Judging from the title, Jiang Se even guessed that this movie character should have some knowledge of archaeology. At the same time, Cesare mentioned "Beijing Events" and explained that the Doukou played by Jiang Se in the play is very Chinese in character, which proves that the role he needs, in addition to having certain knowledge of history and archaeology, also has the unique style of an oriental woman, and her dress is mainly based on traditional Chinese characteristics.
A rough image immediately emerged in her mind. (To be continued)