On the same afternoon, Zhang Guoshi did not leave Daenerys Studios in Malibu with Peter Jackson until after three o'clock.
The two were spotted in Los Angeles for the Oscars in the evening.
Although "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring", the first installment of The Lord of the Rings directed by Peter Jackson, did not win anything at the previous Golden Globe Awards, it did receive several minor Oscar nominations such as Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Visual Effects. Australia took the time to come.
This time we got together with Zhang Guoshi, it was Zhang Guoshi's invitation.
For the special effects of the war in the "Chu-Han" trilogy.
Only the first part of the Lord of the Rings series has been released, and there are not many big scenes in it. However, Zhang Guoshi had already seen the material of the big war scenes in the final chapter long in advance, and gained a lot of insights from it.
When he came to Los Angeles, he happened to have the opportunity. Zhang Guoshi was still thinking about this matter. He spent most of the two days on the weekend in the special effects studio of Daenerys Studios in Malibu. At the same time, through the relationship here, he made an appointment with Jackson to chat. chat.
Peter Jackson has also seen "Heroes", not to mention that some shots of the Lord of the Rings trilogy were also outsourced to Jinshu Special Effects in China. The two sides have some intersection and happily went to the appointment.
The two had a pleasant chat. While Zhang Guoshi once again learned a lot, he also heard a little thing from Jackson that he kept in mind.
Because "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" has grossed more than $800 million at the global box office, and based on market feedback such as the popularity of the Elf Prince in the first film, Jackson received additional funds after discussions with Daenerys. We are planning to carry out some reshoots, such as further improving the large-scale war scenes in the third part and the role of the elf prince, and adding some additional scenes to meet the needs of the market.
Can it still be like this
In short, the door to a new world.
As the "Chu and Han" trilogy progressed, Zhang Guoshi gradually realized that the investment of 500 million yuan seemed to be somewhat insufficient. However, although it is not too much when converted into U.S. dollars in the West, just over 60 million, in China, such a huge investment cannot really require more for a while.
Peter Jackson occasionally revealed that if Zhang Guoshi could react, as long as the first film could be done well and was good enough, he could also take the initiative to ask for additional funds for the subsequent two sequels so that corresponding reshoots could be carried out to achieve perfection.
Let’s talk about the special effects, mainly the war scenes.
Domestically, the planned largest war scene is expected to involve 20,000 people. However, compared to the real Chu-Han struggle, with millions of troops competing in the Central Plains, this is still not enough, so special effects are needed to make up for it.
Regarding special effects, the foundation in China is too weak after all. After all, Hollywood has accumulated more than ten years of special effects only for Daenerys, and China's Jinshu special effects, even if the United States has given enough Technical support, but the lack of talent cannot be made up for in a short time.
Therefore, if you want to achieve some lens effects, you still need to cooperate with the special effects teams in Los Angeles or Melbourne.
This means more expensive expenses.
In any case, Zhang Guoshi is convinced that the first part is the key.
Returning to the hotel, Zhang Guoshi put aside these thoughts for the time being, took care of himself, and set off with the "Everest" crew at just before five o'clock. They took the extended courtesy car prepared here and rushed to the Sacred Civic Auditorium in the city center. .
Not too early.
This year's Oscars ceremony did not start at 6 p.m. on the West Coast in previous years. It was moved up to 5:30. The "Everest" group arrived at their destination, and the red carpet ceremony was already halfway through.
Since the original "Red Sorghum", Zhang Guoshi has become familiar with various award ceremonies. He has walked on the red carpet with everyone, and under the guidance of the assistants dispatched here, he has stopped to take photos or accept interviews. He has also frequently greeted some acquaintances. After so many years of dealing with the Western film industry, I still have a lot of acquaintances.
On the other hand, Mr. Wang of Vanke, who came with Zhang Guoshi, felt like he had entered a grand garden.
Mr. Wang still feels a little unbelievable. At the headquarters of the Human World, everyone had a casual chat and finalized a documentary project about climbing Mount Everest. It was released last year and took over 240 million U.S. dollars at the global box office. It is simply incredible.
240 million US dollars, equivalent to 2 billion yuan!
In comparison, as the leader in the domestic industry, Vanke's revenue in 1999 was only 2.8 billion yuan and net profit was 230 million yuan.
The revenue may be higher than that of an "Everest" movie, but the profit, knowing the commercial operation rules of Hollywood movies in advance, is that in the theatrical release stage, the net profit of this project is more than 80 million US dollars, which is equivalent to nearly 700 million yuan.
It's just a money grab.
Therefore, Mr. Wang came here this time not only as the leading actor of "Everest", but also with the intention of inspecting it.
Although Vanke is a first-tier real estate giant in China, its diversified operations have been relatively successful in recent years. In this case, there is nothing wrong with adding film and television entertainment. After all, both Zhang Guoshi's previous "Hero" and Mr. Wang's own "Everest" were extremely profitable.
Of course, Mr. Wang is not hot-headed. After some research, he also understands that this field is not something he can play casually. The success of "Hero" and "Mount Everest", and even the current scenery of the Jinshu series in China, are obviously related to Dan. Behemoths like Nelys Entertainment and even the Westeros system are behind the scenes.
If Vanke doesn't find the right way and makes money by watching movies like "Everest" and rushes in with money, it won't even end at a loss.
No matter what, standing on the warm Oscar red carpet and feeling the hustle and bustle of the world's top film event, Mr. Wang still felt that his trip was worthwhile.
After walking down the long red carpet and socializing with Master Zhang, everyone quickly entered the Sacred Civic Auditorium.
At 5:30 pm, the award ceremony started on time.
It's a coincidence that the crew of "Everest" and the crew of "Lord of the Rings" were arranged together. After all, for this awards ceremony, both can only be considered marginal. Fortunately, the location is not bad. It is near the left row and cannot be compared. The big names in the front row and center are still much better than the soy sauce guests in the back who can't even be seen by the camera. It just makes it convenient for Zhang Guoshi to continue chatting with Jackson occasionally.
This year's host is still Billy Crystal.
The opening ceremony was as usual, with a series of nominated films this year being reviewed, with the focus being on "Chicago", which received 14 nominations. "Everest" was also mentioned. The camera was still panning over at that time. Zhang Guoshi responded calmly, which made Mr. Wang feel nervous and sit upright.
This is not the first time for Zhang Guoshi to attend the Oscars, so he has gradually come to understand that compared to the seriousness and even rigidity of the awards ceremonies at major European film festivals, the atmosphere at the Oscars is quite relaxed. Even if you are really embarrassed, it is actually nothing and everyone will laugh. matter.
Moreover, until now, Zhang Guoshi still feels a little weird.
The main thing is that this time, he is not only attending an awards ceremony as a rare producer, but also a documentary.
No matter how you look at it, it seems a bit unserious.
Having said that, since the success of "Hero", there have been voices in the industry from time to time in the past two years that he has begun to decline, becoming more and more commercial and less down-to-earth, blah blah blah. Zhang Guoshi had some mental baggage at first, but now he is gradually getting used to it.
What happened to commercialization
Some people want to go commercial and spend 100 million to make a film. Isn’t that what it is
If you want to go commercial, you have to have that ability, right
What's more, I have cooperated with Hollywood several times in a row, and the money given to me is really sufficient.
Not to mention other things, just this time with "Everest", although Zhang Guoshi was busy, he still felt that he didn't actually do much, so he only received a symbolic producer salary of 100,000 US dollars. Later, the film After a huge sale, Jinshu said from the beginning that there would be follow-up dividends, and Zhang Guoshi did not expect much. Unexpectedly, some time ago, additional dividends arrived, totaling 3 million U.S. dollars, equivalent to 25 million yuan.
Even though it was known that all parties involved in the cooperation would make a lot of money from this project, with profits expected to reach hundreds of millions of dollars, it was still very surprising that he got 3 million dollars from him.
You must know that the original agreement did not have any profit sharing clauses. Being in this circle, Zhang Guoshi himself knows that only a few people can make money in this type of documentary. Even Daenerys, who is very good at documentary production and distribution, cannot Maybe it's too exceptional.
It is natural for others to take the greatest risks and exert the greatest efforts and take most of the profits. Even if the project sells well, in theory, it is reasonable not to give out a penny in dividends. Even if they give extra red envelopes, Zhang Guoshi feels that a few million yuan is generous enough. He did not expect that it would be 3 million US dollars, which is enough. 25 million yuan.
To be honest, because the Jinshu Department has increased its efforts in cultivating new talents in recent years, such as the group that emerged last year, Zhang Guoshi also felt a sense of crisis. He even considered whether he would leave in the future if Jinshu was too partial. After all, after the success of "Hero", countless people extended an olive branch to him, whether it was Hollywood or domestic film companies of all sizes.
This time the "Everest" dividend incident made Zhang Guoshi completely determined. As long as others don't dislike it, he will stick to this company in the future.
Inside the Holy Civic Auditorium.
Seeing that less than an hour into the awards ceremony, this year's popular "Chicago" has already won three statuettes. On the crew of "Everest", Zhang Guoshi is becoming more and more certain of a certain result. Then it was inevitable to regret again. If the last "Hero" had not been the previous year's "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", it would have easily won the Best Foreign Language Film Award that time.
such a pity.
Later, when the song "Life is Like a Summer Flower" sounded on the auditorium stage, both Zhang Guoshi and Mr. Wang, feeling the familiar language and melody, could not help but let go of some worries about gains and losses, leaving only an inexplicable pride.
This is the first Chinese song to appear on the Oscar stage.
Moreover, everyone also knows that many audiences in Western countries really like this song, so much so that during the release of "Everest", "Life is Like a Summer Flower" topped the music charts in some Western countries, and the song also appeared several times. versions in other languages.
After the Jinshu singer from China sang the song, applause broke out.
Immediately came the awards for the best documentary.
First there was the short film. Frankly speaking, no one paid much attention to it. Then, the feature film award, which many people had simply ignored in the past, made the entire hall cheer up this time.
No way, "Everest" sold really well.
Success or failure depends on the hero.
When Demi Moore, who became famous again with her role as the heroine of "The Matrix" last summer, opened the envelope with her husband Bruce Willis and read out the name of "Everest", of course, everyone expected it, and applause immediately broke out.
Unlike the film awards, which are subdivided into Best Director and Best Picture, the Best Documentary Feature award has two direct statuettes, one for the producer and one for the director. For this project, it’s the best of both worlds. The producer's statuette belongs to Zhang Guoshi, and the director's statuette belongs to the director sent by Daenerys.
The two stood up on the "Everest" side, hugged and greeted the other cast members one by one, and then took the stage.
Then it was time to receive the award, speak, and go backstage for the time being. Frankly speaking, Zhang Guoshi was in a daze during the whole process. Of course, it was not because of excitement. After all, it was not the first time he had won an award. It was just, more or less, still a little, um, or it could be said to be shame.
His first Oscar statuette was actually for a documentary, and he was also the producer. Even though this honor is full of gold, after all, the results of "Everest" are there, but it still feels like something is wrong at the beginning.
Fortunately, it is something to be happy about after all.
After entering the backstage, customizing a nameplate for the statuette, and accepting another interview, Zhang Guoshi returned to the hall again. Mr. Wang and others here had been looking forward to it for a long time. Even though the award ceremony was still going on, they couldn't help but take turns taking the statuette from Zhang Guoshi's hand. , rub it for a while, and call it happy.
Things that I am concerned about have settled down, and the Oscars have entered the second half, which is basically the stage of "Chicago".
Similarly, "Chicago", which has grossed more than 240 million U.S. dollars at the local box office alone, was well-deserved this time, with 14 nominations. By the end, it had won a total of 14 awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actress. There are nine statuettes waiting there, three more than before.
The most noteworthy one is the Best Actress, which surprised everyone because the statuette went to Madonna.
The McQueen with countless bad movies!
Well, actually, the Queen doesn't have that many bad movies, such as the new version of "Pulp Fiction" that Simon filmed herself as a guest star, such as "Mrs. Peron" for which she won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress, etc., Queen McQueen He has participated in many good films, and his performance in them is also remarkable.
It's just that because her public image is so open, and many of her characters are just like her, both those in the film and television circles and outside fans subconsciously feel that film awards have nothing to do with Madonna. As a result, this time, it turned out to be the Best Actress, and it was also the Best Actress Oscar. This really exceeded everyone's expectations.
However, the facts are here.
Even looking back, it seems that Queen McQueen's performance in "Chicago" was absolutely outstanding. She also won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role with Catherine Zeta-Jones before, but, well , it’s just a bit unbelievable.
What's more, Queen McQueen also squeezed out Catherine Zeta-Jones, who also performed well this time.
After the Golden Globe Awards, it was rare for the two to receive two Best Actress nominations for one movie at the same time. When the nominations were announced, they triggered a lot of discussion in the media, and fans from both sides started to fight. However, , it seems that Queen McQueen is slightly better, because in addition to movie fans, Queen McQueen also has a large group of fans.
All right…
In any case, the awards ceremony is not over yet, and the real-time Internet media platform is already abuzz with excitement. With the 72nd Oscars ending perfectly with high viewing figures of 47 million average viewers, it is conceivable that in the following days, the media will What a lively discussion this is going to be.
Madonna actually won the Oscar for Best Actress!
What does that sentence say? It's not news that dogs bite people. Just like "Chicago" naturally became the Oscar winner this time. But, people bite dogs... well... Anyway, at least, compared with the one that won with "Shakespeare in Love" As for Gwyneth Paltrow, who is almost recognized as the best water queen, Madonna this time, at least half and half, not one-sided, the gold content is still enough.
It’s just a pity that Catherine Zeta-Jones is also a super beauty. .
In any case, with this media buzz, it is not difficult to predict that the global box office of "Chicago" will usher in another small climax. Frankly speaking, this is actually one of the reasons why Madonna won the award.