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Transformation? Oh no, no, Stallone doesn't need to transform, and he doesn't need to prove himself anymore. I just want to try something new!

Stallone wagged his finger at the host and then continued:

The script of Black Hole Frequency attracted me. Family and family ties are what we should care about most, and our director, a very talented young man, combines science fiction, action, and father-son love very well.

Hearing what Stallone said, the host also handed the topic to Wu Yuchen at the right time:

Wu, judging from your resume, you won Berlin's Best Director at the age of 20 and directed 3 works, one of which earned tens of millions in box office. This is undoubtedly proof of your talent. This is your first This is your first time in Hollywood. Do you think Hollywood is any different?

Faced with this problem, Wu Yuchen said seriously:

There is no doubt that Hollywood is the center of the world's film industry. It is full of opportunities and fantastic things happen every day. You can become famous overnight, but the competition here is also the most fierce in the world. But I am not convinced about Black Hole Frequency is very confident that we have the most interesting story, the most touching emotions, and, the best actor, Stallone!

Not to mention that he had been reminded of this kind of question in advance, and Wu Yuchen knew how to answer it even if he had not been reminded. Naturally, he had to turn on the boasting mode to satisfy the vanity of the old and American audiences. It’s not just the Chinese who like to listen to foreigners’ praise. In fact, people from any country and region like foreigners to brag about their local area. This is also one of the best ways to integrate into the local area.

After hearing this, Stallone showed a bright smile and gave Wu Yuchen a look that said, You're a kid.

In fact, it's not a boast. Wu Yuchen felt a little bored when he participated in the recording of this program, because 90% of the whole process was centered around Stallone, and occasionally he would share questions and shots with other people, but he had to Maintain a serious attitude throughout the entire process.

In fact, the promotion of Black Hole Frequency has already begun. Hollywood has a complete set of complete publicity and distribution systems. When Stallone joined the team to film Black Hole Frequency, relevant news had been released one after another, and the two A trailer was released a few months ago to attract viewers.

Now two weeks before its release, large-scale publicity has been officially launched, with a combination of posters, newspapers, TV programs, radio stations, etc. following. Of course, no need to think too much about the core figure of this promotion, it is Stallone!

Then, for the upcoming Thanksgiving Day, we will focus on promoting the father-son relationship, science fiction, action and other elements of the film.

Although the entire filming cost of Black Hole Frequency was only 30 million, in terms of publicity and distribution, Sony Columbia directly approved 20 million, which is equivalent to publicity expenses accounting for 40% of the total investment. This is not surprising in Hollywood. The more mature the commercial market, the more emphasis it places on publicity. Of course, it can also be seen from this that the company is confident in the quality of Black Hole Frequency, otherwise it would not be this treatment.

After the recording of the program was completed, Wu Yuchen joked:

I think it actually doesn't matter if I wait until the movie is released, as long as you are here with Stallone~

It's not impossible.

Stallone smiled and then said:

If you insist, Sony won't do anything to you. However, in Hollywood, you have to learn to package yourself, even if you are the director behind the scenes.

Wu Yuchen nodded, he also understood this truth. Just look at the performance of Hugh Jackman and Gretchen who were on the show together. Even though the focus was on Stallone throughout the show, they were very happy to be able to appear on the show.

However, Wu Yuchen is more aware that all these means of exposure, packaging, etc. must be based on one foundation, which is box office success, otherwise it will be all nonsense. If it can be a hit at the box office, everyone will come running to you without leaving home.

On the way back, Wu Yuchen was in a car with producer Jeff and asked: Jeff, don't you think about it anymore?

Jeff said: Wu, independent production is full of risks and is not as glamorous as it seems from the outside world. And shouldn't our focus now be on Black Hole Frequency?

Then he patiently advised: I know you may feel that filming Black Hole Frequency is very restrictive, but when the movie is successful, you will become different. You will have a greater say in the next film, and maybe you will be on the crew. It's true. Why are you in such a hurry?

This time when Wu Yuchen came to the United States, he personally drove to the airport to pick him up, and also took him to his home and treated him warmly. During the dinner, Wu Yuchen extended an invitation to him, that is, he wanted to prepare a second film, and funds were not an issue, and asked him if he would be willing to be the producer.

This sudden invitation caught Jeff a little off guard, and then he declined Wu Yuchen after thinking about it.

Since the 1980s, Hollywood has ushered in the golden age of independent production. A group of independent filmmakers represented by Harvey Weinstein have emerged and made a lot of profits. Many people have also begun to try independent production. road.

But in fact, the risks involved are very high, and Jeff naturally understands the truth after having been in Hollywood for many years. In fact, production and filming are not a problem. In a complete industrial chain like Hollywood, there are many trade unions and agency services are in place, and a crew can be assembled at any time. The key to the main problem lies in publicity and distribution. In this regard, small companies cannot compete with Bada.

Therefore, rather than working hard outside to make an independent film, Jeff prefers to work within the Bada. With the help of the Bada, the probability of a film's success is much higher than that of a small company.

Wu Yuchen smiled and shook his head slightly: Okay, Jeff, just pretend that I haven't asked this question.

The filming process of Black Hole Frequency really made him deeply feel that when cooperating with the Eight Major Groups in Hollywood, a director is subject to too many constraints. Even if this film is successful, he will have more say in the next film, but he is still completely under control. For example, you can't touch the final editing rights at all.

Therefore, when filming his second movie, he wanted to try the path of independent production. The first thing he had to do was to find a reliable producer to cooperate with, otherwise it would be impossible for him to prepare the crew alone.

Wu Yuchen asked this question because he had a good time working with Jeff during the previous cooperation and felt that his abilities were pretty good. But now it seems that Jeff is still more willing to be comfortable under the eight-party system than to produce independently. Forget it, there are many independent producers in Hollywood.

As for why he is so anxious to start preparations now, it is because he currently has a plan in mind. If it succeeds, even if the second film is an independent production and does not have as complete a publicity tool as the Eight, it will definitely not lack exposure. .

When Wu Yuchen returned to the hotel, he was already waiting for his agent Carl Murphy to come to his room.

Wu, regarding your personal film and television company, the lawyer said that it will be done soon.

Wu Yuchen nodded when he heard this. This kind of leather film and television companies are established and canceled every day in Hollywood.

After Carl Murphy finished speaking, he took out more than a dozen detailed information: This is the information on the suitable independent producers I selected.

Wu Yuchen smiled and said: Then please introduce them to me one by one.

This is also a benefit of a Hollywood agency. The service the agent provides you is absolutely perfect. As long as you need it, the agent will try its best to satisfy you. Of course, the premise is that you can bring him enough benefits.

Listening to Karl's introduction, he asked in detail about each person's characteristics and the works they had produced, and the information of one of the producers caught Wu Yuchen's attention.

This James Jacks, you mean he worked with John Wu?

John Wu is Wu Baige. Nowadays, Wu Baige is no longer a small figure in Hollywood. With the success of Face, he has also become very popular.

Yes, James was the producer of John Wu's first film in Hollywood, Target.

Wu Yuchen heard this and continued to ask: How is his reputation?

James is a well-known producer in Hollywood with rich experience and precise vision for films. And in his early years, he supported many newcomers and provided them with a lot of help, such as the fledgling Coen brothers and Richard Link. Ray, Sam Raimi.”

Wu Yuchen narrowed his eyes when he heard this. He has worked with Chinese directors and likes to train new people. He has rich experience, so he is a very good candidate.

You help me contact this James Jacks. I want to meet with him as soon as possible.

No problem, Wu, is there anything else?

Wu Yuchen shook his head, but then suddenly remembered: By the way, ask Xio to come over.

Okay. Carl Murphy smiled, turned around and left.

After a while, Wu Yuchen saw Hugh Jackman coming over, smiled and called him over and asked: Hugh, do you have any plans for the next two months?

Hugh Jackman understood what he said. He also heard from his agent Carl that Wu Yuchen was planning to prepare a new project, and immediately said: Director Wu, I will always be at your call.

Wu Yuchen smiled, then took out a script and handed it to Hugh Jackman:

Xiu, this is a new script I'm planning to make. It's a movie with an absolute male protagonist. You should take a look first to see if you're interested. But there's one thing I need to make clear first. You're very high on the list here. , but it’s not the only option.”

Hugh Jackman was overjoyed: Director Wu, thank you very much for your appreciation. I will definitely prepare well!

Although Wu Yuchen said that he was not the only choice, he was far ahead of others. Now that Black Hole Frequency has not been released yet, he doesn't have any good opportunities. In any case, Wu Yuchen is willing to give him a chance, which makes him grateful.

Hugh Jackman looked at the title of the script, Sniper Phone Booth.

Wu Yuchen looked at Hugh Jackman's leaving back and showed a satisfied smile.

At the earliest time last year, he wrote three scripts and registered them in Hollywood. Among them, Black Hole Frequency has been filmed, and Sniper Phone Booth is the project he chose to produce independently.

First of all, this is a small success story. The cost of the previous life was 10 million, and the final box office was 98 million, almost ten times the box office.

For now, the cost of about 10 million is nothing to Wu Yuchen, it is completely affordable, and even if there is an accident, it will not break his bones.

Secondly, this movie was simple to shoot, with more than 80% of its scenes concentrated in a phone booth. The filming of this film in the previous life only took a total of 12 days!

This will reduce the workload a lot, both in film preparation and shooting. It is a very suitable choice for his first independent film in Hollywood.

Sniper Phone Booth is definitely a movie with a male protagonist. 90% of the shots focus on the male protagonist, so the choice of the male protagonist is very important to the film.

In fact, Hugh Jackman is very suitable in terms of age and image, and his acting skills are also good. Moreover, after the broadcast of Black Hole Frequency, Wu Yuchen also believes that he can become popular. But in Wu Yuchen's mind, he still only ranks second.

Because he has an excellent candidate for the leading role in his mind. If he disagrees, Wu Yuchen will use Hugh Jackman as a backup.

But Wu Yuchen is not planning to invite him now. After Black Hole Frequency is released, he will be able to impress others with his successful influence as a director. It’s just that the crew must prepare first and shoot in December. Otherwise, if the opportunity is missed, it will be difficult to hire this person.

The next day, Wu Yuchen and producer James Jacks sat across from each other in the hotel cafe.

After James put down the script, he said in surprise: Wu, your script is great!

Thank you for the compliment! Wu Yuchen said with a slight smile.

The previous script of Phone Booth was written by veteran Hollywood screenwriter Larry Cohen in 1999. It attracted many big names: Jim Carrey once wanted to play the leading actor; Michael Bay once planned to direct the film; Will Smith once wanted to I took the initiative to negotiate this project, but it didn't happen for one reason or another. From this we can see the charm of this script.

In fact, more than one Hollywood company has tried to find Wu Yuchen to buy the script, but he has never sold it and just wants to use it himself.

James asked: Wu, are you sure you want to produce independently? How much funding do you have? Is it stable?

Wu Yuchen said very confidently: You don't have to worry about the funds. It is temporarily set at 10 million US dollars, and it can be raised by several million. It is completely guaranteed that the funds will not be broken.

Of course he can guarantee it, after all, it is his own money. However, he has no intention of selling U.S. stocks. Now that Yahoo and a number of other Internet stocks have started to rise, selling stocks is not cost-effective. He will pledge part of the stocks he holds and borrow more than 10 million from the bank for filming. This way he will not miss out on the stock rise and still have money for filming. All he will pay is the interest on the loan.

James nodded when he heard this, and then said: Then I have no problem. As long as you give me the production salary, I am willing to put such an excellent script on the screen.

For an independent producer like him, as long as the project is suitable and you pay enough, he will be willing to work for it, whether it is a major company or a small company. Who is working for but not working for?

Then Wu Yuchen asked: James, can you tell me about the promotion and distribution of independent Hollywood films?

James took a sip of coffee and said:

“In North America, whether it’s promotion or distribution, as long as you are willing to spend money, you can do it.

The eight major distribution channels are open to the outside world. When doing distribution agency business, distribution agents will generally charge you a distribution commission of 10%-20% of the North American box office. The amount depends on the bargaining power of the film. If you have stars and big casts, Of course, you can get lower distribution fees, but small films have to pay higher. And junk movie distributors won't take it unless you pay cash.

Wu Yuchen nodded to express his understanding. In fact, this was also the case in later generations of China. For example, Enlight Media and Bona acted as distribution agents.

Then James continued:

Publicity is a difficult problem. Because those popular TV programs and media channels generally only establish cooperation channels with large companies like the Eighth National Congress. If you are willing to pay the Eighth National Congress and let them help you with publicity, of course there is no problem, but I can tell you clearly You, they will add all the miscellaneous money to your publicity fees. Of the 1 million publicity fees you pay, at most 500,000 will actually be spent on publicity, and the rest will be blatantly swallowed by them.

Unless our project itself has big stars and hot spots, it can attract the media's active attention, but this is difficult for independent producers. So generally independent producers first go to various film festivals to win awards and gain fame, and then go to theaters for release...

Listening to James' explanation, Wu Yuchen probably had some concerns in his mind, which was quite different from what he knew. The distribution commission of less than 20% will definitely have to be paid, and we will see how much the price can be negotiated later; as for the publicity issue, it still depends on whether we can hire the leading actor.

Wu Yuchen smiled and said to James: James, please trouble you. We can sign the contract tomorrow and start the project preparation work.

The filming may only take 12 days, but the crew may take a month to prepare. Anyway, the focus of the promotion of Black Hole Frequency is on Stallone, so he can just check in when he is needed as a director.

Time quickly came to the Friday before Thanksgiving, which is when Black Hole Frequency was released.