You made me a superstar

Chapter 492 Frustrated?

The sky in Los Angeles is a little bit cold.

After Zhou Yang came to SKY company, he couldn't help wrapping up his coat.

With the explosion of films such as "Saw", "Struggle", "Men in Black" and "Jaws" in Europe and the United States, SKY, as a distribution company, is no longer unknown in Hollywood.

In addition, after Christian followed black congressmen to give speeches all over the old America, calling for peace, racial equality and environmental protection, SKY company's status among the Hollywood side production companies has risen even more, and every day around a group of A large group of reporters, stop and ask this and that.

"Mr. Zhou, these reporters are like this every day, especially after the concert is over, these reporters think you are crazy, and they gave up the palace-level music works instead of composing, but you want to shoot "Spiderman" so that Chinese people can't enjoy it." Understand superhero movies, in the past few days, I have received no less than dozens of interviews about you in the crew..."

In Zhou Yang's SKY company.

Zheng Jun pushed the door and came in. After pushing the door and coming in, Zheng Jun complained silently for the first time.

These days, Zheng Jun wears a pair of black-rimmed glasses, grows a small beard, and wears dreadlocks. He has a sense of literature and art of an old American hippie in the last century.

As the screenwriter of the first edition of "The Bottom of the Mine", Zheng Jun has been directing "The History of American Gangsters" written by himself and revised by Zhou Yang.

"Okay, how is 'American Gangster' doing?"

"I finished filming the sample, but I don't know how to edit it in the later stage. I just want to talk to you about it."

In addition to the change in appearance, Zheng Jun seems to have changed a lot in his overall temperament. He no longer has the humbleness and discouragement that Zhou Yang saw when he first saw him. On the contrary, his eyes are very bright. Standing in front of Zhou Yang Standing up straight with Zhou Yang, his words were like old friends who have known each other for many years. While talking, he subconsciously pulled a chair and sat down.

"Don't know how to edit?"

"Yes, I feel that every episode I filmed is an indispensable part of the entire "History of the American Gangster". With the sample film, I watched it for a long time and didn't know how to cut it. I couldn't start..."

"How long is the sample?"

"Seven hours."

"How many?"

"Seven hours..."

"a movie?"

"Uh, yes."

When Zheng Jun handed Zhou Yang a USB flash drive, Zhou Yang subconsciously turned on the USB flash drive and input it into the computer. After opening the sample material of "A History of the American Gangster" and watching the 420-minute sample, he was beyond amazed.

The movie "American Gangster History" was written by Zheng Jun himself, and Zhou Yang modified the movie "Once Upon a Time in America" ​​which is about four hours long.

Before the filming of "American Gangster History", Zhou Yang thought that the finished film would take about four hours, but he never dreamed that after more than two months, Zheng Jun actually took a seven-hour sample and handed it to him. Longer than the original Once Upon a Time in America!
Zhou Yang's astonishment returned to astonishment, and he didn't say much, but immediately opened "History of American Gangsters" and began to read it.

He still trusts Zheng Jun's talent. After seeing the script and draft of "Mine Bottom" for the first time two years ago, Zhou Yang was subconsciously impressed by his amazing imagination. It is similar to the first "Journey to the Center of the Earth", but the plot and frame structure in it seem to be more complete and reasonable than "Journey to the Center of the Earth", and there are more races...

"Mr. Zhou, this "History of the American Gangster" may not be a profitable movie, but it is definitely a good movie..."

When Zhou Yang was seriously clicking on the sample of "A History of American Gangsters", Zheng Jun couldn't help reminding him.

Zhou Yang didn't say anything, but continued to watch seriously.

The seven-hour movie allowed Zhou Yang to watch it from the early morning of October [-] to around three o'clock in the afternoon. After watching it, Zhou Yang silently turned off the sample and rubbed his eyes.

No matter how good a movie is, watching it for seven hours in a row will make anyone feel tired.

Maybe it’s because of the relatively shallow understanding of Lao Mei’s history, Zhou Yang doesn’t have much sense of substitution for the plot, but I have to say that Zheng Jun’s portrayal of the characters is quite detailed, down to the bone, especially the protagonist peeking at the heroine dancing Zhou Yang felt astonished as never before, and the final ending was also regrettable, with a feeling of gloom that was stuck in his throat and could not be vomited out for a long time.

After waiting for a long time, Zhou Yang finally sighed: "Director Zheng, I don't know what to say about this movie... From a commercial point of view, it may be difficult to achieve the expected box office, but from the point of view of film art Come and see..."

Zhou Yang suddenly couldn't speak for a while.

"History of the American Gangster" is so meticulously filmed that every small object in every scene tells the audience the changes of each era. With the deep-seated transformation of the protagonist, it is clear that Zhou Yang understands that Zheng Jun hopes to convey to all movie fans an interpretation of the world of Laomei in every era through this movie...

Zhou Yang thought about editing, but every detail seemed to have Zheng Jun's intentions. After a while, Zhou Yang didn't know how to edit, so he could only shake his head in the end.

"What's the matter?" Zheng Jun asked subconsciously after seeing Zhou Yang's silence.

"No...it's good, the release of the movie is a problem..." Zhou Yang finally nodded after a while.

From a commercial point of view, this movie is probably going to be a tragedy. It is too long. Although the full text has troughs and climaxes, there are also expectations, but if it is shown in a seven-hour movie, Zhou Yang can basically be sure. It is impossible for a theater to show such a long movie. The seven-hour screening hall can completely accommodate three movies. Three movies, isn't this more fragrant than a seven-hour literary film?Even if the theaters are willing to show it, movie fans are unlikely to be willing to walk into the theaters to watch such a long movie...

Except for a small number of filmmakers in the true sense, ordinary film fans are relatively indifferent to words such as "art" and "deep film art".

"Mr. Zhou, I just need one chance..." After seeing Zhou Yang's expression, Zheng Jun suddenly became a little anxious: "Mr. Zhou, I don't need to make any money from this movie. I don't want a penny. I promise the next movie." It can help you earn money and watch it. I still keep the script of "Mine Bottom" I wrote before. The copyright is in our company. I believe this movie will definitely make a lot of money...I need a chance to prove myself...to make a commercial film It's really not difficult for me to make money from a movie, Mr. Zhou, please believe me, this movie will definitely cause an unprecedented sensation in Laomei..."

in the office.

Zheng Jun stood up, leaned in front of Zhou Yang and kept saying what was in his heart, his whole face was blushing with anxiety.

"Well, don't worry, I'll call Christian first, and you should take care of the post-production and soundtrack of this movie first. If it is really going to be released, the seven-hour movie may have to be split into three parts. You'd better shoot some plot knots, and add something to each movie that can whet the appetite of the audience... But, it seems to be difficult."

"I'll try, give me three days!"

"Ok?"

After listening to Zhou Yang's words, Zheng Jun turned and left the office without saying a word.

Looking at the empty office, Zhou Yang picked up his cell phone and called Christian.

When he first received the call, Christian was very happy. He was filming a documentary called "The Road to the President" with Congressman Olson in California.

However, when he learned that Zheng Jun had made a seven-hour literary film with the crew of "Lamb", he was completely shocked.

"God, what are you talking about, seven hours? FUCK, how do I find a theatrical release? God, how about it? Divide it into three parts. I will look for familiar theaters, but the filming time is always at midnight or noon. Ineffective scheduling, it is difficult for such a movie to get a prime time..."

After he waited for a long time, he could only say these words with a wry smile.

Zhou Yang naturally nodded, knowing how difficult these things are.

After all, Laomei is not Huaxia, Zhou Yang does not have his own related theaters, and it is unrealistic to bring the movie "American Gang History" to China. On the one hand, Huaxia's theaters are very full in the second half of the year, and they are all working hard Killing all kinds of relationships, on the other hand, this movie is also unacceptable when it is brought to Huaxia, so I guess it will be more ruthless...

"Mr. Zhou Yang, God, please don't make superhero movies anymore. If you want to make superhero movies, you have to make some better superheroes. "Lizardman" is too aggressive, and this movie still has a good foundation in Laomei. Waterloo encountered under the circumstances... "Spider-Man", although I haven't read the script of the movie, I can probably think that this is definitely another movie of biochemical mutation, and this movie has no comic background, Mr. Zhou Yang , Superhero movies are really not as simple as you imagine..." After talking about "American Gangster History", Zhou Yang chatted with Christian about "Spider-Man" for a while. I became excited, and persuaded Zhou Yang immediately like everyone else.

After Zhou Yang listened to Christian's persuasion, he didn't have any other reaction. Instead, he chatted with Christian casually, and then hung up the phone.

As soon as the phone was hung up, Zhou Yang's cell phone rang again.

The call was from Roddy.

Roddy used to be Christian's assistant, and he helped film "Saw" and "The Departed" together. Zhou Yang and Roddy have a good relationship, but because of Christian's unreliability, he finally had to film with Zheng Jun "A History of American Gangsters", and now the crew of "Spider-Man", Zhou Yang intends to invite Luo Di to be the assistant director to film "Spider-Man" together, thinking that "Spider-Man" will give Rody some box office revenue, after all, he has worked hard and conscientiously. I have done so many things to help myself.

but……

When Zhou Yang received the call, he heard Luo Di wryly smile.

"Sorry, Mr. Zhou Yang, "Spider-Man", I'd better forget it, Mr. Zhou Yang, I have read the script, the script has some bright spots but not many, of course, this is insignificant, after all, the script needs to be read by the person who shoots it And special effects, superhero movies, that’s what we eat, Mr. Zhou Yang, we are friends, I’ll tell you the truth, I’m not very optimistic about the "Spider-Man" project, especially the special effects of the Chinese pioneers you mentioned... I talked with Zheng and Mr. Zheng for a few days. Although Ms. Sarina from [Digital Domain] will participate in the directing work, sorry, I am really not optimistic about this project, and the most important thing is that I accepted the offer from Midland Pictures. "Cleopatra", a big-budget movie with an investment of nearly 5000 million US dollars, is a big-budget movie directed by my teacher. I have to help him... Sorry, Mr. Zhou Yang... ..."

On the phone, Roddy explained a series of reasons very frankly.

Zhou Yang was silent for a while after listening, and then sighed: "That...it's a pity, Mr. Luo Di, can you help me contact the corresponding actor?"

"Mr. Zhou Yang, in fact, last month you asked me to help you get in touch. I have always been in touch, but since "Lizardman" hit the street, when I heard that a Chinese person was going to make a superhero movie, and it was "Spider "Heroes", those actors are hiding away, there are a few actors who are willing to participate, but they offer an unacceptable price..."

"what price?"

"$3000 million paycheck!"

"What? How much?"

"$3000 million paycheck..."

"..."

When Zhou Yang heard this sentence, he was stunned.

The salary of 3000 million US dollars is equivalent to [-] million yuan in RMB!
The investment in the entire "Spider-Man" is at most higher than this...

Naturally, Zhou Yang would not offer such an astonishing salary.

"Mr. Zhou Yang... Our "Chain Saw" has indeed achieved great success in Europe and the United States, but that is already in the past... You may be good in China, but in the United States, sorry, Mr. Zhou Yang, your influence Li, I really can’t compare with other directors. Some Hollywood stars, um, in your Chinese idiom, they just watch dishes off the plate. You can go to social platforms, Twitter or YouTube to see, "Spider-Man" It hasn’t been filmed yet, and a large number of people have already said that this is a big bad movie, and many people say that you are crazy...Mr. Zhou Yang, let’s take our time, or make "The Departed Walker 2", I might as well get some time to take a picture..."

"I see... What about some second-tier stars?"

"Mr. Zhou Yang, let me put it more bluntly. Although many Hollywood artists are second-tier in the European and American markets, many of them have a natural sense of superiority...Although they are not like other first-line artists, they are always on the move." A quotation of 3000 million US dollars, but the remuneration is also reported to be around 1000 million... The price/performance ratio is really not high, Mr. Zhou Yang, I will send you a quotation by email later, this quotation is basically their feedback real data……"

After Zhou Yang finished talking with Luo Di on the phone, a helpless smile appeared on his face.

"Lizard Man" hit the market, which may be a good thing for Huaxia Films, at least let Huaxia directors know that there will be "industrial bad movies" in Hollywood movies.

But the influence of this movie after hitting the street was too great, and it directly affected the filming of "Spider-Man".

At first, Zhou Yang wanted to invite some well-known actors in Hollywood to shoot, but when Zhou Yang opened the quotation list and saw that these second- and third-tier stars had quoted more than 1000 million US dollars for "Spider-Man", Zhou Yang was completely overwhelmed. It's all numb.

Afterwards, Zhou Yang began to think about how he should make the movie "Spider-Man" in the future.

About three hours later, when the sun was setting, the phone rang again.

The call was from Christian.

Christian's phone call didn't bring any good news, but bad news.

"Mr. Zhou Yang, I originally thought that "A History of the American Gangster" could at least be played at midnight or noon, but... now it seems that none of the theaters are willing to play this movie... Although Mr. Zheng Jun followed The film "The Departed" together is somewhat famous, but after all, the United States is a capitalist society, and everyone only sees benefits. After reading the introduction of "American Gangster History", they feel that this film has no commercial value..."

Zhou Yang closed his eyes.

He was a high-spirited man in Huaxia, but he was frustrated one after another on the first day when he came to Laomeicai.

Even after going through the storm, Zhou Yang, who was used to it, still felt a little gloom in his heart.

After Zhou Yang chatted with Christian, he subconsciously posted on Laomei's Twitter and Youtube, but he didn't expect that the tenth most popular title was himself.

【Music creator Zhou Yang is crazy! 】

Zhou Yang clicked on Twitter, and after looking at it for a while, he found that all the tweets below were mocking him in English.

When he looked carefully, Zhou Yang saw many Chinese netizens, and even used idioms such as "overthinking one's ability", "sitting on the sky", and "blindly arrogant".

Zhou Yang turned off the title of this twitter, and then saw another twitter content.

Another tweet was from "Lizardman" director Colo Page.

The following tweets about Zhou Yang are mainly ridicule, while the tweets about "Lizard Man" director Colo Peggy are full of insults and various ironic voices.

All kinds of ugly words filled Keluo Peggy's Twitter, and Zhou Yang was shocked to see it.

Just as Zhou Yang was reading these messages, feeling more and more sympathetic to Ke Luo Peggy, there was a knock on the door in the office.

Zhou Yang turned off the computer: "Come in."

Afterwards, Zhou Yang saw Xu Mei walking in, with a slightly troubled expression on his face, as if he was holding back something.

"Mr. Zhou, there is an American director who wants to see you..."

"Who?"

"Ke Luo Peggy is the director of "Lizardman". Now he has a bad reputation in the United States, and it seems that he has a bad relationship with the DV company..."

"Huh?" Zhou Yang was taken aback when he heard that.

"He came over in person and is waiting at the door now. Are you going to see him?"

"Huh? Let's meet." Although Zhou Yang didn't know what director Ke Luo Peggy was doing here, he still nodded.

It's not a bad thing to meet, maybe there is still some chance.

(End of this chapter)