Alliance
Director Zhang was silenced by Levi's suggestion.
He knows that it is very difficult to shoot a blockbuster with multiple actors, as Levi said. Organizational ability is an important aspect of a director's ability, which is very testing.
However, he knew better that no one could do this if he couldn't do this.
The cost of labor in the United States is too high to shoot such a blockbuster. Other directors in China may not have the same connections and backgrounds as him.
He is almost the only one if you want to shoot such a movie.
In his heart, he also praised Levi as indeed a top director and his thinking is really different from ordinary people. To imitate something is just to steal the skills from others, but the real masters are really unique in their own way.
However, he still had some small doubts that he couldn't let go.
"As for the script, if I go by what you said, it might not be that good." Director Zhang thought for a while before speaking, "When it comes to making a blockbuster, the script, special effects, and all aspects must be very sophisticated; otherwise, it's easy to make mistakes. These aspects are also troublesome..."
He got to the point: the script is also troublesome when shooting such a movie in China.
"Screenwriting is a big problem... Many Chinese historical novels are completely divorced from history; even basic historical common sense can be ignored. This is the biggest problem.
However, as far as I know, some film and television dramas are also very good - if you are serious about looking for scripts, I believe there are many good writers in China."
Director Zhang is not a creative talent, and Levi knows this. The few movies he made in the past were excellent, and a large part of the reason was that the scripts were originally outstanding.
If he were asked to make a war movie, he would probably not be able to grasp the script well, so Levi also reminded him: Since it is a blockbuster, don't be afraid of spending money.
Is it difficult to find a writer to write a script? The biggest problem is actually just a matter of money. However, since you want to shoot a blockbuster, why do you have to save this little money?
If you write a better story, the movie will have a much better reputation.
"Good shooting effects and a good script can form a truly outstanding movie. If any of these two aspects are lacking, the film will not be good.
Sometimes, if there is no good script, it is also because the shooting methods are not suitable.
But Director Zhang, your film shooting methods must be good enough. You know many top writers; you can let them work hard."
The script can only be written erratically if the shooting methods are not up to standard. For example, in a certain historical drama, the war was fought on foot because no actors could ride a horse.
In the same way, if there is not enough investment, the equipment, costumes, and dialogues will not be realistic, and naturally, you can only make mistakes. But if you invest enough, these are not problems.
Since you want to shoot a blockbuster, you must have enough investment. With investment, how can you not afford a team of consultants?
Of course, in addition to screenwriting, he knew that Director Zhang also had requirements in other directions.
"As for the stunts, you don't have to worry; I will help you solve it. In recent years, Hollywood movies have become bigger and bigger, and there is no shortage of stunt talents. If you need someone, just tell me.
But no matter how big it is, Hollywood movies are also limited by scale. It is very difficult to reproduce battlefield battles truly. China has no restrictions in this regard.
I hope American technology and Chinese manpower can cooperate and make good enough movies together."
If movies can film a cold weapon battle with nearly ten thousand people or a large-scale military operation, how can that kind of momentum and posture be compared to ordinary war movies?
These are exciting to think about.
If such blockbusters can achieve success, they can definitely continue and find their own way. The exquisite special effects and magnificent scenes may become prospects in the future.
This is a way out of cinema.
"I will think about it again and prepare a little more."
Director Zhang was a little excited about the vision proposed by Levi. Being able to shoot a film that can truly compete with American movies is a great future for a Chinese director. Even just thinking about it is enough to make Director Zhang excited.
He originally wanted to catch up to Hollywood's production standards, but Levi proposed to surpass Hollywood's production standards, which excited him directly.
Of course, while he was excited, he also knew that there were some things that he had to agree on first, "I can help you clear up the matter that you want to invest in setting up a film company in China. However, I estimate that no matter how you clear it up, it will be, at most, a joint venture, and your shareholding cannot exceed 49 percent. You may not be able to compromise on this aspect..."
Levi's help was not given in vain, and he had to give Levi something in return. However, in this kind of return, he had to clarify some things: The State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television would not allow a foreigner to have a say in a domestic film company.
"No problem. I understand your national conditions, and I don't need to have the right to say anything. What I need is just a convenience. After all, there are too many projects we can cooperate on."
The possible collaboration also made Director Zhang smile. Indeed, when it comes to cooperation, there are still many domestic cooperation projects.
These things have not been noticed yet. Although some Chinese film technical talents have begun to go to Hollywood sporadically, such cooperation is rare compared to direct cooperation with China.
In addition to the exchange of technical talents, there is also the issue of location - when Hollywood was filming China-related movies in the 1990s, it was rarely possible to go to China for filming, and many movies were just shot in neighboring countries such as India.
And Levi knows very well that many scenic spots in the country will be breathtaking when made into movies. If he remembers correctly, Avatar did this, but if he can cooperate with them now, why wait until Avatar?
Discussing the details of the cooperation with Director Zhang, time passed quickly. The meeting between the two people could be said to be quite pleasant.
Some details of future affairs were also finalized soon by the two people.
Only on one issue, the two people still have some differences of opinion.
Regarding the training of actors, when Director Zhang asked Levi to bring some actors to the United States for training, Levi refused.
"I don't think coming to the United States to act will be particularly helpful to these actors. Actors need to perform to improve their acting skills. They don't have many opportunities when they come to the United States, so how can they improve?"
Their acting skills declined rapidly after leaving school. This is a problem that the domestic film industry has almost no way to deal with. Many actors who could have improved their acting skills have declined because they can only take on some ridiculous TV series.
In fact, just before Ms. Zhang played 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,' she was invited to play in a TV series with a high salary of 2 million yuan. Fortunately, Ms. Zhang called Director Zhang and asked if she should take the shot. Director Zhang immediately advised her not to take the filming and also recommended her to Ang Lee.
Obviously, if Ms. Zhang had taken that role, she would have had no chance to act in the future, and she would only be able to play various heroic heroines in martial arts dramas. This kind of income is quite a lot, but she can't practice it at all when it comes to acting.
However, the help of Director Zhang can only prevent Miss Zhang's acting skills from slipping to a lower level. There is no way to improve her acting skills - after all, there are not many opportunities.
"When it comes to improving the actors' acting skills, I don't have any good ideas.
The excellent acting skills of the actors in Hollywood are mainly due to the heavy competition for the roles. In order to play the role, the actors really have to work hard.
China's TV dramas and movie environment are a lot worse. There is not much pressure to become a famous actor, which is the biggest problem.
So, when you say that actors come to the United States for training, my answer is: Even if they are trained, their level will not increase much because the key question is not whether they know it, but whether they practice it."
Levi further explained, "When they came to the United States, Chinese actors would not have many opportunities. Jackie Chan, Jet Li, and others have proved this. Didn't they all think the United States was a treasure land for them? But what happened? Here, they can only shoot some third-rate roles, which actually ruins their acting careers.
Instead of sending them to the United States to study, finding ways to improve China's film and television standards is better.
This process is a heavy task. It's far away, but I believe that one day, China's film and television standards will improve to a level that satisfies people globally."
*****
Thanks and kudos for my patreons
Scott DePaepe
MMMCMXCIX, or 3,999
Britanna
Marcelo Maia
Danny York
Mandy G
DragonEz
You can read advanced chapters on my Patreon account: https://www.patreon.com/Sayonara816.