The director starts by learning from the abilities of renowned directors.

Chapter 48 How Will Stephen Chow Film "Lost in Thailand"?

The original "Lost in Thailand" grossed 3700 million yuan at the box office with a production cost of only a few million yuan, making it a true box office dark horse.

The production cost of Shen Qing's version of "Lost in Thailand" is estimated to be only 500 million yuan, excluding Shen Qing's non-cash investment.

However, excluding non-cash payments does not mean that these payments are worthless.

On the contrary, the non-cash investment in this film is its biggest cost.

In the distribution of shares in "Ip Man", Shen Qing, who starred in the film, was valued at 10 million yuan, and the screenwriter and director were valued at 4 million yuan. In terms of non-cash investment alone, Shen Qing accounted for 40% of the shares in "Ip Man". With the cash investment, Shen Qing accounted for 50% of the shares in "Ip Man".

If we measure the production cost of the movie "Lost in Thailand" in the same way, it would be 1400 million + 500 million, which equals 2100 million.

The valuation of 1400 million was based on Shen Qing's status before the release of "Ip Man". Now that "Ip Man" is a huge hit and Shen Qing's status has soared, should her valuation also be adjusted?

Therefore, it would be best if Shen Qing's family invested in a low-budget film like "Lost in Thailand". Otherwise, it would be underestimating Shen Qing's value and causing them to suffer losses. It is unreasonable to give the majority of the film's budget to Shen Qing.

Having clarified the apparent and actual production costs of Shen Qing's version of "Lost in Thailand," if the film only grossed 3700 million yuan at the box office, was it actually a loss?

Therefore, Shen Qing's target box office for the film is not the 3700 million yuan of the original timeline, or even the 5000 million yuan of "Fame and Fortune", but higher.

The question is, can he really achieve a higher box office result with this film?

In terms of box office appeal, Shen Qing is now far superior to Xu Zheng back then.

In terms of directing skills, Shen Qing has now combined the abilities of three masters in their respective fields: Zhang Yimou, Jackie Chan, and Steven Spielberg.

Let's talk about the script's potential.

"Lost in Thailand" won the annual box office champion for 12 years and became the first domestic film to break the 10 billion yuan box office ceiling.

How big is the difference between "Lost on Journey" and "Lost in Thailand"?

It might not be that much different.

Even with a significant gap, given the combined abilities of Shen Qing, Zhang Yimou, Cheng Long, and Spielberg, could they have crafted it to a level comparable to "Lost in Thailand"?

Spielberg is the world's most commercially valuable director. With his keen business sense, masterful control of pacing, atmosphere, emotion, and narrative, can he elevate "Lost on Journey" to a higher level?

What if we add Zhang Yimou and Cheng Long?

"Lost in Thailand" is a comedy film, but what if we add Stephen Chow to it?

It was already 2006, and Shen Qing still had one last chance to take a group photo that she hadn't used.

With Zhang Yimou, Cheng Long, Spielberg, and Stephen Chow as the four big names, plus the rising star Shen Qing, how high can the ceiling of "Lost in Thailand" be pushed?

Shen Qing called Chen Zhixi over and instructed her, "Contact Zhou Xingchi and ask when he'll be available. I have some ideas about a film that I'd like to consult with him about; perhaps we can have a chance to collaborate."

"In a few days, Stephen Chow will be... Let me check..." Dressed in a business suit, Chen Zhixi took out her phone and started working on it. After a moment, she continued, "That's right, in three days, Stephen Chow will be holding a press conference for the movie 'CJ7' with Zhang Yuqi at the Kuntai Jia Hua Hotel in Beijing."

"You should communicate with them in advance."

"it is good."

……

Zhang Yuqi had previously filmed "Soda GG" with Stephen Chow. After Huang Shengyi terminated his contract with Stephen Chow, Zhang Yuqi became a strong supporter of his company, Star Overseas.

On the day of the press conference for "CJ7", Zhang Yuqi appeared wearing a low-cut tank top and a mini skirt.

Shen Qing swore he didn't mean it, but he definitely saw Zhang Yuqi accidentally expose herself, and at that moment, the flashlight was flashing at her repeatedly. Shen Qing had reason to believe that tomorrow, Zhang Yuqi's accidental exposure would become a hot topic on major news websites.

Shen Qing's appearance at the press conference for "CJ7" caused quite a stir, with reporters eagerly asking him if he had any plans to collaborate with Stephen Chow.

Zhou Xingchi was vague in his answer, as was Shen Qing.

"We would consider collaborating if the opportunity arises."

"We'll see how things go."

After the press conference, Shen Qing went into a room to chat with Zhou Xingchi, and he asked a question that many people were curious about.

"Director Zhou, watching your movies, even the smallest supporting roles are incredibly memorable and stand out. What's your secret?"

"There's no secret to it, just shoot normally."

Inside the room, Zhou Xingchi's group included Gu Dezhao, Lin Zicong, and Zhang Yuqi, while Shen Qing's group only brought Chen Zhixi.

At this moment, everyone looked at the two people chatting.

"But someone who couldn't become famous even as a lead in other movies suddenly becomes a star as a supporting actor in Director Chow's films. There must be some reason for that, right?"

"Just shoot normally."

Stephen Chow repeated the same statement, and just as the atmosphere became a little awkward, he added: "Both the main characters and supporting characters are filmed normally. A character may be a supporting character in the movie, but from the character's perspective, he is not. He is also the protagonist, his own protagonist. He has his own experiences, his own emotions and behavioral logic, and then he just happens to appear in a situation where acting according to his behavioral logic would be very interesting."

Shen Qing seemed thoughtful. He continued, "If you treat every character as a protagonist, a supporting character is a protagonist in the entire film, but in the specific scene they appear in, they are the protagonist. A protagonist's scene can be filmed dozens of times, meticulously refined until the director is satisfied. Usually, filming supporting characters the same way is a waste. But if you treat a supporting character as the protagonist of that scene, then you also need to refine their performance dozens of times. So, supporting characters shine because every character is a protagonist?!"

Zhou Xingchi smiled and said, "Everyone says I'm difficult to work with, making even a minor role take dozens of takes. It's unnecessary; everyone would be exhausted."

Shen Qing said solemnly, "I've benefited greatly from today's visit. May I take a photo with Director Zhou?"

"Okay," Zhou Xingchi readily agreed.

Gu Dezhao found an instant camera somewhere, and Shen Qing sat down next to Zhou Xingchi on the sofa. The two leaned closer to each other, and with a few clicks, Gu Dezhao took several photos.

Shen Qing chatted with Stephen Chow for a few more minutes before taking the photos and saying goodbye.

After leaving the hotel, Chen Zhixi returned to the company on her own, while Shen Qing drove home.

Upon entering the newly purchased three-bedroom, two-living-room apartment, Shen Qing took out three photos and placed them on the desk, picking up the earliest one taken.

As expected, the photo shattered into countless starlight fragments that flew into Shen Qing's mind. Shen Qing summoned the system, and four group photos were already displayed side by side on the virtual panel.

Zhang Yimou, Cheng Long, Spielberg, Zhou Xingchi.

Looking at the system panel, which resembled a giant mobile phone photo album, Shen Qing muttered to himself, "With four top directors gathered here, am I about to summon a dragon?"

After retrieving the system, Zhou Xingchi demonstrated his professional abilities and used them to analyze the script of "Lost in Thailand." Sure enough, he found many refreshing new ideas.

But he suddenly realized that 500 million in production budget was definitely far from enough.

This time he will also use the film-wasting method, like Jiang Wen—no, actually like Zhou Xingchi!