novelraw Chapter 384 Hitting the Gun
Chapter 384 Hitting the Gun
Directors can be obsessed with film creation, but producers have to care about how the film will be distributed and whether the cost can be recovered.
Eve's whole body is a little divided now, and her heart is becoming more and more worried about gains and losses.
When I was on the set the next day, I was a little absent-minded. I always wanted to keep improving, and I wanted the actors and staff to perform better.
Because she now has a higher goal, in order to achieve this goal, she must produce better works, otherwise some people will say that she wants to take advantage of her gender.
Only when the work is finished, can I have the confidence to compete with those arrogant people!
The actors also clearly felt the energy in her heart. The original 95 points of seriousness have become 120 points of seriousness. Even Xiaoli was moved by this atmosphere. Her acting skills are very natural and will not make people play.
Over there, Eve was watching the replay of the scene just shot on the monitor, and Keanu chatted with the old actor Alan Arkin, who played his father, standing in the open space next to the studio.
"It seems that Eve is under a lot of pressure. I think she wants to prove herself too much, and she is in a very bad state." Allen is a wise old man with a bald head, although he behaves like a jerk in the movie.
Keanu replied worriedly: "Actually, she doesn't care whether the film's box office loses money or makes money. She wants to prove her director ability to the outside world."
Last night, after my girlfriend came back from communicating with the people from Focus Pictures, she even started to stay up all night to re-watch the footage that had already been filmed, as if her whole body had been pumped with chicken blood.
Allen had a cigarette in his mouth, "She has actually done a very good job. I have worked with so many crews and worked with many directors. I found that she is actually very good at mobilizing the audience's emotions and mobilizing the actors' states. The use of color and light is very unique."
Just like the title "Little Miss Sunshine", the overall tone of the film looks very bright, and the collision of various colors looks very summer and sunny.
Although it is a very bereaved family, they are all carefully caring for the little girl's dream. It is clear that everyone's dream is shattered during the journey.
Everyone is a loser, but Eve made the Sangsang family look like a comedy, which doesn't make people feel depressed. After all, there is no easy word in the adult world.
Obviously they are all losers, but they seem more sunny and inspiring than many chicken soup movies.
Life is not only success or failure, it can also be happy to enjoy everything now.
"There are indeed many family comedies like this, but none of them can compare with "Little Miss Sunshine". Our movie is more spiritual, more relaxed and natural."
Eve's goal is to condense the common family and social problems in the United States in this small family, but she did not try to give answers and solutions, but let the audience follow the Hoover family, when the problem comes Just accept it calmly, family is the most important thing.
Many movies with the nature of chicken soup will develop in the direction of tear-jerking. This movie shot by myself and others has no such idea at all, but wants the audience to smile knowingly.
There will be problems if the spring is taut, and Keanu doesn't want Eve to have too utilitarian ideas in the movie. The originally happy atmosphere of the crew has been reduced a lot.
……
On the side of Eternal Pictures, the producer of "Breaking Bad" seemed to have grasped the straw.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Gilligan, but Miss Campbell hasn't responded yet, and we don't know the exact progress. As soon as she has an answer, I'll let you know, okay?"
Liz really didn't expect that a producer would come to her, and she didn't know how to deal with it.
Vince Gilligan looks a bit like a standard nerd, a bit of a nerd. He said frankly: "Ms. Campbell should like our scripts and projects very much, right? After all, there is no such work in the entire history of TV dramas. I dare say, If "Breaking Bad" can be made, people will love it very much."
Liz actually didn't think so. She said perfunctorily: "Yes, yes, everyone wants to see how an ordinary chemistry teacher deals with drugs. In the future, parents may not feel relieved to let their children take chemistry classes."
"That's not the case. He was actually forced to take this path." Vince explained, not wanting others to misunderstand the protagonist of the movie.
There is no TV station or film and television company in Hollywood that is willing to make this movie, and finally the big star asked, but there is no follow-up.
These Tian Wensi-Gilligan felt as if they were on a roller coaster, with constant ups and downs. After waiting for so long and no response, they had to come to Eternal Pictures.
He really had no choice but to go to other people's filming locations.
"Miss Campbell is busy with filming and the release of "Little Miss Sunshine", and may not have time to deal with this project." Liz sighed, "Let me call Mandy and ask her to quietly remind Miss Campbell. "
"Thank you, you have helped me a lot." Vince showed a happy face, and the matter finally had some clues.
"If you have time, you can make the estimated investment form of the project, so that Ms. Campbell can reply directly when she inquires."
"It's already done. We plan to shoot "Breaking Bad" into a series of no less than three seasons. The content of the first season is relatively short, with only seven episodes. The length of each episode is between 35-40 minutes. It is shot at the standard of a movie, and the production cost of each episode is estimated to be around 300 million US dollars."
When it came to his own professional issues, Vince immediately spoke out.
However, Kaz is no longer that layman. She has been working in Hollywood for a long time. After hearing such a high cost per episode, she couldn't help answering: "$300 million per episode? Are you crazy?"
For seven episodes, that's 2100 million US dollars, which is indeed a lot in today's Hollywood, because there are actually no big scenes or special effects in the TV series.
We must know that the actual cost of "Little Miss Sunshine" that the boss is shooting has not yet reached the level of 2000 million.
No matter how you look at it, this budget is a bit exaggerated.
The story of "Breaking Bad" itself is disgusted, and the production cost of each episode is still so high, which is completely incomprehensible.
Liz complained: "Are you going to invite any big star to play?"
Otherwise, this TV series seems to be a small production, and I don't know where the production costs will be used.
Vince rubbed his nose, he was actually asking the price all over the sky, just waiting for Eternal Pictures to sit on the ground and pay back the money.
Every producer will have a bottom line in their hearts. This price is the lowest position they can accept.
For example, Vince now wants a production fee of 300 million US dollars for an episode, but he feels that even 100 million US dollars, no, 80 US dollars can be filmed!
He just wants to make it as good as possible, even treating each episode with the standard of making a movie.
Now seeing Katz's surprised expression, Vince is thinking whether he is demanding a bit more, as long as he can shoot it.So he patted his forehead pretending to be annoyed, and took out another statement from his briefcase, "Sorry, I just took the wrong one, this is the quotation from "Breaking Bad". The one just now was the initial report." , we plan to invite a 40-year-old male star to play the leading role, which may occupy a lot of production costs."
"Your protagonist should be a villain, right? Is anyone willing to play this kind of villain?" Katz changed the report in his hand and found that the cost per episode had dropped to 240 million US dollars.
Her eyes flickered slightly, and she joked, "Isn't there a price list for the rest of the numbers in your bag?"
Vince laughed twice and waved his hands again and again.
"How come, with these two pieces, we intend to produce a high-quality drama, rather than find a random script to cheat money."
Katz didn't go into details. This kind of thing is just tacit, and there is no need to spread it on the table.
She used the landline on the desk to call Mandy, Eve's assistant. She knew that Mandy would become her colleague next, so her tone was soft.
……
At this time, the crew of "Little Miss Sunshine" was resting, and the filming just now was a bit stuck.
Steve, who played Uncle Frank, was in a state of inability to find it. This scene was filmed in the highway service area. It was a completely real scene. They specially asked the regional manager of this supermarket chain to get 5 hours of clearing filming treatment.
Of course, the person in charge of the supermarket wants to let his brand appear in a movie that has attracted much attention. It's just a few hours of clearing the scene and shooting, and he doesn't need to pay.
"Steve, you want to act out the embarrassment of being caught. You bought men's magazines and were seen by your ex-boyfriend. At the same time, you are very depressed. You should subconsciously hide your wrist."
"Also, the person who came with your ex-boyfriend is your competitor. You must have that kind of anger, and at the same time, you must be very brave, and act like I am living a good life now. It is best to be able to see it from your expression. There is a hint of vulnerability and self-abandonment in it."
Eve stood in front of the cashier and carefully analyzed it with Steve. This comedian was exposed to movies for the first time, and he was mostly used to acting on the small screen. Sometimes he could actually do it, but he just didn’t realize it.
She herself is an actress, so she has a more specific idea of acting, so she won't just shout cut like other directors without saying the reason.
It’s impossible to teach performances hand in hand. After Eve said a lot, she let Steve absorb and understand. She turned and walked towards her director’s chair.
Looking at Eve's tired face, Mandy didn't intend to disturb her, and wanted her to rest for a while, but the matter of "Breaking Bad" must be resolved, and it is not a good thing to keep procrastinating.
Eve rubbed her forehead with her hands. She looked at the assistant who was hesitant to speak, and asked, "Mandy, just tell me if you have anything to say. I hope it's not bad news."
"No no no, it's a call from the office of Eternal Pictures, saying that Mr. Vince Gilligan, the producer of "Breaking Bad", is waiting in the office and wants to know if we will invest in this TV series. Kaz said he first There are 7 episodes prepared for one season, and the production cost of each episode is as high as 240 million US dollars."
""Breaking Bad" actually costs 240 million dollars?" Eve's first reaction was that she became a rich man in the eyes of others, and complained: "I really thought my money was blown by a strong wind, how dare this TV series Shout this kind of price!"
In her memory, there are indeed many American dramas with sky-high costs, such as "Game of Thrones" and "Western World", which cost six to seven million an episode.
But "Breaking Bad" is a small production no matter how you look at it. It doesn't need many props, the scenes are not grand, and there are no special effects. Even the protagonist can hire unknown ones.
This is a show to flatter people, not a joke to others!
In his previous life, after the end of "Breaking Bad", many people didn't know the name of the lead actor, they only knew his nickname was Lao Bai, and this role became the most important foundation for him to enter the mainstream of Hollywood.
"I like the story very much. I have no opinion on the story, but I have a lot of opinions on their production. The price of 240 million US dollars is to ask the group of people in Saudi Arabia to see if they are willing to invest."
Eve didn't even bother to communicate with the other party, and it felt uncomfortable to be taken advantage of by others.
In fact, it is not easy for her to make money. Her salary has only increased now. At this time last year, she was still living in a million-dollar house.
The reason why I invest the money I earn into the film and television industry is because I love it, otherwise I would have spent it to enjoy it, why bother myself so much.
Isn't it nice to be a beautiful big star?
Isn’t it nice to have a sunny beach vacation every day?
Mandy was a little surprised, the boss got angry in a rare way!
"It is estimated that the Arab oil tycoons don't like this project at all. They must have tried to find funds overseas. It's just that there is not much money to invest in the film industry in the Middle East, and they directly invest in Premier League teams."
Eve shook her head and said to her assistant: "Tell them, our budget is seven episodes totaling 1000 million US dollars. If you want to get this contract, you must first shoot a pilot episode. Only when the pilot episode is satisfactory will the rest of the money be paid." Leave it to them."
When an Oscar-level director like David Lynch made an American TV series, he filmed a pilot episode of "Mulholland Drive" for ABC TV station, but the TV station didn't like it, so there was a movie with the same name.
Now the salary of "Breaking Bad" is naturally not that high. After converting it to almost 145 million US dollars for an episode, it is already very high. The first season of many popular TV series does not have this price.
The whole story is indeed very interesting, but the theme of poison is in it. Public TV stations such as ABBC and FOX will definitely not broadcast this kind of TV series, otherwise they will face complaints and loss of users.
Although drugs are rampant in New Mexico, and many teenagers are also abusing them, but a TV series related to drug production must not be broadcast on the free channel, unless it is the theme of anti-drugs.
In this way, "Breaking Bad" can only be sold to some paid channels, and those channels have threshold restrictions, and the scale is much larger, so it can naturally be used.
Not every pay TV station is as rich and powerful as HBO. Sometimes it is cheap, so it is necessary for the film and television producers to control the cost.
For Eternal Pictures, it is nominally signed a contract of 1000 million U.S. dollars, but in fact, it only needs to pay 145 million U.S. dollars to get the copyright of "Breaking Bad", which is actually very cost-effective.
After the pilot episode was filmed, Eve found someone to sell it to the TV station, so that the next few episodes would be filmed, otherwise it would not have been released at all.
Of course, this copyright is not a buyout, but a shared nature, shared by both parties.
Various Hollywood TV stations book more than 100 pilot episodes every year, and one tenth of the episodes can not be turned into regular episodes. One can imagine how fierce the competition is.
Shoot the pilot episode first, make a sample to show it, and stop the loss in time.
After hearing what the boss said, Mandy was a little worried: "Miss Campbell, since this TV series is so risky, why don't we find some sitcoms with lower production costs to shoot."
Sitcom is the favorite genre of various TV stations. It has a long life span, and it can be filmed for seven or eight seasons or even more than ten seasons. At the same time, it has high ratings and low production difficulty.Basically, they are all shot in the studio, which is not affected by external weather and other conditions. It only needs to find suitable screenwriters and actors.
The biggest cost of this type of TV series is the salary that increases year by year. Maybe the actors’ salary in the first season is 1 US dollars per episode, and later it will become 50 US dollars per episode. It is not uncommon for millions of dollars.
Eve thinks this suggestion is very good, but Eternal Pictures has already developed a lot of business, and there is no way to clean up if it spreads out.
One bird in the hand is worse than ten birds in the forest. Greedy people may get nothing in the end.
"That's something you need to consider after you go to Eternal Pictures. Now pass on my words to Mr. Vince Gilligan. If you disagree, we will turn over this article."
"Okay, I'm going to call Katz now."
After watching Mandy turn and leave, Eve showed a self-deprecating smile, "It seems that the environment really affects people, and now I have become a profit-seeking capitalist."
In the old days, if you encounter a story you like, or a famous drama series in your previous life, you will definitely invest in filming without saying a word, so you don't have to worry about it.
Fortunately, she is a person who is very good at self-regulation, and she throws emotions out of her mind after a few seconds. Such negative emotions are not worth staying in her mind.
"It seems that you have solved another difficult matter." Keanu handed over a bottle of mineral water and said with emotion: "How about we go to the concert after work later? AC/DC's global tour is coming to the United States , I have found someone to buy two tickets."
To celebrate AC/DC's induction into the US Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Australian band is on a new tour under new owners Sony Music.
Keanu felt that his girlfriend could vent all her nervousness and anxiety under the influence of rock music, because it has such magic power.
Eve didn't know anything about rock and roll, but fell in love with it during the preparation and filming of "Almost Famous".
The shooting was finished at exactly five o'clock in the evening, so you can really enjoy it.
"Tomorrow is the weekend holiday, why don't we come back after playing in Denver for two days?" Eve said enthusiastically, and she herself realized that the number of times of anger has increased recently, and she is probably going to become a set witch.
Keanu was trying to convince his girlfriend to take a vacation in Denver after the concert, but she offered it herself, so what's the problem, nod of course!
"I heard that Denver used to be called the Queen City on the Prairie, and there will be the largest beer festival in the United States on weekends. We can go to see what the Napa Valley of beer is like."
Eve widened her eyes and said curiously, "Oktoberfest, it must be very interesting."
Going to a place to experience the local cultural characteristics is a kind of accumulation of creative materials for the director. Anything he has seen can be reflected in his works.
It just so happened that she felt that her experience was a little lacking, so filming "Little Miss Sunshine" felt a little difficult, and it would be even more difficult to shoot some more profound things.
Here, Eve and Keanu were excitedly talking about the weekend vacation, but Vince Gilligan in Los Angeles received such a direct reply.
Katz asked seriously: "Mr. Gilligan, what do you think of the boss's proposal? If there is a need to cooperate, I will contact the cooperating lawyer to prepare a contract and wait for Ms. Campbell to come back and sign it with you."
Vince was actually relieved, because the production fee of 145 million US dollars was higher than his minimum requirement, and the requirements for the pilot episode were also normal, completely industry regulations.
"Let's do it like this, I hope the pilot episode can be filmed soon."
The author has something to say: the long-lost second update is still a big chapter~~