After "Kung Fu" returned to Hong Kong with the Golden Goblet Award, Baiyang Publishing Company immediately launched a large-scale publicity offensive throughout the Asia-Pacific region.
Due to a schedule collision, "Kung Fu" will challenge "Jurassic Park" head-on.
Forget about the European and American markets, if you can't beat it, you can't beat it, but in the Chinese market, Yang Ye can't afford to lose. It's a matter of face.
Although the movie "Jurassic Park" was also produced by Yang Ye.
How to do publicity and promotion? The distribution company already has a mature plan, so Yang Ye doesn't need to worry about it. When Yang Ye needs to appear, just notify him in advance.
At this time, "Once Upon a Time Part 4: The Wind of Kings" began to be released in Hong Kong.
In this time and space, there is no such thing as Jet Li and Jia He having a falling out and running away. "Wind of the King" still stars Jet Li as Huang Feihong, which is authentic and naturally very popular.
The movie took the lead in June as soon as it was released. Judging from the trend, it is not a problem to exceed 20 million in the local area.
Although it's a bit down compared to the first three movies, it's acceptable because there are so damn many Once Upon a Time movies this year.
The market is like this. When a subject becomes popular, a lot of people will follow suit. Everyone has long been used to it.
What’s interesting is... Zhao Wenzhuo still showed up.
The Yindu Agency made a movie called "Once Upon a Time: A Man Serves the Country" and dug out Zhao Wenzhuo. Unfortunately, it flopped at the box office.
The appearance of Zhao Wenzhuo is very normal. After all, he is the national martial arts champion, so Hong Kong filmmakers will naturally look for him.
Hong Kong filmmakers not only follow suit in terms of themes, they even follow suit in terms of actors.
When an actor becomes popular, they will take the initiative to find his replacement and make similar movies to make money.
For example, Wu Siyuan once found Li Yuanba to replace Chen Long, but Li Yuanba's character was not good, so Wu Siyuan hid him again.
"New Dragon Gate Inn" made Lin Qingxia's stand-in Shi Yi famous, and the Hong Kong film industry favored her as the protagonist in filming, but it was a pity that she was not popular after a few movies.
Zhao Wenzhuo was recruited by Xu Ke to replace Li Lianjie, and Wang Jing also tried to replace Zhou Xingchi with Zhang Weijian.
It's a pity that Li Gui is not Li Kui after all. Zhao Wenzhuo is already very awesome among these people, because he has really made his own reputation.
Another one who is even more awesome is Cheng Yijian. Originally, the Young and Dangerous characters in Hong Kong movies were dominated by Liu Hua. Liu Hua has made many movies of this type and is very popular.
Unexpectedly, Zheng Yijian came out of nowhere and replaced Liu Hua on this track in a short period of time.
However, after all, Zheng Yijian was not strong enough and did not become a superstar. However, this guy had a good attitude. He accepted it, lay down, and went home to play games.
"The Wind of the King" was in theaters, but Xu Ke suddenly came to visit. His film studio was about to be unable to open.
The model of Xu Ke Film Studio has always been that he is the producer and controls everything.
Then let Cheng Xiaodong, Li Huimin and others he trained personally be the directors and act according to his will.
Movies such as "A Chinese Ghost Story", "New Dragon Inn", "Once Upon a Time", "The Burning of the Red Lotus Temple" all use this model.
Therefore, no matter who the director is, the martial arts movies produced by Xu Ke Film Studio have a unified style, and future generations will also identify these movies as Xu Ke's works.
But since last year, Hong Kong movies have entered a state of extreme madness.
The outstanding filmmakers have gone it alone, and even most of Yang Ji's people have left.
Chen Long, Jet Li, Zhou Xingchi, and Liu Hua all set up their own film companies, but Yang Ye let them go.
Among directors, John Woo, Johnnie To, and Peter Chan have each opened their own film companies.
These people now make their own films and only hand over the overseas distribution rights to Yang Ji to represent them.
The people behind the scenes who invest money for them are mainly Taiwan's eight major businessmen.
In addition to these people, there are also Liu Zhenwei and Sunglasses Wang who formed Zedong, Wang Jing formed Crystal Art, and Er Dongsheng formed Infinite Pictures...
In the past year or two, nearly a hundred new film companies have been registered in Hong Kong, and Hong Kong films have officially entered the era of selling movies.
Any producer can get investment from Taiwanese film producers as long as he gets film contracts from a few Hong Kong stars.
The money is so profitable that the entire Hong Kong entertainment industry has entered a money-grabbing mode.
With the scale of talent in Hong Kong, shooting 100 movies a year is the limit, but in 1992, as many as 300 movies were approved.
Because there are so many movies released that cinemas have no time to show them, many Hong Kong films simply choose not to be released and are sold directly to Taiwan and Southeast Asia.
There were also some movies that the theater alliance refused to release because they were so bad, but they were also sold.
The crew at work has increased several times, but the number of people is still the same, which is simply not enough. So what should we do? One person can only shoot several movies at the same time
Actors have to work together, photography, art, and props have to cross teams, and all positions are in demand.
There is also the subject matter, what subject matter should be filmed, and whatever subject matter is popular, people will rush to film it. For example, in 1993, there were a lot of Once Upon a Time movies.
This is Xu Ke's current problem. His original film partners, Cheng Xiaodong, Li Huimin, and Yuan Heping, were all hired away at high prices.
The martial arts films of the past year, including "The Deer and the Cauldron", "Psychedelic Knife and the Flying Cat", "Seven Princesses of Martial Arts", "New Meteor Butterfly Sword"... all have Cheng Xiaodong as martial arts director.
Yuan Heping also has a lot of projects on his side. He is busy and busy. How can he have time to help Xu Ke with the implementation?
There are also other talents such as screenwriter Zhang Tan, who have all been snatched away by Taiwanese film producers at high prices, and everyone is involved in several films at the same time.
Xu Ke suddenly found that he had become a mere commander, with no one available and no scenes to film.
I had no choice but to come to Yang Ye to get an idea and see if there were any new people in the company and give him instructions.
He believed in Yang Ye's vision very much. Yang Ye had recommended Tang Jili to Chen Long before, and "Police Story 3" became a huge hit.
Tang Jili has now become Chen Long's royal director, and Chen Long has great trust in him.
……
Xu Ke said depressedly: "It's hard for a clever woman to make a meal without rice!"
Yang Ye spread his hands: "It's useless for you to look for me. Haven't you noticed that I have become a polished commander?"
Xu Ke was stunned for a moment, and then he remembered that Baiyang Pictures headquarters didn't make many movies now.
In addition to Yang Ye, John Woo, and Zhang Yimou, they are tinkering with several blockbusters.
There is also the option of investing in some low-cost literary films to win prizes or train newcomers.
There are almost no middle-range movies anymore.
The film companies of those independent superstars and directors have done well.
As for Yang Ji, it was just a name, mainly engaged in distribution.
In addition, it also engages in celebrity management and equipment and venue rental business.
It's easy to talk about celebrity agents. Baiyang Agency has a large number of outstanding artists, as well as directors, makeup, props... all kinds of talents.
There are now more than 100 film companies in Hong Kong, and most of these companies are leather companies.
They don't have the manpower, and it's impossible to purchase equipment. Equipment for filming movies is very expensive.
If they want to film, they need to form a team, rent equipment, and rent a studio...
Baiyang can provide a full set of services these companies need.
Whether you want a director, a celebrity, or a martial arts instructor...or rent equipment or a venue...I can satisfy you here.
High and low grades are all available with clear prices for you to choose from.
Yang Ye also set up an "Asian Screenwriter Center" two years ago, and now it is responsible for producing scripts.
He has produced several popular TV series and blockbuster movies, and is now well-known in the industry.
Those film companies can also come here to buy crews and even customize scripts according to requirements.
Yang Ji also has the copyright of martial arts novels by Jin Yong and Gu Long. Lin Yanni and Li Bihua's romance novels; Liang Fengyi's financial novels were all very popular, and the copyrights were also handed over to Yang Jizai as an agent.
If you want to take pictures, you can come and talk.
Even if you are willing to pay, I will provide you with one-stop service from copyright to director, starring, and behind the scenes.
The reason why Yang Ye did this was because he understood a truth deeply.
When a trend comes, the most profitable ones are not those who open stores, but those who sell equipment and provide training.
So now everyone is rushing to open film companies and make movies, but Baiyang Pictures has reduced its filming.
Those film companies want to steal the wool of those overseas film producers, and Baiyang Pictures wants to steal the wool of those film companies.
After Xu Ke understood Yang Ye's routine, he was completely convinced. He cupped his hands and said: "Gao, it's really high. I, Old Xu, can't shoot you in movies, and I can't be as good as you in business!"
Yang Ye smiled faintly and said: "I can't help it. There is too much hot money now. You can't stop people from getting rich, right?
I have said it a long time ago, people who do not allow others to make money must have something wrong with their heads.
So, they all go out to make a lot of money, so I act as a landlord and follow behind to collect some rent. ”
Xu Ke had an expression that would be strange if he believed you. Filming movies involves both loss and profit, but Yang Ye's current approach is to make a sure profit without loss.
Yang Ye continued: "Don't worry. The rush to make movies now is a precursor to the collapse of Hong Kong movies. Your friends will come back."
Xu Ke has been immersed in making movies and has never paid attention to these. Hearing this, he asked in confusion: "You said Hong Kong movies will collapse?"
Yang Ye said: "It is said that these people signed more than 300 film contracts with overseas film producers last year, and now they still owe more than 100 films that have not been delivered.
Wong Kar-wai's "Ashes of Time" has been stuck for three years and is not finished yet.
It’s just that he was slow in shooting. Many people didn’t want to deliver, but they were too busy.
The staff were already busy, and it was said that Xiaodong would fall asleep for two hours every time he arrived at a crew.
In this state, what good things can be taken? When the film doesn't sell for money and investors lose money, there will definitely be a reckoning later.
What's more, many evil people just disappear after taking the money. Delivery? Fuck you. ”
Xu Ke was a little disapproving. He felt that even if those overseas film producers came to settle accounts, what would they do? A strong dragon won't overwhelm a local snake.
Seeing that he didn't believe it, Yang Ye said, "Didn't you find that the film market this year is far inferior to last year?
There are obviously more movies released, but the total box office has dropped a lot.
Even well-made movies like "The Wind of Kings" are not as good as before at the box office.
This is why filming too much, too sloppily, leads to a loss of quality and bores the audience.
Many movies were originally thought to be profitable, but ended up being dumped on the street. ”
Xu Ke thought for a while and felt that this was the case. He said: "When you mentioned this, it reminded me of "The Three Heroes of the East" released by Johnnie To at the beginning of the year. It was really well shot, and there were three people including Ah Mei, Ah Yu and Ah Qiong. I really can’t understand why it failed so miserably due to its appeal.”
"The Heroes of the East" directed by Johnnie To in 1993, starring Anita Mui, Maggie Cheung and Michelle Yeoh, had a local box office of only 1.93 million.
This amount of money was not even enough for Anita Mui's salary, which made Du Dapao look like a fool.
Yang Ye smiled and said: "What do you think is the reason why no one cares about this movie?"
"I feel...too ahead of my time?"
Yang Ye shook his head: "This has nothing to do with being ahead of the curve. In fact, his photos were very timely, because with the economic development of Hong Kong, feminism came into being.
Johnnie To launch such a film focusing on women at this time shows that he has a very keen vision, but it is a pity that he misjudged one thing. ”
Xu Ke was puzzled and asked: "What's the matter?"
"Feminism is something that will inevitably happen after the rise of every economy. In Europe, the United States, and Japan, they have achieved great success so far, but only in Hong Kong, it is doomed to fail and will not make a splash at all. .”
Xu Ke was even more puzzled. Women’s rights in Japan are very impressive and strong now. Why can’t they do so when it’s Hong Kong’s turn?
Yang Ye pointed to the north and said: "To the north, across the river, is the mainland of the motherland, where there are hundreds of millions of young women waiting to be married with the same culture and race.
If Hong Kong girls act like monsters, Hong Kong men will turn around and go to Shenzhen to marry mainland girls as their wives.
In this case, no matter how high Hong Kong girls jump, who will care about them?
Movies have always been a male market. Johnnie To is desperate to make a movie that promotes women's rights. If he doesn't hit the streets, who will? ”
Xu Ke suddenly realized that he didn't expect this to be the reason, and he was really convinced by Yang Ye's insight.
Yang Ye returned to the previous topic and said: "However, even if your partners come back, there is a high probability that this model of your studio will not be sustainable."
"Why?"
Xu Ke thinks his current model is quite good. He can open many shows a year and basically make money.
Yang Ye said: "Hollywood's high-concept movies have taken shape, and the future will be the era of blockbusters. The studio model of Hong Kong movies is destined to be eliminated."
The so-called "high-concept movies" refer to movies proposed by Hollywood that have attractive visual images, sufficient market opportunities, and simple and concise plot lines and plot layouts in order to be understood and accepted by most audiences.
In short, the cast is strong, the special effects are awesome, the plot is simple, and the theme is single. It lowers the threshold for viewing to the lowest level and also makes the audience enjoy it.
"The only way for Hong Kong films to avoid being killed by Hollywood is to create our own high-concept films.
Fortunately, I have been obsessed with film special effects over the years, and our technology is no worse than Hollywood.
However, this kind of special effects blockbuster requires high investment and high returns. If you are not careful, you will lose everything and suffer heavy losses.
Therefore, you have to go all out during production, which is extremely energy-consuming. If you want to manage four or five movies at the same time like before, it is impossible. ”
Xu Ke understood what Yang Ye meant. Yang Ye wanted him to give up those messy things and concentrate on being a director and shooting high-investment blockbusters.
Well, Xu Ke is quite interested in this. He has always had the urge to shoot a blockbuster movie with an investment of hundreds of millions like Yang Ye, but unfortunately he has no chance.
For the time being, the only people in Hong Kong who can support hundreds of millions of investments are Yang Ye and Chen Long. Xu Ke can't control them at all. Investors wouldn't dare to spend money on other people.
Xu Ke suddenly felt that it was a good thing for all his friends to run away, so that he could concentrate on filming blockbusters.
It's just that blockbuster movies are not just easy to shoot, and the preliminary preparations take a long time.
Now I can only finish the work at hand and start thinking about it at the same time.
Xu Ke came to Yang Ye, originally hoping that Yang Ye would help him find some talents. After all, Yang Ye was famous for knowing people.
Unexpectedly, Yang Ye gave him a completely different plan, but he liked it very much.
So he didn't care about his friends all running out to make money.
……
After simple preparations, Yang Ye took director Chen Musheng, heroine Guan Zhilin, and a group of supporting actors to hold the opening ceremony of "Speed".
In order to save trouble and train new talents, Yang Ye gave up his directorship again and promoted Chen Musheng to be the director of "Speed".
When filming "50 First Dates", Chen Musheng and Chen Kexin were both alternative directors, but Yang Ye finally chose Chen Kexin.
This cost Chen Musheng an opportunity to stand out, and now it was finally his turn.
Chen Musheng's image style can be summed up in one sentence...art is explosion!
His movies often have very hot action scenes and strong visual impact. He is known as China's "explosion shell" and is a good hand in making commercial films.
Chen Musheng is better at portraying villains or characters who are both good and evil.
A Zu in "New Police Story", Tian Yangsheng in "Better Days", and Ao in "Fury" can be said to be the most popular characters among Daniel Wu, Wu Jing and Nicholas Tse.
There is also Nick Cheung's famous scene: "Five years, five years! Do you know how I spent these five years? Do you know?" (End of Chapter)