Chapter 344 Inspecting the Factory
It was a matter of course that Shu Chang got the role of Xiaoyu.
Little Gilbert considered choosing the younger Wang Jiaqi, but Nolan Chenglong and Tang Jili agreed that it would be best to be comfortable.
The opinions were unified, and little Gilbert did not act arbitrarily and chose comfort.
Compared to Bingbing Li getting the role of Little Snake, Shu Chang getting the role of Xiao Yu caused a bigger sensation.
The reason is simple. Compared to Xiao She, who only plays a supporting role, Xiao Yu is the heroine of the film. And according to some people familiar with the matter, if the film performs well, Gilbert Jr. is considering making the film a series.
This is incredible. What is a serialized film?
The investment for "The Adventures of Cheng Long" is US$105 million. If it wants to meet the requirements of a series of films, the North American box office must exceed US$150 million, and the global box office must be more than US$400 million.
So far, the record holder for the highest box office of a movie starring a Chinese movie star in Hollywood is still Cheng Long.
His "Rush Hour 2" released this year had a box office of US$225 million in North America, but it did not do well at the overseas box office, taking in US$338 million worldwide.
However, limited by the investment scale of "Rush Hour 2", the film still achieved profitability.
What's even more surprising is that the film also performed well in the DVD market. In the first two weeks after the DVD was released across the United States, it generated sales of 35 million US dollars.
In other words, if "The Adventures of Cheng Long" wants to be profitable, it must at least exceed the box office of "Rush Hour 2".
Shu Chang holds this series in her hands. As long as she doesn't act like a monster, no Chinese film and television star will be able to compete with her in the next ten or even twenty years.
Before Shu Chang signed an actor contract, Sheena Boone's Super Artist Management Company also signed an agency contract with Shu Chang.
This is normal. International Zhang also signed a contract with CAA, letting CAA be responsible for her business in Hollywood.
After all, Chinese brokerage companies are not professional at all, and they don't understand the operating model of Hollywood, so it is necessary to have an agent from Hollywood.
After the audition, Little Gilbert held a press conference specifically for the actors to build momentum for them.
Seeing the high-spirited Bingbing Li with the actor's contract in his hand, and the somewhat restrained comfort, the reporters in the audience sighed while taking pictures.
"These two don't have to worry about their own futures. They will definitely have a bright future."
"No, this is a Hollywood movie project, with an investment of more than 100 million US dollars!"
"Whose daughter is Shu Chang? I also want such a daughter."
"You can't give birth to a daughter like this if you are as frustrated as you are."
The reporter expressed dissatisfaction, but considering that he was still single, he was unable to refute what his colleagues said.
At the press conference, little Gilbert faced questions from Chinese reporters and talked about why he came up with the idea of preparing "The Adventures of Cheng Long".
"Actually, this came from a chat between Jack and I. We talked about the story of the zodiac. I originally thought that I was a very domineering dragon or something.
But Jack told me that I was born in the year of Dog, which was several years different from that of Dragon. I was very sad at that time. "
Although the story was not very funny, the reporters still laughed cooperatively.
Little Gilbert continued: "Although this was a very sad chat, it gave me inspiration for creation. So I thought about what it would be like if the twelve zodiac signs had magical powers.
From this, I came up with the story of "The Mystery of the Spell" and invited Jack to star in it. "
The reporters were impressed. He was indeed a talented director in Hollywood. Not only could he speak Chinese fluently, but his inspiration was also free of charge.
In fact, Hollywood has never lacked creativity, and there are many better scripts than Little Gilbert.
But little Gilbert has an ability that most people don't have, that is, he can put his wild ideas into reality and finally present them on the screen.
When talking about why he chose Shu Chang and Bing Bingli, Gilbert Jr. said bluntly: "To be honest, director Nolan and I, as well as the relevant leaders of the team, received a lot of gifts during this audition."
Although this kind of thing is normal in the industry, when a big foreign director said it to his face, the reporters suddenly felt a little hot on their faces.
Gilbert Jr. continued: “We chose the actors because they performed well enough in the audition and were not affected by the reception.
I hope actors can show their professionalism instead of relying on connections and gifts to get to the top. "
Little Gilbert said this, but in fact, whether in Hollywood or here, there are many similar things. This is human nature and cannot be changed by one or two principled directors.
After the press conference, Gilbert Jr. handed over the follow-up work to Nolan, and he went south to inspect surrounding factories in the Pearl River Delta region.
But his influence didn't stop there. Needless to say, Bingbing Li, Shu Chang's name spread all over the country overnight and he became the most popular young actor.
The front pages of many newspapers and media included photos of Shu Chang, Bingbing Li and Little Gilbert, praising Shu Chang as a future star in the entertainment industry.
While reporting on the two actors, it was inevitable to talk about "The Adventures of Cheng Long" and about little Gilbert. It can be said that "The Adventures of Cheng Long" has already become popular in China before filming has even started.
Although the Chinese film market is not yet available, mosquito legs are meat, so it is better than nothing. It can contribute 20 to 30 million U.S. dollars to the box office.
As for the problem of peripheral piracy, the worst thing to do is to learn from Microsoft. Just treat these piracy as learning materials to increase your popularity and stop worrying about this problem.
The Chinese entertainment media and public are in full swing, and little Gilbert is not idle either.
Accompanied by the local BOSS, he successively inspected many surrounding factories to learn more about the production situation.
Since last year, factories have been relocated here one after another. The advantages of lower material and labor costs have greatly reduced the cost of peripheral products.
Of course, such big moves by Disney and Warner cannot be hidden from other major Hollywood companies.
As a result, other large companies are interested and plan to develop their own peripheral factories in China to replace the increasingly expensive products produced in North America.
Logically speaking, if these peripheral products are produced locally in China and then shipped to North America, Europe and other places, a series of expenses such as freight and tariffs will be incurred, thus driving up the cost.
In this way, the cost seems to be similar to that of peripheral products produced in North American factories.
In fact, this is not the case. Needless to say, lower labor costs and lower material costs. The most rare thing is that the shipping fee is also very low, and the customs duties are also very low.
For example, a Legolas doll sells for $19.9 in a North American peripheral product store and is produced in a North American factory. The material, warehousing and labor costs are about $8.
But if it is produced in China, even if transoceanic transportation and tariffs are included, the cost will only be two or three US dollars, and the cost savings will be profits.
Of course, there will also be some problems, such as suddenly imposing tariffs on products produced in China in order to protect the interests of domestic factories and workers.
But the problem is that the entire physical manufacturing industry in North America is moving outward. This is a trend.
Factory owners have all gone to Wall Street to play stocks. North American workers have always had little say. Even if they protest, they cannot withstand the iron fist of capital.
The gentlemen in Washington have accepted Hollywood's lobbying and will not impose tariffs on products from across the ocean just because of a group of red necks.
Therefore, this low-cost peripheral model can last for more than ten years.
Both sides get what they need. The local area needs jobs and investment, and North America and Europe need lower-cost and cheaper products. It can be said that they hit it off.
When little Gilbert visited Haizhu, he was warmly received by the local BOSS.
Haizhu is very close to the neighboring city of Macao, just a border crossing. However, little Gilbert had no interest in going there. Instead, his assistant Anna went to gamble a few times and lost thousands of dollars.
At this time, several surrounding factories in Haizhu have broken ground one after another, and it is expected that factories will be opened one after another next year.
Gilbert Jr. focused on inspecting those factories that had already opened, focusing on the proficiency of workers on the production lines and their operations.
The factory was in full swing, and the workers were obviously still busy. The factory leaders accompanied them during the inspection and introduced the situation.
"So far, our factory has a total of 226 employees, 4 production lines, OC quality inspection, experimental workshops, etc. We operate at full capacity and can produce more than 20,000 pieces of goods a day." The factory leader is very proud.
Little Gilbert picked up a product casually, felt the quality of the product, and said to the factory leaders: "I hope you will not start production blindly, but maintain quality and quantity.
Even though the price you produce here is very low, when sold to North America and Europe, the price is basically tens of dollars per piece. "
The factory leader patted his chest and assured: "Don't worry, Mayor Tian is very concerned about these conditions and comes to inspect from time to time to ensure that there will be no mistakes."
Mayor Tian, who was accompanying the inspection, nodded and said, "Yes, Director Gilbert, don't worry, there will definitely be no problems here."
"That's good," little Gilbert warned again: "In addition, we must pay attention to production safety issues. I don't want any production safety accidents or accidents to occur."
The factory leader once again assured: "Don't worry about this. I have repeatedly told the workers that production safety is the first factor. I have also personally inspected the water, electricity and fire-fighting issues in the factory. There will definitely be no safety accidents."
"Very good," said little Gilbert with satisfaction.
As for workers' treatment, food and accommodation, and salary issues, those were not issues that little Gilbert should be concerned about, so he didn't ask any more questions.
After inspecting the factory, little Gilbert returned to the capital again and went to the Beijing Film Academy to take an open class.
It seems to have become a routine for little Gilbert to come to Beijing Film Academy to give lectures to students every year. He is still very competent as the honorary principal.
Because of Little Gilbert's brand name, Beijing Film Academy has become the highest art academy in China, surpassing other schools and becoming the first choice for countless art students.
(End of chapter)