radicalducati Chapter 30: Another Hit Product, Training People
Chapter 30: Another Hit Product, Training People
On November 12, less than two weeks after the casting storm for "The Witch" swept through the domestic entertainment industry, another piece of news came from across the ocean.
The top entertainment headline in China reads: "James Wan's new film 'Insidious' is a box office hit in North America, raking in $4026 million in just two weeks! Producers Light Chaser Pictures (North America) and Lionsgate are making a fortune!"
The news report detailed that this low-budget horror film, directed by James Wan and co-produced by Light Chaser Entertainment (North America) and Lionsgate, had a production cost of only $200 million and a marketing budget of approximately $800 million.
After two weeks in theaters, the film has grossed over $40 million in North America and received rave reviews. Industry insiders predict that its final North American box office is likely to exceed $70 million, and its global box office will undoubtedly surpass $100 million.
According to Hollywood revenue-sharing rules, production companies typically receive 50%-60% of the gross box office revenue in North America…
Anyone can do simple math: even with the most conservative 50% revenue split, a $7000 million North American box office would bring in $3500 million in revenue. Subtracting the total cost of $1000 million, the net profit would be as high as $2500 million!
This doesn't even include overseas box office revenue, streaming revenue, and subsequent derivative revenue!
"A $2 million investment yielded a profit of over 100 million RMB?!" The owner of a domestic film company stared at the calculator, his eyes practically red. "This is a money-printing machine! And it's printed in US dollars!"
"Light Chaser Animation, it's them again! Taken made a fortune, and Insidious is a hit! Do they have some kind of supernatural ability in Hollywood?" another producer said sourly.
"I heard their boss is only in his twenties? Their vision and luck are truly incomparable. We toil away making a TV series, spending half a year on it, and we're lucky if we make a fraction of their profit, and we still have to depend on the TV station's attitude."
Envy, jealousy, and disbelief permeated the industry.
The astonishing figure after converting US dollars into RMB has further agitated everyone.
The profit from a low-budget horror film may exceed the total annual revenue of many domestic companies.
.......
While domestic peers were still marveling at the huge profits of "Lurking", a meeting about "The Witch" was underway in the conference room of Chasing Light Pictures in the China World Trade Center.
At one end of the huge conference table sat Jiang Yu, director Lu Yang, producer Tian Zhuangzhuang, Han Sanye from China Film Group, and Yang Siwei, who was in charge of pre-production liaison.
On the table were the materials of the female lead candidates submitted through various channels over the past ten days, categorized and covering almost half the table.
The atmosphere was normal at first. Han Sanye and Tian Zhuangzhuang occasionally exchanged opinions in low voices, Lu Yang nervously flipped through the pages, and Yang Siwei took notes beside him.
As Jiang Yu delved deeper into the book, his brows gradually furrowed.
He picked up a resume, glanced at it, put it down, then picked up another one, his eyes becoming somewhat sharp.
"Siwei, Luyang," Jiang Yu's voice broke the silence in the room, revealing no emotion, but carrying a chilling calmness.
"This one, Li Binbin, born in 1973, is 34 this year. Zhang Ziyi, born in 1979. Zhou Xun, born in 1974. Fan Xiaopang, just barely turned 31 in 1981; and this one, Zhang Baizhi, born in 1980. Zhao Bafei, born in 1976. Lin Xinru, born in 1976, is 31..."
With each name he read out, he pushed the impressive resume to the empty space in the middle of the table.
Those whose names were called were all top-tier actresses currently in the Chinese entertainment industry, box office guarantees that countless production companies would love to have.
Lu Yang's face turned slightly red, and he lowered his head, not daring to look at Jiang Yu.
Yang Siwei also looked embarrassed and explained, "President Jiang, many of these were handed over through partners or senior colleagues, so it wasn't easy to refuse them directly. I just accepted them first, thinking that if there were any particularly suitable ones..."
"Especially suitable?" Jiang Yu interrupted her, his voice suddenly rising an octave, his gaze sweeping over Lu Yang and Yang Siwei.
"The first requirement for the female lead is that she must be between 18 and 25 years old. This is a hard requirement! It's not just for show! No matter how good an actress's acting skills are or how famous she is, how can an actress who is 29, 30, or 33 years old play a role that portrays a girlish character between 18 and 22 years old? Rely on makeup? Rely on post-production? Or rely on the audience's self-hypnosis?"
His tone turned stern, carrying an undeniable accusation: "This is casting, not a matter of personal favors! If the basic requirements aren't met, it's a waste of our time and irresponsible towards the project!"
Jiang Yu tossed the last resume of someone over the age limit into the pile of A-list actresses, making a slight sound, then looked at Lu Yang and Yang Siwei and said, word by word.
"Here, there's no such thing as a 'no' application; it's simply a matter of whether it meets the criteria or not. No matter who submits it, no matter how prestigious they are, it's immediately filed away, not even going through the initial screening! Our time and energy are precious, understand?"
Lu Yang, sweating profusely from the scolding, quickly nodded, "Understood, President Jiang! It was my fault for not overseeing things properly!"
Yang Siwei quickly admitted her mistake: "It was my fault, President Jiang. I will definitely strictly follow the screening criteria next time."
Han Sanye and Tian Zhuangzhuang, who were standing nearby, exchanged a glance and both saw a hint of surprise in each other's eyes.
"This kid's got some interesting qualities," Han Sanye thought to himself. "He's not a hothead; he really has a sense of right and wrong, and he dares to show it. You need this kind of drive to do big things."
Tian Zhuangzhuang also spoke up, his voice calm yet firm: "President Jiang is right. Casting is the first step in filmmaking, and also one of the most crucial. The fit of the role is always the most important thing. Fame and personal connections should come second."
Jiang Yu's expression softened slightly. He waved his hand and said, "Put away all those who are over the age limit. Let's continue looking at those who meet the criteria."
.......
Jiang Yu resumed his screening process, his gaze quickly sweeping over the documents, sometimes pausing, sometimes skimming over them.
Suddenly, his finger stopped on a resume and gently pulled it away.
The girl on the resume has a clear, slightly naive smile; she is Liu Yifei.
According to the information, she was born in 87, just turned 20, grew up in the United States, and is a native English speaker. She has appeared in many well-known TV series such as "The Story of a Noble Family," "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils," "Chinese Paladin," and "The Return of the Condor Heroes," as well as films such as "Mayday," "Love Winner," and the recently completed "The Forbidden Kingdom." Attached are some photos of her living abroad.
Jiang Yu looked at the familiar yet unfamiliar face in the photo, paused slightly, and without any extra expression, simply placed the resume in a separate "to be further evaluated" area on the right.
Then, he took out several more copies:
Yang Mi: Born in 86, currently studying at Beijing Film Academy. She has already played roles such as Guo Xiang in "The Return of the Condor Heroes". She is quirky and has expressive eyes.
Bai Bing: Born in 86, she was known as "Little Kim Hee-sun" and had a pure and innocent image.
Bai Xue: Graduated from the Central Academy of Drama in 84 and starred in "Days Related to Youth".
Jiang Yan: Born in 83, just over 25 years old, with a unique artistic temperament.
Wan Qian: Born in 82, graduated from Shanghai Theatre Academy, with a strong foundation in stage plays.
Tang Yan: Born in 83, she graduated from the Central Academy of Drama and was known as the "Campus Belle of the Central Academy of Drama".
Liu Shishi: Born in 87, graduated from Beijing Dance Academy, with a refined and classical temperament.
Huang Shengyi: Born in 83, she debuted as a "Star Girl" and has high popularity.
Wang Luodan: She rose to fame in 84 with her role as Mi Lai in the TV series "Struggle", and her personality was distinctive.
Zhang Jiani: She debuted in 87 through the "Finding Zi Ling" talent show, and is known for her pure and gentle appearance.
Jing Tian: Born in 88, currently studying at Beijing Film Academy, the youngest student, and according to the information, he has excellent grades in his major courses.
The information about a pair of twin sisters also attracted attention; many of these names were famous in his memories of his past life.
His selection criteria were simple: strict age requirement and performance experience.
"Alright," Jiang Yu clapped his hands and looked at Lu Yang and Tian Zhuangzhuang, "The preliminary list is here. The next round requires arranging interviews and audition scenes. Lu Yang, you and Teacher Tian should discuss and finalize the audition content as soon as possible. It should fully assess the actors' comprehension, expressiveness, versatility, as well as their psychological qualities and professional attitude."
Lu Yang quickly wrote it down: "Okay, Mr. Jiang! Teacher Tian and I will prepare the audition plan right away."
At this moment, Third Master Han chuckled and said, "President Jiang's decisive and efficient manner reminds me of when we were making movies back in the day. Casting has to be done this way, one thing at a time. Otherwise, there will be a lot of trouble later. This is a good start."
Tian Zhuangzhuang nodded: "I've looked at the list, and each one has its own characteristics."
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