Chapter 142 Movies in Hollywood

On May 6, Liu Zhou flew across the Pacific Ocean and arrived in Santa Monica, Los Angeles, the United States.

Although Lionsgate is an independent film company that originated in the United States, it has moved its headquarters to Santa Monica.

As soon as he got off the plane, Liu Zhou met his old acquaintance Anthony Edwards.

Liu Zhou didn't expect that he would come to pick him up in person. It seems that Lionsgate Films attaches great importance to him.

"Hi Liu, welcome to the City of Angels!"

"Anthony, long time no see."

Seeing how enthusiastic he was, Liu Zhou smiled and walked forward and shook his hand tightly.

After the two exchanged pleasantries for a while, Anthony drove Liu Zhou to the hotel.

On the way, Anthony Edwards said to Liu Zhou while driving:

"Liu, your script is so cool. You may not know that our company's internal investment committee quickly reviewed and approved your script. Next, we can sign the contract directly."

“Uh, you Lionsgate also have an investment committee?”

"Liu, don't look down on us, Lionsgate. Although we are not as good as the Big Seven in Hollywood, we are also the largest independent production company in Hollywood and we have all the necessary departments."

"Well, I thought only big companies had investment committees, but I didn't expect Lionsgate to be a big company in the industry."

"Your praise is too perfunctory. Once you really get in touch with Lionsgate, you will know how great this company is."

Seeing Edwards' proud look, Liu Zhou said nothing more. The word "great" has been overused by foreigners.

Along the way, Edwards never stopped talking, introducing Liu Zhou to the customs and culture of Los Angeles and the characteristics of Hollywood.

Why didn't Liu Zhou notice that he was such a chatterbox before?

Look at his skin color, is he pure white?
"Anthony, actually I have always had a question in my mind. Why would you, Lionsgate, consider inviting me to Hollywood to make a movie?" Liu Zhou suddenly asked.

"Liu, you don't think that we at Lionsgate want to cheat you, do you?"

"Of course not. I'm just confused. You know, Hollywood has always been very exclusive."

“But we are a film company from the Maple Leaf Country, haha!”

"Don't be kidding!"

Edwards saw that Liu Zhou was a little serious, so he stopped smiling and said seriously:
“This story begins when our company was founded…”

Liu Zhou's face suddenly turned black, and he said unhappily:

"Can you please keep it short?"

"Okay, Liu, you Chinese are too serious. We at Lionsgate started out as an independent film company and have never been well received by the mainstream Hollywood circle.

What you just said about Hollywood being xenophobic is true, but that is only the mainstream film and television industry headed by the Big Seven in Hollywood. We at Lionsgate are not xenophobic.

We at Lionsgate spend a lot of time and energy every year at various film festivals, looking for unsung films and outstanding filmmakers.

And you are what we consider to be an excellent filmmaker internally.”

"I'm a little curious, how come you think I'm excellent? My results in China shouldn't be of any reference value to you, right?"

“Of course it’s because of your The Piano Tuner. The film made back its costs through distribution in Europe and the United States, and the American adaptation has achieved good results in the United States.

We feel that you are different from those Chinese directors. The stories in your movies are also very attractive to us. It's just that the box office here is not high because they don't star Westerners.

So we decided to invite you to come to Hollywood to shoot a movie starring Westerners."

"Well, it seems I have to be proud of my talent."

"Liu, it seems you can also joke."

"You got it first!"

After a while, Edwards sent Liu Zhou to the hotel booked for him.

"Liu, you take a rest first. I'll pick you up to go to our company tomorrow."

After saying that, he left. Liu Zhou was also exhausted at this moment, but he couldn't sleep yet. He had to wait until night.

After watching some explicit American TV series for several hours, Liu Zhou finally made it to the evening. He took a bath and fell asleep soon after.

The next day, Liu Zhou slept until he woke up naturally. After washing up, Edwards just drove downstairs.

The hotel is not far from the Lionsgate Films headquarters, and it takes less than 20 minutes to get there.

Edwards then took Liu Zhou to a reception room where a middle-aged man was sitting.

"Liu, let me introduce you to Jaylen Brown, the production director of our company. You will be in charge of the detailed contract negotiation."

After saying this, Edwards went out. He was the head of the distribution department of Lionsgate and was also very busy.

Liu Zhou and Jaylen Brown briefly greeted each other and then got down to business.

In fact, most of the other conditions have been agreed upon, and only the final investment issue has not been determined.

"Mr. Liu, do you really want to invest in Source Code? In Hollywood, almost no director will invest in his own movie, except George Lucas.

But even George Lucas was founded for special circumstances, and his film company was only established for Star Wars.”

"Of course, I have confidence in myself and in the movie Source Code."

That’s right, the script that Liu Zhou submitted to Lionsgate was “Source Code”, a classic movie from the previous life.

This movie was highly praised in later generations. Although the investment was not huge, the box office was very good, earning nearly 70 million US dollars in the United States and over 100 million US dollars worldwide.

Don’t think that later Hollywood movies all have box office revenues of hundreds of millions, billions, or even billions. But before the rise of superhero movies, there were not many Hollywood movies with box office revenues of over 100 million.

Even after the rise of superhero movies, a box office of over 100 million is considered a good result.

If Liu Zhou wants to gain a foothold in Hollywood, it is impossible to rely on awards, he can only rely on box office.

The movie "Source Code" was not made with a large investment, did not use many special effects, and had good box office, making it a perfect choice for his first movie in Hollywood.

In fact, Liu Zhou could have filmed this movie in China, and it would have received very good reviews, and it could even have stimulated the domestic science fiction atmosphere.

But don’t expect too much from the overseas box office.

We have to admit that Hollywood is the center of world cinema. Only by filming "Source Code" into a Hollywood movie can the potential of this film be fully realized.

Moreover, Liu Zhou became famous in Hollywood for his science fiction films, which can even further stimulate the enthusiasm for science fiction in China.

"Okay, since you insist, we can agree, but your investment share cannot exceed 20 percent."

"no problem!"

After the final differences were settled, Jaylen Brown had a new contract made.

Liu Zhou didn't stay long and left with the contract.

In the United States, it is common sense that any contract cannot be signed casually. Liu Zhou must take it to a lawyer to check it out first to make sure there are no problems before signing.

Three days later, Liu Zhou found Jaylen Brown again with the contract.

Lionsgate did not play any tricks. After Liu Zhou tried to fight for the final editing rights to no avail, he gave up insisting and signed his name.

The total investment of "Source Code" was 20 million US dollars, of which Liu Zhou invested 3.5 million US dollars and his own salary of 500,000 as director and screenwriter totaled 4 million, accounting for 20% of the film.

Liu Zhou not only enjoys a corresponding proportion of the box office revenue, but also enjoys subsequent copyright revenue.

In Hollywood, subsequent copyright revenue is the bulk of the revenue, while box office revenue accounts for a smaller proportion of total revenue.

After signing the contract, Jaylen Brown looked much more relaxed and said with a smile:

"Mr. Liu, it's a pleasure to work with you!"

"Happy cooperation!"

"This is Jayson Tatum. He will be the producer of 'Source Code'. If you have any problems during the filming, you can ask him for help." Jaylen Brown said, pointing to the person next to him.

After saying that, Jaylen Brown left first, leaving only Liu Zhou and Tatum in the meeting room.

Liu Zhou didn't know how to start, but Tatum quickly got into the mood and said:

"Mr. Liu, I will help you assemble the crew within half a month. Do you have any familiar partners in Hollywood?"

"Uh, no."

"If not, I will help you find the most suitable one, then we can decide on the actor first."

"Okay, is this an open audition?"

"It depends on you. If you have a target candidate, then there is no need to audition. I will invite them."

In Hollywood, producers have more power than directors.

But Tatum received a notice from his superiors to try to follow Liu Zhou's opinions on the filming, otherwise he would not be so polite to this Chinese man.

"Then let's wait for a moment. Let me think about it."

"No problem. If you need anything, you can contact me directly. This is my business card. I'm going to be busy now."

Watching Tatum leave in a hurry, Liu Zhou found himself being thrown here.

Thinking of this, Liu Zhou couldn't help but smile bitterly, and then returned to the hotel.

To be honest, I'm used to making movies in China, so I'm a little uncomfortable suddenly coming to Hollywood.

In China, the entire crew is headed by Liu Zhou, who is in charge of all matters, big and small.

But in Hollywood, all I have to do is be a director and make good movies.

However, this is also the tradition of Hollywood, and Liu Zhou is reluctant to go against it, and he is also happy to have some free time.

Putting these thoughts aside, Liu Zhou also calmed down and carefully considered the choice of actors.

"Source Code" tells the story of Colt Stevens, a U.S. Air Force pilot who was performing a mission in Afghanistan. When he woke up, he found himself on a train to Chicago and experienced a series of thrilling events.

Under the gimmick of "time travel" and the appearance of a science fiction film, its main narrative element is to create suspense through bombs, and it also uses endless puzzles to create problems for the protagonist;

At the same time, clues are carefully set up to test the audience's carefulness in watching the movie. While the plot is tense, love elements are also set up to adjust the audience's nervousness.

So there are not many main characters in this movie, mainly three, the male protagonist Colt Stevens, the male protagonist's boss Goodwin, and the heroine Christina.

In the previous life, the leading actor of "Source Code" was Gyllenhaal, and he performed very well, but now, he is still relatively young and not very suitable.

As for those popular Hollywood stars, don’t even think about them. The investment in the entire movie may not even be enough to cover their pay.

Although Lionsgate took a liking to me, since this was their first collaboration, they did not dare to invest too much in me. This was one of the reasons why Liu Zhou chose the movie "Source Code".

The male lead of this play is the key, but he needs to have excellent acting skills, be cheap, and have some fame. Liu Zhou really can't think of a suitable candidate.

But Liu Zhou suddenly slapped his head and realized that he had fallen into a misunderstanding.

Many famous Hollywood stars of later generations may still be accumulating fame at this moment.

If you think about it this way, there are many choices.

Liu Zhou quickly narrowed down three candidates for the male lead.

Christian Bale, Hugh Jackman and Robert Downey Jr.

These three people are perfect candidates who meet Liu Zhou's requirements, perhaps only Robert Downey Jr. has some problems.

Liu Zhou remembered that he had a history with laundry detergent before filming "Iron Man" and had been to a drug rehabilitation center, but he didn't know if it was the same now.

But don't worry about it for now, just leave it to Tatum to confirm it when the time comes.

After the candidate for the male lead was decided, there were two female leads left. Among them, Goodwin, the male lead's boss, was an older character, so Liu Zhou planned to leave it to Lionsgate to choose.

There is only one female lead left, Christina, and Liu Zhou has also shortlisted three candidates.

At this time in Hollywood, not only had those male stars not yet risen, but the female stars that we are familiar with later had not yet become completely famous.

Now that you are in Hollywood, how can you not see the charm of those popular actresses when they were young?
So Liu Zhou decisively wrote down the names of Anne Hathaway, Scarlett Johansson and Jessica Alba.

The next day, Liu Zhou gave the list he had shortlisted to Tatum and asked him to contact these people.

After that, Liu Zhou began to confirm the special effects shots that needed to be shot.

There are not many special effects shots in "Source Code", and they are only used in the train explosion scene.

Although there are seven or eight explosion scenes, the special effects shots only need to be produced once.

There are many special effects companies in Hollywood, and there is no need to go to those famous special effects companies for such simple special effects shots.

Lionsgate helped Liu Zhou find a special effects company, and he immediately went to communicate with them about the filming matters.

As the saying goes, "food and supplies must be sent before the army moves." For a movie that requires special effects, the special effects and the movie are basically produced simultaneously.

Generally, the crew determines the shooting plan, and the special effects company comes up with a production plan, using models or CG, or both.

Then we started making various designs, and after going through several processes, we began to produce special effects.

However, the shooting plan also needs to be discussed. After all, the focus of special effects movies is on the special effects, and it is the special effects company that does the special effects.

Taking into account the limited costs, Liu Zhou and the special effects company finally decided to use CG as the main method and models as the supplement.

In China, because labor is cheap and there is enough time and people to make models and conduct repeated experiments, shots that require special effects use physical effects instead of digital effects.

But in Hollywood, it's the opposite. They try to use as little labor as possible.

Just when Liu Zhou was finalizing the shooting plan for the special effects shots with the special effects company, news came from Tatum.

The actors have already been discussed!
(End of this chapter)