Chapter 52: Schedule Clash
Chapter 52: Schedule Clash
Hotel Room
After removing her makeup, Fan Binbin logged into her email and saw the script sent by Zhang Chen. It was only a few tens of thousands of words and she finished reading it quickly.
But she was a little confused as to why it was not "Dark Raid 2" as promised, but turned into a story of escaping from a shark's mouth.
When she thought of sharks, the first things that came to her mind were "Jaws" and "Infernal Affairs". The former is a classic shot by Spielberg, and the latter is a shark-themed movie that was released a few years ago and had very good box office results.
However, this type of film has never appeared in China.
Moreover, the setting of the film is also very special. There is only one actress and a shark in the whole film, and the whole story revolves around the man and the beast.
Very novel.
But it can also be seen that this kind of film must rely heavily on special effects.
If the special effects are good, the movie will most likely be great; if the special effects are not good, it will be a bad movie.
Special effects are very expensive. Can China reach a qualified level?
Sister Hua's phone call just came in
"Not the sequel to Dark Invasion?"
"No, it's a story about a surfer escaping from a shark's jaws."
"The Jaws kind of thing?"
"Somewhat similar."
"What do you think of the script?"
"Hmm... I can't tell..."
"can not tell?"
Wang Jinghua expressed doubts, saying that Fan Binbin was already a famous actor, so how could he not be able to tell the difference between a good script and a bad one.
Fan Binbin on the other end of the phone didn't know how to describe it: "How should I put it? The story is very simple. It's about a girl who went surfing, was attacked by a shark, was trapped in the middle of the ocean, and finally survived.
Just looking at the script, there's really nothing special about the story. Whether it's well filmed or not depends entirely on the director's skills.
If the shots are good, the tense atmosphere is well created, and the special effects are realistic, then it is a good movie. On the contrary, if any part is not done well, then it is a terrible movie. "
"So what do you think?"
Wang Jinghua heard hesitation in Fan Binbin's words. At the same time, she was not sure what Zhang Chen's attitude was. It didn't seem like Zhang Chen was deliberately trying to trick her. It would only benefit Zhang Chen if he cooperated with Fan Binbin. Besides, she had also signed Zeng Li yesterday, showing enough goodwill.
But why did Zhang Chen give up the sequel that was sure to make money and instead make such a shark movie?
"I want to give it a try~"
In the end, Fan Binbin on the other end of the phone made the decision.
In fact, she was a little confused. After all, it was the first time she had seen such a strange script. It was almost a one-man show, and it was a monster movie that had never appeared in China before.
But she still decided to give it a try, since it was only a one-month schedule.
She had her own considerations in making this decision. It was she who proposed the cooperation in the beginning.
Now that she sees that it is not a sequel to a hit movie, she backs off. This is not something that Fan Binbin would do.
What's the matter? You take advantage of the benefits but give in when you see the risks?
Fan Binbin didn't want to leave such an impression on Zhang Chen. Although she was a woman, she was a man of her words.
What's more, she actually has her own little plans.
After being in the entertainment industry for so many years, Fan Binbin thinks he has seen through many things.
Although there are so many movies released every year, there are really only a few companies that make money.
The new picture counts as one because it is tied to Zhang Yimou.
Her employer Huayi Brothers is also one of them because he is tied to Feng Xiaogang.
The remaining one is Bona. Bona is not tied to a certain director, it is tied to the entire Hong Kong circle.
Therefore, the director is crucial to the success of a film.
But there are only a few good directors, and the spots have long been taken away.
She couldn't get involved with those famous directors anymore, so she decided to go for new directors. Otherwise, why would she rush to work with Zhang Chen? She was afraid that someone else would get there first.
She is not the only smart person in the circle, otherwise why do so many well-known actresses end up marrying directors.
Wang Jinghua also supports Fan Binbin's idea.
She saw it more clearly than Fan Binbin. Zhang Chen's first work could get a box office of 6000 million, which even exceeded that of all domestic directors except Zhang Yimou.
What does this prove? Does it mean that Zhang Chen also has the potential to become a famous director? At the very least, he can become a famous director like Feng Xiaogang and rely on box office success.
As an agent, she certainly wouldn't object if her actors could establish a good relationship with a famous director in advance.
Even if her subordinates don't behave well, she will urge them to show kindness.
Not long after, Zhang Chen received a call from Fan Binbin.
"Director Zhang, I've accepted this role. I want to ask, when does Director Zhang plan to start filming?"
Fan Binbin is a smart person. She didn't mention why the script she sent was not "The Dark Rises 2". Since the other party sent this, they must have their considerations. If she was picky about it during their first collaboration, she would be immature.
Zhang Chen thought for a moment and said, "Probably early September."
The early preparations for the film take some time, and the most important thing is that he has to find a suitable location for filming "The Shallows".
But when Fan Binbin on the other side heard this time, he misunderstood.
"Director Zhang, are you planning to release the Lunar New Year movie?"
"That's not the case~"
The Chinese New Year comes early this year, in December, but Zhang Chen is not prepared to compete for the Lunar New Year box office.
There are "A World Without Thieves" and "Kung Fu", so there is no need for him to join in the fun.
Comedy films are invincible during the Spring Festival. During the New Year, everyone wants to watch something that can make them laugh. His "The Shallows" does not have any advantages.
What's more, they are Feng Xiaogang and Zhou Xingxing, who are currently the two best comedies in China.
"Oh, I misunderstood. Director Zhang, can we discuss whether the filming of The Shallows can start a month later? I have other filming contracts right now. Even if I communicate with them and focus on filming my scenes, I probably won't be able to get away from the crew until October..."
After hearing what Fan Binbin said, Zhang Chen was embarrassed this time: "But Mr. Binbin, I plan to shoot this movie on location. September is fine, but if we wait until October, the temperature will be too low."
His last play was shot in a studio, eliminating most of the external uncontrollable factors, so it went very smoothly.
The pure shooting took only 22 days, plus the pre-production and post-production, it took about two months in total.
This movie "The Shallows" is actually not complicated, because the story is simple, there is only one protagonist, and there are only more than 200 shots in total, and even with special effects shots, there are less than 300 shots.
You should know that the number of shots in a general movie is between 400 and 800. If it is more complicated, the number of shots may be more than 1000.
The 300 in "The Shallows" are really few.
When Fan Binbin heard this situation, he also hesitated.
She also knew that if she wanted to take real photos of the ocean in October, she could only go to Sanya, as it was basically impossible to go to the sea in other places after the beginning of autumn.
"But I'm worried about Director Wang Jing..."
Time waits for no one here, but director Wang Jing doesn't seem to be easy to talk to over there, so Fan Binbin is in a dilemma.
Hearing the name Wang Jing, Zhang Chen suddenly thought of something: "Teacher Binbin, can you tell me which drama you are filming now?"
"It's not inconvenient. The play I'm filming now is called "Little Fish and Flowerless". It's a co-production. The producer is Ciwen Media and the director is Wang Jing, the same Wang Jing from Hong Kong Island."
"The leading actors are Xie Tingfeng and Zhang Weijian?"
"Yes, Director Zhang knows this play?"
"Yeah. I know."
How could I not know? Xie Bi Wang and Zhang Weijian beat up the White Dragon Horse.
(End of this chapter)