Chapter 2119 Ye Ming’s Ambition

This discussion is said to have changed some concepts of Chinese filmmakers.

Although even the person involved, Ye Ming, did not admit that he had caused such consequences, many filmmakers have actually said that it was precisely because they saw Ye Ming’s ambitious analysis at the celebration banquet that this Only then did they have truly systematic ambitions to go global.

To promote Chinese films to the world is not only Ye Ming’s ambition, but also the ambition of other filmmakers.

What is the difference between a person without ambition and a salted fish? If a salted fish wants to turn over, it still needs many conditions. The key point is ambition.

This point began to spread in the Chinese film circle from Ye Ming's conversation at the celebration banquet.

Although it may not be said that it can achieve immediate results, as long as it can take root and sprout, it will one day bloom brilliant flowers and bear abundant fruits.

Ye Ming found two top filmmakers in Hollywood, one is a director and producer, and the other is a superstar. This also opened everyone's eyes to see how top Hollywood filmmakers play movies.

Lucas, even in Hollywood, is a top director, and he is also a producer. It seems that this is a standard feature for big-name directors in Hollywood.

Generally speaking, if the director is a big enough name, he will definitely find a way to get the position of producer of the movie. Even if he cannot become the sole producer, he will still have to do it no matter what. Find a co-producer position.

Of course, if a director is not famous enough in Hollywood, he still has to pretend to be a grandson.

And Lucas, after all, is at the level of a top director, so it is only natural for him to be a producer.

At this time, Ye Ming asked a very unexpected question: "Director Lucas, I have a question for you. As a senior in the entertainment industry, you must be very familiar with movies.

I think you should be clear about the difference between Chinese movies and Hollywood movies. Some people say it is a problem with the film concept, while others say it is a problem with the equipment.

What is it specifically like? What do you think? "This is a rather acute question. It is undeniable that when it comes to movies at this time, most national movies in the world cannot compete with Hollywood.

Whether it's the Rabbit Family, the Bear Family, or John Bull Hans, or other European countries, it's the same. Under the super publicity of Hollywood, they will all be defeated one after another.

The same is true in China. In the past, a Hollywood blockbuster was enough to take China's box office for half a year.

This is the gap.

Back then, Titanic swept across China and generated more than 300 million in box office revenue, which was basically one-third of China’s box office that year.

How arrogant this is. It seems that back then, a ticket for the Titanic cost 80 yuan, and scalpers had more than 100 people.

You know, the basic salary of a worker back then was four to five hundred yuan, which was already considered a worker's salary in a place with good economic benefits.

In 1998, the average salary in China seemed to be more than 500. You know, this is official statistics. What is the actual situation? Haha, you should understand this.

According to official statistics, China's per capita annual income is less than 100,000 yuan. Do you think you are holding the country back?

Anyway, if two people watched Titanic back then, it would cost basically half a month’s salary in total. For ordinary workers, even half a month’s salary might not be enough.

However, even so, the Titanic was still able to create an achievement of 60 million yuan at that time. Such an achievement was achieved in 1998, which is jaw-dropping enough.

Although Titanic is a special case, it can also be seen how powerful the influence of Hollywood movies is.

If any movie in China dared to charge such a high ticket price at that time, it would definitely be criticized as a dog. But why is it that there are no problems with Hollywood movies and there are still so many people rushing to watch them? This is the gap between Hollywood movies and Chinese and even world movies.

The Titanic swept the world, not only in China, but also in other places around the world.

In such a matter, Ye Ming wanted to use Lucas to make everyone understand some issues.

Lucas thought about it for a while and then said: "Actually, when it comes to the gap, I have also seen it in the movie hardware, and there is not much of a gap.

In terms of hardware, Chinese filmmakers are definitely at the world-class level. Even if there is a slight gap between them and the top Hollywood crews, they are not much different from the first-class crews.

China's peers are now very willing to invest in hardware, and I know this very well. As for the gap in movie concepts, it’s not as big as you think.

Chinese movies are now starting to have blockbuster films on the rise. Therefore, it is not a question of philosophy. The problem is ambition. "

This is exactly the answer Ye Ming wants. Although Lucas's answer made the colleagues at the scene stunned. Ambition, is ambition also a good thing?

From the perspective of Chinese film craze, or even from the perspective of Chinese culture, ambition has never been a good thing.

Ye Ming immediately asked: "Does this matter have anything to do with ambition? We Chinese filmmakers lack ambition, right?"

We just need to make good movies, why do we need so much ambition? Winning awards internationally is what we need. What is ambition? "

Director Lucas immediately looked at Ye Ming with contempt and said, "You are a person who can stand up and talk without hurting your back. The ambition I am talking about is actually that most filmmakers in China do not have this kind of ambition."

Of course, such an ambition does not include you. You are the most ambitious Chinese movie star I have ever encountered. Even in Hollywood, you are very ambitious.

You are an alternative to China, but Ye Ming is Ye Ming, you are the only one. When I say that Chinese films lack ambition, I am actually talking about most of their peers.

As a filmmaker, you must have ambition.

Chinese films have no problems in terms of concepts, technology, even shooting methods, and actors' acting skills.

But the problem is that Chinese filmmakers have no ambition.

Even if Chinese filmmakers want to win international awards, the ultimate goal of winning awards is actually to make more money from their films.

This is the ambition of Chinese filmmakers. Generally speaking, even if it is an award-winning film, Chinese filmmakers will sell it to European and American film companies.

It’s just that the price of award-winning movies may be a little higher.

This is the biggest ambition of Chinese filmmakers at present. But this is not enough. Many of you filmmakers don’t want to expand their territories at all.

For example, if you want to publish something, can’t you publish it yourself? Even if you don’t have a distribution channel yourself, wouldn’t you negotiate the distribution price with publishers in European and American countries one by one? Why do you have to sell your carefully shot movies to film companies?

You know, if you talk to each other, once or twice, this is how the connections come out. "

Feng Xiaogang didn't like hearing this, even though it was Lucas on the stage, he was a god-level director even in Hollywood.

But what kind of person is a little steel cannon? He just likes to fire cannons in China, not to mention that this guy Lucas is belittling Chinese filmmakers intentionally or unintentionally.

Although this is partly true, there is no problem for the Chinese people to say that you, a foreigner, are a well-fed man and do not know that a hungry man is hungry.

Therefore, Feng Xiaogang said unceremoniously: "Director Lucas, I don't like hearing what you are saying.

In fact, it's not that we don't want to distribute it abroad, but we don't have this opportunity at all.

When I go there, people either don’t want to give me a price, or they give me a cabbage price, like hundreds of thousands of dollars or something like that.

Coupled with cultural differences, Chinese films are indeed not very popular in the Western market. "

Lucas didn't feel angry because his words were contradicted. Because he believes that the truth becomes clearer with more debate.

Therefore, Lucas immediately said: "Cultural differences? Yes, of course, there are certain cultural differences between East and West.

But this difference does not mean that there is no way to bridge it.

For example, your Chinese film "Yu Guang Qu", the cartoon "Havoc in Heaven", and "Yellow Earth", "Red Sorghum", "Raise the Red Lantern", "Farewell My Concubine", etc. are also films that reflect Eastern civilization, but in the West It is also quite marketable.

It’s just that your director has not gone out to break into the market. For this kind of thing, to open up the market, there must be a leader, and someone will take it step by step. Only in this way will the market become bigger and bigger.

But now looking at the Chinese film market, except for Ye Ming, the remaining directors, even Zhang Yimou and Chen Kaige, have no real lock on the market of recommending and selling themselves to the West. At most, they can be sold after winning awards, and It's basically a one-time deal like a buyout.

In fact, as long as there are good movies, let alone cultural restrictions, these are all excuses.

As long as you want to open up the market, one director can't make two, and two can't make three. After generations of people accumulate it, you can always go out.

How do you think Japanese movies have gone international? Why do Westerners think of Japanese culture when many people talk about Eastern civilization?

In fact, their directors have been recommending their films to the West for generations. As time goes by, Japanese films have naturally become famous internationally.

But even now, it has developed to this point. In the West, Ye Ming is fighting alone.

I haven't seen how other Chinese directors are fighting for their own country and nation's films in the West.

Most of you, or even the vast majority of fellow film directors, regard the box office of Chinese movies as one thing and don't care at all about the international impact of your movies.

This is the most inappropriate thing. Your director basically refuses to go out.

In fact, even if it fails, you can still gain recognition for Chinese films internationally, but you haven't done that.

It can be said that your film market is large and developing very quickly, but your films are more about wandering in your own circle. Think about it, even if you went out when you were in the Yellow Land, you are still the same now. It's been almost twenty years.

No matter what happens, twenty years of hard work will lay a foundation for the latecomers of your Chinese film industry in the international market.

But you didn't do anything like this, and you even said you didn't take such a thing to heart at all.

At times like this, what the Japanese do is relatively smart. They are generations of filmmakers who have promoted Japanese culture.

As for China, one of the four major civilizations, are you worse than others? Impossible, it would even mean that you have the deepest cultural heritage and the only one without any gaps.

But now, except for Ye Ming, who is working alone, other directors have no ambition to enter the international market. "

It's a bit harsh to say this, but it is a fact, and it is a very obvious fact.

Among these great domestic directors, who doesn’t want to go international? But except for Zhang Yimou and Chen Kaige, no other director can go global.

This has to be said to be a very sad thing. Lucas can easily see some of the shortcomings of Chinese filmmakers.

In the past, he was unwilling to say who would offend his peers in the Chinese film market.

Do you want your own movies to be shown in China? Therefore, Lucas was actually quite angry about such a thing this time, and he was able to say such things.

But then even the angry Feng Xiaogang began to ponder a question, that is, in such a situation, is what Lucas said right? Chinese filmmakers, if you think about it carefully, Feng Xiaogang is also in the circle people.

Regarding a question like this, although Lucas's words were a bit direct and a bit unpleasant, if you think about it carefully, it is indeed a question like this.

It is impossible for Chinese films to be stored in warehouses at home, as there are Western film businessmen willing to buy them.

This is an impossible thing. It is impossible for people to come to China. Chinese movies do not have such a status.

Therefore, going out and promoting the movie is the only option. Japan, in fact, has been doing this for a long time.

Promote your own movies one by one. If one director is not enough, we need another director.

If one generation of directors is not enough, then two generations will be needed. If this is the case, there will always be success.

Japanese movies, and even Japanese culture, in other words, gradually reveal their own national culture in front of Western culture and Western elites.

Although most of this culture is plagiarized from China, the Japanese publicize it well, and the natural effect is much better. (To be continued)