Chapter 5: When Rich, Don't Forget Each Other
“What, are you preparing to shoot a movie now?”
Among the three, Ning Hao had the most practical experience. Not only had he recently joined the crew of chinese-style divorce before the New Year, but his graduation project, incense, had also won a grand prize at the Tokyo Ginza Film Festival. Although it flopped terribly, his experience was indeed the most extensive.
“Yeah, I wrote a script during the Spring Festival, and I want to make it into a movie.”
Zhang Chen didn’t deny it. Making a movie is something almost every Beijing Film Academy student considers; the only difference is whether they can actually bring it to fruition.
“Did you bring the script? Let me see.”
Hearing this, Ning Hao immediately became interested.
“I did.”
Zhang Chen took the script out of his bag and handed it over. Ning Hao didn't even bother to eat, taking it and starting to flip through it.
But as soon as he held it, he felt the thickness was off. He flipped to the back and looked up in surprise: “You even drew storyboards and shot lists?”
Zhang Chen smiled and nodded: “It’s my first work, so I definitely want to be as prepared as possible.”
The dining table suddenly fell silent. Ning Hao read the script, and Cao Bingkun looked at the storyboards.
After a long while, they exchanged them, and when they looked up again, their eyes were filled with disbelief.
“Chen Zi, did you really come up with this story?”
“Yes.”
“The script is really good. How did you think of it? I thought your first movie would definitely be more artistic, but it turned out to be a complete commercial film.”
Ning Hao marveled. Zhang Chen thought, “You actually guessed right.”
If he hadn’t been reborn, his first movie really would have been an art film, and then he would have wasted twenty years.
This time, he would not make the same mistake no matter what.
Cao Bingkun also smacked his lips next to him: “Chen Zi, I have to tell you, your heart is too dark.”
“?”
“How twisted does one have to be to think of putting a group of young girls in a cave to be killed by monsters? The most incomprehensible thing is that there isn’t a single male character in the entire movie. You’re not leaving me any opportunities at all.”
At first, Zhang Chen didn't understand what Cao Bingkun was getting at, but then he realized he was just messing around.
“It’s not like there are no male characters. Don’t just focus on the protagonist’s side; look more at the antagonist’s side…”
“The antagonist’s side, you mean those monsters?”
“Hahaha, I said it was tailor-made for you, do you believe me?”
“Ah, I get it now, you’re calling me ugly to my face! Don’t run, take this flying kick!”
The group laughed and joked. Cao Bingkun’s movements were a bit exaggerated, drawing stares from the next table, which made him quiet down.
Ning Hao asked again from the side: “Is the investment settled?”
When he filmed incense, he couldn't get investment, so he ended up paying for it himself, spending over 40,000 yuan. As a result, he was the screenwriter, director, and cinematographer, and his only equipment was a DV camera.
Zhang Chen shook his head: “Not yet. I plan to ask a teacher first.”
Ning Hao nodded: “Asking a teacher is right, but don’t have too much hope. The school might give a lot of support in other areas, but when it comes to attracting investment…”
Ning Hao was an experienced person and understood some of the school’s situations.
Zhang Chen actually knew that the Beijing Film Academy was the highest institution in China’s film and television industry. To assemble a crew, all personnel, both in front of and behind the camera, could be found there, and their skill level was high.
However, when it came to attracting investment, even teachers found it difficult to secure funding for their own movies, let alone students.
Speaking of which, making a movie is really expensive. Not to mention anything else, just for a student in the directing department like Zhang Chen, the annual expenses were beyond what an ordinary family could afford.
In the directing department, a semester usually involved three to four assignments, each requiring about 1,500 to 2,000 yuan to complete filming. This amounted to 20,000 yuan a year, effectively doubling the tuition fees.
Not to mention, a graduation project, a short film of about 20 minutes, also needed to be submitted, with an average cost of 100,000 yuan. Even with extreme frugality, it couldn't be less than 50,000 yuan.
You should know, this was 2004.
That’s why there’s that saying: it’s not recommended for children from ordinary families to study directing. The cost is too high; their path to growth is essentially nurtured with money, and crucially, they might not even succeed in the end.
“Come, for Chen Zi, let’s have a toast~”
Ning Hao proposed, and everyone raised their glasses.
The cold liquor couldn’t extinguish the enthusiasm in everyone’s hearts.
“Chen Zi, when are you starting to shoot? Let me know, and I’ll be your cinematographer.”
Ning Hao patted his chest and took on the responsibility. Zhang Chen was naturally happy; he had planned to do so, but hadn’t figured out how to ask, and Ning Hao had offered first.
At this time, Ning Hao was actually already somewhat famous. He studied photography and was very good at shooting commercials and music videos, often taking on many private jobs. Otherwise, where do you think he got the money to make his movie?
Cao Bingkun spoke up from beside them: “Let me know too; I, your humble servant, will come and help you.”
Seeing the atmosphere was right, Zhang Chen also adopted the water margin style, raising his glass: “My two elder brothers are righteous, I, your younger brother Zhang Chen, toast to my two elder brothers~”
Ning Hao also raised his glass: “When rich, don't forget each other.”
Cao Bingkun: “When brothers are of one heart, their sharpness can cut through metal.”
“Cheers~”
“Cheers!”
...
The next morning, Zhang Chen woke up thirsty, his head throbbing.
Yesterday, they initially ordered 9 bottles, then another 9, after which he blacked out.
That's the downside of beer; too much leads to a headache the next day.
Cao Bingkun happened to push the door open, saw Zhang Chen sitting in a daze, and handed him a breakfast.
“Awake? If you’re awake, eat something, so your stomach doesn’t hurt.”
Hmm? Why does that sound like something my dad would say? Old Cao, are you taking advantage of me?
Then Zhang Chen suddenly jolted, his hand fumbling around him: “Where’s my script?”
“Don’t worry, it’s on the table, perfectly fine. You probably don’t remember how you were yesterday; you were clearly incoherent, but you just clung to your script, saying it was your chance to make a comeback. I don’t even know where that ‘comeback’ part came from…”
Cao Bingkun complained as he handed over the script. He, on the other hand, looked perfectly fine, even getting up early to buy breakfast.
Seeing the script was unharmed, Zhang Chen finally relaxed.
“Are you sober yet? If you’re sober, quickly wash your face and eat. After eating, I’ll go with you to register the company.”
Zhang Chen nodded. What he wanted to make were theatrical movies, and the first step for theatrical movies was script registration.
But before that, he had to register a company first, because the law stipulated that in China, individuals could not obtain filming permits.
Registering a company also had another benefit: it could legally avoid taxes.
If it were an individual, the portion exceeding 100,000 would be subject to a 45% personal income tax, which was painful to even think about. For a company, however, only 25% of the net profit needed to be paid. Plus, many places had support policies for film and television companies, which could save a lot of money overall.
After eating, Cao Bingkun followed Zhang Chen to complete the company registration procedures.
The capital had good support for film and television companies, so Zhang Chen didn't need to specifically go to Hengdian.
The company's name was also simple, taken from his name: Starry Sky Entertainment.
Registering a company was simple, costing a few hundred yuan. Additionally, Zhang Chen made a trip to the copyright office to register the copyright for the descent before returning to school.