mijobooks Your summary of Chapter 80 is very accurate.
Your summary of Chapter 80 is very accurate.
Which director doesn't have ambition? From the moment he picked up the clapperboard and sat behind the camera in his director's seat, Kang Woo-jin was already frantically thinking about the future.
My current collaboration with Columbia Pictures is simply to provide a sufficient safety net for this new director, allowing me to quietly develop my career.
Once you have enough fame, sufficient funds, and market channels, you won't need to worry about so much anymore.
Whether it's the box office revenue share from investments, subsequent profits, or most importantly, copyright income, whoever controls the largest share will reap the greatest benefits.
Even if Kang Woo-jin has the copyrights to a few works now, the profits are too small, not to mention that Hollywood is still dominated by a few giant companies.
Despite his multiple roles as director, screenwriter, investor, and copyright holder, he couldn't compete with the title of distributor.
The only advantage is that he doesn't have to worry about so many other things. Once the movie is finished, he can just wait to collect the money. Even if it loses money, it won't be his turn.
Big companies also have their advantages. If it weren't for the promotion by Columbia Pictures, a giant company, "Lost in Delta" would never have achieved such high box office results.
Having learned of Jiang Youzhen's thoughts, Jiang Jingshu gave up the idea of going to work today. She took a lot of materials and continued to talk about these topics.
My grandfather, who has experience as a producer, could offer some advice, but he hasn't been involved in this field for a long time, so he mostly offered his hopes and encouragement.
Although he rarely leaves his home, he still has a lot to do. While organizing the materials at hand, Jiang Youzhen is also busy writing a script.
In New York, he had Tony contact Oren Parry, whom he had previously been in contact with. Since they were not in New York, they communicated via cell phone and video call on computer.
What frustrated Jiang Youzhen was that Pai Li was in a great financial hurry; he didn't have extra money to buy equipment, and he had no intention of purchasing any.
Kang Woo-jin recommended that he try writing a complete screenplay, but Perry felt it was unnecessary. He thought he could try to write a movie by hand and then produce it as a DVD for release.
It was because they were short of money that they contacted this company, and that's how they got in touch.
Both Kang Woo-jin and Tony were somewhat confused by what he said, and more than that, they were puzzled. But the next moment, Kang Woo-jin took the initiative to suggest that they could collaborate on writing a script.
He had recently collected religious news, biographies, and folk tales. Most of those religions weren't exactly benevolent. Perry had only suggested a haunted house theme, but he had already figured out how to use religion to refine the script.
Perry listened to Kang Woo-jin talk on the other end of the computer for more than an hour, remaining completely bewildered until Tony suddenly reminded him, at which point he quickly nodded in agreement.
Although he didn't understand what the young director meant at all, he understood what Jiang Youzhen said afterward.
A script is a must!
After the video call ended, Jiang Youzhen quickly messaged Tony. He realized that Perry didn't have much ambition, but the movie idea he proposed was indeed good, and perhaps they could sign a contract.
He can write scripts, handle the pre-production preparations, and take care of everything from casting, set design, equipment procurement and rental to editing, production, and distribution.
The contract also included a portion of Perry's compensation and commission, but it was very little, even less than what Tony, the agent and assistant director, received, though the amount was still quite substantial.
Kang Woo-jin asked Pai Li to consider the matter. He was looking forward to it if Pai Li was willing to discuss it further and confirm the cooperation, and he wanted to make this film the first work for which his company had the distribution rights.
After ending the discussion, Jiang Youzhen changed into a hoodie and jeans, and quickly drove to the place where the girl had asked him to meet, following the address on his phone.
The reason he was in the mood to video call Tony and Parley today was largely because Kim Tae-yeon took the initiative to contact him, saying that her practice roommates had recommended a small restaurant with very good food and a nice atmosphere.
It just so happens that her practice ended early tonight, which is why Kang Woo-jin was able to contact them despite the time difference with New York.
From the moment they met, Kang Woo-jin couldn't help but bring up this matter.
The reason was that Kim Tae-yeon noticed that his expression was a little strange, as if he had encountered something that was frustrating, so she asked him that question.
But soon, she regretted it.
She had never seen Jiang Youzhen so long-winded before, but it was too late for her to regret it.
...
"It's hard to believe that he only wants to make a DVD and sell it, even though it's a very traditional and good idea. This is a great time for technological advancement."
"The film industry is progressing so fast, the whole world is the market. Even if he's a newcomer, you can't be so careless and perfunctory."
"Actually, he could directly approach those third-tier film companies, but the box office would probably not be high unless he invested heavily in marketing and distribution. Without connections, no one from the top-tier giants would be willing to look at a project proposal that doesn't even have a script."
"You can also approach the director directly. If you come across someone who really has ideas, ah, James might really like it. Oh, James is James Wan, the director of Saw."
...
Throughout the journey, Jiang Youzhen couldn't control himself. He seemed to want to vent all his frustrations at once. It wasn't until they were almost at their destination that he suddenly realized what was happening.
Belatedly, he suddenly realized that Kim Tae-yeon hadn't responded to him at all during this time.
"Um, sorry, Taeyeon, I must have been too long-winded just now. Were those things a bit boring?"
Hearing her name being called, Kim Tae-yeon quickly snapped out of her drowsy state. She blinked, and after regaining her senses, she waved her hand and said, "It's nothing, but what did you just say?"
Forgive her, she was sleepy from the moment she got on the bus!
It was already a great deal of self-control that I didn't fall asleep.
Recalling what Kang Woo-jin had just said, Kim Tae-yeon suddenly realized what he meant and answered him before he could.
"So, you were saying, um, sorry, I don't know much about these things, but I got the gist of it, that... what's this about...?"
"Perry, his last name is Perry."
"Yeah, right, Perry..." Kim Tae-yeon felt like she would forget that surname as soon as she turned her head.
She nodded and said, "You think this idea of his is great, so you plan to collaborate with him to write a script and make it into a movie. I roughly understand that part. The rest is... you keep complaining about how he lacks foresight."
Jiang Youzhen instinctively wanted to offer a reminder, but her summary was spot on.
"You're right, we've arrived. Should we bring some for Tiffany and the others?"
His complaints along the way seemed to have vented all his dissatisfaction and frustration, and now that he had finished summarizing, his mood had improved considerably.
The car stopped on the parking line. Kim Tae-yeon patted her small backpack and said with a smile, "I came here with their late-night snack mission, so leave it to me."
Just think, there are at least eight or nine mouths waiting for me in the dorm, probably all trying to find ways to snack. As for the weight management stuff the company talks about...
Let's eat first and talk about it later!