nucmednet Chapter 79 The Game Is Everywhere
Chapter 79 The Game Is Everywhere
Chapter 78 The Game Is Everywhere (Seeking First Subscriptions - 8 Chapters)
2008年9月19日，洛杉矶时间下午7点15分。
The Cadillac silently glided out of the parking lot of Los Angeles International Airport. David gripped the steering wheel, humming an off-key rendition of "Hotel California."
"So boss," he glanced at Jiang Yu, who was eating Kung Pao Chicken in the passenger seat, "BJ is really lively. Three superstars came at the same time. This is more extravagant than a party in Foley Hill."
Jiang Yu swallowed the last piece of chicken and closed the insulated lunchbox: "How's the media reaction?"
"You mean China?" David turned onto Highway 105. "I had my Chinese assistant keep an eye on things, and the whole internet is in an uproar. Tianya, Douban, Tieba, everyone's guessing what you're plotting. The most outrageous post says that Zhang Yimou is going to make 'Hero 2' and wants you to do the special effects; Gong Li and Jackie Chan are vying for roles in '2012' or 'Inception'."
"Not too far off." Jiang Yu wiped his mouth. "You guessed about 50% right."
David nearly drove his car onto the median strip: "What? They really guessed right? Wait—Director Zhang is really going to make 'Hero 2'?"
"You know a lot, too bad." Jiang Yu looked out the car window, where the Los Angeles nightscape flowed by.
"I'm a China expert," David said smugly, patting the steering wheel.
Jiang Yu took out his phone and sent Yang Siwei a text message: "Control the public opinion and don't let the casting information be leaked."
"Understood." David became serious. "What about Gong Li and Jackie Chan? Do they really want the roles in '2012'? I remember we talked to the director about four main roles, two white and two Asian. Jackson and Kate were a white couple, and the scientist couple were the Asian ones."
"Yes, so now we want to replace Jackson and Kate with Asians, and the scientist couple with whites," Jiang Yu said.
“But Universal Pictures—” David frowned, “Richard, that old fogey, made it clear in the last meeting that he wants all four main characters to be white. He said disaster movies don’t need political correctness; audiences just want to see white people escaping disasters.”
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"So we need to convince him tomorrow." Jiang Yu looked ahead. "Use data, test clips, the resources of Jackie Chan's stunt team, and Gong Li's influence in Europe."
The car exited the highway and turned onto Sunset Boulevard.
Hollywood at night is ablaze with neon lights, and the air is thick with the scent of desire and dreams.
"Oh, right," David suddenly remembered something, "Director Darren wants you to go to the rehearsal room tomorrow afternoon to check on Black Swan."
Liu Yifei's performance this week—in the director's words, "is frighteningly good." Especially her solo performance of the Black Swan; during yesterday's rehearsal, the entire troupe was speechless after watching it.
"silence?"
"It was that kind of—a stunned silence," David said. "Darren said Liu Yifei found the spine of the Black Swan"; not technically, but spiritually. She portrayed the transformation from purity to depravity, from repression to explosion.
Jiang Yu nodded without saying anything.
The car stopped in front of the Beverly Hills Hotel, and the doorman quickly stepped forward to open the door.
"I'll pick you up at nine tomorrow morning," David said. "The director arranged to meet at the hotel coffee shop at ten, but knowing Roland as I do, he'll definitely be there early. Germans are obsessed with details."
"Okay." Jiang Yu got out of the car. "Good night."
"Goodnight, boss. Oh, by the way," David leaned out of the car window, "I put your favorite brand of sparkling water in the fridge, and—a box of macarons. Don't ask why, I just eat sweets whenever I'm stressed, and I thought you might need some too."
Jiang Yu smiled and said, "Thanks."
As you step into the hotel lobby, the familiar scent of gardenias greets you.
The pianist was playing "Moon River" in a corner, the melody echoing in the high-ceilinged lobby.
After checking in, the manager personally led him upstairs, repeating the same platitudes all the way: "Chaplin stayed here, Marilyn Monroe stayed here—"
The room was still the same top-floor suite.
Jiang Yu put down his luggage and the first thing he did was open his mother's pickle jar and take a bite with some mineral water; the salty, fragrant, and crisp taste instantly relieved the fatigue of the long flight.
Then he turned on his computer.
Yang Siwei has sent a detailed public opinion report.
As David said, domestic media and netizens analyzed the morning meeting in great detail.
Several posts offered quite professional analysis, even speculating that Zhang Yimou's new film requires extensive war special effects, and that Jackie Chan and Gong Li's target is a role in "2012".
"The wisdom of netizens—" Jiang Yu shook his head and replied to Yang Siwei, "Guide the discussion appropriately, focusing on positive aspects of Chinese actors entering Hollywood, and avoid leaking project details."
I just sent it out when a new email popped up.
From: Liu Yifei.
Subject: None.
Attachment: A photograph.
When you open it, you'll see that the photo was taken in front of a full-length mirror in the dance rehearsal room.
She was wearing a black, tight-fitting workout outfit, with her back to the mirror, and turned her head to look at the camera.
Sweat soaked through the fabric of his back, revealing clearly defined muscle lines.
What was most striking was her eyes; they were no longer the clear and gentle ones she usually wore, but something almost wild and burning.
Email body: "I danced for four hours today and finally I don't feel tired anymore. Director Darren said this is a sign of 'getting into character,' when you forget you're acting, the character takes over your body."
Jiang Yu stared at that photo for a long time.
He could see the barely perceptible vulnerability deep in her eyes, and he could also see the strength that was breaking free from her cocoon.
He replied, "Great eyes. But remember, a role can take over the body, but it can't destroy it. Take adequate rest."
She replied almost instantly: "Just finished showering, about to go to sleep. You've arrived in Los Angeles?"
"We've arrived. I'll come watch your rehearsal tomorrow."
"The pressure is even greater now. — I'll do my best."
Conversation ends.
Jiang Yu closed his laptop and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window.
Los Angeles at night is like a dream that never ends.
The large white letters on the Hollywood Hills in the distance appear as blurry dots of light at this distance, and behind each dot is a person struggling to climb upwards.
My phone vibrated. It was a text message from David: "Just got a tip. The director, Richard from Universal, and Jon from Lionsgate will all be coming tomorrow. Jon is one of ours, and Richard is bringing Universal's market analysis team. They're ready to bombard us with data. Be prepared."
Jiang Yu replied, "We also have the data."
"That's good. Going to sleep now, see you tomorrow."
Putting down his phone, Jiang Yu took out the sparkling water and macarons that David had prepared from the refrigerator.
Pink macarons, cloyingly sweet, paired with sparkling water, unexpectedly have a comforting power.
He stood by the window, eating while watching the city lights.
A war without gunfire is about to begin tomorrow.
The next morning, Jiang Yu arrived at the rooftop café on the third floor of the hotel ten minutes early.
He was wearing a light blue Oxford shirt, khaki casual pants, and no tie today, looking like a young entrepreneur on vacation.
Roland Emmerich was indeed already there in the coffee shop.
The German director sat at a table in the corner, a thick sketchbook open in front of him, sketching something quickly with a pencil. Jiang Yu glanced at it as he approached and saw that it was a storyboard sketch of the Yellowstone volcano eruption from "2012," with sharp lines and a dynamic feel.
"Director Emmerich," Jiang Yu greeted him.
"Mr. Jiang, please have a seat." Roland looked up and gestured to the chair opposite him. "I'm drawing the trajectory of lava flows during a volcanic eruption. Your special effects team showed me the simulation data, but I still prefer to draw by hand."
"I understand." Jiang Yu sat down. "Sometimes, when numbers are too precise, they lose that—the beauty of chaos."
Roland's eyes lit up: "Well said. The beauty of disaster lies in its uncontrollability."
The waiter came over, and Jiang Yu ordered an Americano, while Roland asked for a refill.
"I heard from David," Roland said, closing his sketchbook, "that you'd like to recommend Jackie Chan and Gong Li for the roles of the driver and his ex-wife?"
"Yes," Jiang Yu admitted directly, "They are willing to do a lot of preparation for these two roles."
Roland nodded without speaking. Just then, two familiar figures walked over.
Richard Green, President of International Distribution at Universal, wore a neatly pressed dark gray suit today, his bald head gleaming in the sunlight.
He was accompanied by a young woman wearing glasses, carrying a thick folder; she was clearly part of the market analysis team.
Lionsgate CEO Jon Ferrer walked behind, dressed much more casually in a polo shirt and trousers, looking like a university professor on vacation. "Roland, Mr. Jiang," Richard said with a smile. "What a coincidence."
"Sit down, Richard." Roland was clearly used to this attitude.
The four sat down again, and the waiter added two more chairs.
"This is Samantha, our Senior Director of Market Analysis," Richard introduced the young woman. "She brought the latest audience research data."
Samantha nodded and opened the folder: "We conducted a sample survey of potential viewers for '2012.' The data shows that if there are Asian faces in the main characters, the willingness of North American audiences to watch the film will decrease by 12%, and in Europe by 8%. But in the Asian market, it will increase by 35%."
She distributed the data sheets to everyone.
Jiang Yu quickly browsed through the information.
The data was processed very professionally, the sample size was large enough, and the analysis methods were reasonable.
The problem is————
"When was this survey conducted?" he asked.
"Last month," Samantha said.
"Was the sample differentiated by age group?"
「有。18—25岁观众对多元卡司的接受度最高，下降率只有5%；55岁以上观众最抗拒，下降率达到20%。」
Jiang Yu nodded and took out his documents from his briefcase.
"This is the research we conducted." He pushed the documents over. "It covers a longer timeframe, from 2005 to August of this year. The sample includes major markets in North America, Europe, and Asia. The key point is—we tracked changes within the same audience."
Samantha took the document, opened it, and her eyes gradually widened.
"Data shows," Jiang Yu continued, "that younger audiences are increasingly accepting of diverse casts every year, while the resistance from audiences over 55 is decreasing year by year. Especially after the 2008 Olympics, global audiences' awareness and goodwill towards China have significantly improved."
He pointed to the curve on the chart: "If this trend continues, by the time '2012' is released in 2010, the decline in North American audiences' acceptance of Asian protagonists will not exceed 8%. Meanwhile, the growth in the Asian market may reach more than 40%."
Richard frowned and leaned closer to look at the data.
Jon Femme smiled, which was exactly what he wanted to see.
"Moreover," Jiang Yu threw out his key bargaining chip, "Jackie Chan is willing to lower his salary to $500 million and Gong Li's to $200 million. That's even less than the originally planned second-tier white actors. Together, these two can save at least $1000 million in production costs."
"1000 million —" Richard murmured.
"That 1000 million," Jiang Yu said, "could be used to create two additional disaster scenarios. For example—the Christ the Redeemer statue collapsing in Rio de Janeiro, or the Tokyo Tower being destroyed by a tsunami. These scenarios were cut from the initial budget, but if we had the money—"
Roland's eyes lit up: "The Christ statue is collapsing? You can do that?"
"Light and Shadow Digital has already conducted a technical rehearsal." Jiang Yu turned on his computer and played a 30-second test video, showing the shocking scene of the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro slowly tilting, breaking, and falling into the city below during a strong earthquake.
Although it was just a rough simulation, its scale and impact had already made everyone present hold their breath.
"If this scene were made," Roland said softly, "it would become one of the most classic disaster scenes in film history."
"The budget is 1000 million," Jiang Yu said. "That's exactly the money saved by Cheng Long and Gong Li from taking pay cuts."
Richard and Samantha exchanged a glance.
Data, budget, visual effects—Jiang Yu has played all his cards.
"There's one more thing," Jon Ferrer interjected at the opportune moment, "Lionsgate has done analysis and found that Jackie Chan and Gong Li's box office appeal in the Asian market not only increases revenue but also drives up the film's screening rate and promotional resources in Asia. Especially Jackie Chan, his distribution network in Southeast Asia can save us at least 500 million in marketing and distribution costs."
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"So in reality," Jiang Yu concluded, "using Jackie Chan and Gong Li not only improves the quality of the film, but also saves money on marketing and distribution. With one addition and one subtraction, the overall benefit is far greater than using two unknown white actors."
The coffee shop quieted down.
Children were playing by the pool in the distance, and the palm leaves rustled in the breeze.
Roland Emmerich picked up his coffee cup and took a sip of his now-cold Viennese coffee.
"I need to see their performances," he said. "The characters are novelists, not action heroes. Can Jackie Chan portray that intellectual air? Can Gong Li portray that calmness and persistence?"
"So I had them prepare test footage," Jiang Yu said. "We'll film it next Wednesday, and I'll bring it over next weekend."
"Okay." Roland nodded. "If the performance is satisfactory, I have no objections."
All eyes turned to Richard.
The president of Universal's publishing division was staring at the curves on the data sheet, his fingers tapping lightly on the table.
"A cost saving of 1000 million, a 40% increase in the Asian market, a Southeast Asian distribution network—" he muttered to himself, then looked up. "I need to report to headquarters. If the test footage is really as good as you say, Universal is fine."
Jiang Yu breathed a sigh of relief.
The toughest hurdle is over.
"Also," Richard looked at Samantha, "do another audience survey. This time, the sample should be younger, and we need to include the variable of increased goodwill towards China after the Olympics. I need the latest data."
"Understood," Samantha wrote.
"That's settled then." Roland stood up. "Mr. Jiang, I look forward to your test footage. Also, if the Christ the Redeemer scene is actually made, I'll put it in the climax of the third act of the film."
"No problem," Jiang Yu said.
End of the meeting.
Richard and Samantha left first, while Jon Femme sat for a while.
"Well done," Jon said to Jiang Yu. "Richard only cares about data and profit. You've presented him with both today."
"I also want to thank you for your support," Jiang Yu said.
"I genuinely think this is good for the movie," Jon said earnestly. "Hollywood is too white, it's sickeningly white. 2012 is about a global disaster, and if the main cast were all white, that would be unrealistic."
He paused, then lowered his voice: "Moreover—this is crucial for Lionsgate to open up the Asian market. We don't have the same confidence as the Big Six; we need more diverse partners."
The two chatted for a few more minutes before Jon left.
Jiang Yu sat alone in the coffee shop, slowly finishing the rest of his coffee.
David suddenly appeared out of nowhere and sat down opposite me: "I heard everything. Boss, you were absolutely awesome just now."
"As expected," Jiang Yu said.
"What's next?"
"Next—" Jiang Yu glanced at his watch, "Go to the Black Swan rehearsal room at 2 PM. See Kevin Feige at 4 PM."