Originally, Jiang Cheng wanted to spend no more than 10 million RMB to acquire an entertainment company with a complete film production system, and then spend a few million more to produce a movie. However, after acquiring Apex Films Studio, his previous plans all became unfeasible.
With less than 100,000 yuan, what kind of movie do you think you could make? Even with the lowest budget, it's not that low! As far as Jiang Cheng knew, even the low-budget famous film [Crazy Stone] had a cost of nearly four million yuan.
Of course, if he waited another half a month, until the next issue of 'Southern Weekly - Literary Edition' was published, Jiang Cheng would earn another two million yuan. Two million is still a bit low, but it might be enough for shooting a romantic art film without hiring any big-name actors. However, even if that's enough, where would the budget for post-production promotion come from?
Two million yuan was still a bit of a stretch for making a movie. After all, there were expenses for film equipment, outdoor shooting, props, staff costs, actor fees... a whole list of issues.
Jiang Cheng has many great film ideas in his mind, but the prerequisite is having enough money. Without money, everything is futile.
Jiang Cheng wondered what kind of movie he and Apex Film Studio could afford to make at the moment!
Suddenly, the name of an independent film released in 2007 popped into Jiang Cheng's mind - [The Man from Earth].
Imagine if someone told you they've lived for 140 centuries, were a Cro-Magnon (caveman), had the chance to sail with Columbus, listened to Beethoven composing music, painted with Van Gogh, heard the teachings of Buddha, and discussed ethics with - Jesus himself! Possessing wisdom beyond your imagination accumulated over time, and one day you discover he's your friend, a colleague you've known for years. What would you think? Bombard him with countless questions? Believe him?
[The Man from Earth] told such a story. John, a 35-year-old Harvard history professor, suddenly resigns after ten years of work, puzzling his colleagues. They gather at his house for a farewell party and urge him to explain. But the reason John provides shocks them: he claims to be immortal, having lived for 14,000 years, and unable to stay in one place for more than 10 years, otherwise his secret would be discovered. Faced with John's claims, everyone starts questioning him...
Essentially, it's a pseudo-science fiction film under the guise of a sci-fi blockbuster. Common sci-fi elements like 'lasers and spaceships' are completely absent here. There are no dazzling special effects, nor does anyone need the protagonist to save them. Similar films include [The Time Traveler's Wife] and [The Curious Case of Benjamin Button]. These films, deviating from mainstream sci-fi filmmaking, still surprisingly left a lasting impression. A few sofas, a fireplace, several scholars start a conversation, and the entire film is narrated through dialogue.
The single setting of a few people sitting around a fireplace discussing a topic is not uncommon in films, like Xu Jinglei's [Dreams May Come.] From a cinematic perspective, it's hard for such films to make any breakthroughs, whether in character arrangement or the use of empty shots.
However, for Jiang Cheng and Apex Films Studio, film art and breakthroughs are still far off. For Jiang Cheng, achieving good box office returns with a low budget is the biggest goal.
And most importantly, the legendary sci-fi blockbuster was made on an extremely low budget of only $14,300, which even the current Apex Film Studio could afford.
And the final global box office for this movie was $350 million! This was achieved primarily through DVD sales in North America, a truly astonishing feat!
This movie left a deep impression on Jiang Cheng. Before this, he didn't know that such low-budget films, even under the guise of a sci-fi blockbuster, existed. Although it's a pseudo-science fiction blockbuster, the only problem is that the movie is an adaptation of a novel.
Moreover, this movie is essentially a Western film, and even if he bought the movie adaptation rights of the novel, it wouldn't be suitable for remaking in China.
However, [The Man from Earth] gave Jiang Cheng inspiration - why not create his own film instead of remaking it?
Thinking this, Jiang Cheng quickly realized he needed to adapt the setting to China.
The protagonist is one of the five hundred boys and girls who followed Xu Fu, a legendary Chinese alchemist, in search of the elixir of life. After years of searching overseas, the boy grew into a young man and, by chance, consumed the elixir intended for Emperor Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of China known for his quest for immortality, thus becoming immortal himself.
He once disguised himself as Zhang Liang, a strategist and statesman who played a key role in the establishment of the Han Dynasty, to help Liu Bang, the founder of the Han Dynasty, defeat Xiang Yu, a prominent military leader and political figure during the late Qin Dynasty. He also took the name Huo Qubing, a celebrated Han Dynasty general known for his expeditions against the Xiongnu, a confederation of nomadic tribes.
He once taught Zhang Jiao, the "Great Sage and Eminent Teacher," a religious leader who instigated the Yellow Turban Rebellion, under the guise of Nanhua Laoxian, a mythical Taoist sage, and practiced medicine as Hua Tuo, a legendary Chinese physician who is considered one of the most accomplished doctors of ancient China.
He drank with Li Bai, a famous poet of the Tang Dynasty known for his love of wine and freedom, discussing martial arts, and recited poetry with Su Dongpo, a renowned writer, poet, artist, and statesman of the Song Dynasty, known for his elegant and versatile style.
Because of his immortality, he couldn't stay in one place for too long, moving homes periodically. During his latest move, colleagues came to his house for a farewell party and found his home filled with seemingly real and fake antiques. The protagonist, who had always appeared to be from a moderately well-off family, began to tell his story.
In the midst of this, various questions and doubts emerged...
The basic plot remained the same, but the story and explanation within had completely changed, and they had to sound convincing, as this was essentially a brand-new story.
However, this was just an initial idea. To truly turn it into a script, there was still much to do. Each link in the story had to withstand scrutiny, as this was a sci-fi film where the plot triumphs, unlike typical sci-fi films that rely on special effects.
Fortunately, storytelling was Jiang Cheng's forte. After three books and a screenplay, Jiang Cheng felt his scriptwriting skills had improved significantly. Now, with just an idea, he could think of many things. It also involved a lot of historical issues, which was Jiang Cheng's strength. Thus, he freely explored his ideas and creativity, and the script quickly took shape.
Later, Jiang Cheng showed this script, titled [Immortality] to Jiang Dejun, Xu Guoqing, and others, receiving unanimous praise.
Even Jiang Cheng's mother said, "This must be the most creative script I've ever read!" although she hadn't read many scripts.
With their affirmation, Jiang Cheng was full of confidence in his film. Now, the only thing missing was the actors.
※※※
"What? You want to make a movie? A science fiction one at that?" When Jiang Cheng announced in the dormitory that he was going to make a movie, Hu Ge, Yuan Hong, and Sun Xiao were all shocked.
Jiang Cheng tilted his head and asked, "What's the matter, can't I?"
"Of course, you can. It's your money, you can do what you want with it, but..." the three exchanged glances, "can you repeat your plan again?"
Jiang Cheng took a deep breath and reiterated, "Alright, I'll say it again. I recently established a film studio and am about to shoot a sci-fi movie!"
"How much are you investing?"
"About ten to twenty thousand yuan, that's the budget."
"What?" exclaimed Hu Ge in surprise.
"Are you sure you're talking about a sci-fi film?" asked Yuan Hong.
"Are you sure you're talking about a movie, not some short drama or something?" Sun Xiao asked, frowning.
Jiang Cheng sighed and confirmed, "Yes, it's a sci-fi movie with an investment of ten to twenty thousand yuan! You heard me right."
Hu Ge walked over, touching Jiang Cheng's forehead and then his own, checking, "You don't have a fever, so why are you talking nonsense?"
Jiang Cheng brushed his hand away and said helplessly, "Don't worry, I'm perfectly sane and know what I'm talking about. Come on, you've known me for a while now; am I the kind of person who likes to brag or make up stories?"
Hu Ge replied, "From what we've seen before, you're not."
"But now, it seems possible," Yuan Hong added.
"This is the downside of fame, leading people to lose themselves and do foolish things beyond their capabilities," Sun Xiao concluded. After he spoke, the three nodded in agreement.
Jiang Cheng rolled his eyes, "What are you three doing today, performing a comic dialogue or a double act? Such synchrony! It seems our class won't lack a program for this year's New Year's Talent Show; you three just need to go on stage. What,you think I'm joking? This is the script, take a look for yourselves!"
Seeing Jiang Cheng transform into an "outraged emperor", almost bursting with anger, the three shivered and each took a script from the bunch he tossed over, quietly starting to read.
In fact, the three had somewhat believed Jiang Cheng when they first heard about this plan. After more than three months of interaction, they understood that Jiang Cheng was not a person who spoke without thinking; he was someone who genuinely worked hard. However, their long-standing thinking made it hard for them to believe that Jiang Cheng wasn't joking. Now, seeing the completed script, they believed him even more.
With the script designed to win with its plot, the narrative was interlinked and captivating, easily drawing Hu Ge and the others into its seemingly real story.
After quickly reading through, the three couldn't help but marvel at the brilliant ideas in the script, now without any doubts. Jiang Cheng was not delirious; such a professional and interesting script couldn't have been written by someone with a problem in their head. It seemed he was really going to make a movie.
"How is it? The story's good, right?" Seeing the three finish the script, Jiang Cheng couldn't help but ask.
"The script is really well written, maintaining your usual style," Hu Ge was the first to respond.
"What style do I have? I don't even know about it," Jiang Cheng wondered, truly unaware of any particular style in his scripts.
"Your style is that of a plot with twists and turns, vivid and interesting content, especially your absolute professionalism in historical knowledge. Honestly, you're really unfit to be a popular writer, not even keeping up with your fans' activities. There's even a fan group online that specifically studies your works; these are the findings from their research," Yuan Hong explained.
"Oh, I see!" Jiang Cheng had an epiphany, recalling his previous works, which indeed had such a style, no wonder the fans said so.
"By the way, Acheng, you're not showing us the script just to prove you're not sick, right?" Sun Xiao suddenly asked.
"You're the sick one!" Jiang Cheng laughed and scolded, then said seriously, "Of course not, I'm not that bored. I'm showing you the script because I want to invite you to join the film, us dormitory mates together!"
"What?" The three were startled again, "You want to invite us to make a movie?!"
"Yes. Look at the character settings in the script, eight people, except for the middle-aged professor and the female professors, the others are all quite young, mostly around twenty-five or twenty-six years old. With a bit of makeup, you can play the roles," Jiang Cheng explained.
The three looked at each other again and said in unison, "Tell the truth!"
"Alright, no need to shout so loud! The truth is, I'm a bit strapped for cash lately and can't afford big stars, so I had to ask you guys to fill in. Satisfied now?" Jiang Cheng said helplessly.
The three nodded and said, "That's more believable now."
Jiang Cheng rolled his eyes at their mischievous humor, "So, do you want to act or not? Give me a straight answer, quick!"
Hu Ge excitedly said, "Do I even need to say? How can I miss such a fun opportunity?"
Yuan Hong calmly said, "Last time you guys acted without me, I can't be left out this time."
Sun Xiao chuckled, "If you guys are in, how can I be the exception? Count me in!"
Jiang Cheng was touched, knowing they truly believed in him, and said, "Great! Then let's all work hard together and strive to make a quality film!"
"Sure!" The three howled in unison.
After the excitement, Hu Ge suddenly became serious, "Acheng, including us four, that still leaves four roles. Three women and one man, do you have anyone in mind?"
Jiang Cheng smiled mysteriously, "Those four will have to be real stars!"