Huayu Entertainment 1995 started with hijacking.

Chapter 140 Independent Production Plan
"Transformation? Oh no, no, Stallone doesn't need a transformation, nor does he need to prove himself again. I just want to try something new!"

Stallone wagged his finger at the host and then continued:
"The script for 'Frequency' attracted me. Family and kinship are what we should care about most. Our director, a very talented young man, has successfully blended science fiction, action, and father-son relationships together."

Upon hearing Stallone's words, the host opportunely shifted the topic to Wu Yuchen:

"Wu, judging from your resume, you won the Best Director award at Berlin at the age of 20 and have directed three films, one of which grossed tens of millions at the box office. This is undoubtedly proof of your talent. This is your first time stepping into Hollywood. What do you think is different about Hollywood?"

When faced with this question, Wu Yuchen said in a very serious tone:

"Without a doubt, Hollywood is currently the center of the global film industry. It's full of opportunities, and amazing things happen here every day. You can become famous overnight, but the competition here is also the fiercest in the world. However, I have a lot of confidence in 'Frequency.' We have the most interesting story, the most touching emotions, and the best actor, Sylvester Stallone!"

Even without prior notice, Wu Yuchen knew how to answer this question: he would naturally switch to praise mode to satisfy the vanity of the American audience. It's not just Chinese people who enjoy foreigners' flattery; in fact, people in any country or region like it when outsiders boast about their local area—it's one of the best ways to integrate into the local community.

Upon hearing this, Stallone gave Wu Yuchen a bright smile and a look that said, "You're pretty smart, kid."

Actually, it's not really bragging. Wu Yuchen felt a bit bored during the recording of this show because 90% of the time the focus was on Stallone, and only occasionally would questions and camera time be given to other people. However, he had to maintain a serious attitude throughout the whole process.

In fact, the promotion of "Frequency" had already begun. Hollywood has a complete publicity and distribution system. When Stallone joined the crew to film "Frequency", related news had already been released one after another, and a trailer was released two months ago to attract audiences.

Now, two weeks before its release, a massive promotional campaign has officially begun, with a combined push of posters, newspapers, television programs, and radio broadcasts. And, of course, the central figure in this promotion is none other than Sylvester Stallone!

Then, in anticipation of the upcoming Thanksgiving, the film will focus on promoting its father-son relationship, science fiction, and action elements.

Although the total production cost of *Frequency* was only $3000 million, Sony Columbia Pictures allocated $2000 million for marketing and distribution, meaning that promotion accounted for 40% of the total budget. This is not unusual in Hollywood; the more mature the commercial market, the more emphasis is placed on promotion. Of course, this also shows that the company is confident in the quality of *Frequency*, otherwise, it wouldn't have received this level of treatment.

After the show's recording was finished, Wu Yuchen joked:

"I think it's okay if I wait until the movie is released, as long as Stallone is there, that's enough~"

"It's not impossible."

Stallone smiled, then said:

"If you insist, Sony won't do anything to you. However, in Hollywood, you have to learn to package yourself, even if you're a director behind the scenes."

Wu Yuchen nodded; he understood this principle as well. Just look at the behavior of Hugh Jackman and Gretchen, who were on the show together. Even though the focus was entirely on Stallone, the two of them were already happy to be on the show.

However, Wu Yuchen understands one thing even better: all these exposure, packaging, and other methods must be built on one foundation: box office success. Otherwise, it's all for nothing. If the box office is a huge hit, everyone will come looking for you without you even having to leave your house.

On the way back, Wu Yuchen and producer Jeff were in the same car. Wu Yuchen asked, "Jeff, won't you reconsider?"

Jeff said, "Wu, independent filmmaking is fraught with risks and isn't as glamorous as it seems from the outside. Besides, shouldn't our focus right now be on 'Frequency'?"

He then patiently advised, "I know you may feel that filming 'Frequency' is very restrictive, but once the film is successful, you will be different. You will have more say in the next film, and perhaps you will be the one with the final say on the crew. Why are you in such a hurry?"

When Wu Yuchen arrived in the United States, he personally picked him up from the airport and took him to his home for a warm welcome. During the meal, Wu Yuchen extended an invitation to him, saying that he wanted to produce his second film and that funding was not an issue, asking if he would be willing to be the producer.

Jeff was caught off guard by the sudden invitation, and after thinking about it, he politely declined Wu Yuchen's offer.

Since the 80s, Hollywood has ushered in a golden age of independent filmmaking, with a group of independent filmmakers, represented by Harvey Weinstein, emerging and earning huge profits, which has inspired many others to try their hand at independent filmmaking.

But the risks involved are actually quite high, and Jeff, having spent many years in Hollywood, naturally understands this. Producing and filming aren't the problems; in Hollywood's complete industrial chain, with numerous unions and efficient talent agencies, a production crew can be assembled anytime. The key issue lies in publicity and distribution. In this respect, smaller companies simply can't compete with the Big Eight.

Therefore, Jeff prefers to work within the Big Eight studios rather than going out and working hard to make independent films. With the help of the Big Eight, the probability of his films succeeding is much higher than with smaller companies.

Wu Yuchen smiled and gently shook his head: "Okay, Jeff, just pretend I didn't ask this question."

The filming process of "Frequency" made him realize that when working with Hollywood and the Big Eight studios, a director is subject to too many constraints. Even if this film is successful and he has more say in his next film, he is still completely under control. For example, he has no say in the final cut.

Therefore, when making his second film, he wanted to try the path of independent production, and the first thing he needed to do was to find a reliable producer to work with, otherwise it would be impossible for him to prepare the crew on his own.

Wu Yuchen asked this question because he had a pleasant working relationship with Jeff during their previous collaborations and felt that Jeff was quite capable. However, it now seems that Jeff prefers the comfort of working within the Big Eight system rather than independent production. Oh well, there are plenty of independent producers in Hollywood.

As for why he's in such a hurry to start preparations, it's because he has a plan in mind. If it succeeds, even if the second film is an independent production and doesn't have the comprehensive promotional resources of the GTV, it will definitely not lack exposure.

When Wu Yuchen returned to the hotel, his agent, Carl Murphy, was already waiting for him to come to his room.

"Wu, regarding your personal film and television company, the lawyer said it will be settled very soon."

Wu Yuchen nodded upon hearing this. These shell film companies are established and dissolved every day in Hollywood.

After Cal Murphy finished speaking, he pulled out more than a dozen detailed documents: "These are the documents of the suitable independent producers I have selected."

Wu Yuchen smiled and said, "Then I'll trouble you to introduce them to me one by one."

This is also one of the advantages of Hollywood talent agencies. The service provided by the agents is absolutely top-notch. They will try their best to meet your needs, provided that you can bring them enough benefits.

As Carl introduced the people, he asked about each person's characteristics and what works they had produced in detail. Wu Yuchen's attention was drawn to the information of one of the producers.

"This James Jacks, you mean he worked with John Wu?"

John Wu is Wu Baige. Nowadays, Wu Baige is no small figure in Hollywood. With the success of "Face/Off", he has become very popular.

"Yes, John Wu's first film in Hollywood, 'Hard Target,' was produced by James."

Upon hearing this, Wu Yuchen continued, "What's his reputation like?"

“James is a renowned Hollywood producer with extensive experience and a keen eye for film. Moreover, in his early years, he mentored many newcomers, providing them with considerable assistance, such as the Coen brothers, Richard Linklater, and Sam Raimi when they were just starting out.” Wu Yuchen narrowed his eyes upon hearing this. Having worked with Chinese directors and being experienced in nurturing new talent, he was indeed a very good candidate.

"Please get in touch with this James Jacks for me. I want to meet with him as soon as possible."

"No problem, Wu. Is there anything else?"

Wu Yuchen shook his head, but then suddenly remembered: "Oh right, have Xiu come over here."

“Okay.” Karl Murphy smiled and turned to leave.

A moment later, Wu Yuchen saw Hugh Jackman coming over and greeted him with a smile, asking, "Hugh, what are your plans for the next two months?"

Hugh Jackman understood immediately upon hearing this. He had also heard from his agent, Carl, that Wu Yuchen was planning a new project, so he immediately said, "Director Wu, I'm at your beck and call anytime."

Wu Yuchen smiled, then took out a script and handed it to Hugh Jackman:

"Hugh, this is the new script I'm about to shoot, a male-centric movie. Take a look and see if you're interested. But I need to make one thing clear: you're high on my list, but you're not the only option."

Hugh Jackman was overjoyed: "Director Wu, thank you so much for your appreciation. I will definitely prepare well!"

Although Wu Yuchen said he wasn't the only option, he was already far ahead of others. With "Frequency" not yet released, he didn't have many good opportunities, but he was grateful that Wu Yuchen was willing to give him a chance.

Hugh Jackman looked at the title of the script, "Phone Booth".

Wu Yuchen watched Hugh Jackman's departing figure and smiled with satisfaction.

Last year, he registered three screenplays in Hollywood. Of these, "Frequency" has already been filmed, while "Phone Booth" is the project he chose to produce independently.

First of all, this is a successful case of achieving great results with a small investment. The initial investment was 10 million, but the final box office was 98 million, almost ten times the original amount.

At present, a cost of around ten million is nothing to Wu Yuchen; he can afford it completely, and even if something unexpected happens, it won't cripple him.

Secondly, this movie was simple to film; over 80% of its scenes took place in a phone booth. In my previous life, the film only took 12 days to shoot!
This would significantly reduce the workload, both in film preparation and during shooting. It's an extremely suitable choice for his first independent film in Hollywood.

Phone Booth is an absolute male-centric film, with 90% of the shots focused on the male lead, making the casting of the male lead crucial to the film's success.

Actually, Hugh Jackman is a good fit in terms of age and image, and his acting skills are also quite good. Moreover, after the release of "Frequency," Wu Yuchen believes he can become popular. However, in Wu Yuchen's mind, he still only ranks second.

Because he had an excellent candidate for the male lead in his mind, Wu Yuchen would only use Hugh Jackman as a backup if the other person disagreed.

However, Wu Yuchen doesn't plan to invite him yet. He'll wait until "Frequency" is released, when Wu Yuchen's influence as a director will be more convincing. The only issue is that the production team needs to get things started and filming must begin in December; otherwise, if they miss the window, it will be difficult to get him on board.

The next day, in the hotel's coffee shop, Wu Yuchen and producer James Jacks sat facing each other.

After putting down the script, James exclaimed with delight, "Wu, your script is fantastic!"

"Thank you for the compliment!" Wu Yuchen said with a faint smile.

The original script for *Phone Booth* was written in 1999 by veteran Hollywood screenwriter Larry Cohen. It attracted several big names: Jim Carrey wanted to play the lead role; Michael Bay intended to direct the film; and Will Smith approached the project, but none of them came to the role for various reasons. This demonstrates the script's appeal.

In fact, more than one Hollywood company has tried to buy Wu Yuchen's script, but he has not sold it and wants to use it himself.

James asked, "Wu, are you sure you want to produce an independent film? How much funding do you have? Is it stable?"

Wu Yuchen said confidently, "You don't need to worry about funding. The initial amount is set at 1000 million US dollars, but it can be increased by a few million. We can completely guarantee that there will be no funding shortage."

He could certainly guarantee it, after all, it was his own money. However, he didn't plan to sell his US stocks. Yahoo and other internet stocks were already in an upward trend, so selling them wouldn't be worthwhile. He would pledge some of his shares to borrow over ten million from a bank for filming. This way, he wouldn't miss out on the stock price increase and would still have money for filming; the only thing he would pay was the loan interest.

James nodded upon hearing this and said, "Then I have no problem. As long as you give me the producer's fee, I'd be happy to bring such an excellent script to the screen."

Independent producers like him are willing to work for any project, whether it's a major production company or a shell company, as long as the project is suitable and the pay is right. What difference does it make who you work for?

Wu Yuchen then asked, "James, could you give me some information about the marketing and distribution of Hollywood independent films?"

James had no objection, took a sip of coffee and said:
"In North America, whether it's advertising or distribution, you can do it as long as you're willing to spend the money."

The eight major film distribution channels are open to external distributors. Distributors typically charge a 10%-20% commission on North American box office revenue. The exact percentage depends on the film's negotiating power. If you have stars or a big-name cast, you can negotiate a lower distribution fee; conversely, smaller films will have to pay more. Distributors simply won't take on low-quality films unless you pay in cash.

Wu Yuchen nodded in understanding. In fact, this was also the case in later generations of China. For example, Enlight Media and Bona Film Group both acted as distribution agents for external companies.

Then James continued:
"Promotion is a problem. Popular TV programs and media channels generally only establish cooperative relationships with large companies like TVB. If you're willing to pay TVB to promote you, that's fine, but I can tell you clearly that they will add miscellaneous expenses to your promotion budget. Of the 100 million yuan you pay for promotion, at most 50 yuan will actually be spent on promotion, and the rest will be blatantly swallowed up by them."

Unless our project itself has big stars and sensational elements, it won't attract media attention, which is difficult for independent films. So, most independent films first go to various film festivals to win awards and build reputation before releasing in theaters..."

Listening to James's explanation, Wu Yuchen had a general idea of ​​what was going on, which was pretty much the same as what James had learned. He would definitely have to pay a distribution commission of up to 20%, it just depended on how much they could negotiate; as for publicity, that would depend on whether they could get the male lead.

Wu Yuchen smiled and said to James, "James, then I'll leave it to you. We can sign the contract tomorrow and then start preparing for the project."

Filming might only take 12 days, but the crew's preparation could take a month. Anyway, the promotional focus for "Frequency" is all on Sylvester Stallone; he can just show up as director when needed.

Time quickly passed to the Friday before Thanksgiving, which was also the day "Frequency" was released.

(End of this chapter)