It's reasonable for me to be a three-time Golden Horse Award-winning director and an all-around

Chapter 95 To repay your kindness on the golden platform, I will wield the jade dragon and die for you!
"Brother Rui, as you instructed, the lawyer fees, court fees, and other money for the lawsuit have all been given to Director Liu."

"Okay, have someone keep an eye on it, stick to 'Kekexili' and don't let them give up!"

Simply pulling the movie out of theaters early isn't enough; that would be too easy on Lu Chuan.

Lu Rui recalled that this guy later took the finished film to various exhibitions and earned a lot of money just from awards and copyright fees.

This time, he's going to make sure the other party has nothing left to earn!
As long as the lawsuit continues, Lu Chuan can forget about continuing to work on this movie.

Winning or losing is not important; the key is to avoid an out-of-court settlement and to drag out the evidence collection process as long as possible!

Once the movie's popularity has faded, even if he uses his connections to win the lawsuit, it won't matter.

The hype has died down, and the registration and award application period has passed. What money can you possibly make now?
It just so happens that Ruishijie has just established a marketing and public relations department, so this is a good opportunity for them to practice and familiarize themselves with the workflow.

As for Liu Yujun, whose work was plagiarized, with external support, she is even less likely to admit it!
The work I poured my heart and soul into was shamefully plagiarized and used for profit!
Any cultural worker, who the hell could tolerate this situation?
It's important to understand that in the current domestic film and television industry, "piracy" and "plagiarism" are universally condemned and treated like rats crossing the street.

Moreover, if they could pinpoint Lu Chuan to the grounds, win the lawsuit, and receive a substantial sum in compensation, why wouldn't they do it?
...

Before we knew it, it was July 20th.

The final cut of "The Prestige" has been successfully completed.

After carefully checking and confirming that everything was correct, Lü Rui made a phone call and summoned Shen Ao to Hollywood.

"This is the complete film archive of 'The Prestige.' I'll give it to Hou Hongliang as soon as I get back, and have him send it to China Film Group."

"it is good!"

Shen Ao solemnly accepted the box handed to him by Lü Rui, as if he would die with the box.

"Don't be so nervous." Lu Rui patted his shoulder and handed him a briefcase. "This contains the new script I wrote for you. Give it to Hou Hongliang when you get back and have him submit it for review first."

Shen Ao's eyes lit up, a warm feeling welling up in his heart: "Brother Rui..."

"Stop being so effeminate." Lü Rui stopped his outburst of emotion, then kicked him in the butt with a laugh. "I won't keep you for dinner. Take care of your business first. When I get back to China, I'll call Zhao Peng, and the three of us will get together."

"it is good."

Shen Ao clutched his suitcase and briefcase tightly, and before even leaving the airport, he turned around and boarded a flight back home.

Although he regretted not being able to experience the glamour of Hollywood, he had no complaints whatsoever.

Look at Zhao Peng. One movie, "Hitch," made him a hot commodity in the film and television industry, bringing him wealth, fame, and fortune.

It would be a lie to say I'm not envious!
But now, holding the script written by Lü Rui in his arms, Shen Ao was overjoyed!

Let alone the more than 20-hour round trip flight, he would dare to beat up Lu Chuan in broad daylight right now!
Two horizontal lines and one vertical line represent "doing"; two dots and one force represent "getting things done"!

I will repay your kindness on the Golden Terrace and die for you with the Jade Dragon!
...

On the 24th, Jackie Chan's "New Police Story" officially ended its theatrical run, with its final box office figure settling at 4113 million.

This movie is truly remarkable; even before it was released in mainland China, high-definition pirated DVDs were already circulating in the market.

Even so, thanks to the older brother's box office appeal, it still grossed over 4000 million yuan. Who wouldn't give it a thumbs up and say it's awesome?
Meanwhile, the total box office of "Hitch" has exceeded 8000 million.

Although the box office record for "The Pursuit of Happyness" was broken, Lü Rui didn't care at all.

The higher the box office, the more he earns; so what if it's a flop?

Unfortunately, the film only grossed less than 2 million yuan in a single day, so there's no hope of reaching 90 million.

At the same time, after a year of hype, Zhang Jizhong's version of "The Return of the Condor Heroes" finally held its official opening ceremony in Jiuzhaigou.

Liu Yifei sent a photo to Lü Rui.

She stood in front of a tall stone wall, dressed in white, her hair fluttering in the wind. She was making martial arts gestures with her hands, her small face tense, her eyebrows and eyes exquisite, and she was breathtakingly beautiful!
“She looks beautiful, like a fairy,” Lu Rui replied.

"No, it's all thanks to the stylist."

Having received praise from her senior, Liu Yifei felt as sweet as if she had eaten honey.

I just mentioned honey... and here it is.

Yang Mi, who plays Guo Xiang, saw Liu Yifei holding her phone and smiling foolishly, and curiously came over: "Qianqian, are you in a relationship?"

"what?!"

Liu Yifei blushed on the spot when she heard her question.

She looked around to make sure her mother wasn't nearby, then breathed a sigh of relief and quickly shook her head: "No, why would I be in a relationship?"

"Then why do you always find yourself holding your phone and smiling to yourself? Like you're having an online romance?"

Yang Mi's face showed an expression that said, "You can't fool me."

"No! I was just looking at messages in the university QQ group," Liu Yifei hurriedly lied.

"Okay." Although Yang Mi didn't believe it, she didn't press further, after all, it was someone else's privacy.

She changed the subject and started a new topic: "I'm also preparing to take the entrance exam for the Beijing Film Academy. What did you perform when you took the entrance exam? Could you share some of your experience with me?"

"Actually, it's nothing much, the main thing is to be good-looking."

"what?"

Yang Mi was a little confused. Was it really that straightforward?
"Looks are the most important thing, acting skills are second, and then..."

Liu Yifei patiently explained the science to her.

In the entire cast and crew of "The Return of the Condor Heroes", only the two of them were of similar age.

Liu Yifei is 17 years old and Yang Mi is 18 years old, so it's natural that they would get closer.

Although Yang Mi admired Liu Yifei's achievements, the gap between the two was too great, and she couldn't even feel jealous.

Of course, this did not stop her from "learning from others".

Actors should learn from their strengths and make up for their weaknesses, and strive to climb the ladder of success. This is what her agent, Zeng Jia, taught her after she signed with Rong Xinda.

……

Burbank, Warner Bros. Editing Room.

Compared to the elaborate post-production of "The Prestige," the editing of "Insidious" was almost child's play.

In just one week, Lü Rui finished the final cut.

Of course, this is also thanks to James Wan's meticulousness during filming.

The actors' lines, sound recording, and live effects were all polished to a high standard, and post-production only required editing and adding sound effects according to the established process.

With the help of the post-production team at Warner Bros., the work was quite easy.

Of course, Lü Rui also paid tens of thousands of dollars in service fees for this.

The equipment can be used for free, but the employees' overtime pay must not be reduced.

After the final cut was completed, he treated several editors, Lauren Megan, and Denise Smith to a good time before preparing to leave.

"Lv, welcome back to Warner next time."

After working together for some time, Lauren Megan has grown increasingly impressed with Lu Rui.

Talented, emotionally intelligent, and young... such a person's future achievements are absolutely immeasurable and worth getting to know!

"Haha, okay, I'll come back to visit you often."

Lu Rui gave him a warm hug, then went to the copyright department to say hello to Dennis before turning around and going downstairs to return to Ruixing Film Studio.

Unexpectedly, as soon as I entered the elevator, I bumped into an "old acquaintance".

"Oh my God! Lv, I never expected to meet you here, this is such a wonderful surprise."

"Mr. Weinstein."

Lu Rui forced a smile, but inwardly cursed his bad luck.

How did we end up running into this thing?
"Lv, are you here to discuss a project with Warner?"

Harvey noticed the box in Lü Rui's hand; it was a common leather case used to store LTO tapes and hard disk arrays.

This also means that the Chinese director in front of us is holding a film?
Thinking of this, he couldn't hide the excitement in his eyes.

Lu Rui didn't answer directly, but subtly moved the suitcase behind him and asked instead, "Are you here to discuss a project too?"

“Of course!” Harvey raised his head and said with arrogance, “Miramax and Warner Bros. co-produced The Aviator, and I’ll handle the distribution.”

The Aviator!
Lü Rui has heard this name quite often lately.

Directed by Cannes Palme d'Or winner Martin Scorsese, and starring Hollywood's top actor Leonardo DiCaprio and Golden Globe winner Cate Blanchett.

This is Warner's key award-winning project this year!
"I wish your film great success."

"Thank you, Lv, and I wish you great success with your project with Warner."

Harvey had clearly done his homework and knew about the Sino-foreign co-production, The Prestige.

The elevator quickly arrived at the first floor.

"Mr. Weinstein, goodbye."

After saying hello, Lü Rui turned to leave.

But Harvey suddenly invited, "Lv, are you busy? How about we go for a drink together?" "Next time, I have something urgent to take care of."

"Oh, that's a real shame."

As he watched Lü Rui leave quickly, Harvey's smile vanished, and he turned to look at his younger brother, Bob Weinstein, beside him.

"Why hasn't there been any progress on the things I asked you to do before?"

Bob watched Lu Rui's figure disappear through the door and shook his head helplessly: "Your idea of ​​using a honey trap is useless. The people I arranged couldn't even get close to him. He never goes out to seek pleasure."

Harvey was quite surprised: "Are there really men in this world who don't need women to satisfy their needs?"

"Perhaps he prefers to use the five-fingered girl."

"..."

Harvey could no longer contain his frustration.

Since Miramax Films was acquired by Disney, his income has declined year by year.

This gave him the idea of ​​leaving Disney and starting his own company.

Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez have agreed to go with him to the new company.

But Harvey felt that they alone were far from enough; he needed more supporters and partners.

Lü Rui is undoubtedly one of the best candidates.

Because his scripts not only received rave reviews in the Chinese market, but also perfectly suited Hollywood tastes.

For example, Mystic River and The Pursuit of Happyness.

Harvey made a fortune in the first half of this year by managing the North American release and DVD distribution of the films "Hero" and "Shaolin Soccer".

This made him even more certain that the Chinese market was definitely a treasure trove!
And Lu Rui, whom he met repeatedly, was definitely one of the master keys to unlocking the treasure trove!
For some reason, the cooperation between the two parties always broke down inexplicably. He tried to recruit (or trick) Lü Rui repeatedly, but Lü Rui just wouldn't take the bait.

Even his seduction tactics failed; the other party didn't give him a chance to get close at all...

"Fuck!" Harvey cursed under his breath, and as he walked out, he ordered, "Keep an eye on him, find other opportunities to find out what he likes? Women? Money? Luxury cars? Make him one of our own as soon as possible."

Also, the Weinstein Company needs to be launched as soon as possible. I've had enough of those idiots at Disney, you understand?

Bob nodded silently, took out his phone from his pocket, and started dialing.

……

Upon returning to Ruixing Film Studio, Lü Rui immediately began working with Peter on the distribution of "Lurking".

Although the film only had a budget of $200 million, it was considered a low-budget film by major distribution companies.

But for a small publishing company, it is already a decent medium-sized project.

But these companies are far too greedy!

Lu Rui contacted several distribution companies, including New Line Cinema, Hollywood Studios, Sony Pictures Entertainment, and Focus Features, but without exception, they all demanded exorbitant prices!
Focus Features, in particular, has demanded a 40% revenue share from distribution, which is simply outrageous.

More importantly, they couldn't guarantee that the movie would be released in theaters in a short time; they only said that there would be a waiting list.

However, the specific timeframe remains vague...

This is fucked up.

After leaving MGM, which was on the verge of bankruptcy because of John Woo's "Windtalkers," Peter started the car, looked at the schedule, and reminded everyone:

"Lv, the next one is DreamWorks..."

However, just as they were about to set off, Lü Rui said, "Let's go to Lionsgate first."

Today is the release date of James Wan's film "Saw," and Lionsgate organized a screening, inviting many media outlets.

Lü Rui also received an invitation.

James Wan specially invited him and Peter to witness his debut film.

Coincidentally, he also wanted to take this opportunity to talk to Lionsgate about the distribution of "Lurking" and see what conditions they could offer.

"Okay."

Peter nodded, turned the car around, and drove toward Lionsgate in Santa Monica.

More than half an hour later, the Cadillac stopped in front of Lionsgate.

As soon as he got out of the car, Lü Rui saw many posters and banners with the "Saw" logo.

Blood, severed limbs, and grotesque hunters—standard American horror style.

He called James Wan.

Less than ten minutes later, the other party walked quickly out of the company.

However, to Lü Rui's surprise, there was a woman following behind him.

“Lv!” James Wan stepped forward, hugged Lv Rui, and then introduced the woman’s identity, “This is Sarah Greenberg, the Executive Vice President of Publicity at Lionsgate, and also the producer of Saw.”

Lu Rui stepped forward and shook hands with her: "Hello, Ms. Greenberg."

"Just call me Sarah."

Sarah Greenberg is about forty years old, with brown eyes, dark brown hair, and a gentle smile.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, the two parties walked together into Lionsgate.

The movie screening will be in the evening; it's still early.

Sarah spoke up first: "Lv, I heard from James Wan that you have a very good horror film and are looking for a distributor?"

“That’s right.” Lü Rui nodded and gave Wen Ziren a grateful look.

Sarah continued, "Lionsgate has extensive experience and distribution channels. If you haven't found a partner yet, why don't you give us a try?"

The final product of "Saw" was very good. James Wan specifically mentioned that he also directed "Insidious," and its quality was no less than that of the former.

In addition, Lü Rui's status as a winner of the European Three Best Directors Grand Slam has led Lionsgate to maintain a high level of goodwill and friendliness towards him.

This is why Sarah would come to greet her.

In fact, the other distribution companies did not cause any trouble or discrimination; it was just that the conditions they offered and the uncertain release date were unacceptable to Lü Rui.

He wants to release the film as soon as possible, recoup the costs, and then start the next project.

Delaying for too long can easily affect the cash flow.

This is also why many independent production companies go bankrupt. Without the strong capital of the Hollywood Big Six, one wrong step can lead to utter ruin!

“Of course.” Lü Rui also had high hopes for Lionsgate.

He often heard James Wan say that Lionsgate was a pretty good company, very supportive of newcomers like him, unlike other companies that were aloof and distant.

The group walked straight to the screening room.

Lü Rui handed the LTO tape to the projectionist.

Sarah made several phone calls, and a number of Lionsgate employees arrived one after another, including heads of the copyright and distribution departments.

A few minutes later, the movie began to play.

The opening scene seemed unremarkable to the Lionsgate staff.

The wooden door of the old apartment swayed gently in the wind. Under the dim light, the female protagonist bent down to tidy up the scattered photo frames, and the smiling faces in the frames appeared and disappeared in the shadows...

These images, which had been exposed to a great deal of blood and dismembered limbs, did not evoke much horror or fear in them.

Some people even wondered: Is this a horror movie? It looks like an ordinary housewife cleaning the house.

But as the plot progresses, a subtle sense of eeriness begins to creep in like vines!
The faint dragging sound under the floorboards and the bare feet hanging in the dark attic all create a kind of psychological suggestion.

This house is unclean!

Soon, a scene that sent chills down your spine appeared!
The little girl suddenly sat up in the middle of the night and whispered to the air, "You're here again?"

The silence on the screen was suddenly amplified, as if most of the breath in the screening room had been sucked away!

Suddenly, a distorted black shadow flashed in the mirror, accompanied by a short scream. A Lionsgate employee in the front row suddenly straightened up and instinctively shrank back!

The horror continues: spirits from another realm, a pale-faced, long-haired man, a wizard, a doll with a sinister grin...

At the end of the film, when that pale, swollen ghostly face suddenly zoomed in on the camera, Sarah, sitting next to Lü Rui, instinctively gasped and snapped her eyes shut!
When she opened her eyes again, she found her heart was pounding and her palms were sweaty!

Unlike "Saw", "Insidious" excels in creating a bizarre and alienating atmosphere in everyday spaces, psychological suggestion and unknown fear, and the "intrusive" feeling of supernatural settings!

This makes the effect presented in the film more oppressive than a simple "external threat"!

Sarah took a deep breath, composed herself, and turned to look at Lü Rui.

“Lv, I admit I was taken aback by the film you brought. I think we should talk about the distribution terms next.”

Lu Rui nodded with a smile, but inwardly he became wary once again.

When he contacted other distribution companies beforehand, many people showed great interest in "Lurking".

But interest is one thing, it doesn't stop them from making outrageous demands!
Now that he has arrived at Lionsgate, he wonders what kind of conditions this "lion" will offer.
(End of this chapter)