diymy Chapter 83 Visiting the Set of My Father
Chapter 83 Visiting the Set of My Father
His two-week vacation ended early, and the first thing he did upon returning to Manhattan was to quickly get back into work mode. Even at the airport, his phone kept ringing.
No one was happier than Tony. He had a huge box of documents to discuss with Kang Woo-jin, and he also had to meet with Oren Parry. He had also taken care of the things that Kang Woo-jin had asked him to do.
"Columbia Pictures has almost finished its publicity and distribution work. They plan to release the film in more than 20 countries around the world, and the theaters have already been secured."
"The promotion is expected to start next week, you'll be very busy then, Anders. Since you're back early, are you going to Mads's place? He's filming at NYU."
As Jiang Youzhen packed his luggage, he listened to Tony's story. He glanced at the time and casually asked, "Is Perry still in Manhattan?"
"Well, I arranged a hotel for him. He hasn't come out these past two days. Do you want to meet him?" Tony took out his phone and, after seeing Kang Woo-jin nod, quickly contacted Paley.
It wasn't early, so it was a good time to arrange a dinner. After hearing the news that Jiang Youzhen had returned, Pai Li on the other end of the phone was in a hurry to go out and come over.
Oren Parley is Israeli with dark skin. Perhaps due to setbacks in New York, he looked somewhat haggard. He was wearing a typical oversized suit. He was somewhat surprised by Kang Woo-jin's youth, as he looked younger than in the file. However, he was more concerned about Kang's wealth and distribution channels.
It was the first time the two had met face-to-face. The young man's mind worked quickly, and the endless stream of ideas and inspirations put extra pressure on Perry. He just wanted to make a simple movie, produce it as a DVD, and sell it to make money.
Tony watched the whole thing from the sidelines. He had great faith in Kang Woo-jin when it came to new ideas. Besides, young people are ambitious, full of ideas, and once he became famous, film companies would come to him even if he didn't write scripts.
After a meal and nearly two hours of discussion, Perry signed the contract at the end. In fact, he had been very interested in the film when Kang Woo-jin told him about the film's plans on the phone that day.
Simply because of money.
People are eager to give him money and jobs, so what complaints could he possibly have?
Did he expect a dollar to fall from the sky and land right in his arms?
He'll receive two percent of the box office revenue, a salary during filming, and copyright fees will also be paid to Pai Li. Kang Woo-jin doesn't need the money; he just wants to enrich himself with this work. As the first truly released film for this film company, he'll put a lot of effort into it.
After leaving some trivial matters and the casting call to Tony, they left the restaurant. Before leaving, Kang Woo-jin gave Perry an advance of some US dollars for his living expenses in New York. The amount was not small, which made Tony's eyes twitch repeatedly.
At first glance, it may seem very generous, but in the end, the share that Paley actually gets is less. It's not like it's given away for free; it's an advance payment.
...
The day after returning to New York, Kang Woo-jin went to the film crew where Mads Oh was working. The film crew, with an estimated investment of over 1.5 million, exuded an aura of money from the inside out. Director Lawrence and Mads Oh were working together for the second time and were quite familiar with each other.
When Mads-Oh introduced Kang Woo-jin to Lawrence, Lawrence praised the movie "Lost in Delta." He had also seen it in the theater and thought it was excellent and had a very novel subject matter. Especially in today's film industry, although the box office may not be as high as those big-budget movies, its reputation is outstanding.
After exchanging only a few polite words, it was now the crew's break time. Mads-Oh took Kang Woo-jin on a tour of the set, and Kang Woo-jin finally understood why the film's budget was expected to be so high.
Filming on location, just renting the venue at NYU alone costs a fortune every day, not to mention the deliberately designed sets, each prop being very valuable.
There were also a lot of staff on site. Mads-Oh told Kang Woo-jin that they would be moving to the Brooklyn Bridge area to film in a couple of days, and the nearly four-figure number of extras would be a huge undertaking.
"This might be the film with the most extras of all the movies I've ever made," Mads Wu remarked. He glanced at the German Shepherd lying in the rest area, immediately clapped his hands with a smile, and called out, "Abby! Come here!"
Upon hearing the sound, the big dog wagged its tail and ran over quickly, looking intently at Mads Wu, appearing very energetic.
"What a beautiful dog, Dad! Is this your partner?"
"Yes, its name is Abby," Mads-Wu patted the dog's head, took a small bag of jerky snacks from his pocket and handed it to Kang Woo-jin, smiling, "Abby is very well-behaved, want to pet her?"
Kang Woo-jin doesn't dislike small animals. While filming "REC," he even played with the dogs that came to the set. He quite liked these cats and dogs. After taking the jerky, he tentatively teased the German Shepherd.
German Shepherds are very intelligent, especially the dogs used in filming, which are trained using textbooks. Mads Wu and Abby have been working together for a while and they cooperate very well. If he weren't so busy, he would have liked to adopt one from the training base.
After chatting for a while, the assistant director came to call everyone. Mads-Oh quickly returned to the set to prepare. At Lawrence's suggestion, Kang Woo-jin found a seat next to him and sat down to observe carefully. In such a big-budget production, every second could consume a lot of money and manpower. He was just a new director, so he had to make the most of this opportunity.
Lawrence was very gentle and generous towards his friend's son, who was also a junior in the industry.
He wouldn't be so kind if it were one of those small-time directors outside.
The crew was still working late into the night, and no one was willing to take a break. Lawrence didn't want so much budget to go to waste. The Warner Bros. producer was on set keeping an eye on things, and Mads Wu was working tirelessly from morning till night, like he was on steroids. With the actors working so hard, the director wasn't slacking off either, which is why the crew was working day and night.
Jiang Youzhen stayed here for three days, taking short naps here and there to rest, and spent the rest of the time studying with Lawrence. He only returned to Manhattan after they withdrew from New York University.
It wasn't that he didn't want to learn anymore, but rather that Columbia Pictures called him back to participate in the film's promotional work.
After tidying himself up, Jiang Youzhen typed a short essay on his phone as he got into Tony's car. When he heard Tony mention something about a party, he became conflicted again.
He didn't want to attend these parties, but they were the places where he met more directors, producers, and actors.
The advantages outweigh the disadvantages, so even if he's unwilling, he has to agree.
"Don't worry, Anders, you can't do anything about it now because you're still a newcomer. Once you're more famous and your company has more channels, you won't have to worry about these things anymore. In the entertainment industry, interpersonal relationships are also very important."
Tony tried to offer a few words of comfort, but Kang Woo-jin still felt somewhat resistant.
So he turned around and wrote down these grievances in a short essay.