Rebirth In Hollywood

"To put it simply, there is no other country other than Hollywood that can invest in a movie like Titanic, and there is no other single movie market that can bring in more than half a billion dollars in box office revenue for a movie, the shadow of Hollywood movies. Still hangs over the film industry in all countries of the world."

In fact, this problem is not only in the film industry, but also in the entire media industry. Ryan briefly analyzed a few words for this group of young people full of fantasy.

"The U.S. media market is the biggest insulator in the world, North American audiences watch far fewer foreign movies than you might think, and U.S. TV has never had a single foreign show in prime time. Of course, like Heroes, It's not that Chinese films have no place in the U.S. film market at all, it can have a small, specific audience."

"The Chinese film industry should first consider how to develop domestically, so that it is possible to expand outwards."

It is a pity that there has never been a second "Hero" in Chinese films in the future. Except for those literary and artistic films that make a fuss and one-sidedly expand their dark side, Chinese films have left the Chinese market and have no soil to survive at all.

The rise of Chinese movies is not just a matter of movies.

Of course, Ryan wouldn't say such things, after all, he's just an outsider.

In fact, information exchange is becoming more and more free these days, and the actual situation of the North American film market is no secret. Perhaps no one has said so bluntly before that it is very, very difficult for Chinese films to successfully enter North America, but this group of professional students, if not stupid , as long as a simple analysis combined with the actual situation, it is not difficult to find that what Ryan said are basic facts.

As for a good movie overseas that can kill the North American market... well, the weather outside the auditorium is pretty good.

After going around in circles, I finally left Chinese movies.

"More and more Hollywood films are now trying to incorporate cultural and ethnic elements from all over the world into their creative styles. Ryan, as you said, although "Mulan" and "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" use Chinese elements . But overall it’s still very Hollywood. So how does Disney think about incorporating other cultural and ethnic elements into its work?”

"This classmate's question is very professional." Ryan looked at the male student with glasses and said. "Diversification and integration of other excellent cultural elements have always been the development trend of Hollywood films."

"The thinking of Hollywood and a lot of filmmakers is that it's just a movie, and I can get it how I want. It's okay, but it shouldn't be done. Treating film culture too casually, the consequences are often very serious."

Ryan went on to give a simple explanation,

"Every film produced in Hollywood is different. It is very, very different. Each film has its own story background. During the preparatory period, a lot of background research work will be done. We will do research and investigate around."

"Let's just say Disney, like we have a new film, it's a fairy tale, it's set in the South Pacific, it's local folklore, and our directors, writers and executive producers, they'll go there in person. Visit Anthropology family, older villagers, fishermen, music experts, chat with them. Learn about their stories. We know what the structure of the story is, but we want to incorporate real elements, whether it's characters, or mystical legends, what we want It's the realism, the way the characters behave... every little detail is done with precision, as in every film."

"Our goal is that when the experts in the industry see our films, they'll say we've worked hard, and we've done the right thing. For example, Ratatouille and Cars are being produced at Pixar. "

Ryan has seen the cameras present in the venue, and this exchange is sure to spread. "Our production staff will frequently go to three Michelin-starred restaurants to chat with top chefs. We have done enough research with the attitude of making the most exquisite food, and all the details must be realistic."

"There are also animated films about racing. The production staff not only interviewed racing drivers, went to watch racing competitions, but even participated in amateur racing competitions in person."

"Although these are animations, we try to get all the details in place, because ordinary people can't have such a deep understanding of this industry, nor do they have a deep understanding of the culture. Ordinary audiences just think it's real, but we hope that experts will say, God Ah, they really put a lot of effort into it. This will make the film more believable. We don't want to make a story and make the background look very Chinese or South American, we want to really go deep into the culture, study these cultures, and try our best Do your best to achieve real integration.”

Compared with dealing with the rambling words of the media before, Ryan is more attentive in answering the questions of these young people. Although the words are inevitably mixed with water, they are very realistic. For these young people who are about to enter the film industry For humans, fantasy can be used to make movies, but not an industry that deals with reality.

"Ryan, most of your works are commercial productions, and there are also artistic works such as "Desert Island" and "The Pianist", commercial and artistic, how do you balance the relationship between the two. "

"Everyone, in addition to being an actor and producer, I'm also a businessman. I will answer this question from my own perspective."

Ryan didn't use those ethereal things to embellish his words at all, "As for how to find a balance between business and art, it has something to do with how much money you spend, maybe anything within $20 to 30 million, I just shoot it, I have this market myself. Value, like 127 Hours, which cost less than $20 million to produce, and I can do whatever I want with the director, Miss Natalie Portman.”

"But if it's a live-action Transformers movie with an investment of $170 million, then it won't work, we have to make it strictly according to the Hollywood commercial model, and it has to be popular, naive, and mainstream audiences like to watch things. , otherwise, even Disney can’t bear to lose such a large sum of money.”

"Let's put it this way, when I have a new commercial idea, just listening to me makes Hollywood producers feel like they want to throw money at it."

There was a lot of good-natured laughter in the auditorium, and Ryan tilted his head, "But when I have something literary to talk about, they will be nervous. Will the audience buy this thing? Will the investment lose money?"

"So, the theme of big-production commercial films in Hollywood is relatively naive. The mainstream movies that audiences all over the world see are relatively naive, and the philosophical part is almost done. Too literary and obscure movies will only become A niche movie."

There was a round of applause below, but it was not too warm. Ryan's view that was obviously biased towards commercialization obviously could not be recognized by too many people.

He also knows this himself. In recent years, it has been better. At least Chinese commercial films have developed, and audiences are willing to go back to the theaters. In the past few years, when Chinese films were most deeply influenced by European films, it was also the Chinese film industry. It is the most difficult, and even faces a period of possible demise.

"Ryan, now you are one of the richest people in the world, what does the movie mean to you now?"

The question was from a girl who seemed a little familiar. It was estimated that she might have been a star who walked out of this school in her previous life, but Ryan couldn't remember her name, nor was he interested in knowing it.

"I don't have any hobbies. When I don't make movies, I'm very lazy. Making movies is my life, my way of life. When I have nothing to do, the whole person's spirit is dissipated. I need a The plot, a reason, and a story unite my gods, in fact, so many people like to watch movies, it is the same, it needs the power of mental solidification."

"A person's joy is related to the torment, and they are all compared. The greater the pain, the greater the relative joy. The higher your expectations for joy, when you are disappointed or unable to do it, the kind of pain It’s also very big. In short, people who make movies will not be bored, and their mood will have a lot of ups and downs.”

Ryan paused and seemed to have some feelings, "A movie is a very expensive visual product, and sometimes it's hard to make a film. I hope people all over the world know how hard they are, but when the dream is displayed in front of your eyes , not only joy and surprise, but also thank God, thank all those who fight with you, even if it is a small reward, you will feel great joy, and you will feel that life is very meaningful."

"I want to experience life and learn about the world by putting myself in different situations, plays and roles. Movies are not just work for me, it's my life."

"What do you think of this trip to China and Chinese culture?"

"I like Chinese culture very much, otherwise I wouldn't be able to practice such fluent Chinese. I think my Chinese level is good." There was another kind of laughter and applause, and Ryan applauded gently, " I think people will meet bosom friends all over the world, and they don’t have to be separated by culture. Your heart, your beliefs, and your feelings about the world are more important than cultural differences, because it’s human nature.”

"I hope that culture can bring us different perspectives and colors, because culture has a specificity, we need to appreciate each other. But the most important thing is to be able to find the nature of people through culture, these are common. I have been around the world. Filming, in Poland, in Australia, in Guilin, what characteristics I want to capture, that is my major and my interest. But the ultimate goal of these efforts is to capture human nature, so that people all over the world can There is this feeling of communication, which is more important than cultural differences.”

"What is the difference between the Chinese film industry and the American film industry?"

Hearing this question, Ryan gave a humorous answer, "The biggest difference is language." (To be continued) ()